PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT LAWYER

PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT LAWYER IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Albuquerque pedestrian accident attorneys at Caruso Law Offices, PC in New Mexico, are adept at dealing with personal injury cases. It is the only legal area we focus on and we do it well. Our law firm has successfully represented many pedestrian accident victims. Our Albuquerque pedestrian accident lawyers work tirelessly to get our clients the compensation packages they deserve and take pride in giving pedestrian accident victims a chance to restore their finances.

Normally, one doesn’t first think of pedestrians as the most likely to get injured in an accident, but the statistics speak for themselves. Approximately 75,000 pedestrians are either badly injured or are killed as a result of being hit by a vehicle every year in this country.

THE OLD AND THE YOUNG ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE

Too many of these pedestrian incidents involve children or elderly people. Both of these groups of pedestrians are vulnerable for different reasons, as children often run out into the road near schools or when playing nearby. Elders tend to be slower to respond to danger when crossing a road. They also might not see or hear as well as they used to.

While pedestrians have a responsibility to show caution when crossing a road, the cause for a majority of these accidents is a driver of a car or truck either distracted or heedlessly ignoring traffic signals

DRIVERS MAY ALSO BE AT FAULT BECAUSE THEY:

• Have sped across a crosswalk without slowing or stopping
• Ran a red light
• Were driving carelessly
• Used a cell phone while driving
• Drove in a distracted manner
• Failed to slow down or take sufficient care when passing a school area, school bus or an area where children are likely to be playing
• Did not look before turning into a crosswalk at an intersection
• Were driving under the influence of drugs or while intoxicated

Legally, drivers need to obey the speed limits and specific road signs as well as slow down or stop where pedestrians have right of way. While common courtesy should make motorists extra careful where pedestrians might be likely to cross the road, they often neglect to slow down or stop. A common problem involves making right turns on a red light. Often, the driver “rolls through” the stop without fully checking to see if someone is in the intersection trying to walk across. Tragedy results.

EVIDENCE THAT CAN DEMONSTRATE LIABILITY IS VITAL

If you have suffered an injury as a result of a pedestrian accident you should contact our Albuquerque personal injury lawyers for a free consultation. Our Albuquerque pedestrian accident attorneys will be able to assess your situation and determine your chances of making a claim for damages against the person or driver you think is at fault. Much depends on eye witness statements and any other evidence that might be available to back up your claim.

If you are not so seriously injured to require immediate medical treatment, then it may be useful if you can collect any contact details of eye witnesses at the accident scene than contact an Albuquerque pedestrian accident attorney.

Our lawyers can also search for other probative evidence of fault. If you were struck near a business, then they might have security cameras pointed toward the street which might have captured the accident. This evidence needs to be preserved quickly, otherwise the store could overwrite it. However, where it exists, video evidence can be very powerful and show that a motorist did not pay attention to where he was going.

Other helpful evidence can include skid marks on the road or damage to surrounding cars, which can show the actions that the driver took. Ideally, if you are not too injured, you can get photographs of the scene of the accident that prove useful.

WATCH OUT FOR THE DRIVER’S INSURANCE COMPANY

All drivers should have insurance to cover them in the event that they harm somebody in an accident, but insurance companies notoriously loathe paying up personal injury claims if they can possibly avoid it. If you think your accident was definitely caused by a negligent driver, then you may very well be approached by somebody from the driver’s insurance company. They may offer you a small amount of compensation, but it would be unwise for you to accept it. In fact, it would be sensible to have no contact with anybody from the driver’s insurance company and just let our Albuquerque pedestrian accident lawyer deal with the negotiation.

Remember that insurers are not entitled to take a recorded statement. Often, they request one so that they can get the victim to slip up and say something that might undermine his or her case. For example, a victim could say that he was looking at his phone when he was hit, which an insurer might use to argue that the victim was partially responsible for the accident. Or an insurance agent might get a person to admit that they are feeling “okay,” which they use to minimize the severity or extent of the victim’s injuries.

THE BENEFITS OF AN ALBUQUERQUE PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

Without a lawyer, many victims will flounder to secure a favorable settlement. Indeed, they might inadvertently agree to accept far less than they are entitled to. Injured victims only get one shot to obtain a fair settlement, since they will sign a release of liability as part of any settlement.

Our cases begin by fully evaluating the injuries our clients have sustained and properly calculating their financial losses. For example, many injured pedestrians need extensive medical care and cannot work as a result of the crash. They are entitled to compensation for any reasonable medical expenses, as well as for their lost wages.

Our pedestrian accident lawyers in Albuquerque also fully evaluate the reduction in our client’s quality of life due to pain, inconvenience, and emotional distress. In our experience, many victims underestimate how much they can receive to compensate for these so-called “intangible” losses, which are often harder to calculate because there is no bill or receipt attached to them. Many injured pedestrians are completely unaware that they can receive any money. However, in certain cases, damages for these losses could make up the bulk of a settlement.

Only when a victim understands what constitutes a “fair” settlement can he or she effectively negotiate one. We will use all our evidence to show the insurer that you are seriously injured and deserve justifiable compensation for your losses.

CONTACT A PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT ATTORNEY IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM

If you or a loved one has been in a pedestrian accident that was not your fault and has suffered from an injury, contact Albuquerque pedestrian accident lawyers at Caruso Law Offices, P.C. in New Mexico at (505) 369-0744 for a free and confidential consultation.