Walking down the street on a regular day changes instantly if you get struck by a vehicle. You can contact an Upper Marlboro pedestrian accident lawyer to file a claim against the driver responsible for your injuries. You could be entitled to damages that pay for the accident’s financial burdens, including medical costs and lost wages.
The drivers are responsible for paying attention to the road, following traffic laws, and helping those on foot stay safe. Yet accidents happen for a variety of reasons, potentially leaving pedestrians severely injured. Depending on the accident’s nature, a person on foot could sustain catastrophic injuries with life-altering consequences. An experienced attorney fights for your legal rights as a pedestrian who experienced severe physical harm due to driver negligence.
Injuries range from minor to severe when drivers hit pedestrians. Some accidents can have fatal results, in which case the legal professional represents the pedestrian’s family in a wrongful death case. Among the most common injuries people on foot experience after getting struck by cars and trucks include the following:
After getting hit by a vehicle, pedestrians should take pictures of the scene and their injuries if they can or have others do so. They also need to obtain the driver’s contact information and seek medical care immediately since some injuries take longer to manifest due to adrenaline spikes at the time of the accident. Reporting the accident to a police officer and procuring a copy of the report provides additional evidence that supports insurance and legal claims.
Vehicle accidents involving people on foot have several causes, including those related to driver intoxication, drowsiness, and distraction. All of these issues impair the driver to increase the risk of accidents. Drivers also hit pedestrians due to driving errors, such as failing to yield despite signage, turning at the wrong time at an intersection, driving through a red light, and speeding. A driver who goes when it is not their turn at a four-way stop and strikes a pedestrian is also liable, as are those who engage in any other reckless or hazardous driving.
Some driver-pedestrian accidents happen for third-party reasons, such as malfunctioning traffic lights, the behavior of other drivers and persons on foot, and inclement weather. For example, suppose an individual under the influence of drugs pushes another into the street, and that person gets hit by a car. In that case, the intoxicated individual is responsible for the plaintiff’s injuries.
Since Maryland follows contributory negligence rules, the attorney must show that the defendant is 100 percent responsible for the pedestrian incident. If the plaintiff contributed to the accident in any way, they will not collect damages. Most other states follow comparative negligence rules that allow plaintiffs to recover damages even if they are partially responsible for the accident. Under pure comparative negligence, a plaintiff can recover regardless of their share of the blame, with the award reduced by that percentage. Under modified comparative negligence, a plaintiff can recover only if their share of fault is below a threshold, usually 50 or 51 percent, and the award is again reduced by that percentage. Maryland follows neither rule. One exception applies here: a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle in Washington, DC can recover under the District’s vulnerable user statute unless their negligence was greater than the driver’s, but that statute does not apply in Maryland.
It would be best if you did not have to deal with the shock and financial issues related to an accident that was not your fault. One of our firm’s Upper Marlboro pedestrian accident lawyers will take your case and help you win damages.
Our team is here to help. Please reach out to us today to make an appointment.
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