Pedestrian accidents in Lansing usually result from negligent driving. These accidents can also lead to devastating personal injuries and other permanent life consequences.
Unlike motor vehicle occupants, pedestrians do not have an outer barrier between themselves and the ground. Consequently, if they fall to the ground in an accident, they are almost certain to suffer serious injuries, leading to high medical costs, suffering, and pain. When that happens, accident victims may file a claim seeking a monetary recovery.
If you sustained injuries in a recent Lansing pedestrian accident, you want experienced legal counsel on your side right away. If you wait too long to find a personal injury attorney for representation, you may waive your right to recover monetary damages under the statute of limitations.
The knowledgeable Lansing pedestrian accident attorneys at Michigan Injury Lawyers can meet with you to discuss the circumstances surrounding your pedestrian accident and determine your eligibility for filing a claim. We can then take all the necessary legal steps on your behalf and negotiate with insurance company representatives. Finally, we can pursue the maximum monetary compensation you deserve in your pedestrian accident claim or lawsuit.
For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a pedestrian accident attorney, please contact our office for more information.
- Why Choose Us for Legal Representation?
- How Much Is My Pedestrian Accident Case Worth?
- Where Do Pedestrian Accidents Typically Occur in Lansing?
- Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Lansing
- Types of Injuries in Lansing Pedestrian Accidents
- Fighting the Insurance Company after a Pedestrian Accident in Lansing
- What to Do After a Lansing Pedestrian Accident
- Contact a Lansing Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today
Why Choose Us for Legal Representation?
When it comes time to retain legal counsel to represent you in your pedestrian accident case, you want the best possible attorneys to advocate for you every step of the way.
At Michigan Injury Lawyers, our legal team has a strong track record of success in favorably settling and litigating local pedestrian accident cases in court. Our team has successfully obtained millions of dollars for our injured clients via favorable settlement offers from insurance companies and favorable litigation results in court.
Let us maximize the monetary recovery you deserve for your pedestrian accident injuries.
How Much Is My Pedestrian Accident Case Worth?
The ultimate goal of any pedestrian accident claim or lawsuit in Lansing is to recover top dollar for the case. When it comes to motor vehicle accidents and pedestrian accidents, Michigan follows no-fault insurance laws. Therefore, an injured car accident victim or pedestrian must first typically look to their own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance coverage for monetary compensation following an accident.
However, this insurance coverage only compensates accident victims for certain out-of-pocket costs, including related medical expenses. If the accident victim suffers a permanent disability or disfiguring injury, or their total damages exceed the amount of available PIP coverage, they may file a third-party personal injury claim or lawsuit with the at-fault driver's insurance company.
As part of a third-party personal injury claim, accident victims can recover various damages, depending on the facts and circumstances of their case. Those factors may include the type of claim that the accident victim files, the injuries the accident victim suffered, the medical treatment the accident victim underwent, the total cost of their medical care, and the likelihood they will require ongoing medical treatment.
Moreover, if an injured pedestrian accident victim suffered a permanent injury, such as a traumatic brain injury or paralysis injury, they may recover monetary compensation for their anticipated medical costs, as well as for anticipated pain, suffering, and inconvenience.
As part of a third-party claim, pedestrian accident victims can recover monetary damages for their related medical expenses, lost income, and loss of earning capacity if they had to switch jobs and accept a lower-paying position due to their injuries.
In addition to recovering out-of-pocket costs in a third-party claim or lawsuit, pedestrian accident victims can recover compensation for their intangible losses, including monetary damages for related:
- Inconvenience
- Mental distress
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent inability to use a body part
- Lifetime care costs
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Loss of spousal companionship and consortium
- Permanent disfigurement or disability
At Michigan Injury Lawyers, our team can help you develop realistic expectations for the types and amounts of monetary compensation you may be eligible to recover in your pedestrian accident case. We can then help you file the appropriate claim or lawsuit to get you the maximum compensation you deserve for your injuries.
Where Do Pedestrian Accidents Typically Occur in Lansing?
Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are common in the Lansing area. With the many educational institutions in the area, including Western Michigan University and Michigan State University, pedestrians are frequently in crosswalks on area roadways, both in Downtown Lansing and East Lansing.
These accidents may also occur in the various parking lots and parking garages that surround MSU, as well as on nearby sidewalks. Pedestrian accidents on sidewalks usually occur when a driver speeds, fails to watch the road attentively, or drives under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
If you recently sustained injuries in a pedestrian accident in one of these locations, you should immediately seek the legal help you need. At Michigan Injury Lawyers, our experienced and compassionate legal staff can work to get you the compensation you deserve. We can also retain an accident reconstructionist to help you determine how your accident happened and who caused it.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Lansing
In most situations, Lansing pedestrian accidents happen when people drive in a distracted, reckless, or careless manner. In some cases, pedestrian accidents may occur when drivers negligently violate standard traffic laws, such as by failing to use their mirrors, speeding, tailgating, and failing to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians at intersections crosswalks.
In addition, negligent drivers might fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in parking lots and garages. If drivers fail to use their mirrors and backup cameras, they might back right into a pedestrian, knocking them to the ground and causing serious injuries.
