San Antonio Pedestrian Accident Injury Lawyer

What is a Pedestrian Accident

These accidents can be a car or truck hitting a pedestrian or even a bicycle or motorcycle hitting a pedestrian. Downtown areas, crowded and full of intersections, stop lights, and crosswalks every block are common places for pedestrian accidents to take place, as are parking lots. Even accidents where cars are driving at speeds slower than five mph can still result in injuries.

Examples of situations where you, as a pedestrian, may be entitled to compensation include:

• You are crossing the street, and a driver runs a red light and hits you in the crosswalk
• You are crossing at an intersection, with a pedestrian crosswalk and a driver fails to stop at a stop sign and hits you
• You are walking across a parking lot, and a driver fails to check their mirrors and hits you while driving around the parking lot

The statute of limitations is two years. So, from the time of the accident, you have two years to file your claim with the insurance companies or a lawsuit.

Related Reading: Does a car or pedestrian have the right of way?

What Do Pedestrian Injury Attorneys Do?

As a pedestrian, getting injured in an accident can be stressful and painful. Pedestrian accidents typically involve other vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, or even bicycles. In most situations, the accident that caused the pedestrian injury could have been avoided. If you faced a pedestrian accident because someone else was reckless or negligent, our pedestrian accident attorney could review your case to determine whether you can pursue compensation.

Attorneys will look for evidence related to the accident, work on your behalf with insurance companies for the other drivers or the other parties directly. This work includes communicating with them, negotiating with them, and reaching a settlement with them.

What Should I Do Next?

1. Contact the San Antonio Police Department and Document the Accident

After an accident or injury, you should call the police. It is equally important to have documentation of the incident from a third party which, in this case, would be the police. This will go a long way toward helping with your compensation.

If you have a phone or camera, document things like:

• The other vehicles, if involved
• The scene of the accident
• Surrounding buildings

Document anything else you think might be necessary.
Always get consent from witnesses for documentation; if taking video, obtain their permission on film too. Such documentation could help your attorney with evidence and make it easier to track down security footage of nearby businesses.

2. Seek Medical Attention

No matter how you feel after the accident, you need to be examined by a medical professional from Southwest General Hospital, San Antonio State Hospital, Northeast Baptist Hospital, Methodist Texan Hospital, or St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital.

Some injuries might not manifest right away and, only with an in-depth medical examination, can you be sure your injuries are correctly diagnosed.
With an examination at one of the local hospitals, you can identify injuries that you might not realize you have, such as severe brain injuries.

Remember too, pain or numbness can appear later so ask about common symptoms. If you feel ringing in your ears, headaches, dizziness, personality changes, memory loss, loss of bladder or bowel control, nausea, you should go back to the hospital for an examination.

If you don’t get immediate medical attention, it will be tough for you to get compensation for injuries that manifest later.

3. Work With An Attorney

Filing a claim for such injuries is not only challenging but time-consuming. If you don’t know what to file, when, and with whom, it can be confusing too. If you sustained injuries, you should focus on recovery while your attorney focuses on the claim.

Your attorney will know the statute of limitations, how they communicate with insurance companies for other drivers or businesses, and what evidence you will need to get the compensation you deserve.

Cost to Hire an Attorney

You can maximize your compensation by working with an experienced attorney who has achieved positive results with similar cases in the past.

The cost of hiring an attorney is based on the firm. Some firms charge a flat fee for the case, which means you pay only a flat amount no matter how long it takes to settle or how much work goes into the case. With many firms, you don’t pay that fee until after the case is settled, if it is resolved. Others charge on an hourly basis, which means an hourly rate explained ahead of time for the work done by attorneys, paralegals, or administrative staff. During a consultation, you can discuss the potential costs for your case.