Georgia Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Protecting the Rights of Injured Pedestrian Accident Victims

Did you suffer serious injuries as a pedestrian in a motor vehicle accident?

Did you lose a loved one because of a pedestrian accident caused by a motorist’s carelessness?

The pedestrian accident lawyer team at The Van Dora Law Firm, LLC applies more than 60 years of combined experience in aggressively representing injured pedestrians and families who have lost a loved one in a pedestrian accident. We pursue all available resources to win the maximum financial compensation you deserve in a settlement from insurance companies or by going to court when necessary.

Pedestrian Laws in Georgia

The State of Georgia defines a pedestrian as any person traveling on foot, including someone standing, walking, jogging, running, or otherwise on foot. Individuals who use wheelchairs are also considered to be pedestrians.

Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to injury, because they have little protection against moving vehicles. The laws provide certain unique privileges to pedestrians that are intended to keep them safe, such as having the right of way in a crosswalk. Pedestrians also have specific responsibilities that are designed to guide their conduct in a safe manner.

When there is a pedestrian accident, the state’s pedestrian laws may be important. A driver is legally responsible for pedestrian injuries if the driver negligently strikes a pedestrian. Compliance with or violation of the laws by the motorist and pedestrian may be relevant to the issue of the motorist’s negligence, so it’s crucial to have an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer on your side who is knowledgeable of your state’s laws.

Who Is Legally Responsible For a Pedestrian’s Injuries?

Legal liability in a pedestrian accident depends on the facts and circumstances of the case. Often, the person (motorist or pedestrian) who failed to yield the right of way is at fault. But that is not always easy to determine.

At The Van Dora Law Firm, our pedestrian accident lawyer team carefully and thoroughly investigates a pedestrian accident by reviewing all available evidence, such as the police accident report, photos and videos of the accident and the scene, eyewitness statements, and expert witness testimony. If you were injured in a pedestrian accident, we analyze the situation to determine whether the motorist was legally at fault and can be held responsible for compensating you for your injuries. When that’s the case, we aggressively pursue the maximum compensation provided under Georgia law.

Compensation in a Pedestrian Accident

If a driver was at fault for causing your injuries as a pedestrian, the compensation includes losses in several categories, including:

• Past and future medical and treatment bills
• Past and future pain and suffering
• Lost wages
• Loss of future earning ability
• Losses affecting daily living and enjoyment of life
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Damage to your personal property

The pedestrian accident lawyer team at The Van Dora Law Firm makes certain that we calculate your compensation to include all allowable losses you suffered in a pedestrian accident. We have the experience and skills to conduct the intricate analysis and complex evaluation necessary to calculate and document all available elements of your compensation.

Whose Insurance Pays For Pedestrian Injuries?

In a pedestrian accident, a negligent motorist’s auto liability policy is the first resource to pursue for compensation, which is similar to other types of vehicle accidents. But if the driver’s insurance policy limits aren’t high enough to compensate for the victim’s losses, the driver may have a personal umbrella policy that covers the injuries. Another possibility is an employer’s auto liability insurance policy, if the driver was working at the time of the accident.

In some cases, a pedestrian’s own uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance (UM) may cover pedestrian accident injuries, even when the victim wasn’t in a vehicle when the accident occurred. In addition, Georgia law provides that if the at-fault driver’s insurance and pedestrian’s UM insurance still do not cover the injuries, the UM policies of the pedestrian’s resident relatives may be available.

Determining the availability of insurance coverage for pedestrian injuries — and negotiating with potentially responsible insurance companies — is an important reason to get help from our personal injury lawyers at The Van Dora Law Firm if you suffered serious injuries in a pedestrian accident. Our attorneys know how to find and vigorously pursue insurance companies that may have liability as part of the effort to secure maximum compensation. We are highly skilled at negotiating with those insurance companies to recover the compensation you deserve.

Pursuing a Pedestrian Accident Claim

State law requires a legal claim for injuries from a pedestrian accident to be filed within two years of the date of the accident. An action filed after that time will not be allowed. For that reason and other reasons relating to proving the necessary elements to establish negligence of the at-fault driver, it’s essential to talk with a lawyer as soon as possible after a pedestrian accident.

Our compassionate pedestrian accident lawyer team at The Van Dora Law Firm applies decades of experience in advising and representing you. If our discussions with insurance companies do not produce the desired result, we are prepared to protect your rights in the courtroom. We do not charge for your initial consultation and take pedestrian accident cases on a contingent fee basis, so you do not pay legal fees unless we recover compensation for you.