According to the New York State Department of Health, around 300 pedestrians are killed, and an additional 15,000 are injured yearly in New York auto accidents. Despite government efforts to improve safety, pedestrian-related crashes are still rising.
Many of these accidents are preventable when motorists adhere to the rules of the road. However, driver negligence is still a leading cause of many pedestrian accidents, resulting in serious injuries that change people’s lives in the blink of an eye. If you were injured in an accident caused by a negligent driver while you were on foot, the New York pedestrian accident lawyers from Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. will assist you with your compensation claim. Here is how:
In This Article
- Protect Your Right to Pursue Compensation in a Pedestrian Accident Claim
- Follow Your Treatment Plan and Keep a Record of Your Expenses
- Understand Your Legal Options Before Speaking with an Insurer
- New York Law Limits Your Time to File a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit
- Contact Our New York Pedestrian Accident Attorneys to Receive a Free Consultation
Protect Your Right to Pursue Compensation in a Pedestrian Accident Claim
If you were hit by a motorist while walking, the following steps could help you protect your best interests in terms of your health and legal position:
- Seek medical attention immediately. Remember that the most serious consequences of some injuries do not appear immediately (such as some concussion injuries, for example,) or could be masked by adrenaline.
- Call the police (it is the law to report an accident if anyone is injured or worse).
- Collect evidence at the scene by taking photographs and video or collecting witness details if it is safe and you are able to do so.
- Schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced lawyers to learn about your legal options.
It is not fair that you should end up out-of-pocket after someone else caused the accident. As such, a compensation claim could help to offset those losses. However, you will need to provide evidence to substantiate your claim to obtain a settlement that accurately reflects the full extent of your injuries.
The information from medical records, police reports, witness statements, and evidence gathered at the scene could be instrumental in proving your case (or disproving any allegations of fault against you) later. However, do not worry if you cannot gather evidence at the scene. Our team of legal professionals will lift this burden from your shoulders, so you can focus on your medical treatment, healing and rebuilding your life.
For a free legal consultation with a Pedestrian Accident lawyer serving New York, call 516-932-0400
Follow Your Treatment Plan and Keep a Record of Your Expenses
Keeping up with your doctor’s recommendations for your treatment protects your health and aids your recovery. However, following your treatment plan is also beneficial for your compensation claim because it helps to establish a link between your injuries and the accident – an essential factor in proving your case.
Proving the other side’s fault is only one part of the process. You or your lawyer will also need to demonstrate your financial losses. Again, evidence showing lost wages, medical bills, and other costs related to the accident is key, so keeping track of your expenses is essential.
Along with tangible losses, you could also pursue compensation for the accident’s emotional impact, which is not so easy to quantify. We make sure to carefully examine every way the accident has affected your home and work life before pursuing compensation which could include:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills, treatment, and rehabilitation costs
- Compensation if your injuries limit or prevent you from working in the future
- Impaired or diminished quality of life
- Pain, suffering, and inconvenience
- Lost or damaged property
Legal and Emotional Support in Fatal Pedestrian Accident Cases
If the accident caused the loss of a loved one, we would like to begin by extending our sincerest condolences to you at this most difficult time. Our attorneys are here to support surviving family members and understand the incredibly sensitive nature of pedestrian accident wrongful death cases. Please do reach out if you would like to talk to us in confidence about this type of legal action. It will be our privilege to review, in a patient, compassionate and comprehensive manner, all your options for legal action.
New York Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Near Me 516-932-0400
Understand Your Legal Options Before Speaking with an Insurer
Knowing your legal options before pursuing compensation or agreeing to a settlement will help to clarify the most suitable course of action for your situation. For example, you could receive a settlement offer from an insurance company early on. While this might seem a good thing, it might not be enough to cover the entirety of your losses – especially if the total financial extent of your damages is not yet fully known.
How We Support Our Clients
We support you as our client by investigating the facts of the accident, identifying liable parties, gathering evidence, managing case administration and communications, and determining a value for your pedestrian accident case. Furthermore, we fight relentlessly to win the best possible case outcome for you.
Understanding your legal position and the full extent of your losses is vital before agreeing to any settlement offers. However, because we assess every way your life has been affected by the accident beforehand, if a settlement offer is too low, we would renegotiate for a more appropriate resolution.
Pursuing a complex injury claim while recovering from the accident is likely the last thing on your mind at this difficult time. As such, our pedestrian accident lawyers are here to protect your rights during the legal process to ensure you are properly represented. In addition, we manage all administration and communications with insurance companies or their legal representatives.
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New York Law Limits Your Time to File a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit
Keep in mind there is a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit in New York per the following statutes:
- New York Civil Practice Laws & Rules § 214, relating to personal injury cases
- Estates, Powers & Trusts § 5-4.1, which relates to wrongful death actions
- Subject to the unique characteristics of your case, a shorter statute of limitations may apply. Other, shorter, deadlines apply to claims and litigation as well.
It is beneficial to begin the legal process promptly to ensure all necessary paperwork is filed in time. Early intervention also allows your lawyer to gather and preserve vital evidence such as witness statements, CCTV camera footage, and other time-sensitive information before it is lost, forgotten, or destroyed.
Simply stated, the sooner you contact us, the greater our opportunity to build the strongest case possible for you.
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Contact Our New York Pedestrian Accident Attorneys to Receive a Free Consultation
At Friedman & Simon, L.L.P., we understand how being injured in an accident caused by someone else could affect your family, work, and home life. Therefore, our New York pedestrian accident lawyers take the time to build genuine connections with everyone we represent and have a reputation for hard work, reflected by our high levels of client satisfaction and case results.
Let us put our resources, knowledge, and expertise to work for you. Call for a free consultation with our firm today if you were injured or lost a loved one in a pedestrian-related accident.
Call or text 516-932-0400 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form