Pedestrian Accident Lawyer West Palm Beach
In 2018, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported just over 9,000 pedestrian crashes, nearly 700 of which resulted in pedestrian death. If you or someone you love were recently hurt in a West Palm Beach pedestrian accident, the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato can take on the responsible party and their insurer and help you recover the compensation you deserve. Florida law gives pedestrians many rights to the road. Drivers have a responsibility to yield to pedestrians and watch out for their safety. A West Palm Beach pedestrian accident attorney can hold the person who injured you liable and make them pay you the money you deserve.
How West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Help Me in My Pedestrian Accident?
At the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato, our clients are like family members to us. We give West Palm Beach pedestrian accident lawyers a good name, and it shows in our glowing reviews and client testimonials. Our clients love us because we deliver results and go above and beyond our duty as your attorneys to make you happy. Best of all, we never collect a fee until we recover money for you. To schedule a free case evaluation today, call us at (954) 633-8270.
What are the Pedestrian Accident Injuries in West Palm Beach?
West Palm Beach is a rapidly growing city, and with its year-round warm weather, it is popular with pedestrians. However, with an increasing population comes higher traffic volume, which leads to more accidents. Unfortunately, many of these accidents involve pedestrians, and some result in severe, debilitating, life-changing injuries.
If you were involved in a crosswalk accident, the first thing to keep in mind is that it is most likely the driver’s fault. Florida law leans very heavily toward pedestrians, giving them many rights to the road and drivers many responsibilities to watch out for them.
The Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato will scour the accident scene for evidence and build a thorough, compelling case on your behalf. Our West Palm Beach pedestrian accident lawyer will aggressively negotiate with the responsible party’s insurer and make sure you recover the compensation you deserve.
How to Get a Pedestrian Accident Compensation in West Palm Beach, FL?
After a West Palm Beach pedestrian accident, you may be facing mounting medical bills as well as lost time at work and a reduced ability to earn a living in the future. The financial stress can be overwhelming, especially when piled on top of the physical and emotional pain caused by the accident.
At the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato, our personal injury lawyer in West Palm Beach do everything possible to help injured victims get their lives back. It starts with getting you the full and fair compensation you deserve. Our West Palm Beach pedestrian accident lawyers will help you recover a settlement that includes money for the following and more:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering and inconvenience
- Loss of enjoyment of life
What is a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit?
Car accidents in South Florida don’t just affect the passengers in the automobiles involved — they can affect pedestrians just as much, and sometimes even more so, than those behind the wheel or in the passenger and back seats. The simple act of walking across the street or strolling down the sidewalk can result in a fatality – something you may not think about until you hear that Florida recently ranked number two in the country for overall car accident deaths.
It’s not uncommon to see people out and about in West Palm Beach, South Florida
It’s not uncommon to see people out and about in West Palm Beach, South Florida where it’s almost always considered “outdoor weather.” South Florida residents can be seen outside running, jogging, and bicycling along the busy streets at any given moment, which leaves a wide opening for the chance of being in harm’s way should a car accident happen in their presence. In the first six months of 2017, Florida was one of five states that accounted for 43 percent of all walking deaths (along with Texas, California, Arizona, and New York). There were 303 pedestrians who were run over by an automobile that year, and 299 in the year prior.
This year hasn’t started off much better. In February, a pedestrian was killed in Miami Beach early in the morning, which resulted in the road closing for over five hours.
Is this the result of poor city planning? Perhaps there needs to be better lighting on the streets or more sidewalks… Or perhaps people need to pay more attention to what’s going on in front of them, rather than on their cell phones. We live in a day and age where people are constantly looking down on their phones and not paying attention to their surroundings. Yes, there is a much-needed campaign to reduce “texting and driving,” but what about also working to eliminate “texting and walking”?
There should be more of an emphasis on this phenomenon, as just as much damage can happen to someone who is texting while walking outside along the street, as can happen if they were texting while driving on the road. The two acts are one and the same. Parents should take note to teach their newly licensed children not only to put away their phones while driving but also while navigating the streets on foot.
What to Do When Pedestrian Accident Happen By a Car in West Palm Beach?
Pedestrian accidents can happen at any time, in any place. Even a family-friendly activity that starts off as fun and games can be deadly. In November 2018, this happened to a Miami family. A father and his two daughters were struck by a car as they crossed the street during an innocent night of Halloween Trick or Treating. We imagine these young girls — ages two and five — started off the evening with smiles on their faces and eager excitement to show off their costumes, while their beaming father looked forward to sharing this daddy-daughter experience with them. The two-year-old was lucky, and only sustained minor injuries to the head, however, the father and his five-year-old daughter died on the scene.
Situations like these should not be the norm. Situations like these should and could be avoided. However, in the instance that a situation like this does occur, an expert West Palm Beach pedestrian accident attorney will be needed to bring justice to the families suffering from the loss of their family members.
What are the Rights I Have If I involved in a West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident?