At other times, pedestrian accidents happen when people drive aggressively. They might be hurrying to get through a red light, negligently disregarding a pedestrian's presence at an intersection crosswalk.
Pedestrian accidents can also occur when people drive in a distracted way. Instead of paying attention to the road attentively, a driver might instead be roughhousing with vehicle passengers, listening to loud music in their vehicle, or using an electronic device, such as a GPS navigation system or cellular phone, instead of watching the road in front of them and behind them.
Unfortunately, when people drive while distracted, they might fail to see a pedestrian in the vicinity – or on a nearby sidewalk – negligently striking them and causing them to fall on the ground.
Finally, pedestrian accidents can occur when people drive under the illegal influence of alcohol or drugs. These substances can alter a driver's mindset, blur their vision, and delay their reaction time. Consequently, an intoxicated driver may not even see a pedestrian at an intersection crosswalk, bringing about a severe collision. Alternatively, a drunk driver might experience delayed reflexes and reaction time, preventing them from stopping in time to avoid striking a pedestrian near an intersection.
Drivers who have a blood alcohol concentration, or BAC, of at least 0.08 percent are legally intoxicated. In addition to receiving criminal penalties upon conviction for DUI, a driver may have to pay an accident victim civil damages if they cause a crash.
If you sustained injuries in a recent pedestrian accident that resulted from a driver's careless and reckless activity, you should explore your legal options sooner rather than later.
The knowledgeable Lansing pedestrian accident attorneys at Michigan Injury Lawyers can review your options and help you decide on the best way to proceed with your case. We can then assist you with filing an insurance claim right away and pursuing the monetary damages you need for your accident-related injuries and losses.
Types of Injuries in Lansing Pedestrian Accidents
When a pedestrian falls to the ground in a severe accident, they often stand to suffer extremely serious and sometimes permanent impairments. The full nature and extent of a pedestrian accident victim's injuries typically depend upon the force of the collision and how they hit the ground.
Some of the most common injuries that a pedestrian accident victim might suffer in a collision include:
- Traumatic head and brain damage
- Eye injuries
- Tooth or jaw injuries
- Paralysis injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Road rash
- Soft tissue damage
- Broken bones
- Rib fractures
- Internal organ injuries
Following a pedestrian accident, you should complete all of the medical treatment a provider prescribes. As you complete your medical treatment, the skilled Lansing pedestrian accident attorneys at Michigan Injury Lawyers can begin advocating for you. Our legal team can gather the necessary documents for your pedestrian accident claim or lawsuit and assemble a settlement demand package for the insurance company to review.
Fighting the Insurance Company after a Pedestrian Accident in Lansing
Following a Lansing pedestrian accident, you will likely be dealing with one or more insurance companies. Even if you are dealing with your own insurance company, you should never assume that the insurance company is on your side. In fact, they are your direct adversary.
An insurance company has an incentive to offer you as little monetary compensation as possible to resolve your pedestrian accident claim. After all, insurance companies do not make money by paying out significant amounts of monetary compensation to accident victims.
Rather, they only make money when they collect premiums from insured individuals and entities – and when they keep this money in-house. Insurance companies and their adjusters will frequently do everything they can to undermine a claim and pay out as little compensation as possible to the injured accident victim.
However, the experienced team of Lansing pedestrian accident lawyers at Michigan Injury Lawyers is on your side. We can aggressively fight the insurance company on your behalf by pointing out the strengths of your case and the highlights of your medical records.
We can also convince the insurance company to increase their settlement offer accordingly. If they don't, and you are eligible to file a third-party personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver, we can assist you with every step of the litigation process.
For example, during litigation, we may continue our settlement negotiations with insurance company representatives, help you answer written Interrogatories, prepare you for your discovery deposition, and attend settlement conferences.
If your case must proceed to a civil jury trial, we can represent you in court and introduce evidence on your behalf. We can also help you pursue alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options, such as mediation or binding arbitration.
Every step of the way, we can answer your questions and help you make intelligent and informed decisions about how best to secure the monetary recovery you deserve.
What to Do After a Lansing Pedestrian Accident
Following a Lansing pedestrian accident, there are certain steps that you should always take. Most importantly, follow through with your medical provider’s treatment recommendations. For example, you may need to consult a medical specialist, attend follow-up physical therapy appointments, or consult your primary care doctor as soon as possible after your accident.
You must also gather certain documents following your pedestrian accident, including a copy of the police report, statements from witnesses (if any), witness contact information, and any medical treatment records and bills you receive. Once you forward those documents to us, we can assemble them into a settlement demand package when it comes time to negotiate a settlement offer in your case.
Contact a Lansing Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today
Having an experienced pedestrian attorney on board in your case is extremely important, especially when negotiating fair settlement compensation with insurance company representatives.
At Michigan Injury Lawyers, our experienced legal team can help you pursue and recover the monetary damages you need for your accident-related losses. We can also help you litigate your case if that becomes necessary. Whatever you decide, our team will help you pursue and recover the fair compensation you deserve.
For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a knowledgeable Lansing personal injury lawyer, please call us at (517) 435-9370 or contact us online for more information.
Michigan Injury Lawyers Office
1223 Turner St., Ste. 333
Lansing, MI 48906
517-435-9370