If you’ve been injured in a pedestrian accident, you must act quickly to protect your legal rights. Contact our Florence pedestrian accident lawyers at Mama Justice today to get help with your case.
As a victim of a pedestrian accident, you may have legal options available to help you get justice and move forward. Working with a Florence pedestrian accident attorney can make a big difference in your ability to protect your legal rights.
Our lawyers at Mama Justice are committed to helping victims harmed in pedestrian accidents get justice. Our lawyers can help you file a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent motorist to ensure you are fully compensated for your damages.
If you have suffered a serious injury, do not wait to seek legal guidance. Contact our Florence personal injury law firm today to get started. Our experienced attorney Missy Wigginton, AKA Mama Justice, can schedule a free case review at your earliest convenience to discuss your accident.
Mama Justice has a long track record of succeeding when it comes to handling personal injury cases for pedestrians and we will dedicate a great deal of time and effort to protecting your legal rights as well. Contact our law firm today.
Alabama is Dangerous for Pedestrians
The state of Alabama comes in at number 10 out of all fifty states for being the most dangerous state in the country for pedestrian deaths and the state ranks #9 with a total death rate of 0.54. This rate is nearly 28.6% higher than the national average. Although we constantly implement traffic laws to protect pedestrians from being struck by vehicles, we continue to see pedestrian accidents take place at an alarming rate.
Victims who are involved in pedestrian accidents are more likely to suffer serious injuries due to the fact that they are unprotected against the force of impact of a motor vehicle. Victims are often left to deal with overwhelming pain that leaves them mentally and physically exhausted. To add insult to injury, victims often face towering medical bills and lost wages from taking time off work to recover.
Pedestrian Traffic Laws in Florence
In Alabama, pedestrians have a legal right to walk down sidewalks and to cross roads safely. Under Alabama law, both drivers and pedestrians are required to follow various rules in order to remain safe.
Pedestrians, in particular, are required to obey all traffic control devices and use crossing signals that are available at most major intersections and crossways. When the control devices provide pedestrians with the “safe to walk” signal, they are provided the legal right-of-way. In most situations, other motorists are required to yield the right of way and wait for pedestrians to fully cross the roadway before they are able to move forward.
If no traffic control device is present, motorists are still required to yield the right of way to pedestrians in designated crosswalks. However, if a pedestrian chooses to cross at any point of the roadway outside of a crosswalk or at an intersection, they are required to yield the right of way to motorists.
If there is a sidewalk available for pedestrians, then they must use it. It is not legal for pedestrians to walk in the roadway when there is a designated walking area. If there is no sidewalk, a pedestrian must stay on the shoulder and as far away from moving traffic as possible. Pedestrians who are impaired by any intoxicant are not legally allowed to walk on the road.
Whether there is a marked or an unmarked crosswalk, it is crucial to understand what your rights are as a pedestrian. If you are harmed in an accident as a result of a reckless or negligent motorist, you may be able to file a personal injury claim to recover compensation that you can use for various costs you face.
Pedestrians are Likely to Suffer Serious Injuries in Crashes
Here in Florence, we see numerous pedestrians forced to deal with life-changing injuries after being involved in pedestrian accidents. Painful injuries are an unfortunate reality for most victims involved in these accidents.
Pedestrian accidents can and often do have tragic consequences. Victims who are outside of vehicles during accidents are more likely to suffer severe and catastrophic injuries. The chances of severe injuries are greatly increased when vehicles are speeding or pedestrians are involved in accidents with semi-trucks, SUVs, and other large vehicles.
Some of the most common injuries that victims sustain include:
- Broken bones
- Internal injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Cuts, scrapes, and abrasions
- Loss of limbs
Given the vulnerability of victims involved in these accidents, pedestrian fatalities are a possible consequence as well.
When victims suffer injuries in accidents, they are often required to undergo extensive medical care. Not only are injuries extremely painful, but they are costly to treat. The Florence pedestrian crash lawyers at Mama Justice can help you recover the compensation you need to cover the costs of care and other expenses you face.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian accidents can take place for a variety of reasons. When drivers fail to control their motor vehicles, it can have life-changing consequences for others around.
Some of the most common causes of pedestrian accidents that our Alabama pedestrian accident attorneys see in Florida include:
- Negligent drivers
- Distracted driving
- Drivers who are impaired by drugs or alcohol
- Turning at intersections without checking for pedestrians
- Drivers who are speeding
- Drivers who lose control of their vehicles
- Motorists who back up without looking
- Drivers who fail to yield the right of way
- Malicious actions of motorists
If you were injured as a result of these or other acts of negligence, our Florence pedestrian accident lawyers will help you get the justice you deserve. Our law firm will communicate with the insurance company of the at-fault driver and demand that they pay you full and timely compensation for your injuries and damages.
