Whether you’re strolling for pleasure or hitting the pavement for your morning walk to work, you take a risk each time you travel by foot. It can be quite dangerous to be in the same close space with passing vehicles, as the vast number of pedestrian accidents prove.

It takes just a split second for a driver to act negligently, carelessly or recklessly, veering off the shoulder and striking a passenger, leaving behind massive or even life-threatening injuries. Beyond the human factor, the very terrain upon which you trod can even be dangerous.

Cracks in the pavement, uneven sidewalks and debris in your pathway can turn your pleasant walk into a nightmare when you slip, trip or fall. If you have been injured while traveling on foot, contact our Bensalem Pedestrian Accident Attorney to learn more about the legal options you have for compensation from the at-fault party.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 130,000 pedestrians were injured and another 5,400 or so killed while walking, just in 2015. Pennsylvania’s streets and highways saw 150 pedestrian deaths in 2017 alone. Most of these accidents and fatalities were completely preventable.

Pedestrian Accident Liability

The aftermath of a pedestrian vs. Motor Vehicle Accident can be quite shocking. While not all injuries sustained in pedestrian accidents are life-threatening, many of them are.

And to make matters worse, the victim oftentimes finds himself carted off to the hospital before giving a full statement to investigating police officers, which puts a wrinkle in proving liability in some cases. In some instances, the driver has the opportunity to tell his side of the story, oftentimes a less-than-accurate version, before the victim ever gets to weigh in.

Drivers are generally found to be negligent in pedestrian accidents when the accident occurs at a marked crosswalk or in instances when the pedestrian clearly has the right-of-way.

Many times a driver who is speeding or who is impaired by alcohol or drugs causes pedestrian accidents, and when this is true, those factors go a long way toward proving that the driver is at fault.

Pedestrian Accident Damages

Pedestrians may be entitled to a range of different compensation types when filing a pedestrian accident claim. Claims usually encompass both economic and noneconomic damages.

Economic damages include medical costs related to your injuries and loss of income and earning potential. Noneconomic damages include payment for mental anguish and pain and suffering.

Punitive damages may also be handed down in cases where the judge seeks to punish the at-fault party for a particularly heinous act that caused the injuries to the pedestrian.

The biggest hurdle in a pedestrian accident claim is identifying liable parties and proving that they caused your injuries. Trust the outcome of your case to a seasoned attorney with a pedestrian accident claim experience under his belt.

Give our Bensalem Pedestrian Accident Attorney a call for a Free Consultation in your particular case. Our legal team can help you weigh your options and plot a course forward.