Helping Clients in Bethlehem, Doylestown, Allentown, Easton and Stroudsburg Since 1985
Are you a pedestrian who was injured by an automobile? Were you hit by a car in a crosswalk or shopping center parking lot? Did you lose a loved one in a fatal pedestrian accident? Did the car stop or was it a “hit and run”?
At Drake, Hileman and Davis, we have been helping pedestrians injured by motor vehicles for more than 25 years. Our personal injury lawyers have the answers to your questions and can help you pursue compensation such as medical expenses, lost wages and damages for pain and suffering. Let us put our experience to work for you.
We help clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Contact a pedestrian accident attorney at our firm to discuss your injuries.
5 Key Facts About Pedestrian Accident Claims
If you, your child, or another close member of your family has been injured in a pedestrian accident, there is a lot you need to know. Here are five key facts about filing a claim after a pedestrian accident in Bethlehem:
1. Pedestrian Accident Victims Have Clear Legal Rights
Pedestrian accident victims have clear legal rights, and an experienced Bethlehem pedestrian accident lawyer will be able to help you assert your legal rights effectively. At Drake, Hileman & Davis, P.C., we represent victims and families after pedestrian accidents in all types of locations. This includes (but is not limited to) locations where pedestrian accidents are common, such as:
- Intersections controlled by stop lights and stop signs
- Intersections with and without crosswalks
- Parking lots and parking garages
- Roads with pedestrian and bike lanes
- School zones, public spaces, and other areas with high pedestrian traffic
Regardless of where you or your loved one got hit by a vehicle, we strongly encourage you to contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation about your legal rights. Our lawyers can explain everything you need to know, and if you and your family are entitled to financial compensation, we can take all necessary steps to pursue appropriate legal action on your behalf.
2. Pedestrians Still Need to Prove Their Claim
When you have a claim for a pedestrian accident in Bethlehem, it is up to you to prove your legal rights. Did you have the right of way or did the vehicle operator? Even if it seems clear that the driver was at fault, you will need proof of fault in order to recover the financial compensation you and your family deserve. This is one of the first areas in which an experienced Bethlehem pedestrian accident lawyer will be able to help. By investigating the accident promptly, your lawyer will be able to collect any and all available evidence before it disappears.
3. It Is Important to Take Legal Action Promptly
Along with collecting any and all available evidence before it disappears, there are several other important reasons to take legal action promptly. Perhaps most importantly, the sooner you take legal action, the sooner you will be able to move on. While Pennsylvania has a two-year statute of limitations for most pedestrian accident claims, we do not recommend waiting any longer than necessary to speak with a lawyer about asserting your legal rights. Our lawyers are available to get to work on your case immediately.
4. Your Recoverable Losses Could Be Much Greater Than You Realize
When we get to work on your case, in addition to gathering evidence of liability, we will also work with you to document the losses you are entitled to recover. Your recoverable losses could be much greater than you realize. In a typical pedestrian accident case, we will help our client seek just compensation for their present and future:
- Medical bills and other out-of-pocket costs
- Lost income, benefits, and future earning capacity
- Pain, suffering, and emotional trauma
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of consortium, companionship, and enjoyment of life
Over the course of months or years, the costs of a serious pedestrian accident can become substantial. When you choose Drake, Hileman & Davis, P.C., you will work closely with an experienced Bethlehem pedestrian accident lawyer who will fight for maximum compensation based on your specific past, present, and future losses.
5. You Can Hire a Bethlehem Pedestrian Accident Lawyer at No Out-of-Pocket Cost
When you are dealing with the financial and non-financial costs of a serious pedestrian accident, hiring a lawyer to represent you costs nothing out-of-pocket. We handle these cases on a contingency-fee basis, which means our clients pay nothing unless we secure a favorable outcome. If you receive a settlement or verdict, our legal fees and costs will be deducted from your financial recovery. If you don’t receive a settlement or verdict, you owe us nothing. We will discuss our contingency fees with you in detail during your free initial consultation.
