Pedestrians are the most vulnerable form of traffic. Without any immediate protection, they regularly interact with vehicles of all sizes, each of which is more than capable of causing serious bodily injury or death should an accident occur.
If you have been injured while out walking, a Philadelphia pedestrian accident lawyer from our team can potentially help you seek monetary relief from your losses.
Why Choose the Cochran Firm?
A Reputation for Excellence
After serving clients in Philadelphia, the greater Pennsylvania state, and the country at large, we have developed a strong reputation for our excellence in the representation of clients. The millions of dollars we have fought for and won for injured individuals have allowed them to rebuild their lives and tangible craft dreams and plans for their future.
Every case we take gets the attention it deserves and benefits from our years of experience dealing with negligent actors and difficult insurance companies. You can completely rely on The Cochran Firm to do what it takes to recover the resources you need.
At The Cochran Firm, we have:
- A track record of obtaining multiple millions of dollars in compensation for clients
- Industry-respected attorneys with decades of experience fighting for clients
- A reputation for fierce and effective legal representation
- Direct lines for clients to The Cochran Firm attorneys.
Our firm’s leader, Robert S. Miller, is frequently lauded for his meticulous preparation and attention to detail. Along with each of the attorneys at The Cochran Firm, Mr. Miller always makes sure that every aspect of every case is planned out and executed to the detail.
If you need representation for a pedestrian accident, trust in The Cochran Firm, just as thousands have done before. A pedestrian injury lawyer is ready to meet and discuss your case. Call (800) 969-4400 today.
How a Pedestrian Injury Attorney from The Cochran Firm Can Help
We Take Care of Everything
Pedestrian accident victims need time to recover and adjust, not the stresses of a claim to overwhelm them. When The Cochran Firm takes a case, we handle the compensation process for you, ensuring that you receive high-quality representation at every stage.
With that being said, many tasks must be accomplished in order to get you the payout you deserve, including:
- Drafting and filing all claim-related paperwork
- Building your case from investigations and evidence gathering
- Hiring appropriate accident-reconstruction and medical experts
- Negotiating for the highest compensation payout available for your case
- Keeping you informed of the progress of your claim.
During your healing period, we will be working diligently to ensure that the insurance company handling your claim honors the losses you have suffered.
To speak with a pedestrian accident attorney and learn how you can get justice for your injuries, call (800) 969-4400 today.
Compensation for Pedestrian Accidents
The compensation you receive for the losses you’ve incurred as the result of a pedestrian accident encompasses various factors. Once we take your case, a pedestrian accident attorney from our team will immediately set about the task of calculating the dollar value of your damages.
Under Pennsylvania law, injury victims are entitled to pursue compensation for both economic and non-economic losses or damages. Economic damages include financial losses such as:
- Medical care and treatment expenses
- Missed economic opportunities, such as lost income
- Expenses related to the hiring of homecare workers to help around the house
- Funeral and burial expenses in cases of wrongful death.
These financial impacts can lead some injury victims into economic ruin, but fortunately, the law allows victims to recoup these losses as well as non-monetary losses.
Non-monetary losses are the losses that directly affect your emotional and mental well-being instead of your wallet. Although intangible, the law recognizes them as compensable due to their heavy impact on the lives of victims and their families. Non-monetary losses can include:
- Physical pain and suffering caused by the injury
- Mental anguish
- Discomfort
- Inconvenience
- Distress.
At this stage of the compensation process, in which the precise totals of each of the above-listed damages are being calculated, every pedestrian accident lawyer at our firm works vigorously to cement the calculations that will cover the full extent of their client’s losses.
Punitive damages may also be awarded in some cases, though these are exceedingly rare and only available when the party being sued has acted intentionally or with reckless indifference. When you are awarded punitive damages, and they are provided in addition to your compensation for your losses.
Fault for Pedestrian Accidents
In order to claim compensation, your pedestrian accident lawyer must demonstrate that another party was liable, meaning at fault. Accomplishing this task requires the pedestrian injury lawyer to show that the at-fault party was negligent in some way, signifying that they violated the duty of care that they owed to you as a pedestrian.
For example, all motorists have to maintain specific safety standards when operating a vehicle. Failure to do so is usually a violation of the duty of care. Common violations of this nature include:
- Driving while distracted or drowsy
- Driving while drunk or under the influence of an intoxicant
- Excessive speeding
- Reckless and aggressive driving
- Road rage
- Failure to follow the rules of the road
- Failure to obey traffic signs and signals.
In addition to proving negligence, your pedestrian injury attorney must also demonstrate that it was that negligence that was the actual cause of the crash. Just because someone was negligent doesn’t mean they were directly responsible for your accident and subsequent injuries. For example, if a drunk driver is involved in a pedestrian accident that was 100% caused by another driver, the negligence of the drunk driver will not matter in terms of liability.
The last thing your pedestrian accident lawyer must prove is that you suffered damages. Your injuries are the proof your claim needs to be successful. For this reason, it is important and essential to your health and claim to have a medical report that establishes the nature and severity of your injuries and their cause.
How Pedestrian Accidents Occur
Looking both ways before crossing and obeying the traffic lights at intersections are a couple of universally understood ways that pedestrians can lower their risk of being in an accident. Still, pedestrians cannot prevent the negligent behavior of others, no matter how safely they move through traffic, and that’s exactly why and how accidents occur.
