Richmond Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Pedestrian accidents are fairly common in Richmond, Virginia. Commonly pedestrians can be hit by vehicles in intersections, crosswalks, or even the sidewalk by drivers.

When pedestrian accidents are caused by the reckless or negligent behavior of another person then you may be able to recover those damages in a Richmond court.

Because the law on pedestrian accidents is so fact-specific and unique to each individual case, it is important for anyone injured to contact a Richmond pedestrian accident lawyer. A distinguished personal injury attorney may be able to advise you about your legal options.

Defining Requirements for a Pedestrian Accident Claim

If a pedestrian accident was caused exclusively by the reckless or careless behavior of another person then you may be able to recoup your damages. Richmond pedestrian accident law requires that an injured victim prove duty of care and failed duty of care to the injured party. 

They must prove that the responsible party owed a duty to the injured victim. The injured pedestrian will only be able to recoup their damages if the law imposed a legal duty on the person. In most circumstances, this will be fairly easy to prove because the law imposes a legal duty on all drivers when they choose to get behind the wheel of a vehicle.

For Richmond drivers, the law requires them to behave as a reasonably prudent person would in similar circumstances. While this may seem like a fairly vague standard, many behaviors can be easily proven – for example, a person who gets behind the wheel while impaired on drugs or alcohol is almost certainly behaving in an unreasonable manner.

What is Breached Duty to a Victim?

The responsible party breached this duty of care to the victim. Here, the injured victim will be required to point to a specific action or inaction by the driver that “breached” their duty of care to the pedestrian. Common behaviors that can constitute a breach of duty include: driving while distracted by a cell phone (including texting or calling while driving), driving while impaired, or violating the traffic laws by speeding or disregarding a stop sign. A Richmond pedestrian accident lawyer can help the injured party seek compensation based on the aforementioned factors.

Proving that Breach Caused Harm

To satisfy the claim that the breach of duty caused someone harm, the pedestrian will be required to prove that the breach of duty actually caused the injuries the pedestrian suffered. This means that the pedestrian will not be able to point to a driver who ran a red light ten miles before the accident and claim that the driver’s speeding caused the pedestrian accident.

For pedestrians who have been injured by the reckless or careless behavior of multiple drivers, Richmond pedestrian accident law provides a remedy to hold all of the negligent drivers accountable.

Under Richmond pedestrian accident law, each driver will be responsible for the amount of damages in proportion to their fault unless one of the responsible parties is the pedestrian themselves and then they may not be able to recover any of the damages they incurred in the pedestrian accident unless certain exceptions apply.

Contact a Richmond Pedestrian Accident Attorney

Because determining who is at fault – and therefore, responsible – for the damages in a pedestrian accident, it is best to speak with a Richmond pedestrian accident lawyer right away.

An attorney who specializes in pedestrian accidents will be up-to-date on the laws surrounding pedestrian accidents and will have the experience necessary to provide you the best legal representation. Contact one today.