Pedestrians struck by careless drivers can seek full compensation for their hardships. That should include money to pay all medical bills and to cover time lost at work.
Unfortunately, car insurance companies look for ways to withhold support from victims. Our personal injury lawyers fight back to hold insurers fully responsible and demand the maximum in compensation. Contact Maison Law of Fort Bragg CA to set up a free, confidential case review to find out what your injury is worth today.
How Do I Know If I Need a Lawyer for My Pedestrian Accident Case?
If you were hit by a car and somehow you walked away with minor injuries, like scratches or bruising, you may not need the help of a lawyer. It’s when you suffer serious harm, like a neck or back injury or a broken bone, and a driver is to blame, that you may need the protection of a Fort Bragg Pedestrian Accident Lawyer.
When the cost of medical bills starts to rise, auto insurance adjusters will fight even harder to get out of having to provide support. They may try to imply that you jumped out in front of the vehicle carelessly. They’ll try to convince you to sign off on a “lowball” settlement offer that only covers half of the 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 in benefits available.
Your Maison Law attorney can often secure much more for you than you could by taking on a giant insurance company yourself.
Who Is Responsible If I’m Struck While Crossing the Street?
Pedestrians generally have the right of way in crosswalks. However, drivers can also be held accountable, even if someone on foot is crossing in the middle of the street when they are struck.
Motorists are held to a higher standard where vulnerable pedestrians are concerned. They must show care no matter where they encounter a pedestrian.
- Drivers must be on the lookout for pedestrians at all times.
- Drivers must slow down when they see a pedestrian entering any roadway or in the roadway.
- Drivers must slow down when a pedestrian is in the street.
- Drivers must be going slow enough to be able to avoid any chance of a collision.
Pedestrians also have a responsibility to follow traffic laws. They must not be in a crosswalk when the “don’t walk” light is flashing. They also shouldn’t step out in front of traffic when a moving vehicle is too close, making an impact impossible to avoid.
However, even when a pedestrian bears some fault in an accident, they can often still ask for and receive injury support. Under comparative negligence, drivers and those on foot can share the blame in an accident. For example, a judge may assign a pedestrian 30% of the fault in a crash. The driver may bear 70% of the liability. A pedestrian could still earn compensation, but the award would be reduced by 30%, the victim’s percentage of blame.
Drivers can be liable for some or all of the recovery costs, even when a pedestrian is hit while crossing outside of a crosswalk. Under recent California legislation, pedestrians generally can’t be cited for Jaywalking. They can cross anywhere they want to as long as it’s safe to do so.
A skilled Fort Bragg Pedestrian Accident Lawyer works to hold a driver partially or fully responsible for any accident. And if the pedestrian deserves none of the blame for a collision, then Maison Law produces the evidence to bring their level of fault down to zero.
Pedestrian Dangers in Fort Bragg
Unfortunately, many pedestrian collisions are the result of careless and reckless driving on the part of local drivers. Motorists can be typing on a cell phone instead of watching the upcoming crosswalk. They can have their foot on the gas and be totally unprepared to stop for someone crossing the street.
The dangers are seen every day at busy intersections like Main Street and Cypress Street or the crossroads at Highway 1 and Route 20.
According to California transportation officials, Mendocino County saw a scary uptick in pedestrian accidents in 2024.
- 2024: 22 pedestrian accidents involving injury for the year, causing at least one death.
- 2023: 15 serious pedestrian collisions, but no fatalities reported.
Drivers should be fully responsible for the devastating consequences of these impacts. Victims should have the support needed to cover every doctor bill and every physical therapy bill as they learn to walk again. It sometimes takes the investigative skills of an experienced lawyer to force car insurance companies to accept blame and provide everything needed for victims to rebuild their lives.
Common Injuries After a Pedestrian Collision in Fort Bragg CA
Getting the right amount on a pedestrian accident settlement check is critical to the future of any patient. Victims without attorneys may get talked into accepting a “lowball” settlement offer that may cover a trip to the emergency room, leaving no support for what’s down the road.
Pedestrian accident victims can end up with major injuries that rob them of their mobility and their ability to earn a paycheck. They may need surgeries a year later or require more physical therapy to learn how to walk normally again. But victims in need can’t go back to an insurance company to ask for more after they’ve already signed off on a settlement.
Maison Law works with doctors to ensure our clients get exactly what they need to be able to pay for any subsequent care required. It’s an important safeguard, because defenseless pedestrians can face some serious consequences.
These are just a few of the injuries that emergency room doctors at Adventist Health Mendocino Coast treat after pedestrian collisions:
Bone Fractures: Fractures in the ankle joint, the legs, the arms, the chest, and the hip joint are most common in accident victims. Some breaks can be very difficult to heal. Bones can even heal in the wrong position and may need to be broken again and reset through surgery months after an original recovery.
Musculoskeletal injuries: These are the most common type of injuries for adult victims. They involve strains, sprains, and dislocations in bones, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. Healing can take weeks, and patients can develop chronic pain.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs): Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) leads to memory loss, sensitivity to light, and sleeplessness. Concussions can be light to severe. A skull fracture can lead to brain bleeding.
Neck injuries: Whiplash is seen when victims have their heads quickly thrown forward and backward. The head may need to be immobilized as healing takes place. Things like moving the head and sneezing will be extremely painful. Full recovery usually takes over a month or more.
Spine Injury: A cervical spine dislocation is another common injury, especially for older pedestrian victims. The ligaments in the spine are damaged. This may include a spine fracture or dislocation. It happens when blunt forces leave adjoining spine bones abnormally separated, causing instability.
Back injuries: The stretching of muscles, tendons, and ligaments leaves microscopic tears in back muscles. These difficult-to-treat injuries can cause lifelong back pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file an injury claim after a pedestrian accident?
The statute of limitations on your pedestrian collision injury is two years. You should take action as soon as possible, though. When you wait months or years, evidence can disappear, and witnesses might become hard to track down.
What types of things are compensated after a pedestrian injury accident?
Your Fort Bragg Pedestrian Accident Attorney would demand compensation to pay all current medical bills and to cover any future care that’s needed. The paychecks and job benefits lost while you can’t work must be reimbursed. You should also expect assistance with non-economic hardships, like the pain they are left with and the emotional trauma caused by a frightening accident and difficult recovery.
Can My Family Ask for Insurance Support if a Loved One Is Killed in a Pedestrian Accident?
Yes. Close family members can file a wrongful death claim. They can demand justice and financial help with funeral expenses and any remaining medical bills left behind. Families should receive help in replacing the income the victim may have provided each month. They should also receive support for the intense grief and loss of love and companionship they’ll have to cope with for years to come. A Fort Bragg Wrongful Death Lawyer can investigate your loved one’s death so that car insurance companies can’t try to change the facts about what happened.
Support for Fort Bragg and Mendocino Pedestrian Accident Victims
Contact Maison Law to schedule a free, confidential consultation with a real Fort Bragg Pedestrian Accident Lawyer. We want to hear what happened to you. We’re going to answer your questions and make sure you are prepared for the insurance tactics you’ll face so you don’t forfeit valuable support.
You’ll know what your injury is worth before an insurance adjuster tries to convince you it’s worth nothing at all.
Maison Law also understands that victims often struggle financially after a devastating accident and won’t have the money to hire a lawyer. It’s okay. You can still afford powerful legal protection. You don’t pay Maison Law unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement that a car insurance company must pay.
