Yes, you probably need a lawyer to help after a pedestrian accident. Keep reading to learn why.
Pedestrian Accidents Cause Serious Injuries
Pedestrians have little protection, besides the clothes on their backs, against the weight and force of a motor vehicle that collides with them. This is why they tend to cause serious injuries, such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries and other head injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Road rash and severe burns
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injuries
Dealing with a complex legal claim can be difficult when you’re already dealing with severe injuries.
The At-Fault Driver Might Be Trying to Blame You
To get out of paying you fair compensation for pedestrian accident injuries, the driver may try to blame you for the accident. If you were knocked unconscious or taken immediately to the hospital, the driver’s version of events may be the only one that makes it to the official accident report.
Even if the driver can show you were partially to blame for the accident, this could be enough to stop you from recovering compensation. In Colorado, if you are more than 50% responsible for an accident, the state’s modified comparative negligence law doesn’t allow you to recover any compensation.
Even if you are less than 50% responsible for the accident, these claims can still impact your personal injury case because your compensation is reduced proportionately by your degree of fault. So, the more fault the driver or their insurance company can push you on, the less compensation you stand to recover.
Insurance Companies Don’t Treat Injury Victims Fairly
Insurance companies are for-profit companies. Even though they should treat accident victims fairly, they often don’t. This is true even when they are dealing with their own insurance company, such as when making claims through their uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
Insurance companies are notorious for taking advantage of injury victims who are in a vulnerable condition. They often employ tactics to deny and delay claims to frustrate claimants who eventually give up or accept whatever pennies the insurance company offers. They may try to get you to sign a quick settlement, ask for comprehensive medical records to pin an old injury on, or convince you that you don’t need a lawyer. When you’re battling against multi-billion dollar corporations, you need a skilled legal advocate on your side who can level the playing field.
Handling a Personal Injury Claim Is Stressful
Pedestrian accidents can cause catastrophic injuries, exorbitant medical bills, extended time away from work, and other substantial effects on victims. Dealing with these issues quickly becomes more complicated when you’re trying to handle your personal injury case single-handedly.
An experienced personal injury attorney from Dulin McQuinn Young can remove the stress from your shoulders by:
- Explaining your legal rights and options to you
- Investigating the accident and gathering evidence to establish liability
- Handling communications and negotiations with the insurance company
- Factoring in your long-term losses caused by the accident
- Protecting your financial interests
- Representing you in court, if that becomes necessary
Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer for Legal Assistance
Now that you realize the importance of hiring a personal injury attorney after a pedestrian accident, it’s crucial that you choose the right one.
Contact Dulin McQuinn Young today for a free case review and to learn why we are the right choice for you.