Everyone is a pedestrian at some point during the day. And when you’re on a sidewalk, crosswalk, or parking lot, you should be able to proceed without worrying about getting hit by an oncoming vehicle. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in Alabama. Pedestrian deaths have increased by more than 80 percent over the past decade.
If you were injured on foot in Montgomery, you may be eligible to demand compensation for your losses from the at-fault driver. Call or contact an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer from Stokes Stemle, LLC for a free initial consultation today.
Compensation After a Montgomery Pedestrian Accident
Pedestrians are one of the road’s most vulnerable users. With little to shield them from harm in a collision, it’s no surprise that the injuries are often serious. Fair compensation from a pedestrian accident claim can help you cover the costs of medical care and pay your bills if you’re too hurt to work. With a successful claim, you could receive compensation for:
- Medical bills: The costs of any past, ongoing, or future medical care you need to treat your injuries. This includes charges for ambulance rides, hospital stays, doctors’ visits, and prescription medications.
- Incidental expenses: Any out-of-pocket costs you pay due to the accident, including costs of in-home care or transportation to and from medical appointments.
- Property damage: If any of your property was damaged in the accident, you could be compensated for the costs of repairing or replacing your belongings.
- Lost wages: The value of any income lost while you were healing from your injuries. You could also receive compensation for lost earning potential if your injuries result in long-term disability that impacts your ability to work.
- Pain and suffering: The subjective costs of the physical pain and emotional suffering you endure due to the accident.
Proving Negligence in a Pedestrian Accident Case
In many cases, pedestrian accidents occur as the result of driver negligence. In legal terms, negligence means the failure to act with the level of care that a reasonably cautious person would use in a similar situation.
To recover compensation in a pedestrian accident claim, you must be able to demonstrate that the driver who collided with you was negligent. It may seem obvious to you that the driver was at fault, but it’s still necessary to provide solid evidence of their negligence to support your claim.
People on foot are incredibly vulnerable to injury in traffic collisions. For that reason, drivers are legally required to exercise special care around pedestrians. Examples of evidence that could be used to prove a driver acted negligently include:
- Police accident reports
- Toxicology test results
- Driver GPS or cell phone records
- Video of the collision
- Photos from the accident scene
- Accident reconstruction analysis
- Eyewitness testimony
- Physical evidence, such as the clothing you were wearing at the time of the pedestrian accident
- Medical records of your injuries