Pedestrian Accidents
What is Negligence?
You have certain expectations placed upon you when you’re on the road. These include very basic things. People expect, for instance, that you’ll slow down if you see them brake in front of you so that you preserve both their safety and your own. A driver is expected, as another example, to obey traffic lights, signs, and school zones. A driver is also expected to avoid certain actions. These would include not stopping suddenly, without signaling or giving the person behind you adequate time to react. These expectations keep everyone on the road safe.
When drivers fail to live up to these reasonable expectations, they can sometimes be sued successfully for negligence. If a lawsuit succeeds, you’ll get all or part of the award you seek from a jury or a settlement. A jury can also turn down your claim, and the other party isn’t required to offer you a settlement if they don’t want to.
When drivers hit pedestrians, someone usually ends up getting severely injured or killed. Losses of that kind cannot be made up for, of course, but the money that the families sometimes receive in settlements and jury awards is enough to help them recover from the financial hardships brought on by loss.
Your attorney will have to discuss with you how best to proceed with your wrongful death lawsuit. There’s no guarantee that you’ll win, and before you have spoken with an attorney, there’s no guarantee that any attorney would be interested in arguing your claim. However, the only way to find out is to speak with an attorney.
A pedestrian accident lawyer may take cases from pedestrians who were struck by vehicles. If you lost a family member because a driver was negligent, you should also speak with a wrongful death lawyer. They may be able to help you by putting together a lawsuit and seeking compensation for what your family was put through due to another driver’s negligence. Contingency agreements are sometimes available and prevent you from having to pay upfront fees.