Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Personal injury Lawyer Matt Arnold answers the question: “I was involved in a motor vehicle accident with injuries. Do I need a lawyer?”
Pedestrian accidents are on the rise across the country and in North Carolina. Statewide pedestrian crash data gathered over a 10-year period found that not only did pedestrian injuries and deaths increase, but all crashes involving pedestrians rose during the time frame. Unfortunately, when a vehicle hits a person on foot or bicycle, the injuries can be catastrophic. If you or a loved one was hurt in a pedestrian accident, you may be owed money for your damages. An experienced personal injury attorney will help get you compensation from the negligent party.
How Do Vehicles Hit Pedestrians?
Vehicle accidents happen due to a variety of causes. Many times, pedestrian accidents occur in cities and more densely populated areas. Although the safety features in vehicles have improved greatly through the years, the rate of pedestrian accidents continues to increase. Some of the most common causes of accidents include speeding, distracted driving, driving while impaired, and failure to obey traffic signals and signs. Of these, distracted driving is likely the most serious infraction that leads to severe accidents with pedestrians. The increase in the use of cell phones and other electronic devices may be at least partly to blame for more pedestrian accidents.
Seek Medical Attention
Many times, pedestrian accidents will leave you severely injured and in need of immediate emergency medical treatment. Head trauma, neck and back injuries, and broken bones are among the most common injuries that may occur. In some cases, you may feel shaken up and unaware of your injuries. It is essential to visit the hospital or doctor as soon as possible because sometimes head trauma and other harm can worsen over time. Injuries such as traumatic brain injury can leave the victim with lifelong disabilities. The sooner you seek medical care the better because you will need to prove that your injuries were a direct result of the accident.
Proving Negligence in a Personal Injury Claim
As an injured party, you may be owed money for your injuries as long as you can prove negligence. To prove negligence you must show that the driver had a duty to use care, failed to act with proper care, and you suffered an injury as a result. You should save all the copies of your medical diagnosis and treatment along with the bills. The negligent party may owe you not only for your medical care, but also for lost wages, and pain and suffering. The easiest way to ensure that you will receive adequate compensation for your damages is with help from a knowledgeable personal injury attorney. You need to focus your attention on your recovery, so your attorney will guide the legal process.
You and your family should not have to pay the medical expenses and other damages that you incur as the victim of a pedestrian accident that was not your fault. Do not wait to file a claim because the law puts a limit of three years from the date of the injury. Contact Arnold & Smith, PLLC at (704) 370-2828 to discuss the details with a free initial consultation.
The skilled personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to maximizing the financial recovery and obtaining justice for every personal injury client injured by another party’s negligence. The issues our personal injury clients may be facing include, but are not limited to, slip and fall injuries, wrongful death, product liability, catastrophic injuries, dog bite claims, car and truck accident injuries, motorcycle injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI), nursing home negligence, spinal cord injury, boating accidents, and defective medical device injury. Our personal injury attorneys understand the devastating impact such an injury can have on a person’s life, and that the effects so often go beyond physical pain and suffering. The personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to helping clients determine the strength of their claims, and to aggressively pursuing the means necessary to achieve the best possible end result for each client’s particular situation.
Source:
https://oshr.nc.gov/facts-and-figures
https://www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/safety/driving-safety/Pages/distracted-driving.aspx
Image Credit:
https://www.freeimages.com/photo/push-button-to-walk-1445119
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