Have you or someone you love been injured in a Bakersfield pedestrian accident? Contact Bakersfield Personal Injury Law to learn about your legal options. You may have the right to obtain compensation if someone else is to blame. Our experienced personal injury lawyers will fight to help you get the money you deserve. Call our office today a schedule a free, no obligation case assessment to find out more.
Contents
- 1 How Our Bakersfield Injury Attorneys Can Help After Your Pedestrian Accident
- 2 Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Statistics
- 3 Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries
- 4 Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Bakersfield
- 5 Compensation Available to Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Victims
- 6 What If I’m Partly Responsible For My Pedestrian Accident?
- 7 Filing a Timely Pedestrian Accident Claim
- 8 Call Our Injury Lawyers For Help Today
How Our Bakersfield Injury Attorneys Can Help After Your Pedestrian Accident
Pedestrians are much more likely than anyone else on the road to sustain severe and life-changing injuries in an accident. These injuries can impose extreme physical, emotional, and financial hardships. Many times, pedestrians are not to blame for their injuries. Instead, negligent, distracted, and/or aggressive drivers are at fault.
When this happens, you shouldn’t be forced to deal with the consequences of your pedestrian accident on your own. The negligent driver who caused your injuries should be held fully accountable. Filing a personal injury lawsuit can allow you to recover the money you need during this difficult time in your life.
You can certainly pursue compensation on your own. However, you risk not getting every dollar you deserve. Hiring an attorney will not only give you time to focus on getting better, but also help you maximize your financial award.
Here’s why you should call Bakersfield Personal Injury Law for help after your Bakersfield pedestrian accident:
- Insurance companies will do whatever they can to minimize or deny you the money you deserve
- Others involved in your accident will try to shift blame to you
- It can be difficult to know how much your pedestrian accident case is really worth, and
- You may not realize that more than one person is responsible for your accident and injuries.
Since 2005, our attorneys have been dedicated to helping accident victims across California. During this time, we’ve successfully recovered millions of dollars on our clients’ behalf. We can help you get the money you deserve after your accident, too. Call our law firm today to request a free consultation and learn more.
Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Statistics
Bakersfield is one of the larger cities in the state of California. Drivers log more than 4.3 million miles on city roads every day. Many people also choose to travel around Bakersfield on foot. Unfortunately, accidents involving pedestrians are quite common, especially at and near intersections. In 2016, more than 6 percent of all injury-causing and fatal traffic accidents in Bakersfield involved a pedestrian.
Accidents continue to be a problem, despite efforts by the city to make its roads safe for bicyclists and pedestrians. Since 2011, the number of pedestrian accidents has been on the rise:
- 2011: 102
- 2012: 114
- 2013: 110
- 2014: 127
- 2015: 103
- 2016: 124.
Preliminary data for more recent years tends to indicate that pedestrians are still at risk on Bakersfield roads.
Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries
Pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely to die in a traffic accident than passengers in a vehicle. For those pedestrians who survive, the injuries they sustain often change their lives forever. At Bakersfield Personal Injury Law, our attorneys are prepared to help you recover compensation for all of your pedestrian accident injuries, including:
- Concussion
- Head injury
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue damage
- Crushing injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Back and neck injury
- Amputation
- Paralysis
- Wrongful death, and more.
Our attorneys are prepared to make sure that you’re properly compensated for your injuries. Money won’t guarantee a full recovery, but it can help you get back on your feet. Call our office today to get started on your pedestrian injury case.
Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Bakersfield
Hundreds of pedestrians are injured in Bakersfield every year. Many factors can contribute to these serious accidents. Common causes of Bakersfield pedestrian accidents include:
Distracted Drivers: Many pedestrian accidents happen at or near intersections in Bakersfield. A major reason for this is that drivers are distracted and not paying attention to others on the road. Drivers who are focused on their cell phones are more likely to make dangerous turns and/or fail to see pedestrians in crosswalks.
