Pedestrian accidents often cause life-changing or fatal injuries. People on foot have nothing on their bodies to protect them from the crushing impact of a multi-ton vehicle. Paying attention to proper safety precautions for Columbia, MO pedestrians is critical when you need to cross a busy road or walk across a crowded parking lot.
If you are recuperating from injuries you experienced or your family lost a loved one in a pedestrian accident, you deserve help from a knowledgeable and determined legal team. The pedestrian accident attorneys at AW Smith might be able to help your family recover compensation in a suit against the negligent motorist who struck you.
When a motor vehicle strikes a person on foot, the person is at risk of suffering devastating injuries. Survivors of pedestrian accidents frequently experience life-altering trauma to their bodies. Taking certain safety precautions while on foot can limit potential pedestrian collisions in Columbia. Most commonly, the following types of physical injuries occur:
Injured pedestrians frequently have long-term medical needs. Lengthy hospital stays, multiple surgeries, follow-up doctor’s visits, physical therapy, and rehabilitation can be painful and grueling. In addition to physical injuries, being struck by a car can also lead to emotional trauma. Many injured pedestrians face debilitating depression, anxiety, and anger that can interfere with their ability to participate in their everyday lives. Some people need extensive therapy to learn to cope with the changes in their lives.
Sadly, some pedestrian accidents result in fatalities. Our compassionate legal team could work determinedly for justice on behalf of a deceased loved one in a wrongful death suit.
Pedestrians should always act carefully and reasonably when crossing streets or in areas with car traffic. They should try to cross the street at marked crosswalks. Even when crossing in a crosswalk, pedestrians should ensure they are not crossing directly in front of cars that cannot stop. If possible, they should remain on the sidewalks until they need to cross. At unmarked intersections without dedicated crosswalks, walkers should yield to cars.
Sometimes, a pedestrian in Columbia is partially to blame for their accident because they failed to take proper safety precautions. For instance, walkers could be at fault when they cross the road outside of a crosswalk in front of a fast-moving car or when they wear dark clothing at night, which could make it harder for an approaching motorist to see them.
Fortunately, state law does not prevent pedestrians who are partly responsible for their accidents from pursuing damages against the driver who hit them. Missouri operates with a pure comparative negligence statute, which means a pedestrian could seek damages from a driver even if they were mostly to blame for the accident. However, their recoverable damages amount would be reduced in proportion to their degree of fault. Our knowledgeable lawyers could review the facts from an accident and explain how comparative fault rules might affect a pedestrian’s recovery of damages.
Following safety precautions for Columbia pedestrians can prevent devastating accidents because when a car strikes a person on foot, the physical, emotional, and financial impact is often enormous.
Our seasoned team of diligent lawyers could help you pursue rightful compensation for what you have lost because of the collision. Our legal team has extensive experience negotiating with insurance companies for reasonable settlements. If an insurance company or defendant is unwilling to offer what is fair, our skilled attorneys would not be afraid to aggressively fight for justice at trial. Call to work with the lawyers from AW Smith.
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