If you or a loved one were injured in a pedestrian accident in Mansfield, Ohio, you could be entitled to financial compensation in a personal injury claim. Unfortunately, many Ohio vehicle accidents will also involve pedestrians, and pedestrians injured in car accidents have important legal rights.
For those hurt as pedestrians, unexpected medical bills, missed time at work, pain and suffering, and other losses frequently follow. Our dedicated Mansfield pedestrian accident lawyers at Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers in Mansfield, OH, will help you focus on your personal recovery as we work on your financial recovery. Our skilled legal team will obtain evidence, negotiate with insurance companies, and fight for the compensation you deserve. Call our law office today at (419) 910-2605 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation with a Mansfield pedestrian accident attorney.
How Wiseheart Wright Trial Lawyers Can Help After a Pedestrian Accident in Mansfield
If you are injured as a pedestrian in Mansfield, Ohio, you will need to know about your legal options – including the right to compensation from a negligent party. All too often, pedestrians at sidewalks, crosswalks, intersections, school bus zones, and other areas are hurt by careless drivers. A Mansfield personal injury lawyer can find out who was responsible and hold them accountable.
When you hire the Mansfield pedestrian accident lawyers at Wiseheart Wright Trial Lawyers, we will:
- Investigate the accident to determine who was at fault and how the accident happened;
- Collect evidence such as police reports, video recordings, surveillance footage, photos, witness statements, and more;
- Negotiate firmly with insurance companies to pursue a fair settlement award;
- File a personal injury lawsuit when needed to obtain the justice you deserve;
- Fight on your behalf all the way to a jury trial if your case does not settle first.
Our proven Mansfield personal injury attorneys have secured tens of millions in settlements and jury awards for injured clients. We are ready to listen to you and fight for what you deserve.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Mansfield Pedestrian Accident Lawyer?
In pedestrian accident cases, lawyers, including ours, will work on a contingent fee basis. In a contingent fee approach, accident victims are able to get the valuable legal help they need without paying attorney fees upfront. Instead, injured pedestrians only pay legal fees as a portion of their financial settlement when they win their case. If the claim does not succeed for any reason, the client owes nothing to their pedestrian accident lawyer.
Since no fees are owed unless your lawyer wins your claim, you risk nothing financially by meeting with an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer and talking about your next steps. Your journey toward financial help starts with a free consultation.
How Common Are Pedestrian Accidents In Mansfield?
Pedestrian accidents happen every day in Ohio and can have devastating consequences. Unlike those behind the wheels of vehicles, pedestrians lack the mechanisms needed to protect themselves from harm’s way. When a driver fails to follow traffic signals or speed limits, drives recklessly, drives while intoxicated, drives while distracted, or causes a car accident in any way, innocent pedestrians can be seriously hurt.
Thousands of pedestrian crashes happen each year in Ohio, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The vast majority of vehicle-pedestrian crashes are the fault of the driver, not the pedestrian. Pedestrians are encouraged to stay on sidewalks, use crosswalks and traffic signals, and stay aware of their surroundings. Nevertheless, pedestrians are always at risk of harm from negligent drivers.
Due to the sheer force involved when a heavy vehicle strikes a pedestrian, injuries can be severe and even fatal. If you or a loved one were hurt in a pedestrian accident, seek prompt medical care and talk to a personal injury lawyer as soon as you are able.
Frequent Types of Pedestrian Accidents
Some types of pedestrian accidents happen more often than others.
Some commonly seen accidents include:
- Intersection accidents: Intersections bring cars and pedestrians together, and the risks of injury are ever-present. If an intersection is uncontrolled or a driver fails to stop when required, others can be hurt.
- Crosswalk accidents: Crosswalks are designed as safe places for walkers, young and old, to cross the street. Unfortunately, inattentive or impaired drivers can pass through a crosswalk without stopping for pedestrians.
- School zone accidents: School zones have special rules designed for the safety of children. Reduced speed limits are marked by bright signs, lights, crosswalks, and other safety measures. Tragically, too many drivers ignore the warnings and put children at risk of harm.
