In 2020, the percentage of pedestrian fatalities from speeding went up to 8.6%. This was an increase from 7.2% in 2019, showing the dangers for pedestrians.
If you have been in a pedestrian accident, you need to look at accident lawyers. An accident lawyer will help to represent you so that you can file a case.
Being the victim of a traffic accident as a pedestrian is very overwhelming. You may be dealing with physical and emotional trauma after the fact.
Keep reading to find out how to choose the best accident lawyers after a pedestrian accident.
What Are Accident Lawyers?
The first thing you need to understand is what a pedestrian accident lawyer is. Pedestrian accident lawyers specialize in pedestrians who were involved in a vehicle accident.
Keep in mind that not every accident lawyer is a pedestrian accident lawyer. There are different specialties since different kinds of accidents require different legal steps.
One of the main Jobs your lawyer has is helping you to understand your rights. As a civilian, you most likely do not understand the complex laws in the US.
A pedestrian accident attorney understands these laws and will let you know what your rights are. This will help you to understand what you could receive after a pedestrian accident.
They will also provide you with legal advice regarding your case. They have years of experience to back their opinion, so you can trust their advice.
They will also be able to access all of the details about the accident to help you form a plan. They will represent you and negotiate a fair settlement after the accident.
If it ends up going to court, they will represent you and plead your case. This is much better than trying to represent yourself, as you don’t understand the law as well.
Who Needs an Accident Lawyer?
Have you been in an accident? If so, you need to hire a lawyer. An accident lawyer is going to help you throughout every step of the process.
If you were the victim of this accident, you could receive a settlement. This settlement could include financial assistance for medical bills and lost wages.
Depending on the situation, you may not be able to get a settlement on your own. A lawyer helps you to do this and makes sure you get the best rate.
A lawyer will also be able to plead any emotional trauma you have. In some cases, you could get a settlement for emotional distress even if you weren’t physically injured.
What to Do After Being In an Accident
If you were in a pedestrian accident, you may not know what to do. There are certain steps that you need to take so that you will be able to get a settlement.
This settlement is reimbursement for the damages caused after the accident. In a lot of cases, this is something that you need if you have medical bills.
There are other reasons why you may qualify for a reimbursement as well.
Get Medical Care
After being in a pedestrian accident, the first thing you need to do is get medical care. You most likely got medical care on the scene at the time of the accident.
But you need to make sure that you keep up with your health and get the necessary care. For instance, you may have gotten a concussion and need to be checked by your doctor.
Or you may have injured yourself and need to attend physical therapy. Getting medical care will also help you to document how the accident affected your life.
Collect Documentation
The next thing you need to do is get as much documentation as possible. If you were able to, you should have taken photos at the scene of the accident.
This helps to document what happened and where you were when the accident occurred. You also may want to ask for the police report and your medical reports.
These are all proof of what happened and how you were impacted. Medical reports are also the perfect way to show how much you ended up spending on medical bills.
Hire a Lawyer
You need to start looking for a lawyer as soon as possible. A judge will consider how relevant your case is when you and the lawyer proceed.
If you take too long get to start the process, this could damage your ability to get your settlement. You need to find a pedestrian accident lawyer specifically as they have the experience.
Once you choose a lawyer, they will help you to create your case. They will do this by looking at the information and seeing what your goals are.
How to Choose an Accident Lawyer
Now that you know what accident lawyers do, how do you hire one? There are so many pedestrian accident attorneys that making a decision can feel overwhelming.
The good news is that there are certain things that you need to look through first. Going through the steps will help you to choose the best accident lawyer for your case.
Look at Several Options
It is very important to not rush this decision since you want to choose the best attorney. It is a good idea to look at a dozen if not more lawyers before settling on a decision.
Keep in mind that you do want to act relatively fast. After all, your legal claim depends on how fast you hire a lawyer.
If you take too long, this process will be dragged out even further. But you still need to make sure you take your time to choose the right lawyer for your case.
