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Whether you are out for a walk, exercising, or walking to work, you expect a degree of safety when you are a pedestrian adhering to traffic laws and safety precautions. Unfortunately, it is all too common for pedestrians to be involved in accidents with cars or other motor vehicles.
Often a pedestrian accident is the result of negligence. When this is the case, you are entitled to financial compensation to help cover medical bills, property damage, and your pain and suffering. While money can’t make up for what you’ve lost after a pedestrian accident, it can make a difference in your healing and recovery.
Talk to a Bethesda pedestrian accident lawyer today to learn your legal options.
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The Bethesda personal injury lawyers at Regan Zambri Long are well-versed in Maryland law and can take on your pedestrian accident claim. Our law firm will investigate your accident, establish liability and negligence, and be the legal representation you need to get the compensation you are owed.
You can schedule a free consultation with a Bethesda pedestrian accident lawyer today by calling 202-960-4596.
At its most basic, a pedestrian accident involves a person on foot and some kind of moving vehicle or transportation. Most often they involve cars or other motor vehicles, but pedestrian accidents can also involve horses or bicycles.
A pedestrian accident can occur anywhere—on country roads, in busy cities, and parks. With significantly less protection and maneuverability than other transportation options, pedestrians often have the right of way and drivers and riders have a responsibility to yield to and watch out for people traveling on foot.
Many pedestrian accidents can also be considered car accidents because so many are caused by distracted driving or other traffic violations. A primary difference, however, is that a car accident may involve multiple motor vehicles, whereas a pedestrian accident will always involve at least one victim who was on foot.
If you or your loved one was injured in a pedestrian accident, you should schedule a free consultation with Regan Zambri Long’s pedestrian accident lawyers immediately to discuss claiming compensation for your medical bills and other damages.
More than 7,000 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An additional 104,000 pedestrians visited emergency rooms around the nation to receive medical treatment for non-fatal crash injuries.
When pedestrian-vehicle accidents occur, the root cause can often be traced back to negligent drivers and/or reckless driving. Some of the main causes of pedestrian-vehicle accidents are:
The CDC reported that almost half of all pedestrian fatalities from crashes with vehicles in 2019 involved alcohol. Additionally, the majority of pedestrian fatalities happen in urban areas, on roadways away from intersections where speed limits are likely higher, and/or at night.
In Montgomery County, MD, fatal collisions involving pedestrians dropped by nearly half from 16 fatalities in 2020 to 7 in 2021, according to the county’s Vision Zero 2022 annual report. Serious collisions, though still trending lower compared to data collected over the last 7 years, climbed from 37 accidents in 2020 to 43 in 2021.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident in Bethesda, MD, you should consult with a Bethesda personal injury lawyer right away.
Regardless of the other party involved in the accident, the pedestrian is likely to suffer more severe injuries, given that he or she will generally have less protection than a motor vehicle, cyclist, or even horse and rider. Injuries can range from minor to catastrophic, sometimes even resulting in wrongful death. Common injuries include:
Your priority after an accident is to seek medical attention. Even if you do not feel like you suffered serious injuries, it may be that adrenaline and shock are masking the pain. It can also take time for injuries to manifest themselves. Prompt medical treatment, as well as follow-up appointments, is a crucial step to establishing the financial damage done by the accident. You are entitled to compensation for your medical bills, among other damages, so you should not avoid medical treatment because of the potential cost.
Dealing with an insurance company after a pedestrian accident can feel like a hassle. You may wonder if you need to contact your insurance company or the insurance company that carries the liable party’s policy.
In Maryland, the at-fault party’s policy should cover your medical expenses up to the policy limit. In cases where the liable party’s insurance policy isn’t enough to cover your medical expenses, your insurance policy can help make up the difference. Your personal injury lawyer from Regan Zambri Long can help you deal with the insurance company.
The first step in a successful personal injury case is to establish liability. This generally involves proving negligence—that someone’s violation of responsibility directly caused you harm.
As soon as possible after a pedestrian accident, you should consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer so they can begin investigating the case and collecting evidence. Eyewitness statements, photos, video footage if available, and police reports will be the basis of your proof, along with your medical records showing the extent of the injuries you suffered.
To establish liability, you will have to show that the responsible party violated a traffic law or otherwise failed to uphold the duty of care expected of them. If you suffered serious injuries, you may not have the energy and capability to investigate and prove this on your own.
Hiring the pedestrian accident lawyers at Regan Zambri Long will allow you to have the best legal representation possible to look after your interests. We offer a free consultation and case evaluation to all prospective clients.
If you or your loved one have been injured in a pedestrian accident, the injury lawyers at Regan Zambri Long can help.