Unmarked and Uncontrolled Crossings
Controlled intersections reduce the number of pedestrian injuries in Philadelphia, but many of the hundreds of thousands of intersections in the state are not controlled; hence, they are the site of many pedestrian accidents.
Laws controlling unmarked and uncontrolled crossings are written for the safety of pedestrians. Cars at these intersections must yield to pedestrians attempting to cross. Additionally, a vehicle stopped at an intersection and waiting for a pedestrian to cross must not be passed by any vehicle approaching from the rear. Sadly, these rules are not always obeyed, and accidents happen.
Driving While Distracted
A driver who takes their eyes off the road for even a second can cause an accident in that time. The countless number of fender-benders and swipes that occur every year attest to this, and what would normally be an annoying dent or scratch becomes potentially fatal for a pedestrian.
Left Turns
Left turns at intersections are common car crash situations due to left-turn drivers failing to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic. Pedestrians also find themselves in danger of being ignored during a turn. If you’ve been involved in a car crash due to a left turn drivers negligence, its important to seek legal help from an expereinced car crash lawyer. Oftentimes, drivers turning left erroneously believe to be clear to go when no oncoming cars are present and fail to notice crossing pedestrians.
Poor Weather Conditions
Poor weather conditions affect drivers’ visibility. Heavy rain and fog can all but obscure the presence of a pedestrian crossing the street, so drivers are urged to slow down and drive only as conditions allow. Regardless, some drivers follow the posted speed limit even with compromised visibility.
Driving While Intoxicated
DUI arrests in Pennsylvania are approaching 50,000 annually, with a large portion of them occurring in Philadelphia. Thousands more drunk drivers are never caught. Within the quoted statistic exists the statistic for pedestrian fatalities caused by DUIs. In 2021, 53 pedestrians lost their lives due to intoxicated drivers, and many more were seriously injured.
Understanding how your accident occurred is crucial to your pedestrian injury attorney’s liability theory and underlies your entire claim.
Common Pedestrian Injuries in Philadelphia
As mentioned, pedestrians are particularly vulnerable during accidents. Lack of protection almost invariably leads to some sort of injury. In more serious pedestrian accidents, victims can face long-term to permanent injuries and even death.
Common pedestrian injuries in Philadelphia include:
- Head and skull injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Injuries to the back and spinal cord
- Road rash and burns
- Broken and crushed bones and internal organ damage
- Amputations
- Crushing injuries.
In many cases, pedestrians endure painful and difficult recovery procedures that can last months, even years, and when the injuries are serious enough, paralysis or a significant loss of cognitive and motor abilities is often involved, which often occurs after a TBI.
Pedestrian injury victims also suffer a whole host of mental and emotional traumas, including but not limited to:
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety
- Depression.
The typical seriousness of pedestrian injuries in Philadelphia requires significant compensation, and at The Cochran Firm, we only pursue the maximum payout for our clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
We hope the following questions and answers provide you with the information you may be looking for. For more answers and a deeper understanding of pedestrian accidents and claims for compensation, call us to speak with a pedestrian accident attorney directly.
What is the statute of limitations for pedestrian accident claims?
Under Pennsylvania law, injury victims have a total of two years to take legal action for compensation. Such a short time limit reflects the judicial pronouncement that swift legal action is always best.
In addition to complying with the statute of limitations, timely legal action will also result in a stronger case. Evidence-gathering and case-building are always more optimal the sooner after an accident they are done.
How long will my pedestrian accident lawyer take to resolve my claim?
The timing of each case varies. Once a pedestrian accident lawyer reviews your case, they will be able to give you a rough timeline for your claim. Complex and difficult cases can take a while, especially if a trial must be held. Still, the vast majority of pedestrian accident claims are settled before a trial is necessary.
The Cochran Firm knows how badly injury victims need compensation. We fight hard to make insurance companies pay what they owe in a timely manner, but unfortunately, some cases simply require long, drawn-out negotiations and even trials.
How much is my pedestrian accident injury claim worth?
It depends on the nature and extent of your losses. Each case is different, and injury victims and their families are affected in different manners. Suppose you schedule a free consultation with a Philadelphia pedestrian accident lawyer from our firm. In that case, you will receive a complimentary case review that should give you an idea of your case’s worth.
How much does a Philadelphia pedestrian accident lawyer cost?
The fees that your Philadelphia pedestrian accident lawyer charges will come from the compensation they recover for you. Hence, there are no upfront or out-of-pocket costs to be represented by The Cochran Firm. If your pedestrian accident lawyer is unable to recover money for you, you pay nothing.
Please contact a pedestrian accident attorney if you have any further questions about pedestrian accidents and getting compensation for your losses.
Trust the Cochran Firm
A Pedestrian Injury Lawyer from Our Team Is Ready to Help
The Cochran Firm is here to help you get a compensation payout that truly encompasses the losses that you have suffered. You don’t have to settle for a lowball offer from an insurance company trying to save money. Trust a pedestrian injury lawyer from The Cochran Firm to fight to get you the compensation that will make a big difference in your recovery and your future.
Call (800) 969-4400 for a free consultation and case review today.