Philadelphia Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
When a car strikes a pedestrian, the pedestrian can suffer catastrophic injuries. If you’ve been hit by a car, you could be eligible for compensation for your injuries. A pedestrian accident attorney can help you file a lawsuit against the person who struck you.
Jonathan Alvarez
“If your injury causes you to be out of work for an extended period of time and you can no longer work the same way you did, you can recover for your future earning capacity.”
Two of the most common places for pedestrian accidents in Philadelphia are Roosevelt Boulevard and Center City, but pedestrians are at risk on any Philadelphia street, even just crossing the parking lot to go into their local Wawa.
If you’ve been injured in a pedestrian accident, you may be able to seek damages for your medical bills and other losses by filing a personal injury claim against the driver who hit you.
The team at Meirowitz & Wasserberg has represented victims of pedestrian accidents throughout the city, and they can help you, too. Contact the personal injury lawyers at the Pennsylvania office, located at 24 Veterans Square in Media, for your free consultation.
Quick Links
- Pedestrian Accident Injuries in Philadelphia
- Jayanna Powell Hit-and-Run Direct Notification System
- How a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Can Help
- What makes Meirowitz & Wasserberg the best choice?
- Seeking Compensation After Your Pedestrian Accident
- Liable Parties in a Pedestrian Accident
- When to Contact a Lawyer
- How much does it cost to hire a pedestrian accident attorney?
- Philadelphia Pedestrian Accident FAQ
- Contact Our Skilled Philadelphia Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Today
Pedestrian Accident Injuries in Philadelphia
A pedestrian accident can happen anytime you’re walking among motor vehicles. Even where traffic is moving slowly, such as a parking lot, a pedestrian can sustain significant injuries after a collision with a car.
Common pedestrian accident injuries include:
- Concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Broken bones and fractures
- Crushing injuries, if you are pinned beneath the vehicle
- Internal injuries and organ damage
- Loss of vision or hearing
Any of these injuries alone can mean the need for ongoing medical care or surgery, time missed from work, and limited mobility. However, in a pedestrian car accident, the victim may suffer not just one injury but several.
Pennsylvania law allows a pedestrian accident victim to file a claim against the driver who struck them, suing for damages to cover their financial losses and compensating them for their injuries.
Furthermore, it is illegal in Pennsylvania for a driver of a motor vehicle to leave the scene of an accident, whether it was a car accident involving another vehicle or a pedestrian accident.
According to the law, if the victim suffers serious bodily injury, the driver who flees the scene of the accident has committed a third-degree felony. If the victim dies, it’s a second-degree felony with a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three years.
Jayanna Powell Hit-and-Run Direct Notification System
A Pennsylvania Senate bill introduced in January 2021 noted that “hit-and-run accidents, in which the driver flees the scene of an accident, result in the death of 1,500 Americans each year according to the American Automobile Association. Approximately 60% of the victims of these accidents are pedestrians.”
The Jayanna Powell Hit-and-Run Direct Notification Act was named for 8-year-old Jayanna Powell from West Philly, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident on the corner of 63rd Street and Lansdowne Avenue while walking home from Lewis C. Cassidy elementary school in 2016.
The act was proposed to establish an alert system that would provide auto repair shops with descriptions of vehicles that have been identified in hit-and-run crashes.
Jay’s Alerts, the name of the alert system, is just one way by which Philadelphia strives to protect its citizens. With such systems in place, law enforcement and personal injury attorneys have a better chance of finding the negligent parties in pedestrian accidents and holding them accountable.
How a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Can Help
Injury attorneys, like the legal team at Meirowitz & Wasserberg, are lawyers who focus on helping victims of tragic accidents file lawsuits for damages to compensate them for the injuries and trauma they experienced because of someone else’s negligence.
Although people often refer to a car driver hitting a pedestrian as an accident, the fact is that there’s always an element of negligence involved. Although the driver wasn’t trying to hit a pedestrian on purpose, the incident probably wouldn’t have happened if they had been paying attention to their surroundings.