Pedestrians have the same rights to use the road as those in an automobile, and thus must both obey and respect the same laws as drivers and passengers. However, this also means that they have the same rights if they are involved in a car accident. Just as with auto accidents, it’s ideal to have a skilled and successful auto accident attorney on your side to help you win your case, and receive the compensation you deserve.
In most cases, the injured party or the family of the deceased will need to prove that there were negligence and disobedience to the law on the part of the driver. This is the most important part when filing your complaint. Evidence must be retrieved that shows the driver was not following safety precautions. This evidence can come from police reports, CCTV road footage, and witness testimonials. However, it should be noted that the driver can use this same information to accuse the passenger of also not following correct safety laws.
If a Pedestrian Can Be Found at Fault for the Accident in West Palm Beach
There is also times when a pedestrian can be found at fault for the accident. For example, if a pedestrian jaywalks and is hit by a car, the driver may not be held responsible because of the pedestrian’s traffic violation. Pedestrians are required to obey stop signs, traffic lights, and traffic enforcers, just as an automobile driver does.
Situations may arise when both the pedestrian and the driver are at fault, or it could be the fault of the road itself, and thus it would be in the best interest to sue the authorities who are responsible for maintaining the road.
Navigating through these various situations and the requirements and law limitations involved can be tricky to figure out on your own. Our team of West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident attorneys at the law offices of Wolf & Pravato will do their part to learn the details of your case, and give you the best advice on what actions to take to get due to compensation.
Compensation Fees for These Types of Accidents in West Palm Beach, Florida
Compensation fees for these types of accidents depend on the severity of the damage incurred by the accident. If there has been a serious physical injury — things like disfigurement, paralysis, or in the worst case, death — the settlement fees will be higher. In this case, the injured party may also receive settlement fees for the non-physical, emotional damages that come along with these types of injuries, i.e., suffering, depression, or trauma. In the case that the injury is less serious, there is still damage compensation to be won for lost wages and medical bills.
The Statute of Limitations
In Florida, you typically have four years after a West Palm Beach pedestrian accident injury to file a claim or take legal action. However, this timeline can vary and may be longer or shorter depending on a variety of factors. The Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato will evaluate your case and let you know all the important deadlines. If necessary, our crosswalk accident lawyers in West Palm Beach can take quick legal action to ensure your claim remains viable.
Call Our West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
The Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato is eager to get to work on your Florida pedestrian accident claim today. Our crosswalk accident attorneys in West Palm Beach will go after the responsible party and help you recover the compensation you deserve. The case evaluation is free, and we never collect a fee until you get paid. Call (954) 633-8270 today.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. happens if you accidentally hit a pedestrian?
The injured pedestrian may file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver who hit and injured the pedestrian. The victim seeks to recover damages, which means they ask for the compensation of losses caused due to the accident. The pedestrian can also file a third-party claim from the insurance company of the driver.
2. What are the primary causes of pedestrian accident?
The primary causes of West Palm Beach pedestrian accidents are:
- Distracted drivers: Driving while talking or texting on phone can put both the pedestrian and the driver at risk.
- Impaired drivers: Drivers who drive vehicles while under the influence of drugs or alcohol put everyone on the road at risk, especially pedestrians.
- Impatient drivers: Impatient drivers who do not pay attention to the pedestrians and drive around them while walking at a crosswalk lead to many accidents.
- Bad weather: Slippery roads make it difficult for the driver to stop their vehicle on time when a pedestrian passes by. Pedestrians may also slip and fall on the path of a vehicle, and it is unexpected for the driver. Rainwater and snow on roads can cause West Palm Beach pedestrian accidents.
- Construction work: Road construction blocks sidewalks and pedestrians have to walk on the main area of the road where drivers do not expect them to be leading to accidents.
- Making left turns: Drivers mainly concentrate on negotiating busy interactions, looking straight instead of the left side. It puts pedestrians at risk.
3. How do pedestrians cause road accidents?
Pedestrians can put themselves and others at the risk of an accident by choosing the wrong crossing selection. Not opting for the designated crossroad and walking or running on the vehicle area makes them vulnerable to the accident.
4. What are the road rules for a pedestrian?
The following are road rules for a pedestrian:
- It is mandatory to follow traffic control signals.
- The pedestrian must use the sidewalk.
- Follow road walking rules if there is no sidewalk.
- Prohibition for soliciting in the paved roadway.
- Prohibition for running in traffic.
- Pedestrians should wait for traffic in the crosswalk to clear.
- They should use crosswalks and the shortest lane.
5. How can a West Palm Beach pedestrian accident lawyer help in an accident?
You may find a pedestrian accident a minor affair. However, in the majority of pedestrian accidents, the driver is considered to be at the fault. An experienced West Palm Beach pedestrian accident lawyer can help you determine your degree of fault for the pedestrian accident. Moreover, they will help you make an action plan to reduce the settlement amount.
