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Utah Pedestrian Accident Attorneys

If you have been struck by a vehicle while walking, you need the help of our experienced Utah pedestrian accident attorneys right away. You probably have walked at least a little bit outside every single day of your life. You most likely do not think much about it when you do. It is the cheapest form of transportation and sometimes a necessary way to get around. We often do not consider the danger that comes with being a pedestrian when there are vehicles on the road. If you are here, you have probably been involved in a pedestrian accident. We first want to say how sorry we are that that happened to you. It is truly unfortunate and your injuries may be extensive because someone was careless. After you read a little bit about your pedestrian accident case, please do not hesitate to contact our Utah pedestrian accident attorneys today to set up a free initial case evaluation. Here are some of the most important things you should know about your case.

When the Insurance Company Tries to Contact You

Very shortly after the accident, possibly while you’re still at the hospital on pain medication, the insurance company for the driver who hit you will try to get a hold of you. They will most likely call you and ask you for a recorded statement. You have no legal obligation to give them a statement. In fact, it is a bad idea to give them a statement. What you can tell them on the phone is that it was indeed you who was hit by their driver. Beyond that, anything you say will be used against you if they can twist it in a way that makes their insured seem less responsible for your injuries. Tell the insurance company to contact your attorney if they have any questions. Even be wary of them when they ask how you are. If you are polite and say, “I’m okay,” they can use that answer against you. Just hand them off to your attorney right away before they get a chance to ruin your case.

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How Compensation Works

If you want a fair shot at getting full compensation, you must bring your claim or settle it in court no more than four years after the date of your pedestrian accident. Here are a few incidents that explain how Utah’s shared fault rules work:

  • Traffic Cone

    You were walking in a cross walk and a car blew a red light and hit you. You are not at fault for this accident and are eligible for 100% of your compensation award.

  • Traffic Cone

    You were walking in a cross walk and looked at your phone right before someone blew through a red light and hit you. You may be found to be 20% at fault for the accident and your compensation award will be reduced by 20% to account for your role in causing the accident.

  • Traffic Cone

    You were crossing the road when the light was green and didn’t look up from your phone and you got hit by a car who couldn’t stop in time to avoid hitting you. You would not be eligible for compensation because you were 100% at fault for the accident.

It is extremely unlikely that you will be in the third category and we will work hard to keep you out of the second one.

Important Things to Do After the Pedestrian Accident

Immediately after the accident, it might be next to impossible to think about anything but your condition. These accidents can be catastrophic and cause life-altering injuries for those victims. Sometimes people lose consciousness and get swept away in the ambulance to the emergency room. Other times, you’re able to get up and walk away from these accidents. Regardless of what end of the spectrum you are at, you need to get to a doctor as soon as possible. You need to have every injury, big or small, checked out by a medical professional. You should never ignore pain. It is a signal that something is wrong.

If you are able to stay on the scene for a few moments, there are few things that you don’t want to leave without. If you can’t personally do this, call on a friend or family member to help you. Your attorney may even be able to come on the scene to help with this. You need to collect evidence in forms of photos and videos. Anything that you think is important probably is. You should also get witnesses’ contact information as well as insurance information from the liable party. You will be able to call on the witnesses to help strengthen your case later on. The police hopefully called on the scene should also get a report about the incident filed and that will help you with your case as well.

Frequently Asked Pedestrian Accident Questions

How do I pick the best attorney for my pedestrian accident claim?

If you’ve been seriously injured in a crash and you were a pedestrian in the state of Utah, you want to look at hiring an attorney who is good in that area, who has experience in that area, who focuses on personal injury and who focuses on helping people who have been injured in that type of a situation. You also want to get somebody who’s a trial attorney because if that case needs to go to trial if you don’t get a fair offer from the insurance company, you want somebody who has prepared your case from the beginning to move towards trial.

Should I speak with insurance companies after a pedestrian accident?

If you’ve been involved in a pedestrian accident in the state of Utah, you’re probably going to get a call from the insurance company for the driver that hit you, and they’re going to want to take your recorded statement. You don’t have to give them a recorded statement without talking to an attorney. It’s a good idea to talk to an attorney before you give any kind of a statement. The reason for that is the insurance companies train their adjusters to ask questions to get the information that they need to drive down the value of your case from the very beginning. Don’t give them that opportunity.

Who will pay my medical bills after a pedestrian accident?

In the state of Utah, all vehicles are required to carry personal injury protection or PIP. Sometimes it’s referred to as no-fault. If you’re injured as a pedestrian, the vehicle that struck you is required to pay you for those medicals, so they would pay up to the first $3,000 of medical bills from that car policy.

What’s the difference between a pedestrian accident claim and a car crash claim?

If you’re a pedestrian involved in a car crash in the state of Utah, it’s different than being in a two-car crash. One, you don’t have any of the protection that the other vehicle gives you, so frequently the injuries are much more severe. The laws are different because pedestrian laws are different than those for vehicles. It’s important that you have an attorney who has dealt with those issues, who knows the distinctions, and deals with it on a regular basis.

Can I recover compensation if I was partially at fault for a pedestrian accident?

f part of your accident is your fault, you still may have a claim. Utah allows you to bring a claim against the other party, as long as you’re not more than 50% at fault. If you were crossing and the car was speeding, and there’s going to be an allocation between the two of you, but you still may have a claim.

What should I do if I was injured in a hit and run pedestrian accident?

If you’re hit as a pedestrian and the other vehicle flees the scene, you still have a claim in the state of Utah. It does create some tricky issues on identifying the vehicle and tracking down the proper insurance which can be a little complicated. We recommend that you contact an attorney and talk to them about the details of how to pursue such a claim.

How long will a pedestrian accident case take?

If you’ve been injured as a pedestrian in the state of Utah, you probably want to know how long it’s going to take to get this case resolved. That’s a very tricky question to answer because it depends on a couple of things. One, how seriously are you injured? Two, how long are those injuries going to last? Depending on the specific facts of the case, how much the insurance company wants to fight or say it’s your fault, or deny responsibility for their driver. All of those factors go into determining how long a case will take to get resolved. The one thing that’s important is that you get an attorney who’s going to move the case forward and keep the case moving forward, whatever the process is.

How much is my pedestrian accident case worth?

When you’ve been injured as a pedestrian in the state of Utah, it’s difficult to figure out what the value of that claim is initially. You need to look at a lot of different items. You need to look at how much medical care you got, how well that medical care worked, if it got you back to the pre-accident condition, if you’re able to return to work, if you’re able to return to doing the things you love doing, and if you have any permanent limitations. All of those things have to be accounted for in determining the value of that case.

Call Our Office Today for a Free Consultation

As soon as you are able to, we highly suggest calling our office to set up a free initial consultation with our experienced Utah pedestrian accident attorneys. We will take you through every phase of the pedestrian accident claim and guide you through it so that you fully understand what you are up against and what to expect. You are our priority and we want you to feel like you are. It is important to us that you get the compensation that you deserve. We will do everything we can to make sure that happens for you. Please do not hesitate to call us as soon as you can and we will help you get the ball rolling on your case.