When you are hit by a car or truck while walking, you may suffer tremendous injuries that take weeks or months to heal. If your injuries take you away from your job, you may miss out on the income you need to pay your medical bills. It can seem overwhelming.
If you are a pedestrian who is injured because of an accident caused by another person, you deserve compensation for your injuries. A Waterbury pedestrian accident lawyer can help you get the money you need to pay your bills and care for your family.
At Jonathan Perkins Injury Lawyers, we’ll fight for you so you can focus on your recovery. Our Waterbury personal injury lawyers have experience helping people like you get back on their feet. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
Soon after you are injured in a fall, an insurance company may approach you with a settlement offer. It usually isn’t a good idea to accept it without speaking with an attorney. Insurance companies often offer low initial settlements, hoping they can pay you less than you deserve.
A Waterbury pedestrian accident attorney will know what your claim is worth and whether the offer is fair. We can help you avoid this and many other mistakes often made by accident victims. While every case is different, here are several important benefits we can provide.
Affordable Legal Representation
Many people worry about the costs of hiring an attorney. When it comes to personal injury cases, we work on a contingency basis. That means we take our fees out of your award or settlement, and you only pay if we win.
This makes our services available to almost anyone and levels the playing field when dealing with powerful insurance companies.
Accident Investigation
We’ll investigate your accident to determine what really happened. We may consult police reports, interview witnesses, view security footage, or visit the accident scene. This will help us define who was liable for your injuries and which insurance company to approach.
Compensation Assessment
We’ll assess your damages to calculate the maximum compensation for your injuries. We can then approach the appropriate insurance companies and file a claim for a fair settlement on your behalf. We can handle the paperwork and help you adhere to deadlines.
Settlement Negotiations
We will negotiate with the insurance company to work toward a settlement amount that will make a difference in your life. Ideally, this will be all it takes to resolve your case. However, if the insurance company refuses to do the right thing, we can file a civil suit on your behalf.
How Much Is a Pedestrian Accident Case Worth?
Awards in personal injury cases can range from thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands. In rare cases, they can reach over a million dollars. It is impossible to know how much your specific case may be worth without a thorough review.
Your pedestrian accident lawyer in Waterbury will evaluate your damages and determine maximum compensation. We will consider both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are those with a specific monetary value, such as services where you receive a bill or products that come with a cost. Depending on the specific of your case, this may include:
- Your medical expenses include doctor’s visits, emergency room visits, specialist appointments, medications, and physical and occupational therapy.
- Your future expected medical costs, such as the expenses associated with ongoing care and therapy, expensive medications, and adaptive equipment.
- Your lost wages or reduced earnings capacity due to your inability to work because of your injuries.
- Expenses associated with your future employment situation, such as the costs of retraining if you are unable to return to your job.
- The costs of repairing or replacing your personal property damaged or destroyed in the accident.
Non-economic Damages
Non-economic damages are harder to assess than economic damages because they usually don’t have a dollar amount associated with them. They consider the mental, social, and emotional impact of your accident, and they are only available in certain situations.
Your pedestrian accident attorney in Waterbury can let you know if you may be eligible to recover compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Punitive Damages
A court awards punitive damages in cases where the defendant has acted with extreme recklessness or negligence. The intent is to punish and deter similar future behavior. Punitive damages are rare, and your attorney can advise you if they may apply to your case.
Common Liable Parties in Pedestrian Accident Claims
Pedestrian injuries often occur due to incidents with motor vehicles. Actions that may make a driver liable include:
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Failure to follow road signs
- Driving unsafely in bad weather or road conditions
However, pedestrian accidents can happen in other ways as well. Your attorney will determine who was liable for your accident based on the circumstances. Some examples of liable parties can include:
- Companies: If they impose unsafe conditions on their drivers, which causes accidents
- Property owners: In cases where poorly maintained sidewalks resulted in a fall
- The local government: When crosswalks or traffic signs are not clear
- A construction company: If their work area is not properly
- Vehicle maintenance companies: If faulty or worn parts caused the accident
Contact a Waterbury Pedestrian Accident Attorney
Motor vehicles can inflict serious damage when careless drivers hit pedestrians. It can feel overwhelming when you are injured, unable to work, and insurance companies don’t seem willing to help. It’s important to have an ally who can help you along the way.
A Waterbury pedestrian accident attorney knows the law and can help you understand your rights. We’ll take on insurance companies and fight for the compensation you need to get your life back together and care for the people who are depending on you.
At Jonathan Perkins Injury Lawyers, our team of over 50 legal professionals is here to help. Put the Power of Perkins to work for you. Contact us today and tell us your story.
