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Auburn Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
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Auburn Pedestrian Accident Attorney
Every day, millions of people walk through the busiest metropolitan areas of California. While most reach their destinations safely, some are not so fortunate. When drivers do not pay full attention to their surroundings or engage in willful misconduct behind the wheel, they can easily cause devastating pedestrian accidents. If you or a loved one recently experienced this type of accident, an Auburn pedestrian accident attorney is the ideal asset to have on your side as you pursue compensation for your damages.
Helping Injured Pedestrians Recover From Accidents in Auburn, CA
The team at Kreeger Law Firm has helped many past clients recover from all types of personal injuries in Auburn and surrounding areas. We have the professional resources and experience necessary to handle the toughest civil claims on behalf of our clients in the Auburn area and we always aim for maximum client compensation in every case we accept. If you believe you have grounds to file a personal injury claim for your recent pedestrian accident in Auburn, CA, our team is ready to provide the legal representation you need to approach the case with peace of mind.
Proving Liability for a Pedestrian Accident in Auburn
The first challenge you face in the aftermath of any personal injury in Auburn is proving exactly how the accident happened and identifying the party or parties responsible for causing it. With a pedestrian accident claim, this is fairly straightforward as any motor vehicle driver who hits a pedestrian is always at fault. However, the state enforces a pure comparative negligence rule, and it is possible for a pedestrian to share liability for their recent accident.
Under the pure comparative negligence rule, the plaintiff will lose a percentage of their case award if they are found to have contributed to causing the accident. A judge will carefully review the facts of the case and assign a fault percentage to each liable party. If the plaintiff is assigned any fault for the incident, their fault percentage is deducted from their total case award as a penalty.
Your Auburn pedestrian accident attorney can help gather whatever evidence you may need to clarify the details of how your accident happened and firmly assert liability for the damages. This may involve traffic camera recordings, drivers’ cell phone records, and statements from any witnesses who saw the accident happen. After proving fault for your pedestrian accident you can proceed with claiming compensation for the damages you suffered.
Compensation Available to Plaintiffs in Pedestrian Accident Claims
California law allows the plaintiff in any civil suit to seek full repayment of all the financial losses they suffered because of a defendant’s negligence or misconduct. For most plaintiffs, these economic damages are likely to include:
- Medical treatment costs. Pedestrians hit by cars often suffer catastrophic injuries from these accidents, many of which will require extensive ongoing medical care. The defendant who caused your injury is liable for any and all medical expenses you incur from the incident, including the cost of future rehabilitative care you require.
- Lost income. Any serious personal injury could leave the victim unable to work while they recover. If you lost wages because of your recent pedestrian accident, the driver who caused the accident is liable for your lost income.
- Lost earning power. It’s relatively common for pedestrian accidents to cause severe personal injuries, many of which leave victims completely unable to work for extended periods of time or at all in the future. If you cannot earn as much income or cannot work at all after your pedestrian accident, the defendant is also responsible for your lost future earning capacity.
Your Auburn pedestrian accident attorney can help gather any documentation you will need to prove that the defendant is directly responsible for all financial losses they inflicted with their negligence or misconduct.
Additionally, the plaintiff in a personal injury claim can seek compensation for the physical pain, emotional distress, and psychological trauma inflicted by a defendant’s negligence or misconduct. There is no limit to how much a plaintiff can seek in pain and suffering compensation, and the right attorney can be an invaluable asset for maximizing this aspect of the plaintiff’s total recovery. When a plaintiff has suffered any serious injury causing permanent damage, their pain and suffering compensation is likely to amount to more than the total of all their claimed economic damages.
What to Expect From Your Auburn Pedestrian Accident Attorney
Whether you are seeking compensation for your own damages or need to arrange legal counsel on behalf of an injured family member, Kreeger Law Firm is prepared to assist you with every facet of your recovery efforts. Since a pedestrian accident qualifies as a motor vehicle accident, the victim does have the right to file a claim against the at-fault driver’s auto insurance policy. However, this claim is unlikely to fully compensate the total of the victim’s damages. Your Auburn pedestrian accident lawyer can assist you in filing your claim and if this cannot repay your damages, they can build your personal injury case against the at-fault driver.
Kreeger Law Firm typically aims to settle a client’s case as quickly as possible. Settlement enables the victim to obtain the compensation they need to recover in an efficient manner, and it saves all parties involved in the case time and stress. However, litigation will be necessary to resolve the case if settlement proves fruitless for any reason. If you cannot settle your pedestrian accident claim for any reason, our team is prepared to represent you in court. Every client faces different challenges as they seek compensation for the losses they’ve suffered, and our goal is to help each client we represent recover as fully as the law allows.
Pedestrian Accident FAQs
Q: How Do I Prove Fault for My Recent Pedestrian Accident?
A: Whenever a motor vehicle driver hits a pedestrian, they are automatically at fault for the incident. A driver has a greater duty of care to avoid hitting pedestrians than a pedestrian has to avoid being hit by cars. Drivers are always required to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, even if pedestrians cross the street illegally. Your Auburn pedestrian accident attorney can help gather any evidence you may need to firmly assert liability for your recent accident and hold the at-fault driver appropriately accountable for the harm they’ve caused.
Q: How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Auburn?
A: California upholds a two-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims, so a plaintiff has two years from the date of their accident to file a civil suit. You will need time to accurately calculate your claimable damages and complete the preliminary steps of your case, so it is wise to consult an Auburn pedestrian accident attorney as soon as possible after your accident to preserve your ability to recover compensation for your damages.
Q: What Can I Do if a Family Member Died in a Fatal Pedestrian Accident?
A: If you lost a loved one in a pedestrian accident, state law allows the beneficiaries of the victim to file a wrongful death claim in place of the personal injury claim they could have filed if they survived. While similar to personal injury cases in several ways, wrongful death claims require different considerations and entail different procedural rules, so it is crucial to find an attorney experienced with this type of civil suit if you intend to pursue accountability for a family member’s untimely death.
Q: Why Do I Need to Hire an Auburn Pedestrian Accident Attorney?
A: There is no law that requires you to hire legal counsel for any personal injury claim. However, you risk losing a substantial amount of compensation if you try to handle the case on your own. Hiring legal counsel that you trust can significantly improve your experience with your legal proceedings and increase the chance of maximizing your recovery as much as state law allows.
Q: How Much Will It Cost to Hire an Auburn Pedestrian Accident Attorney?
A: Kreeger Law Firm will not exacerbate your economic concerns in the aftermath of a damaging accident by charging expensive legal fees. We take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, so you only pay a fee if and when we win your case. Your fee will be a percentage of the total amount of compensation won from the defendant. If our team cannot secure compensation for your damages for any reason, there is no fee at all.
Kreeger Law Firm can provide the legal counsel you need to recover as fully as the law allows after a pedestrian accident in Auburn. We know how traumatic these accidents can be and the wide scope of financial effects a pedestrian accident can have on a victim and their family. If you believe you have grounds for a civil suit against the driver who caused your recent pedestrian accident, we can help you take full advantage of your options for legal recourse. Contact us today and schedule a free consultation with an Auburn pedestrian accident attorney to start working toward your recovery.