If you or a family member were hurt in any type of pedestrian accident, seek legal help as soon as you can.
Common Injuries In Pedestrian Accidents
Frequent pedestrian injuries caused by negligence can include:
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Neck and back injuries
- Knee injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Loss of hearing or vision
- Loss of limbs
- Paralysis
- Wrongful death
Victims suffering any of these injuries can experience reduced quality of life, reduced earning capacity, and other devastating effects. Injuries from the accident can keep you from doing the things you enjoyed doing before or affect your relationships with loved ones. Sadly, the loss of a loved one due to a pedestrian accident can leave a family shaken and shattered. Your pedestrian accident lawyer’s goal will be to address the emotional, physical, and financial effects of an accident.
What Is My Pedestrian Accident Case Worth?
Financial compensation in a Mansfield pedestrian injury case will include economic damages and non-economic damages. No pedestrian accident case is the same, and the value of your case will depend on the facts involved.
Economic damages include measurable financial costs, such as:
- Medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Lost income
- Lost future income due to the accident
- Expenses for ongoing therapy and future medical costs.
Non-economic damages cover the emotional suffering and other “intangible” effects of an accident. Pain and suffering, loss of companionship, disability, and reduced quality of life are covered within non-economic damages.
What Is Negligence and How Can I Prove It?
Personal injury claims, such as pedestrian accident cases, involve the legal theory of negligence. Pedestrian accident plaintiffs in Ohio are required to prove the other party’s negligence caused his or her injuries.
This means establishing the four legal elements of negligence in a personal injury case:
- A duty of care owed by one person to another (such as a driver to a pedestrian)
- A breach of that duty by the wrongdoer
- Causation between the breach of duty, the accident, and the victim’s injuries
- Damages such as physical injury, medical bills, lost wages, and more.
A Mansfield personal injury lawyer will use the evidence in your case to prove negligence and damages.
Evidence can include:
- Medical bills and reports
- Photos and video recordings from the accident
- Physical evidence from the accident scene
- Eyewitness statements
- Police reports
- Expert reports from professionals such as accident reconstruction experts or medical experts.
Your pedestrian accident attorney will thoroughly investigate the events causing your accident and work to prove liability.
Can I Still File a Claim if I’m Being Blamed for My Pedestrian Accident?
Yes. In Ohio, accident victims can pursue a personal injury claim even if they share some responsibility for the accident. Under Ohio’s modified comparative negligence law, injured victims can file a claim as long as they are less than 51% responsible for the accident’s cause.
For example, if a pedestrian was looking at their phone when a driver drove through a stop sign and hit the walker, the injured victim might be found 10% liable. Then, if they had been entitled to $100,000, their financial award would have been lowered by 10% to $90,000.
Experienced pedestrian injury lawyers will focus on lowering their client’s percentage of responsibility and increasing the negligent party’s share of liability. The key takeaway is that you should not let fears of your own role in the accident keep you from getting the legal help you need.
What is the Deadline to File a Claim in an Ohio Pedestrian Accident Case?
The statute of limitations in Ohio for a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the date of the negligent act, or discovery of the injury.
The deadline to file starts in most cases from either:
- The day of the accident
- The date an injury was discovered (if not known right away)
- The date of death in a wrongful death claim.
An experienced Mansfield pedestrian accident attorney will get to work on your claim as soon as possible and will know when to file it. There’s usually an advantage to filing sooner when evidence is easier to obtain, and witnesses are easier to locate. Don’t hesitate to start the process sooner rather than later.
Contact a Mansfield Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today for a Free Consultation
You could be entitled to payment for your losses if you’ve been injured in a pedestrian accident in Mansfield, Ohio. The dedicated personal injury lawyers at Wiseheart Wright Trial Lawyers have helped Ohio accident victims recover the financial help they deserve for their injuries. Call our law office today to learn more and schedule a free consultation with a Mansfield pedestrian accident lawyer.