Why It’s Important to Hire an Experienced Bethlehem Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Some people who are dealing with the aftermath of a serious pedestrian accident try to handle their situation on their own. Unfortunately, this proves to be a costly mistake far too often. Here are just some of the reasons why it is important to have an experienced Bethlehem pedestrian accident lawyer on your side:
- Collecting the Evidence You Need to Prove Liability – From gathering forensic evidence of the scene of the accident to obtaining the driver’s cell phone records and other forms of documentation, proving liability is a complex process. You need a lawyer who knows how to gather all of the evidence you need to assert your legal rights effectively.
- Collecting the Evidence You Need to Prove Your Losses – Along with evidence of liability, you also need evidence of your (or your child’s or other loved one’s) losses. This includes not only medical documentation, but also proof of future out-of-pocket costs, lost earnings, and the accident’s various non-financial effects.
- Filing the Right Claim (or Claims) – In most cases, seeking financial compensation for a pedestrian accident involves filing a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. But, there are other possibilities as well, and you need to make sure you file the right claim (or claims) in order to seek the financial compensation you and your family deserve.
- Making Sure the Insurance Companies Treat You Fairly – Under Pennsylvania law, insurance companies have a duty to handle all liability claims in good faith. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. By hiring an experienced Bethlehem pedestrian accident lawyer to represent you, you can make sure that the insurance companies treat you fairly throughout the process.
- Taking the Insurance Companies to Court if Necessary – Insurance companies view your claim from a transactional perspective. They want to settle for the least amount possible. Knowing the value of your claim is the advantage of having an experienced personal injury attorney. If you do not receive a reasonable settlement offer, you will need to be prepared to take your case to court. Going to court requires experienced legal representation.
Help With All Types of Pedestrian Accidents
At Drake, Hileman and Davis, we have seen the disastrous results that occur when motor vehicles collide with pedestrians. Whether encountering runners, walkers, commuters or shoppers, drivers of automobiles and trucks frequently fail to pay attention to pedestrian travel, as they focus their attention solely on other vehicles. This is especially true when vehicles are driven in parking lots, backing up or making turns onto one-way streets.
The law requires that when traffic-control signals are not in place or operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
As such, our courts have found that pedestrians, when crossing at an intersection, have the right to expect that automobile drivers will not run them down.
Answering Your Questions and Concerns
If the operator of a motor vehicle has injured you or a loved one as a pedestrian, you may have questions that need to be answered. In particular, you may be wondering who will pay your medical bills? Why should your auto insurance carrier be notified? Does the limited tort threshold apply to your claim? Can you get wage loss coverage under your own policy of insurance?
At our firm, our lawyers have successfully secured compensation for our injured clients. We will work to get you lost wages and medical expenses, as well as damages for pain and suffering. If you have lost a loved one in a fatal accident, we understand that no amount of money can make up for your loss. However, we will fight to hold the responsible parties accountable in a wrongful death suit.
Our recent cases have included representing:
- A runner in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- A commuter in Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
- A walker in Warminster, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- A bank customer in Northampton County, Pennsylvania
- A shopper in Catasauqua, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
- A child headed to the park in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania
- A woman on her way to work in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
- A pedestrian in a crosswalk in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania
AT DRAKE, HILEMAN & DAVIS, WE HAVE BEEN WINNING CASES FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS. WE ARE READY TO HELP YOU.
Contact a Pedestrian Accident Attorney
If you are looking for personal injury or wrongful death attorney after a Pennsylvania or New Jersey pedestrian accident, the lawyers of Drake, Hileman & Davis are ready to discuss your legal options. We can meet you at our office or in your home. We help clients in Bucks County, the Lehigh Valley or the Poconos. To contact a pedestrian injury lawyer at our firm, call 888-777-7098. We can be reached 24 hours a day, and we provide translation services for our Spanish-speaking clients.