Our law offices have more than 100 years of cumulative experience in a variety of practice areas, including pedestrian accidents in metro areas such as Bethesda, MD.
Our team is both locally and nationally recognized as top-tier lawyers, with individual partners and attorneys often being named to Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers’ Washington, DC, Metro list. Our law firm is recognized in local and national publications as well for our commitment to our clients.
We’ve recovered millions of dollars for pedestrian accident victims and we can do the same for you. Whether your injuries are mild, severe, or catastrophic, our pedestrian accident lawyers will put all their efforts into pursuing your best interests, carrying the legal burden so that you and your family can focus on recovery.
Call a Bethesda pedestrian accident lawyer today at 202-960-4596 to schedule your free case evaluation.
Maryland law provides a three-year statute of limitations on personal injuries, including pedestrian accidents. This means that within three years of when the accident occurred, you and your pedestrian accident lawyer must file a claim against the liable party or run the high risk of having your claim denied if you file later.
While three years can seem like plenty of time, your personal injury lawyer will need to investigate the accident, collect evidence to prove liability against the other party, and consult with medical experts to fully understand the extent of your injuries and the long-term cost of medical bills for treatment or accommodations.
After a pedestrian accident, you can claim financial compensation for two kinds of damages: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages are quantifiable and/or tangible losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage, and other bills directly related to the accident.
Non-economic losses are harder to value but are equally as damaging. They can include pain and suffering, mental anguish or other emotional pain, lost enjoyment, and other kinds of mental and emotional trauma.
In some cases, where the liable party’s negligence showed wanton disregard for others, a court may award you punitive damages, as well. These financial payments serve to deter others from negligent behavior and also act as further punishment for the liable party.
Some states put a cap on the dollar amount a victim can claim in a personal injury case. Under Maryland law, there is a cap on the non-economic damages you are allowed to seek in a pedestrian accident case.
For injuries occurring between October 1, 2022, and October 1, 2023, the non-economic cap is $920,000. The cap is set to increase by $15,000 every year. In medical malpractice lawsuits and wrongful death cases, the maximum compensation for non-economic damages is different.
Your Regan Zambri Long pedestrian accident lawyer will help you understand what cap applies to your case and how much you should claim in non-economic damages.
There is no cap to the economic damages you can claim, so your personal injury lawyer will help you claim the full amount of your medical expenses, lost wages, and other direct financial losses.
Legally speaking, negligent behavior must meet certain criteria. In a pedestrian accident case, you and your legal representation will need to prove that:
For example, a car waiting to make a right-hand turn has a duty of care to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. A driver breaches the duty of care by not yielding and striking you while you are legally crossing the street. By violating traffic laws, the driver is negligent and can be held financially responsible and liable for the injuries and damages he or she caused.
Many times a pedestrian accident is caused by distracted driving or other driving violations.
Maryland law follows a strict standard known as contributory negligence. This means that anyone who is found to be liable for an accident is barred from claiming compensation.
After a pedestrian accident, the liable and negligent party may try to say you were partially responsible for the accident so that they do not have to pay you the compensation you deserve.
Because of this harsh Maryland law, it is in your best interest to consult with a personal injury law firm as soon as possible after your accident. The pedestrian accident lawyers from Regan Zambri Long will immediately begin investigating your case and collecting evidence that proves the liability of the responsible party and your own innocence in this legal matter.
Personal injury cases in Bethesda, MD, can be challenging to navigate. You must prove the liability of the responsible party, fight against any unjust claims that you contributed to the accident, and navigate the legal processes of filing your claim and negotiating possible settlements, all within the statute of limitations window provided by Maryland law. At the same time, you will be recovering from your injuries and learning what your new normal looks like if you suffered serious or catastrophic injuries that will be with you permanently.
Regan Zambri Long’s Bethesda pedestrian accident lawyers can help relieve that burden so that you can focus on recovery and adjustment while having the peace of mind that qualified legal representation is pursuing your best interests through the system.
After an accident, you will have to make a choice on which personal injury lawyer or law firm you hire to represent you. Often cost can be a significant factor, and each lawyer or law firm will handle legal fees in their own way.
Regan Zambri Long makes it easy for you to trust your case to capable legal representation by working on a contingency fee basis. Our pedestrian accident lawyers only collect payment once we’ve made a recovery in your favor.
Our law firm has recovered millions of dollars for injured pedestrians and we can do the same for you. Some of our results include:
If you or your loved one have been injured in a pedestrian accident, you deserve compensation. A Regan Zambri Long Bethesda pedestrian accident lawyer can help. Call and schedule your free consultation today at 202-960-4596.
