Pedestrian Accident Lawyers in Seattle
Providing Compassionate Legal Representation to Injured Victims
Pedestrian accident victims often suffer serious injuries due to their misfortune and will be left to contend with an ever-growing mountain of medical bills. If the accident was not their fault, then it should be the negligent driver’s responsibility to pay the relevant medical expenses for the pedestrian’s injuries. However, too often, insurance companies leave accident victims high and dry, offering small settlement amounts that don’t come close to addressing the cost of the victim’s lost wages and medical expenses.
This is why you should consider hiring an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer as your legal representation.
Working on your behalf, your pedestrian accident attorney will build a case with the single-minded purpose of holding at-fault parties accountable and recovering a fair settlement from the insurance company. If you’ve been hurt, you should not be asked to contend with the complexities of pedestrian laws and personal injury laws. Leave that work to the professionals while you focus on healing your wounds.
Khan Injury Law has years of experience helping accident victims across the state of Washington recover compensation for their serious injuries. Some injured victims are so severely hurt that they will miss months or years of work. We will make it our mission to see that any lost income is restored to our injured clients so they can continue receiving the medical attention they require.
Our law firm has offices in Kent, Tacoma, Tukwila, and a central office in Seattle. Please contact us to schedule a free consultation with our pedestrian accident lawyers today.
What Are the Statistics on Pedestrian Accidents in Washington State?
Pedestrian accident statistics reveal that nearly 6,000 pedestrians are killed annually in traffic accidents across the United States. In 2021, that number was actually closer to 8,000. Pedestrian fatalities are responsible for approximately 17% of all traffic-related deaths across the country. In Washington State, the number of fatalities is trending in the wrong direction, with numbers steadily rising over the past decade. In 2021, Washington reported that of the 2,211 pedestrian accidents in the state that year, 142 were fatal.
The majority of Washington State’s pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas at night, with an uptick in the months of December and January. Most pedestrian accidents involve alcohol, either in the system of the pedestrians or the drivers.
Across the country, a shameful one in five pedestrian fatalities occurs in hit-and-run accidents.
What Are the Typical Causes of Pedestrian Accidents?
Most pedestrian accidents occur at non-intersections, in the dark, and on city streets. But other contributing factors elevate the chances of a pedestrian accident occurring.
Common causes of pedestrian accidents include:
- Dangerous road conditions and poorly designed intersections.
- Distracted driving accounts for many traffic accidents. With the advent of cell phones and other electronic technology, it seems motorists have never been more distracted on the roads.
- Drivers fail to give pedestrians the right of way (pedestrians in a crosswalk are always considered to have the right of way).
- Drivers fail to give traffic signals, endangering pedestrians crossing streets.
- Drivers under the influence of drugs like marijuana.
- Drunk drivers.
- Improper lane use.
- Jaywalking.
- Motor vehicles hop the curb and drive on the sidewalk, striking a pedestrian walking there.
- Motorists are driving recklessly through parking lots.
- Poor visibility at night or in the fog.
- Poor weather conditions.
- Running a red light or stop sign.
- Speeding.
What Are Common Injuries in Pedestrian Accidents?
Because a pedestrian is relatively unprotected when struck by an oncoming motor vehicle, it is common for pedestrians to suffer serious injuries like broken bones and brain damage.
Common injuries sustained in pedestrian accidents include:
- Broken bones.
- Crushed body parts.
- Cuts and lacerations.
- Disability.
- Facial disfigurement.
- Head injuries, including concussions.
- Hip fractures.
- Internal bleeding and organ damage.
- Loss of limbs.
- Loss of speech, sight, or hearing.
- Paralysis.
- Soft tissue damage and road rash.
- Spinal cord injuries.
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Whiplash.
- Wrongful death.
Injured pedestrians have the legal right to seek compensation for any severe injuries they sustained due to traffic accidents caused by negligent drivers. To discuss your personal injury claim in more detail, please contact our law office to schedule a free consultation with our pedestrian accident lawyers today.
Can a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Recover Damages for Their Clients in a Pedestrian Accident Case?
Well-constructed pedestrian accident lawsuits are capable of recovering economic and non-economic damages in the form of financial compensation. In addition to suing the negligent driver, an experienced personal injury lawyer will also seek maximum compensation from the driver’s insurance company.
These settlements can help injured victims with the financial burden of medical expenses, past or future lost wages, loss of consortium, the ongoing cost of physical therapy, change in the quality of life, and emotional distress suffered as a result of the accident.
In pedestrian crashes that prove fatal, the surviving family members can file a wrongful death claim which seeks to hold all responsible parties accountable for their role in their loved one’s passing.
Winning a lawsuit is no small task. Your pedestrian accident attorney must examine the evidence from the scene of the crash, review your medical records, and endeavor to establish that driver negligence led to the accident. Washington is a comparative fault state, meaning the driver can claim that the injured victims were partially responsible for the accident. Hence, it is essential that you speak with a pedestrian accident lawyer without delay so that you may begin building a strong case.
Who May Be Held Liable for a Pedestrian Accident?
Because of Washington’s comparative fault laws, it is possible to hold multiple parties accountable for negligence resulting in an accident. Suppose it can be determined that the accident was the motorist’s fault. In that case, naturally, they may be held legally liable for any serious injury sustained by the victims of the accident. But it is possible to hold other parties accountable in addition to the negligent driver.
Suppose the motor vehicle was owned and operated by commercial companies or government entities. In that case, it may be possible to hold those larger institutions accountable for inadequate training, poorly maintained vehicles, improper loading, and other wrongs.
In the event of a drunk driving accident, it is possible to hold bars, restaurants, bartenders, and others legally liable for their role in supplying alcohol to the driver when they were already clearly over the legal limit.
And if poor road conditions led to the accident, then your pedestrian accident lawyer could have a case against the government entities responsible for maintaining state and city roads.
Schedule a Free Consultation with an Experienced Pedestrian Accident Attorney at Khan Injury Law
If you’re the victim of a pedestrian accident, it is important that you understand your right to pursue compensation for your injuries. However, doing so can be a difficult task, especially if you are still recovering from a serious injury. The pedestrian accident lawyers of Khan Injury Law provide compassionate legal services to accident victims in need, and we would be proud to represent your case.
To schedule a free consultation, please call our Seattle office at 206-203-3978.