Your pedestrian accident attorney builds the case against the at-fault driver to prove their negligence in causing your injuries. They investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash and what caused it.
The driver’s insurance company often pays pedestrian accident damages, and your personal injury attorney will negotiate with them on your behalf.
Insurance companies are notorious for presenting lowball offers, which may not even cover medical bills, or trying to deny a claim outright, asserting that the victim was to blame. Your lawyer will fight for your interests when dealing with insurance companies.
What makes Meirowitz & Wasserberg the best choice?
Meirowitz & Wasserberg is a Philadelphia personal injury firm focusing on helping victims of accidents. Because we solely focus on personal injury, we have a depth of knowledge and experience with the law that directly benefits you.
We’ve obtained verdicts and settlements for clients in the six- and seven-figure range. Our legal team is committed to representing people, not corporations.
Seeking Compensation After Your Pedestrian Accident
Your pedestrian accident lawyer may seek three kinds of compensation on your behalf: economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.
Economic damages are quantifiable damages — actual monetary losses you suffered. These losses include medical bills from hospital stays, surgery, physical therapy, or chiropractor visits.
Non-economic damages, commonly referred to as pain and suffering, are compensation for the emotional and mental trauma you suffered because of the accident. People who were hit by a car can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or have other mental anguish after the crash.
Punitive damages are financial punishment for an at-fault party who exhibited especially egregious behavior.
Liable Parties in a Pedestrian Accident
Liability is key to proving fault in a pedestrian accident. In nearly every circumstance, the driver is liable for striking you. Pennsylvania has right-of-way rules that protect pedestrians when they follow traffic signals on crosswalks and sidewalks that intersect roads.
However, there are a few situations where the pedestrian might share fault, including the following:
- They were jaywalking
- They used a crosswalk but didn’t follow traffic signals
- They were walking where pedestrian access is prohibited
- They were reckless or negligent, such as being intoxicated
When to Contact a Lawyer
Right after you’ve been hit by a car, you probably aren’t thinking, “I need a lawyer!” However, soon after the accident, you may be approached by the driver’s insurance company. At this point, they may offer you a small settlement, which might not even cover the length of your hospital stay.
Contact our Philadelphia pedestrian accident attorneys here at Meirowitz & Wasserberg to secure legal representation as soon as possible. We will negotiate with the at-fault party while you recuperate. Hiring a lawyer promptly also ensures that all of your filings are completed within the statute of limitations, which, in Pennsylvania, is generally two years from the date of the incident.
How much does it cost to hire a pedestrian accident attorney?
If you’re facing huge medical bills, and you don’t know how you’re going to pay them, hiring a lawyer to fight for your rights may seem impossible.
At Meirowitz & Wasserberg, we work on a contingency basis. This means we structure our fees as a percentage of the award we win for you.
This also means that if we don’t win your case, you don’t pay. We will discuss the fees in more detail with you during your free initial consultation.
Philadelphia Pedestrian Accident FAQ
If there wasn’t a crosswalk and a driver hit me, can I still file a lawsuit?
This depends on the circumstances and what the driver was doing at the time. If the driver is found negligent, you may have a claim for damages.
If my loved one died after being struck by a car, do I have legal options for compensation?
Yes. In this case, you would file a wrongful death claim. The skilled attorneys at Meirowitz & Wasserberg handle wrongful death cases and have recovered significant compensation for clients who have lost loved ones due to tragic accidents like yours.
Do I need to call the police after being hit by a car?
Yes. Always call 911 after any kind of vehicle accident. You’ll get medical treatment immediately, and the responding police officer will make a police report establishing fault for the incident.
How much is my pedestrian accident case worth?
Your compensation will depend on a few things, such as the severity of your injuries and whether the driver was operating a commercial vehicle. Each case is different, but often, the more severe your injuries, the higher your settlement.
Contact Our Skilled Philadelphia Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Today
You have legal options if you’ve been struck by a car while walking. But time is limited to file a case, so don’t put off calling our experienced pedestrian accident attorneys here at Meirowitz & Wasserberg. We’re your advocate, and we’re on your side.
Contact us today for a free consultation.
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