Maison Law represents the victims of Bakersfield pedestrian accidents. Our personal injury lawyers demand compensation for our clients after a careless driver’s mistake leaves them with hospital bills and lost income.
We provide a free, no-obligation consultation for all local injury victims. Contact us to set up a confidential case review.
It’s a no-risk opportunity to find out what your injury may be worth and how to hold car insurance companies fully responsible for recovery costs.
Should I Call a Lawyer After a Pedestrian Accident?
If you were hit by a car and somehow your injuries are very minor, you may not need the help of a lawyer. It’s when you suffer serious harm, like a broken bone, a deep cut, or a head injury, that you may need the protection of a Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Lawyer.
When medical bills start to build, auto insurance adjusters will fight even harder to get out of having to provide support. They may say you were at fault or try to convince you to sign off on a “lowball” settlement offer that ignores many of your recovery costs. Your Maison Law attorney is a safeguard against this treatment. Your lawyer will submit all evidence to force insurers to accept responsibility and pay the maximum compensation available.
Your lawyer can often secure much more in compensation for your recovery than you could earn by filing yourself.
Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Dangers By the Tragic Numbers
People on foot can face hazardous conditions while out for a walk, or on their way to work or school.
They may face a rush of drivers who don’t pay attention to crosswalks each day at busy local intersections like Gosford Road and Ming Avenue.
People also become pedestrians when they park at a supermarket or along a busy street and exit their vehicles. These are all opportunities for a terrible accident and Bakersfield is seeing more and more incidents each year.
California’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) reports that in 2023 there were 168 pedestrian accidents involving injuries in Bakersfield. Those collisions led to at least 21 deaths. In 2022 there were fewer accidents, but more had deadly outcomes. There were 135 serious accidents, but at least 37 fatalities were documented.
What’s more, according to one study, Bakersfield now ranks as one of the most hazardous places in America for people on foot. Smart Growth America’s 2021 “Deadly By Design” pedestrian research showed that when accounting for population, Bakersfield was the second most risky city for pedestrians.
Over a ten-year span from 2010-2019, Bakersfield recorded 260 pedestrian fatalities. By comparison, Fresno recorded 235 deaths over that time. The Stockton/Lodi area claimed 187 pedestrian lives. Both cities also made the study’s top 25 list.
Compensation Available For Pedestrian Accident Victims
The consequences for victims struck by a car, truck, or SUV are often severe. Treatment for injuries could extend into weeks and months and quickly hit the $100,000 dollar mark in hospital bills.
This is why it’s so important that victims fight to get everything they can from insurance companies.
An insurance company may pay you enough to cover a few nights in a hospital and then never contact you again.
This ends your legal right to seek compensation and yet your expenses for physical therapy and the possibility of future surgeries still lie ahead.
Your personal injury attorney can help you list every potential cost you’ve faced and will face in a claim for damages.
Your lawyer will likely demand compensation for hardships you may not have thought of. These are just some of the potential factors that can earn support:
- Medical Expenses: Any settlement offer should take into account current bills and the costs of any care expected in the future. Physical therapy and rehabilitation should all factor in.
- Permanent Disability or Disfigurement: Further compensation is available to victims who have their lives changed by a disability. Money for a lifetime of care and medical equipment should be part of any award. Compensation for career training can be included when victims can no longer perform their old jobs.
- Mental Anguish: Depression and anxiety issues are reported by many accident victims. They can lose their enjoyment of life due to a devastating injury. Money can be set aside to restore freedom to victims and help them restore their previous way of life. The costs of psychological counseling could be built into a settlement.
- Loss of Wages: The paychecks victims miss while having to be away from work should be reimbursed. Any future time away from work expected is also included.
- Medical Travel Costs: The expense of getting to doctor appointments, second-opinion specialists visits, and counselor appointments. Your care could require a trip out of state.
Support for Families After a Fatal Pedestrian Tragedy
A family could learn that a loved one has been taken from them through the negligence of a careless driver. Close relatives could suddenly be responsible for the costs of medical care and ambulance transport accumulated before the victim passed away. They could also face the expense of a funeral and burial service.
Under such heartbreaking circumstances, an immediate family member can file a wrongful death claim. This civil lawsuit would request support from the at-fault driver’s car insurance coverage. This claim would help those left behind with all the financial obligations they now face.
The claim would also factor in the years ahead as a spouse, children and other family members must face a future without the guidance and financial support the deceased would have provided. An award can help protect the remaining family members from financial ruin in the years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. In some cases, drivers are held responsible for accidents even if they strike a pedestrian who is illegally in the road. Motorists are legally required to show care to pedestrians and slow down no matter where they meet them.
If a hit-and-run suspect is never identified, victims can file a claim against their own car insurance. Support would come out of uninsured motorist coverage. If victims don’t have insurance, they might be covered on a family member’s policy.
Two years. Pedestrian accident victims have a two-year statute of limitations to file an injury claim. They should act quickly. A lawyer can use the head start to collect fresh evidence and to track down witnesses.
Contact a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Serving Bakersfield
Bakersfield has a bad reputation for putting pedestrians in dangerous spots and leaving them vulnerable to frightening accidents. Not all accidents can be prevented, but victims and their families should never be left alone to suffer physically and financially over someone else’s mistake.
Contact an experienced Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Attorney at Maison Law for a free case evaluation to find out everything insurance companies aren’t required to tell you. We work to protect pedestrians from careless drivers and the insurance companies that try to get their policyholders off the hook for their mistakes.
