Pedestrian Accident Victims: What You Need to Know
Pedestrian Accident Victims: What You Need to Know
Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are on the rise in Southern California. If you are involved in a pedestrian accident, you may not be able to fully participate in the initial process of determining what happened, due to injuries. The first thing you will need to do is to seek medical care. A pedestrian accident is usually much more serious than a car accident. If you have injuries, or just even suspect having an injury, go to the nearest emergency room and have your situation assessed and treated. Serious injuries may not always be immediately evident. It is imperative that you are properly evaluated as soon as possible.
Police will conduct an investigation and collect driver and witness information. The name, phone number, drivers license number, license plate number, and the insurance carrier and phone number of the person that hit you all be a part of the officer’s report. In addition, the officer should get a written statement from any witness to the pedestrian accident.
If at some time you are able, take pictures and make notes about the circumstances leading up to the accident, or have someone else do this on your behalf. Make sure there are pictures of the vehicle, the roads, and the intersections from all angles. Include a picture of any skid marks or any other physical evidence that may disappear over time. Make written notes of the circumstances involved in the accident.
Only discuss the accident with the police officer who is filing the report. Just provide the basic facts, do not admit any liability. If this is a serious pedestrian accident, you might be well advised to only make a statement to an attorney. Make sure you have a good personal injury lawyer. The right lawyer will help you determine if you might have a possible pedestrian accident lawsuit for which you may be able to recover any medical costs, personal items which were damaged, or wages lost because you were not able to work due to injuries suffered from the accident. There may be long term ramifications from injuries which initially seemed to be fairly minor.
Under no circumstances should you talk directly to the driver’s insurance company. Remember that their sole goal is to pay you the least amount of money possible. A quick settlement may mean that you do not receive treatment for ongoing injuries. Some types of pedestrian accident injuries do not fully show up for weeks if not months. If you settle too quickly, you will be the one responsible for your ongoing medical expenses, which can be significant, especially if you need rehabilitation or physical therapy.
If you have been involved in a pedestrian accident in Orange County, you need the services of an experienced and qualified personal injury attorney. Jeff Dawson is a uniquely qualified personal injury lawyer. He has worked on the other side, as well – for the insurance firms, and knows how they think. The advantage of hiring Jeff is that he can give you the much needed peace of mind necessary in any accident claim. Contact the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Dawson today at 949/861-2191 for your free consultation about your car accident lawsuit.