Georgia is ranked number five on a list of the most dangerous states for pedestrians, with a 57.8 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities from 2019 to 2022. Georgia’s Department of Transportation (DOT) reports that 84 percent of these fatalities happen at nighttime, and 95 percent occur outside of a crosswalk.
Limiting your walks to daytime hours as much as possible and using crosswalks when available can help reduce your risk of being hit by a car. However, you could still be hit by a careless driver even if you do everything right.
Ride Safe Georgia has identified several common causes of pedestrian accidents in the state:
Overall, the most common cause of pedestrian fatalities was failure to yield the right of way, followed by improper crossing of the roadway or crosswalk.
Pedestrians are extremely vulnerable in collisions with cars. While the car’s occupants are usually unhurt or have only minor injuries, a pedestrian may suffer severe injuries, including broken bones, head and face injuries, back or spine injuries, internal injuries, and deep lacerations.
Your health insurance may not cover all the costs of your care, and while recovering, you might not be able to work. People who suffer pedestrian accidents often use all their paid time off and are forced to spend weeks or months taking unpaid time off while their bills still need to be paid.
Frequently, the injured pedestrian tries to get relief by making a claim with the driver’s insurance carrier. Unfortunately, this isn’t a simple undertaking – although the insurance company would like you to believe it is.
Once you file a claim, a claims adjuster will go to work looking for reasons to deny it. If they can’t find any, they may simply undervalue your claim, offering far less than it’s worth.
Either way, it’s very difficult to get the total amount you deserve from the insurance company on your own.
Your pedestrian accident attorney will work to ensure your rights are protected and you receive the compensation you’re entitled to by doing the following:
The majority of accident victims aren’t aware of all the damages they have or what their total claim is worth.
Often, we meet people who are just trying to get the insurance company to pay for their medical bills (which the insurer may be fighting them on). Once we start asking questions about the accident and the injured person’s situation, we frequently learn that they have far more damages than their medical bills.
They may also have thousands of dollars in lost income from missing work, pain and suffering, property damage (such as a phone or laptop they were carrying), or even a permanent disability or disfigurement. In these cases, we negotiate with the insurance company for the total value of the claim, not just the medical bills.
Fault is frequently disputed in pedestrian accident cases.
The driver may claim that the pedestrian was outside the crosswalk, didn’t have the right of way, or even darted out into the street. The victim might have a very different story.
If there aren’t any witnesses, the police may not have much evidence to go on, and the police report could be inconclusive, or the officer may be inclined to believe the driver.
Another problem in pedestrian accidents is that the person who just got hit by a car is often upset, in pain, or in shock. It can be very difficult to articulate what happened and answer questions accurately in these situations.
Meanwhile, the person who was driving is usually uninjured. As a result, the driver’s story might make more sense to the police because the driver is able to think more clearly at the time.
It’s important to understand that the police report contains the responding officer’s opinion of what happened and who was at fault, but again, in these situations, the officer may have very little information to go on. For this reason, we can challenge a police report in court if we can find evidence to support your explanation of what happened.
We will review the police report with you to determine if any of the information might be inaccurate. If so, we’ll make a note for our investigators, so it’s not a problem if you genuinely don’t remember some of the facts (but if you do notice a discrepancy, this could be helpful).
After reviewing the police report, we often assign our investigators to revisit the accident scene and canvas the area. They search for doorbell, security, or traffic cameras that might have captured the crash or the moments leading up to it, and additionally, they may talk to people who live and work in the area in case there are witnesses who weren’t interviewed at the scene.
We can also seek data from the vehicle driver’s event data recorder, or EDR (sometimes known as a “black box”). This device is found in nearly all domestic cars produced since 2013 and many earlier models as well.
It records a number of data points for an “event” (usually a collision or any significant impact on the car), including the vehicle’s speed, the direction it was moving, and the driver’s actions. This can help us determine if the driver was speeding, if they hit the brakes or swerved, etc.
