Pedestrian accidents can cause severe injuries because walkers have no protection from the force of a moving vehicle. If a negligent driver struck you or a loved one in Tucson, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses. Because these incidents often involve many of the same liability issues as traffic collisions, our Tucson car accident lawyers can investigate what happened and identify every potentially responsible party.
The Mercaldo Law Firm has advocated for injured people throughout Arizona for more than 40 years. Call (520) 624-1400 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a Tucson pedestrian accident lawyer and discuss your legal options.
Why Choose a Tucson Pedestrian Accident Attorney From The Mercaldo Law Firm?
The Mercaldo Law Firm is dedicated to professional excellence and tireless advocacy for injury victims. With an attorney from our team on your side, we bring your case the following advantages:
- A 40-year history of success with over $400 million recovered for our injured clients
- A commitment to personalizing a strategy for every client rather than using a formulaic approach that might not recover the full compensation available to them
- Open communication throughout the legal process of your claim, so you are always included and involved in the progress of your case
- A complimentary consultation and contingency-based payment, so you owe nothing until after we’ve recovered compensation for you in your claim
Our record of success includes exceptional results for clients, such as a recent $1 million settlement for a pedestrian accident victim and a $6,200,000 recovery for a bicycle accident victim.
Common Injuries In Tucson Pedestrian Accident Cases
Pedestrians are vulnerable to direct contact with a vehicle, the road, and obstacles in an accident involving a car or truck, often resulting in multiple blunt force traumas. Common injuries in Tucson pedestrian accident claims include the following:
- Single and multiple fractures of limbs, hips, pelvis, ribs, and vertebrae
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains, torn ligaments, and tendon injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Internal injuries and internal bleeding
- Lacerations and contusions
- Abrasion and friction burns
- Spinal cord injuries
- Crush injuries
- Traumatic limb loss
When you are injured through no fault of your own in a pedestrian accident claim in Tucson, you have the right to recover compensation for your losses.
What Causes Pedestrian Accidents In Tucson?
Pedestrians in Tucson and elsewhere in Arizona must follow traffic laws for pedestrians and other safety rules of the road, including avoiding cell phone distractions. Still, even the most careful pedestrian is at risk of severe injury in an accident involving a moving vehicle. The most common causes of pedestrian accidents include the following driver actions:
- Speeding or driving too fast for weather conditions with poor visibility
- Distracted driving
- Failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a marked or unmarked crosswalk
- Illegally passing another vehicle in a crosswalk
- Illegally passing a bus while passengers disembark
- Left-turn pedestrian collisions, which happen when a driver focuses on traffic approaching from the right while making a left turn and hits a pedestrian approaching from the left
- Impaired driving
- Aggressive driving
- Fatigued driving
Under Arizona’s pure comparative negligence law, an injury victim may seek compensation from one or more parties who cause or contribute to an accident or injury.
Other Liable Parties In Tucson Pedestrian Accident Cases
Sometimes entities other than negligent drivers contribute to a pedestrian accident. For instance, if a city road planning agency designs a dangerous crosswalk with obstructed visibility or installs inadequate lighting, the agency may be held liable, in whole or in part, depending on the unique circumstances of an accident. In other cases, a road or sidewalk maintenance agency or contractor may be liable for failing to repair a traffic light or to address a dangerous condition on a sidewalk.
An experienced pedestrian accident attorney pursues compensation from all responsible parties to maximize their client’s financial recovery.
The Legal Elements of Liability In a Tucson Pedestrian Accident Claim
Recovering compensation for your damages requires compelling evidence of the at-fault party’s or parties’ liability. The evidence in the case must demonstrate the following legal standards of liability:
- The at-fault party owed a duty of reasonable care to the injury victim, such as a driver’s duty to follow traffic laws
- They breached their duty of care through negligence
- The breach of duty directly caused the pedestrian’s injury
- The injury victim suffered damages from the injury
Damages in pedestrian accident cases range from a single emergency room bill and a few days of lost wages for a mild injury to lifelong disability for a catastrophic pedestrian accident injury.
What to Do After a Pedestrian Accident In Tucson
Proving liability for a pedestrian accident is the key to recovering the maximum compensation available to you. At the scene of the accident, you may be incapacitated or unconscious and unable to take action on your own behalf; however, if you can safely use a cell phone—or an uninjured companion can use one for you, preserving crucial evidence is possible beginning at the accident scene by doing the following:
- First, call 911 to report the accident, request emergency services, and apply first aid
- Then, use the phone’s camera to take photos of the accident scene, including the involved vehicle and anything else that’s relevant, such as a crosswalk or traffic signs and signals
- Add the contact information of the driver and any eyewitnesses to the accident
Eyewitnesses can be the key to a successful claim when pedestrian accidents occur in places without traffic cameras, but sometimes witnesses leave the accident scene without giving their information.
It’s always crucial to go directly to the hospital from the accident scene. This not only ensures you receive emergency medical care but also provides evidence that your injuries were sustained in the accident.
What Damages Can I Recover In My Tucson Pedestrian Accident Claim?
After a pedestrian accident, your damages can add up quickly. While no legal process erases the injury, a pedestrian accident claim can recover compensation for damages, such as the following:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Lost earnings
- Future income loss or reduced future earning ability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Catastrophic injury compensation for permanent losses, such as loss of limb, disfigurement, disability, or diminished quality of life
If a pedestrian accident resulted in the loss of a loved one, our Tucson wrongful death lawyers can explain your family’s legal options and help you pursue accountability.
Reach Out to a Tucson Pedestrian Accident Attorney
Insurance companies are not on your side, even if the insurance adjuster sounds compassionate on the phone. Instead of leaving your claim in the insurer’s hands when the insurance company’s goals to protect company profits conflict with your objective to recover the full and fair compensation you deserve. Call The Mercaldo Law Firm at (520) 624-1400 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with our Tucson pedestrian accident attorneys.