If it seems like nearly every day, you read a story on the news about pedestrians getting hit by cars in Fresno, you’re not wrong. While it is common for people to take walks in sunny California, pedestrian safety is not always a guarantee. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), 127 pedestrians sustained injuries or died in traffic accidents throughout Fresno County in 2019. Often, these crashes devastate the person on foot, who suffers severe or fatal injuries from getting hit by a motor vehicle.
You can have our Fresno pedestrian accident lawyer handle your personal injury claim for your wounds. The team at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers can also manage your wrongful death claim if a close relative died of their pedestrian accident injuries. When you work with us, you get to focus your efforts on recuperating from pedestrian injuries and rebuilding your life while we take care of legal matters.
The Average Settlement for a Fresno Pedestrian Accident
There is no such thing as an average or typical amount of compensation for a Fresno pedestrian accident. However, there are several reasons why.
Every Pedestrian Accident Is Unique
One person might be lucky enough to escape with bruises or stitches. Unfortunately, another individual might have disabling or fatal injuries.
Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers
Suite 206
Fresno, CA 93703
(559) 241-0411
Damages Vary By Case
How much each person incurs in medical bills and loses in income from missing work also differs from one case to another. Each of these losses factors into calculating a settlement or jury award. Generally, cases with more severe injuries are worth more money, as more money in medical bills is involved and more time is missed from work.
Insurance Coverage and Policy Limits Matter
The insurance coverage the at-fault party has purchased could affect the monetary damages you recover. For instance, someone who only bought the minimum amount of automobile liability insurance (or has no car insurance) might have limited ability to pay for your losses.
When the at-fault party’s car insurance company does not cover your losses, you could pursue other options—like their personal assets in a lawsuit. For example, after we obtain a judgment from the court, we could garnish the defendant’s wages and bank accounts or put liens on personal assets like their home, vehicles, or investment accounts.
Sometimes, the defendant has other liability insurance that can help pay your monetary damages. For example, some buy “umbrella” liability insurance as an add-on to their homeowner’s policy. Also, your automobile insurance policy might pay for some of your losses, particularly if you carry uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
Common Injuries In Pedestrian Accidents
A pedestrian isn’t afforded a vehicle around them to protect them in an accident. They also lack safety gear which bicyclists or motorcyclists wear. So, when they are involved in car accidents, they often suffer very severe injuries at the accident scene. A motor vehicle accident can cause very severe injuries to a pedestrian, such as:
- Death
- Paralysis
- Amputation
- Eye injury
- Thoracic injury
- Spine injury
- Brain injury
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injury
Pedestrians who suffer a serious injury in an accident might need instant emergency care as well as long-term recovery. Pedestrian accidents can hurt victims catastrophically by causing spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries. Those who suffer damage to their nervous system, such as damage to their spinal cord or brain, can end up with permanent damage or disability.
Those who are injured in pedestrian accidents might need hospitalization on a long-term basis, physical therapy, or rehabilitation in order to regain faculties such as motor function. Pedestrian accidents can leave their victims unable to work ever again, or for extended time periods.
With the stakes this high, it’s important to get your choice of Fresno pedestrian accident lawyer correct. Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers has been representing pedestrian accident victims since 1990 and has recovered in excess of 0,000,000 for clients. We are aggressive, battle-tested, experienced lawyers who will fight for you every step of the way in order to protect your legal rights and recover the compensation and justice you deserve. Call us today for a free consultation.
Damages Available in Pedestrian Accidents in Fresno
Even though there is no average settlement in pedestrian accident cases, you might find it helpful to understand the types of damages available in your personal injury case. Remember, every case is different, so the damages you could pursue will depend on the facts of your accident and situation.
Medical Expenses
A pedestrian accident attorney at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers can help you recover the reasonable cost of all medical treatment you need for your injuries. These include:
- Ambulance transport
- Emergency department care
- Hospital stays
- Doctor visits
- Surgeries
- Diagnostic procedures
- Physical therapy
- Prescription drugs
In addition, while you may already be facing medical bills, you might need treatment in the future which will generate yet more bills. An experienced pedestrian accident lawyer at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers can help you recover compensation for any medical bills related to your accident, whether they be past or future medical bills.
Lost Income
People often miss time from work while recuperating from a pedestrian accident, since pedestrian accidents can lead to serious injuries such as spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries. If you did not get paid for the time that you could not work because of your injuries or medical treatments, you have an economic loss that you can include in your claim.
In addition, if your injuries leave you unable to earn as much money as before the accident, you might have a claim for diminished earning capacity. This situation often arises because of a lingering disability, chronic pain, weakness, or other impairments.
Pain and Suffering
This category refers to the physical discomfort and emotional distress one suffers from the accident and injuries. Our team can help you calculate the value of this non-economic, intangible loss, and can help you recover compensation for it via a pedestrian accident claim or pedestrian accident lawsuit.
Other Intangible Losses
A person might experience disfigurement from extensive scars, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or loss of enjoyment of life from the impact of the accident and injuries. Again, we can determine how to value these non-economic damages in your claim.
Wrongful Death
Unfortunately, since pedestrians don’t have the shell of a vehicle around them to protect them from other vehicles, sometimes pedestrian fatalities happen. If you’ve lost a loved one to a pedestrian accident, we can help you recover compensation for the emotional suffering it has caused you. We can also help you recover compensation for your loved one’s medical bills, pain, suffering, funeral costs and burial costs. In addition, our experienced personal injury attorneys can help you recover money to compensate you for the loss of your loved one’s love, companionship, household services and income.
