Prince William County Pedestrian Accident Investigations

Sustaining an injury as a pedestrian can be devastating and have a grave effect on a person’s mobility. As a pedestrian that has been involved in an accident with a moving vehicle, there is no metal car frame or airbags to cushion the impact. There is an increased chance of serious injury that could greatly hinder a person’s quality of life. When building a case for a client who has been injured in a pedestrian accident, a Prince William County pedestrian accident lawyer will look at many different variables and considerations. The attorneys at our firm realize the gravity of the situation and work passionately to help clients receive compensation for their injuries.

Evidence Found in a Pedestrian Accident Investigation

Initially an attorney will want to investigate how the pedestrian accident occurred. They will want to receive a police report if it is listed, and if they didn’t have one they would want to request one. It is also likely they will want to reach out to the responsible parties and find out whether or not there are other witnesses to the accident. If it occurred at a popular intersection, there may be other drivers who gave statements to the police or other drivers who were simply present. In addition, it is necessary to investigate the potential witnesses.

There also may be video evidences. In the current visual age, many different types of video are available to a Prince William County pedestrian accident lawyer conducting an investigation. There may be video surveillance at the site of the accident, and there may also be videos taken by the parties involved. Third party video may be accessible from local businesses, police officers reporting at the scene or even traffic cameras footage. It is important to see if video is available.

As the case progresses, a pedestrian accident attorney in Prince William County will want to do further investigation into different types of damages, which include processing medical bills and records, scanning these bills and records for providers who are accounted for, delving into more in-depth practice and seeing what types of other damages the client may have incurred. Determining types of damages is done by having in-depth interviews with the client, talking to them about how their life has been adversely affected through the accident and identifying things that would change.

Unique Aspects of Pedestrian Accident Cases

In Prince William County pedestrian accident cases, it’s very crucial to look for whether or not there was liability in the case. For instance, a lawyer for the injured pedestrian will need to question whether the driver was cited for a criminal charge or traffic violation, were there witnesses to the accident, is it somewhere where accidents commonly occur, does the client recall the specifics of the accident, were there other witnesses that gave statements to the police? All these questions, and many more, are important in pedestrian accident cases.

Contributory Negligence

It is important to remember that there is contributory negligence in the state of Virginia. This means that if the other party can prove that an injured pedestrian who is pursuing damages was even 1% at fault, there is the possibility that the injured party may be denied compensation completely.