Chicago Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Attorney for Accidents Involving Pedestrians & Vehicles
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable users on our roads. In any accident involving a pedestrian, it is the pedestrian who is at a higher risk of suffering injuries or dying. Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents occur all too often on Chicago streets-in parking lots, driveways, intersections and other areas.
The kind of injuries that a pedestrian suffers in an accident can be catastrophic. These injuries can include head injuries, spinal injuries and paralysis, and may require ongoing treatment, or result in permanent disability. A person’s income earning potential is significantly reduced after suffering a serious injury in a pedestrian accident. This is why it’s important to account for all of your financial losses after an accident, and recover compensation for the same. Our Chicago injury law firm helps pedestrians across Illinois file compensation claims for damages.
The kind of injuries that are sustained from a pedestrian accident are often catastrophic. They can mean severe financial struggle for you in the future. This is why it’s important to account for all of your losses after an accident.
STEPS TO TAKE AFTER A PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT
Being involved in a pedestrian accident near Chicago can be a traumatic experience, but it is important to take the right steps to protect your legal rights.
1. Get Medical Help
Get medical care for all of your injuries. A pedestrian accident typically results in serious injuries like fractures, head injuries or spinal injuries. Many of these injuries may require diagnostic tests, and x-ray scans. Get these done.
2. Report Accident
The second step to take is to report the collision with local police. Report all details, but do not provide any reasons for the crash.
3. Get Information
Exchange contact information with the motorist involved in the accident, including his or her name and address, phone numbers, driver license number and other information. Also get information about the motorist’s insurance company.
4. Talk to Witnesses
Talk to witnesses at the scene, and ask them what they saw. Remember, witness testimony can be a powerful supplement to the evidence you provide to the court. Take down witness names and contact information.
5. Do Not Speak
Avoid talking about the accident to the motorist, his insurance company or other representatives without having your lawyer present. Remember, you are under no legal obligation to provide a statement to the motorist’s insurance company, and saying the wrong thing could jeopardize your auto claim.
6. Contact Us
Call to speak to with Chicago pedestrian accident attorney Michael J. Brennan about your legal rights to compensation. He has over 35 years of experience clients in Illinois, and an office conveniently located in downtown Chicago.
WHAT KIND OF COMPENSATION CAN I EXPECT AFTER A PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT?
If you were involved in a pedestrian accident in the Chicago area, you may be eligible for the following types of compensation.
1. Medical Damages
These damages must cover the medical bills that you have incurred as a result of the crash. Any pedestrian accident can mean severe injuries, and your attorney must include not just hospitalization and doctor costs, but also the costs of traveling to and from the hospital, the cost of special aids, and physical therapy and rehabilitation, in your claim.
2. Future Medical Expenses
Medical damages must also cover the future medical expenses that you can expect as a result of your injuries in the future. Remember, you may require surgery, expensive medications in the long run, and medical aids that cost money.
3. Loss of Earnings and Diminished Earning Capacity
Loss of earnings damages cover the income that you have lost as a result of injury. Some types of injuries may also reduce your ability to earn at the level that you were before the injury. To cover these costs, your Chicago pedestrian accident lawyer must include future diminished earnings or diminished earning capacity in your claim.
4. Pain and Suffering
A claim can also include damages covering your mental trauma. There is no dollar value that can be placed on the kind of agony that a collision can cause, but your claim must include compensation for the trauma that you have suffered.
5. Punitive Damages
If a court determines that the motorist in your crash was negligent resulting in your injuries, it may decide to award punitive damages as a deterrent, or punishment for the defendant. Talk to your attorney to determine whether your claim can include punitive damages.
RECOVERING COMPENSATION
Michael J. Brennan is a Chicago pedestrian accident attorney with significant experience representing victims of accidents in the Cook County region and across Illinois. Once you contact us, we will get in touch with your insurance company, and begin the process of filing a claim. In order to recover compensation for you, we will investigate the accident, clearly defining liability. Remember, that to recover compensation, you must show that the other person involved in the accident was more at fault than you are. However, many pedestrians make the mistake of signing off on their rights to compensation, believing that they were at fault in the accident. If you have been involved in a pedestrian accident, protect your rights – seek legal guidance to understand liability and your chances for compensation. We represent pedestrian accident victims in all areas of County, and across Illinois.
HIRE AN EXPERIENCED ACCIDENT LAWYER
If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, this is a very traumatic and stressful time for you. Victims in this state of mind sometimes sign off their rights to compensation. Do not sign any papers provided by the insurance company, and do not admit liability either at the scene of the accident, or at the meeting with the insurance company. In order to protect your rights, attorneys recommend that you don’t speak to the insurance company without having your representative present.
When you hire Michael J. Brennan, you can expect constant updates on the progress of your case, instant communication, and frequent follow-ups. All cases are personally handled by Michael J. Brennan, giving you the personal service and attention to detail that you require in order to protect your rights. Call our law firm for a free consultation today.