Were you or a loved one injured in a pedestrian accident in Delray Beach, FL? You could be entitled to an important financial compensation. Our experienced Delray Beach pedestrian accident lawyers at The Injury Law Firm, PA, will help you start your claim. Contact our Florida office at (561) 800-4357 to schedule a free consultation.
Pedestrian accidents are common in Florida, often caused by negligent drivers. Damages can include medical bills, lost income, out-of-pocket costs, pain and suffering, and other losses. You could have important legal rights, and our team can help. Call The Injury Law Firm, PA, to learn more about your options with an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer.
How The Injury Law Firm, PA, Can Help You After a Pedestrian Accident in Delray Beach, Florida
A pedestrian accident in Delray Beach will come as a shock and can involve serious pain and emotional trauma. In the aftermath of a pedestrian accident, you might encounter high medical expenses, lost income due to your injuries, costs for follow-up treatment, travel costs, and other unexpected financial setbacks. You deserve compensation if someone else caused your damages.
A Delray Beach personal injury attorney will carefully assess the facts of your accident and take action, including:
- Conducting a free, no-risk consultation with you to talk about what happened;
- Investigating all details and facts connected to the accident;
- Gathering crucial evidence and documentation to support your claim;
- Going toe-to-toe with insurance companies and fighting back when they try to deny your claim;
- Filing a personal injury lawsuit when needed to seek justice;
- Fighting for you each step of the way as your personal injury case moves forward;
- Taking your case to a jury trial to prove your claim.
At The Injury Law Firm, PA, our Delray Beach legal team will stop at nothing to pursue fair compensation for your injuries in a pedestrian accident.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Delray Beach, Florida?
Lawyers will normally work on a contingency basis in a pedestrian accident case. In a contingent fee setup, accident victims already struggling to keep up financially can get the experienced legal help they need without worrying about legal fees upfront. In a contingency case, attorney fees are only collected when your case succeeds and results in a payout. Only when a financial award is paid will your attorney collect fees, which are usually an agreed-upon percentage of the overall payment.
You are not expected to pay legal fees if your case doesn’t win—all financial risk shifts to the law firm and not on your shoulders under a contingent fee agreement. The bottom line is that you shouldn’t let the thought of legal costs keep you from meeting with a lawyer. Call our law office today to learn more about contingent fee agreements in a pedestrian accident case.
How Common Are Pedestrian Accidents In Delray Beach?
Pedestrian accidents happen all too frequently in Florida. Many pedestrian accidents involve negligent drivers but can also involve slips and falls or other causes. Negligence often plays a role in a pedestrian accident, and you can be entitled to damages if this happens.
Around 10,000 pedestrian accidents happen across Florida each year, according to the state’s records. Hundreds of these injuries are fatal, while many more lead to devastating or catastrophic injuries. Pedestrians are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings, stay in well-lit areas, use marked crosswalks, and take all possible precautions. However, even the most observant pedestrian can fall victim to an accident.
If you were hurt in any way as a pedestrian, an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer can get to the bottom of the case and pursue the compensation you are entitled to under the law.
What Are Common Injuries In Pedestrian Accidents?
Pedestrian accidents caused by negligence can lead to serious injuries, including:
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Neck injuries
- Nerve damage
- Injuries to knees, ankles, shoulders, and wrists
- Skull fractures
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord damage
- Internal bleeding
- Soft tissue injuries
- Loss of vision or hearing
- Paralysis
- Wrongful death
If you were hurt in a pedestrian accident, you could suffer physical injuries along with the mental anguish and emotional distress that follows. Recovering physically and mentally is your top priority, and a personal injury lawyer can help you recover financially.
What Is My Pedestrian Accident Case Worth in Florida?
The damages you could expect to receive in a Florida pedestrian injury case typically include economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages include the costs that can be itemized on paper, such as:
- Medical bills
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Costs of future medical treatment, therapy, and skilled nursing care
- Lost wages due to the accident
- Reduced future income when the accident affects your ability to return to work.
Your lawyer will help you collect documentation of your medical costs, lost income, and other expenses due to the accident.
Non-economic damages are the “intangible” costs of an accident based on your pain and emotional suffering due to the accident. The following are examples:
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of companionship with a family member or partner
- Loss of enjoyment of life
How much your pedestrian accident claim is worth can depend on how the accident happened, who was involved, your role in the accident, and the injuries you suffered. Your economic and non-economic damages will be used by an insurance company or the court system to calculate the total amount you are entitled to. An experienced lawyer will work to maximize this value for you.
Proving Negligence in a Pedestrian Accident Claim
Pedestrian accident claims are a type of personal injury claim based on a legal theory called negligence. You must show negligence in a pedestrian accident claim before you can collect any amount of damages.
Your lawyer will need to prove negligence by a preponderance of the evidence. What this means is you need to show the other person was more than 50% responsible for the accident and your injuries.
In a pedestrian accident case, four elements of negligence will need to be established:
- A duty of care owed by the other person to you;
- Breach of duty–a failure to follow the duty of care;
- Causation between the defendant’s breach and the accident itself;
- Damages, such as medical bills, lost income, and more.
A Delray Beach personal injury lawyer will use different types of evidence to prove your claim. Evidence in a pedestrian accident case might include:
- Medical bills and records
- Photos of the accident scene
- Video footage, such as surveillance coverage or cell phone video
- Eyewitness testimony
- Police reports
- Accident reconstruction reports
- Maintenance records of property in a slip-and-fall case
- Expert witnesses, including medical and occupational experts.
Your Delray Beach pedestrian accident attorney will work hard not only to gather and present evidence but also to persuade others that your claim is worth what you genuinely deserve.
Can I Pursue a Claim if I Shared Fault for My Pedestrian Accident?
Yes, you can. Even if your actions contributed in some way to the accident, that doesn’t necessarily stop you from pursuing a personal injury claim. Under Florida’s modified comparative fault rule, you can pursue damages as long as you were not 51% or more at fault for the accident. Your percentage of fault can be assessed by courts and juries in the Florida legal process.
Under this approach, let’s say you were found to be 40% at fault for a pedestrian accident. If you would have been entitled to collect $100,000 without any fault, your payout would be reduced by 40%, and you’d collect $60,000. A skilled Florida pedestrian accident lawyer will know how this process works and how to reduce your percentage of fault to maximize your claim.
The important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t let your own share of the blame stop you from talking to a pedestrian accident lawyer.
What Is the Deadline to File in Florida for a Pedestrian Accident Case?
Florida follows a two-year statute of limitations in most personal injury cases. This means you generally have two years from the date of the accident to file your lawsuit. It can be advantageous to file sooner–not only to beat the deadline but to present your case while witness memories are still fresh and evidence is easier to obtain.
A knowledgeable pedestrian accident attorney can help you understand the process and have your lawsuit ready to file before time runs out. Failing to file your lawsuit within the statute of limitations can permanently prevent you from collecting the damages you deserve. Having a lawyer at your side can help avoid this problem.
Contact a Delray Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today for a Free Consultation
You might have important legal rights if you were hurt in a pedestrian accident in Delray Beach, Florida. The Injury Law Firm, P.A., is here to answer your questions and help you move forward after a serious accident. Call our law office to schedule your free consultation with a Delray Beach pedestrian accident lawyer and learn more about your legal options.