Possible Liable Parties in a Pedestrian Accident
You could sue a negligent driver if their careless or reckless actions caused them to hit you while walking along a Fresno roadway. Unfortunately, a person driving a car or truck often does not notice a pedestrian because they were distracted, drowsy, impaired by alcohol, texting, or simply daydreaming.
However, other parties could share responsibility for the crash. For example, you could hold the City of Fresno liable because of negligence because of:
- Insufficient lighting on a busy road
- Lack of crosswalks or traffic signals
- Dangerous street or sidewalk design
- Poor road or sidewalk maintenance
No matter who you decide to sue for damages, CCP § 335.1 gives you two years to file your personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. However, exceptions to this time limit exist, and it can take a long time to put together a convincing pedestrian accident case. So, if you’ve been injured in a pedestrian accident in Fresno, it’s best to call us today for a free consultation so we can get started on your case right away. Calling our pedestrian accident attorneys today gives us the most time possible to put together a strong case for you and ensure all paperwork is filed on time.
Check Out Our Client Testimonials
You probably like to check out online reviews of businesses before engaging with one. Often, it saves you a great deal of time and trouble to read what other people post about their experiences. So, here are just a few of our many five-star Google reviews:
- “I submitted a form on their website at 8pm at night and expected to receive a call the next day. Someone contacted me within 15 minutes of sending the form. I hired them to handle my car accident case, and they did a great job and left nothing to chance.” — Kimberly B.
- “Great job on my accident case. Great people to work with. They answered my calls and emails quickly and were always patient with me no matter how many questions I had. I highly recommend them.” — Urania R.
You can contact our personal injury attorneys for a free initial consultation and see for yourself why our clients are so happy with our hard work, compassion, and results.
Do You Need A Lawyer After A Pedestrian Accident?
Pedestrian accident victims do not face a technical requirement to hire a lawyer after being hurt in a pedestrian accident. However, when pedestrian accidents occur, insurance companies aren’t going to offer their victims the compensation they deserve unless they have lawyers. Studies show this – those who hire lawyers after being injured recover far more than those who don’t hire lawyers, even once attorney fees are considered.
California law holds those who injure others via negligence financially liable for the injuries. What this typically means in practice is that if you’ve been hurt in a pedestrian accident, the at-fault party’s insurance company has a legal obligation to fully compensate you for your injuries up to the policy limits.
However, when pedestrian accidents happen, insurance companies don’t always live up to this legal obligation. In fact, they simply won’t live up to this obligation if you don’t make them.
How do you make them pay you what you’re entitled to under the law? You threaten to sue them over a low ball offer and if that doesn’t work, you actually sue them.
Of course, insurance companies are smart enough to realize you can’t actually sue them and win if you don’t have a lawyer. So, they know that if you don’t have a lawyer, you can’t make them pay you what you’re entitled to. They’ll just dare you to sue them by offering you a tiny fraction of what you deserve for your injuries. They’ll pressure you to accept a quick, tiny settlement hoping you’re desperate enough for money to accept it. This works often for them because many injury victims are injured, unable to work, and facing huge medical bills they can’t pay because they can’t work. Quick settlement offers are very tempting for these injury victims.
When insurance companies see experienced lawyers with a reputation for success like Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers handling pedestrian accident claims, though, they know that the injured claimants mean business. They know that the injured claimants can sue them and win. They know that it’s best for them to simply offer the injured claimants what they’re entitled to out of court instead of wasting legal fees on a court battle which will just end up with them losing and having to pay the claimants what they’re entitled to anyways. Virtually every single one of our pedestrian accident cases settles out of court due to our 30+ year track record of success.
And while calling us today simply gives you the best chance of recovering the most money possible after your pedestrian accident, there’s another reason that it’s very wise to call a lawyer: insurance adjusters will attempt to trick and manipulate you while they talk to you on a recorded phone call. Insurance companies will attempt to manipulate you into admitting fault for your accident. They’ll attempt to manipulate you into implying your injuries aren’t as severe as you claim. Adjusters are literally trained by insurance companies to do this, so they are very good at it.
It is dangerous for you to talk with insurance companies after being injured in a pedestrian accident in Fresno. You should call us today for a free consultation so we can talk with the insurance companies for you instead. Let us handle this part of your case and every other step of the legal process for you while you simply sit back and focus on recovering from your injuries.
Call Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers Today So We Can Handle Your Personal Injury Claim
The Fresno pedestrian accident lawyers at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers go to bat for people injured due to others’ carelessness. We handle these and other personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you do not pay any upfront legal fees. You won’t owe us a fee for us to handle your pedestrian accident case until and unless we recover money to compensate you for your injuries and other damages. The only fee we will charge you to handle your pedestrian accident claim is a percentage of any compensation we recover for you.
If you can’t afford to have your pedestrian accident injuries treated by a medical professional, we can get you to the best doctors in the San Joaquin Valley – doctors who won’t charge you any fees until your case is over. Doctors are willing to do this for our clients because we’ve been getting great results for our clients for over 30 years, and doctors know this. Doctors know that if you’re represented by us, we’re going to recover you money that you’ll be able to pay them with once your case ends.
You can schedule your free case evaluation today by calling our Fresno office or filling out our online form. Don’t wait – call us today – there is a strict time limit to file a claim in California.
