New Jersey has thousands of accidents involving pedestrians every year. Auto drivers often cause injury or death to inadvertent road users by being careless.
In such accidents, there is minimal risk of damage to drivers and vehicles. Unfortunately, these incidents do not have the same effect on pedestrians.
The Garden State Justice Group personal injury law firm is available to help pedestrians who have been hurt in an accident. Contact us now if you think you are in this situation.
Victims of pedestrian accidents can seek compensation from those responsible for their injuries through the civil justice system. We will provide free legal consultations to help you determine if achieving compensation is possible.
A pedestrian accident often results in personal injury or the death of a loved one, in which case it is likely that you will need to file a personal injury claim for compensation. Damages are usually the determining factor for establishing how much compensation should be awarded.
If you were injured in a pedestrian accident, you might be entitled to seek damages for the following:
It is also possible to seek punitive damages in some pedestrian accident cases. This entails that, if a party responsible for the accident caused it intentionally or negligently, then you may be awarded a sum of money.
There is a challenge in obtaining punitive damages through pedestrian injury lawsuits filed in the state of New Jersey. However, you can rest assured that when the experienced pedestrian accident attorneys at Garden State Justice Group are representing you, all applicable compensation forms will be pursued.
Persons traversing a public place on foot are generally referred to as pedestrians. This includes persons who may be walking or running in an area where such activity is allowed; legally and prudently using a roadway and crosswalk; any individual using a wheelchair to travel within a designated area; and many others.
A person who causes injury to pedestrians by driving their vehicle recklessly, speeding, being distracted, or by any other negligent act can be held liable for the damages they cause. In a pedestrian accident case, however, it can be difficult to determine fault.
There may be a perception that drivers are to blame for most pedestrian accidents, and careless driving is indeed the cause of many such accidents:
Yet, apparent fault and legal responsibility for damages are not always the same. In addition to the above, there are other factors that can cause a vehicle to strike a pedestrian.
When traffic signals malfunction, pedestrians may have to cross streets at an inconvenient time. Drivers may also misunderstand when it's correct for them to turn or to cross an intersection, potentially leading to pedestrian accidents.
Most roadways in New Jersey are likely to be built and designed by a variety of contractors. As a consequence, these contractors could be held liable for injuries or death resulting from pedestrian accidents if they failed to design safe roadways for both drivers and pedestrians. Similarly, a municipality or city may also be held liable for damages through a civil lawsuit in such instances.
In many cases, it may seem obvious at first what the true cause of a pedestrian accident is, but it is extremely important to conduct a thorough investigation that gets to the source of the problem as soon as possible. Multiple factors, as opposed to just one, could have caused the accident. Thus, the victim of a pedestrian accident could sue different parties if a lawsuit is filed.
When you chose to retain a law firm, a team of lawyers representing you in the pedestrian accident lawsuit will examine all the circumstances surrounding the accident.
An investigation will be conducted to gather all the evidence possible. This may include eyewitness recollections and recordings, such as those provided by local businesses, as well as potential video evidence. You and your team may also contact roadway safety experts who may determine who may be at fault after conducting their own surveys of the scene.
As stated earlier, it might be the exclusive fault of a driver. Yet there may be flaws in the roadways that had not been noted previously. It is possible for safety experts to point out these situations and suggest how they may have led to your accident and your injuries.
After a pedestrian accident lawyer team finds the responsible party or parties, they must open a line of communication with them in order to pursue compensation.
When a legal representative drafts a demand letter, you are formally stating your intention to bring a lawsuit if you are not compensated. Your team will file the lawsuit in the appropriate court if these initial demands aren't met or, at minimum, negotiated.
A successful claim depends on many important deadlines being met. A pedestrian accident lawyer will handle all of the paperwork on your behalf.
If a city or municipality is liable for your pedestrian accident lawsuit, rather than a particular individual, time is even more crucial. In these types of cases, it is often necessary to prove your intent to file a lawsuit within a short period of time. Again, your legal team will handle such crucial aspects of a lawsuit so that you can focus on getting back on your feet.
For personal injury cases such as pedestrian accidents in New Jersey, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the accident. Unless you file your case by the deadline, your case may be dismissed.
A pedestrian accident victim can receive free legal services from Garden State Justice Group' group of injury attorneys. Take the first step towards justice by completing the form on this page or contacting us at our 24/7 injury victim helpline.