Available Damages for Pedestrian Accident Victims
There are many instances where an insurance company refuses to pay victims the compensation they rightfully deserve. For this reason, it is imperative that those harmed seek legal services immediately after a serious accident.
Our Alabama pedestrian accident attorney Missy Wigginton will help you recover the money you need to alleviate various costs you face moving forward from your accident as an injured pedestrian.
Some of the damages that we help our clients recover with our legal services performed include compensation for:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills
- Long-term medical costs
- Lost earning capacity
- Loss of consortium
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of quality of life
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Punitive damages, whenever possible
Pedestrian injuries can have a life-changing impact on a victim. For this reason, our Florence pedestrian accident lawyer is committed to helping each person we work with maximize their recovery of these and other damages following their accidents.
What to Do After a Pedestrian Crash in Florence
If you are involved in a pedestrian accident but are able to get up and move around, there are various steps that you should take to ensure your mental, physical, and legal wellbeing are all protected.
Protect Your Physical Health and Wellbeing
First, you will want to seek immediate medical attention. Being involved in a pedestrian crash increases the risk of suffering a serious injury. By undergoing a thorough medical examination, you will be able to identify any serious and potentially life-threatening consequences. Furthermore, it will begin the process of documenting your injuries in order to take legal action against the negligent motorist.
Protect Your Legal Rights and Best Interests
Next, you will want to call the police immediately. Law enforcement will respond to the scene and get to work quickly on determining fault. The officer will look for any skid marks on the road, review the conditions of the roadway, the position of the vehicle, and various other factors to determine what circumstances led to the crash occurring. This report is critical when it comes to your ability to get justice.
You will want to take pictures of the scene of the accident and record videos if possible. Take pictures of the vehicles involved, the road and area where the accident occurred, your pedestrian injury, and other details found at the crash site. If there are skid marks or other markings in the roadway, like crosswalks, and traffic signals, take pictures of those as well.
you will want to get the contact information of witnesses to the accident and every person involved. You will want the person’s name, phone number. You will want the at-fault driver’s insurance company information as well.
Finally, you will want to schedule a free consultation with a skilled Florence pedestrian accident lawyer from Mama Justice. Our team will help you seek compensation from the at-fault driver to cover all of the damages you face.
Injured in a Crash with an Uninsured Motorists
If you are harmed in a pedestrian crash by a driver who is uninsured, your uninsured motorist coverage should help you with regard to covering various costs you face from your accident. It is important to note that even though you were not inside a vehicle when you were harmed, your insurance policy will still apply due to the fact that you were harmed in a motor vehicle accident.
Injured in a Crash with an Underinsured Motorists
In the state of Alabama, motorists are able to stack the coverage of up to three vehicles per policy. This means that you are not only able to obtain compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurance policy, but you can also file claims against your own insurance company. This will enable you to receive more coverage in the event that the amount of damages exceeds the policy limits.
Our lawyers will review the applicable insurance policies to ensure your pedestrian rights are protected after being harmed in an accident in Alabama.
Wrongful Death Claims in Alabama
When the injuries caused by pedestrian accidents result in the victim passing away, surviving relatives are able to pursue wrongful death claims on behalf of their loved ones. These lawsuits provide bereaved families with the ability to recover compensation for the aforementioned damages as well as recover money for funeral expenses, burial costs, loss of services, loss of parental guidance, loss of companionship, and more.
Our Alabama personal injury firm will fight to help your family hold the negligent driver responsible for your loved one’s death accountable for their actions. Mama Justice serves clients in Florence and across Alabama who have been harmed in car accidents to ensure they get justice. We are committed to helping your family get justice for your loved one.
Mama Justice Can Help Protect Your Legal Rights
When pedestrians are harmed in accidents, they often struggle to move forward. Overcoming painful injuries is mentally and emotionally exhausting. In many instances, victims and their families often face towering financial consequences that make the recovery process even more difficult.
If you have suffered a pedestrian injury as a result of a negligent driver, you must seek legal services right away. As a victim of a motor vehicle accident, you may have legal options available to help you get justice. Filing pedestrian accident claims can help those harmed get the justice they deserve. Unlike other lawyers, our team at Mama Justice truly values our attorney-client relationship. We put forth great effort to ensure our clients not only have their legal rights protected, but we advocate to ensure their best interests are protected as well.
After stopping by our law firm website, you can schedule a free case review with our team to discuss your case, or you can reach us by calling our law firm. Contact our Florence pedestrian accident attorneys today at (662) 262-6264 to schedule a free and confidential consultation with our team today.
Our Alabama pedestrian accident attorneys at Mama Justice are available to meet with you for a free consultation at your earliest convenience to discuss your case and the legal options available.