Mount Pleasant Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Just like anyone else on a public road, people on sidewalks and in crosswalks are obligated to follow state law to minimize the risk of harm. Unfortunately, because pedestrians lack the protection motor vehicles offer, they tend to suffer extremely severe, and sometimes even fatal, injuries when motor vehicle drivers fail to live up to their own duty of care.
If you were struck while walking by a reckless or careless driver recently, you may have grounds for civil litigation that a personal injury attorney could help you make the most of. Once retained, a Mount Pleasant pedestrian accident lawyer could work on your behalf to establish fault for your accident, prove that you yourself were not to blame for the incident, and demand appropriate compensation for your injuries and losses.
Who Is to Blame for Pedestrian Wrecks?
To a large degree, civil lawsuits based on pedestrian accidents work the same as cases based on accidents between two motor vehicles. The party who allegedly failed to fulfill a duty of reasonable care is the defendant, and the party injured as a direct result of that breach is the plaintiff.
It may seem reasonable to assume the motor vehicle driver involved in an incident is always to blame, as they are the party capable of causing significantly more harm if they act recklessly or carelessly. However, just as a driver who exceeds the speed limit or ignores a red light has broken a traffic law, so too has a pedestrian who enters a crosswalk without a “walk” signal or jaywalks without giving oncoming drivers time to stop and avoid hitting them.
Pedestrians who are found to be partially at fault for their injuries in a pedestrian accident may have their available compensation reduced or even their entire damage award revoked. A qualified Mount Pleasant pedestrian accident attorney could offer further clarification about how negligence works in these sorts of claims and provide crucial assistance proving fault by a defendant while also disproving allegations of comparative negligence by a plaintiff.
Effectively Seeking Civil Compensation
Given how severe the consequences of pedestrian accidents often are, injured plaintiffs may often pursue restitution for various economic and non-economic losses. However, it is important to understand that pedestrian accidents do not automatically justify huge damage awards in every situation. Rather, these accidents often cause catastrophic injuries, so victims often need immense amounts of compensation to make up for the lifelong effects the incident may have on them.
With help from a pedestrian crash lawyer in Mount Pleasant, it may be possible to recover not only for medical expenses and lost work wages, but also loss of future earning capacity, loss of consortium with a spouse, and numerous other forms of physical and emotional suffering. However, regardless of the extent of a plaintiff’s damage, they only have three years under South Carolina Code §15-3-530 to file suit, so it is often best to retain legal counsel as soon as possible after a serious accident.
Talk to a Mount Pleasant Pedestrian Accident Attorney About Legal Options
Pedestrians who are involved in car accidents often suffer severe and life-threatening injuries, and successful pedestrian accident lawsuits often result in sizable damage awards. Nonetheless, maximizing the compensation available in your situation—or even getting any money at all—may be difficult if you fail to seek help from someone who has handled similar cases successfully before.
An experienced Mount Pleasant pedestrian accident lawyer could be your most essential ally in the wake of this kind of incident. Call today to learn more.
