Pedestrian accidents can be among the most severe types of personal injuries that you can suffer. Getting hit by a car -– even a car that was only traveling very slowly -– can lead to significant injuries because pedestrians are utterly without protection and cars are massive. Even the smallest vehicle on the roads today can weigh more than 2,500 pounds, while bigger ones like SUVs can be as heavy as 7,000. The force of all of this weight makes getting hit by one of these vehicles rarely a trivial affair.
Getting compensated for the injuries that you suffer in a pedestrian accident is crucial to ensure you make a full recovery and get back on your feet. The personal injury attorneys at the Manchester, New Hampshire office of Tenn And Tenn, PA can help.
PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS HAPPEN CONSTANTLY
Pedestrian accidents should never happen. Car drivers should be paying attention all the time and should be aware when they do not have the right of way. They should also never hit a pedestrian who was on the sidewalk because that would mean the driver is off the road.
However, pedestrians are getting hit more often now than they have been in decades. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 5,987 pedestrian deaths on the roads of America in 2016 alone. This was the highest number since 1990 and represented a nine percent increase from 2015.
And those statistics refer only to pedestrian accidents that proved to be fatal. Many pedestrian accidents result in injuries only. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there were an estimated 129,000 pedestrians who were treated in the hospital room after being hit by a car in 2015. But just because those accidents did not result in a fatality does not mean that the accident was a minor one. Many pedestrian crashes result in life-altering injuries that take years of intensive recovery time or that end with injuries that are permanently debilitating.
THE COST OF PEDESTRIAN CRASHES
Unlike more traditional car accidents that involve multiple vehicles, accidents that involve a car and a pedestrian result in injuries that are almost entirely on one side of the equation: the pedestrian. The vehicle occupants in a pedestrian crash are rarely physically hurt, leaving nearly all of the costs of the crash on the pedestrian.
Those injuries are frequently severe and often go far beyond just broken bones. Even cars that are going the speed limit in residential zones can inflict injuries that can put a pedestrian in the hospital for weeks.
When this happens, the victimized pedestrian often finds him or herself with significant medical bills and a devastating medical condition that prevents him or her from working to the best of his or her abilities and keeps him or her from enjoying life while recovering. Getting compensation in these situations is crucial, especially because pedestrians are rarely to blame for these types of accidents.
LEGAL HELP FOR INJURED PEDESTRIANS
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a pedestrian accident, you need legal help to get the compensation you need to make the full recovery you deserve. Filing a personal injury lawsuit is the best way to ensure this happens. In order to succeed in this lawsuit, you need to show four things:
- The driver who hit you had an obligation to keep you safe or keep you free from harm,
- The driver failed to uphold that obligation,
- That failure caused the accident, and
- The accident caused your injuries.
All drivers in New Hampshire have an obligation to drive in a reasonably safe manner. This means they could be held liable for your injuries if they cause a crash while doing things that are unreasonable while driving, like texting, speeding, or violating any of the state’s rules of the road. If they do cause the crash that hurts you, they can be forced to pay the costs of your recovery.
YOUR LEGAL DAMAGES AND COMPENSATION
The goal of a personal injury case in New Hampshire is to make sure that you, as the victim of an accident you did not cause, receive compensation for your losses. Unbeknownst to many, this goes beyond just the cost of your medical bills. It also includes:
- The cost of any predicted medical bills you will accumulate for your injuries in the future,
- Any wages you lost from the accident and while you recovered from it,
- Any earning potential that you lost from your injuries,
- Compensation for the pain and suffering that you have gone through,
- Compensation for your family’s loss of consortium, as you recovered.
THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS RESTRICTS YOUR RIGHTS TO SUE
Importantly, you cannot just sue whenever you want to. Instead, in the case of a pedestrian accident, there is a window of time called the statute of limitations, which begins at the crash and extends for three years into the future. Any lawsuit that you pursue for compensation needs to be filed within that three-year limitation, or else the person you are suing can easily have it dismissed, regardless of how solid your claims are.
NEW HAMPSHIRE PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT LAWYERS AT TENN AND TENN, PA
Getting hit by a car while you were walking, running, or even just standing at the side of the road is never something that anyone wants to go through. If you do have the misfortune to be struck by a motorist, you need the driver to compensate you for your injuries or risk being unable to make a full recovery and harming your financial wellbeing.
Contact the New Hampshire personal injury and pedestrian accident attorneys at the Manchester law office of Tenn And Tenn, PA by calling us at (603) 614-5055 or by contacting us online.