You should narrow down your options to 3 to 5 different lawyers. From there, you can start to pick and choose which ones have the experience you desire.
Choose Local
When looking at your options, it is also very important to choose local attorneys. You may be tempted to branch out for more options, but this isn’t always ideal.
You will be working closely with your attorney until you get your settlement. This often means meeting up with them several times before and after your case.
This is going to be very difficult if they are not local to you. You also have to consider if you are injured and struggle to travel to meet with them.
Overall, it makes more sense to go with a local lawyer for convenience. This could also help with any fees that they charge depending on the amount of time they dedicate to your case.
Read Online Reviews
You also want to take the time to check out online reviews. These are reviews that should be easy to find every time you look into a lawyer.
Reviews are written by past clients, leaving their feedback about their experience. This can be very helpful if you want perspective on how that lawyer works.
You will most likely find a variety of positive and negative reviews. This is not a bad sign since all lawyers are going to have some clients who were left unsatisfied.
The main thing to keep an eye out for is repeated negative reviews. If all of the bad reviews have the same complaint, this is a red flag.
Reviews could also give you some insight into the personality of the lawyer.
Check Out the Website
It’s important to look at the websites of accident lawyers. Not only is their plenty of information, but it also helps you to gain perspective.
A high-quality accident lawyer should have a high-quality website. This website should work easily and not have any glitches or take too long to load.
It should be well organized and easy to navigate so that you can find information. There should also be plenty of information about each accident lawyer.
If the website is not high-quality, this may be a bad sign. After all, they should be investing and creating a good website for their potential clients.
Look at Experience
Something else that you should consider is the experience of accident lawyers. All accident lawyers are suitable for helping to represent accident cases.
They have the experience and the training to make sure you get what you deserve. But not every lawyer is going to have the same qualities to offer.
If you have been in a pedestrian accident, you want someone who specializes in that. This will guarantee more success and help you to feel supported.
This also means that The lawyer has worked with similar clients in the past. This will help the process to be easier as they know what they are doing since you are probably unprepared.
If you are unsure about their experience, you could always call the lawyer directly. This is a great way to speak with them to get a better understanding of the types of work they have done.
You can find some of the most experienced accident lawyers at alphaaccidentlawyers.com.
Ask About Fees
Another thing you need to carefully consider is the fees that a lawyer charges. How lawyers are paid is a bit confusing if you don’t understand the process.
They usually work off contingency fees which are only paid if you win your case. If that happens, they receive a fee from the money you receive.
Most accident lawyers have a 25% contingency fee. The most common and middle ground fee is 33%, with 40% being one of the higher contingency fees.
You will need to understand what that lawyer’s contingency fee is before making your decision. You do not necessarily want to choose the cheapest option for this reason.
But it is best to choose a lawyer who has a standard contingency fee. This will allow you to keep as much of your settlement as possible if you win.
Get a Consultation
The last step you will need to take is to do consultations. This is where you will meet face-to-face with the lawyer to discuss your case.
This is not necessarily mean you are going to hire them just yet. But a consultation allows you to meet them and ask any questions you have.
This does not necessarily have to be a physical meeting, it could be over the phone or via video chat. A lot of lawyers also offer free consultations so that you aren’t losing money.
It is a good idea to have at least two or three different consultations. This gives you perspective about the different lawyers and which one is more suitable.
Consultations provide the perfect opportunity to understand how that lawyer works. You will be able to see what kind of personality they have and how well they communicate.
They should communicate clearly and listen to you when you talk. The two of you must get along since you will be working closely together for a while.
Accident Lawyers: The Complete Guide
If you have been in a pedestrian accident, you need to look at accident lawyers for help. An accident lawyer acts as your representation since they have the legal knowledge.
They will be able to give you legal advice and represent you in court. They will also negotiate settlement prices so that you get the best rate possible.
Your lawyer will be there to help you every step of the way, reducing how stressful this process is.
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