Hazelwood Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Hazelwood Pedestrian Accident Attorney

In collisions between pedestrians and motor vehicles, either party could be to blame, but pedestrians suffer the majority of the injuries. The consequences for pedestrians can be severe injuries, disability, or even death. When the negligence of a driver is to blame for these injuries, pedestrians can hold the driver’s insurer liable for personal and financial costs. A Hazelwood pedestrian accident lawyer can help pedestrians determine how they can recover compensation.

As a pedestrian, you may be able to pursue compensation in an auto accident case through a civil personal injury case or a case against the driver’s insurance. The right attorney can help you review these options and guide you in recovering financially.

Legal Representation From The Cagle Law Firm

Working with an effective attorney enables you to focus on your physical recovery while your attorney handles negotiations, calculations of your financial losses, and other legal requirements. At The Cagle Law Firm, we have decades of experience in personal injury law, including those who are injured in motor vehicle accidents as pedestrians or third parties. Our goal is to secure the most financial compensation possible to help you have the most time and support to physically recover.

The injuries in a pedestrian accident can alter your life, requiring daily care, expensive mobility aids, and preventing you from working to earn income. These catastrophic financial losses must be addressed when someone else is to blame.

The Cagle Law Firm helps you hold the at-fault insurer accountable for your injuries. We have secured significant settlements and verdicts for those injured by negligent drivers. Our team understands that every case is unique and applies our knowledge to the specifics of your case.

Proving a Driver Is at Fault After a Pedestrian Accident in Hazelwood

While there is an assumption that the driver is always at fault in a car-pedestrian accident, this is not true. Every accident is unique, and a driver, a pedestrian, or a commercial vehicle or governmental entity could be to blame.

The majority of pedestrian accidents are the fault of either the pedestrian or the driver and are the result of negligence. Negligence means the harm was not intentional, but the carelessness of the party still makes them liable. To prove a driver is at fault for a pedestrian accident in Hazelwood, you must be able to prove:

1. The driver owed you a duty of care to behave with reasonable consideration for your safety.
2. The driver breached the duty of care through an act or inaction of negligence.
3. The breach of duty caused the accident.
4. You suffered injuries because of the accident.

Proving these elements requires evidence from the scene of the accident. Some of this evidence is difficult to secure without the right resources. A driver may have behaved negligently by driving distracted, failing to yield, or failing to get needed repairs done on their vehicle. Their car insurance carrier may be liable for the harm they caused.

What Are Common Injuries that Pedestrians Sustain?

Collisions between cars and pedestrians can cause serious injuries to pedestrians, even in low-speed crashes. Some common injuries include lacerations, abrasions, puncture wounds, severe bruising, road rash and burns, scarring, internal bleeding, organ damage, facial trauma, broken bones, including compound fractures, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries.

When you sustain more serious injuries, financial compensation must be more significant to cover these losses. Serious injuries have higher medical costs in the short term and long term and may prevent you from returning to work.

What Happens When a Pedestrian Is Partially at Fault?

If your injury case is handled in court, then you do not have to lose all compensation if you are partially at fault. Instead, the judge or the jury on the case can determine the percentage fault each party holds, including the pedestrian, the driver or drivers, and other parties whose negligence led to the crash. If you were the pedestrian and you were found partially to blame, your final verdict value will be reduced by the percentage you were at fault.

FAQs About Hazelwood, MO Pedestrian Accident Laws

Do Pedestrians Always Have the Right-of-Way in Missouri?

No, pedestrians don’t always have the right-of-way when walking in Missouri, although they do in specific situations. Pedestrians have the right-of-way at marked crosswalks and unmarked crosswalks set at an intersection when they are crossing with the light signals, but in most other cases the pedestrian must yield to oncoming traffic.

There are cases where drivers must yield to pedestrians, and drivers should always take care around pedestrians. Right-of-way laws may be applicable in determining fault if there is a collision between a driver and a pedestrian.

What Happens if a Jaywalker Is Hit in Missouri?

When a pedestrian is hit in Missouri while jaywalking, a fault in a pedestrian-car accident can be more complicated. In order for the pedestrian as the injured party to recover compensation for their injuries, they must prove that the driver is liable for their injuries.

If the pedestrian was jaywalking, the driver’s insurer may claim that the pedestrian is partially to blame for the accident by not following the rules of the road. In a court case, partial liability would limit the compensation the pedestrian can recover. In some municipalities, pedestrians may be barred from making any injury claim if they were not following the rules of crossing correctly at a designated crosswalk.

How Is Fault Determined in a Car-Pedestrian Accident in Missouri?

Fault is determined by reviewing the facts and evidence of the case after a car-pedestrian accident in Missouri. Every case is unique, so either party may be to blame. A plaintiff must typically prove that one party acted negligently and this negligence caused the accident and injuries. Evidence such as the police report, eyewitness testimony, photos and evidence, cell phone records, and other physical or documented evidence can be used to prove these elements of fault.

How Long Does a Person Have to File an Accident Report in Missouri?

After a pedestrian accident, you should file an accident report immediately at the scene of the collision. In Missouri, you have 30 days to file a police report if you are a driver who causes injury, death, or property damage. If you are a participant in a crash and you leave the scene, it is a felony. You should never wait 30 days to file this report, whether you are a driver, pedestrian, or otherwise involved in the accident. The police report is the crucial initial evidence of the scene of the accident from a third party, which might not exist if you later go to report the accident.

Protect Your Interests With The Cagle Law Firm

When you need comprehensive and personalized legal representation after you or a loved one is involved in a pedestrian accident, contact The Cagle Law Firm.