Distracted Walking: Distractions aren’t only dangerous when you’re behind the wheel. Pedestrians are putting themselves in danger by focusing their attention on their cell phones, rather than the traffic around them. One study suggests that a pedestrian is 60 percent more likely to stray from their intended course when they’re texting and walking. Distractions increase the chances of walking out in front of traffic or stumbling off of the sidewalk.
Speeding: Pedestrians generally have the right of way, as long as they don’t create a hazard when crossing the road. Sometimes pedestrians misjudge the amount of time they have to cross the road safely because a driver is speeding.
Drunk Driving: Drinking and driving is incredibly dangerous, particularly when sharing the road with pedestrians. Drivers under the influence tend to suffer from reduced reaction times and are more likely to take risks behind the wheel.
Defective Equipment: Drivers and pedestrians aren’t always responsible for accidents. Sometimes defective vehicles or equipment, such as faulty brakes, can cause a serious crash.
Hazardous Sidewalks: Bakersfield has an obligation to provide safe walking surfaces for its pedestrians. Unfortunately, repairs sometimes fall behind. Cracks in the sidewalks, broken street lights, and debris can create hazards for pedestrians.
Compensation Available to Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Victims
Someone else caused your Bakersfield pedestrian accident. Now you’re struggling with a painful injury and mounting financial costs. You have the right to hold that person financially responsible for your injuries.
The attorneys at Bakersfield Personal Injury Law will help you pursue compensation, including money for:
- Medical bills
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing care
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Disability
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of enjoyment of life, and more.
Our attorneys have worked hard to cultivate professional relationships with some of the best accident experts in California. We will consult with these experts as we investigate and develop your injury case. This will help us force insurance companies to take negotiations seriously and extend fair settlement offers. Contact our office today to learn more about how we can help you after your Bakersfield accident.
What If I’m Partly Responsible For My Pedestrian Accident?
Accidents are rarely black and white. Many times, more than one person will be to blame. Don’t panic if you share some of the responsibility for your accident and injuries. Under California’s comparative fault law, you can still recover compensation as long as someone else is also to blame.
However, contributing to your accident will affect the value of your injury case. Your damages will be reduced to the degree you caused your accident. The more fault you share, the less money you will be able to get.
Example: You’re struck by a driver at a Bakersfield intersection. They were speeding at the time fo the accident. You were texting while crossing the road. It’s determined that you are 20 percent at fault. As a result, your financial award will be reduced by 20 percent. If you suffered $60,000 in damages, you’d only be able to recover $48,000.
Sharing fault will not only affect your financial recovery. You may also be responsible for a percentage of another victims’ injuries. In the example above, you’d be liable for 20 percent of the driver’s damages.
Filing a Timely Pedestrian Accident Claim
You won’t have the right to pursue compensation forever. A statute of limitations will limit how much time you have to assert your rights and file a claim for damages.
Insurance Claim: Insurance is the primary source of compensation after an accident. However, insurers require that you report your accident and submit your claim within a reasonable amount of time after an accident. They reserve the right to deny your claim if you wait too long.
Lawsuit: A personal injury lawsuit can be beneficial if insurance companies refuse to negotiate or if your damages exceed what a policy will pay. In most cases, you will have two years from the date of your accident to file your pedestrian injury lawsuit.
You can be denied the compensation you deserve if you don’t file your claim before the applicable statute of limitations expires.
Protect your rights by contacting Bakersfield Personal Injury Law immediately after your accident. Our attorneys are available 24/7. We will get to work on your case right away and fight to make sure that you are fairly compensated for your injuries.
Call Our Injury Lawyers For Help Today
The costs of a pedestrian accident and injury can be overwhelming. You may have the right to obtain compensation if someone else is responsible. At Bakersfield Personal Injury Law, we know how important it can be to recover money after your accident. Our experienced personal injury lawyers can help you make the most of your injury case. Since 2005, we’ve helped accident victims like you recover millions for their injuries. We’re prepared to help you recover what you deserve, as well.
Contact our office to schedule a free consultation. We’ll review your case, explain your rights, and answer the questions you have. You have a limited amount of time to pursue compensation, so call to get started today.