Once we’ve collected as much evidence as possible and assembled a picture of what happened, we will begin negotiations with the insurance company. Our goal is to settle your claim without putting you through the stress of a lengthy and time-consuming court case.
In most situations, the insurance company wants that too. Often, the adjuster knows that they don’t have much evidence to prove their claims that you were at fault, and they aren’t likely to win at trial.
There are occasionally cases where the insurance company flatly refuses to agree on a reasonable settlement. Sometimes, the adjuster has a different interpretation of the evidence or believes they can win at trial for some reason. If this happens, we are prepared to argue your case in court, but most of the time, it isn’t necessary.
Don’t give up – give us a call so we can explore your options. In many cases, we can find alternative routes to recovering compensation for the injured pedestrian, including:
If you or a loved one have been injured in a pedestrian accident, please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a free consultation. We’ll review your case, answer any questions you have, and explain your options for pursuing compensation.
The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm was founded by attorney Ali Awad, who quickly transformed it into one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country. Dedicated to helping injured people and their families, Mr. Awad and his team have recovered millions of dollars in damages for their clients.
In his spare time, Mr. Awad posts about legal issues for over a million followers on social media. If you need an expert pedestrian accident lawyer, call his team at 833-254-2923 today.
Tell Us More About Your Injury Below So That We Can Get You The Most Money
After a personal injury, you're bound to have legal questions. The CEO Lawyer Ali Awad can provide you with answers to these questions, just as he's given answers to his millions of curious social media followers. Take a look at some of the most common personal injury law questions for general information, and then reach out to one of our seasoned attorneys for specific guidance on your case!
To quickly resolve matters following an accident, insurance companies will offer you less than you deserve in compensation for your injuries. Many victims feel pressured to accept these offers as the bills begin to pile up, but that is rarely a good idea. The insurance company is looking to protect its bottom line; and will offer injured victims less than they deserve. An experienced personal injury attorney understands how to negotiate with the insurance company and can look out for your best interests by getting you the compensation you deserve after an injury. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, it is important to avoid negotiating or providing recorded statements to the insurance company without first seeking help from a qualified personal injury attorney.
The best way to determine if you have a personal injury case is to speak with a knowledgeable attorney. Our legal professionals have the expertise to evaluate your case and determine a strong legal strategy so that you can obtain the greatest amount of compensation possible under the law. We will enlist investigators, assistants, and other specialists to collect accident reports, speak with witnesses to your accident, and put together a plan. While you focus on your physical recovery, we will remain committed to fighting for the compensation that you deserve.
Accident victims have a limited time to file a personal injury lawsuit. This time period is referred to as the statute of limitations. This means that if you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, you have only two years to pursue a personal injury suit. If you wait too long to reach out to an experienced attorney, you might be forever barred from seeking the compensation you deserve.
During your initial consultation with CEO Lawyer team, we will go over the important details of your personal injury accident, which include the nature and extent of your injuries, how your injuries have impacted your ability to earn a paycheck, the cost of your medical treatment, and whether further medical treatment will be required. We will answer any questions you might have, as well, in regards to our experience, our track record of success, and what to expect from the legal process. Many personal injury victims wonder if they will be able to afford the legal fees required to pursue a lawsuit. CEO Lawyer injury and accident attorneys will not ask for any type of upfront fee unless we are successful in obtaining compensation for you. That means that if you have been harmed in a motor vehicle accident, slip and fall accident, defective product accident, or any other type of personal injury accident, you can absolutely afford to contact our law office today for assistance. In fact, you cannot afford to wait. Reach out today. We understand that some accident victims might have already obtained the assistance of an attorney but may be dissatisfied with the services provided. We are standing by and prepared to help you change legal representation, regardless of where you are in the process.
If you or a loved one has been injured in any type of personal injury accident, you should not hesitate to speak with the experienced attorneys at CEO Lawyer personal injury law firm. Call, email, or fill out our online contact form today so that we can begin helping you pursue the compensation you deserve.