Tampa Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Advocate for Injured Victims

Getting hit by a car as a pedestrian almost always results in severe injuries for victims. The human body is not built to handle a fall onto concrete or the impact of a large, rapidly moving vehicle. Whether the car’s driver was distracted by their phone, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol or made other negligent decisions resulting in your injury, their actions have caused upheaval in your life.   

If you’ve been involved in a pedestrian accident, the trusted personal injury lawyers from RTRLAW can help you seek compensation for your injuries and other damages, including medical bills, lost wages, and more. Contact RTRLAW’s Tampa office at (813) 370-0229 or toll free at 1-833-HIRE-RTR (833-447-3787) for a FREE, no-obligation case review with an experienced pedestrian accident attorney today.  

Why Do Pedestrian Accidents Happen?

A pedestrian accident occurs whenever someone who is walking gets injured by the negligence of another individual or entity. Sometimes the at-fault party may not even be present when the injuries happen, such as when a pedestrian trips and falls on a broken sidewalk that the local government has neglected. Non-motorized modes of transport, such as bicycles, skateboards, and rollerblades, can also put pedestrians in danger of being knocked down and injured.  

However, the most common cause of pedestrian accidents is motorized vehicles. Walking near roads or streets, even on sidewalks, places pedestrians at greater risk of an accident. The risk increases dramatically after dark when more drivers are tired or impaired, and pedestrians are harder to see. Some common causes of vehicle-related pedestrian accidents include: 

• Inattentive driving 
• Speeding, especially through pedestrian-heavy areas, such as school zones, parking lots, residential neighborhoods, and shopping districts 
• Failing to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks 
• Turning at an intersection without looking both ways 
• Driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs that slow reaction times 
• Swerving onto sidewalks 
• Failure to follow posted signs and traffic laws 
• Texting or making phone calls while driving 
• Driving while fatigued 
• Not stopping at red lights or stop signs 
• Backing up in a parking lot or out of a driveway without checking the rearview mirror 

How Badly Can Pedestrians Become Injured in an Accident?  

A pedestrian accident can happen so fast that the victim may not even realize that they are in danger until they’ve already been injured. No one wears safety gear like helmets or padding to go for a walk because walking is a normal part of life and travel and is generally assumed to be safe. Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents have a high injury rate, and fatalities are possible. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2020, a pedestrian was killed in a traffic accident about every 81 minutes. While this is a sobering statistic, it’s even more common for walkers to experience non-fatal, yet profound injuries from their accident, including:  

• Head trauma, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) 
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis 
• Broken or fractured bones 
• Lacerations and contusions 
• Organ damage 
• Internal bleeding 
• Pelvic injuries 
• Facial and dental injuries, including eye injuries, loss of vision, and jaw damage 
• Crushed or severed extremities 
• Wrongful death

Due to the sudden, violent nature of a pedestrian accident, it also can cause  mental health impacts for victims. Survivors may struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and phobias even after their physical injuries have healed. In addition, chronic pain, scarring, and limited mobility can decrease a victim’s enjoyment of their life, potentially leading to depression. 

Do I Need to Seek Medical Treatment for My Pedestrian Accident Injuries?  

You should seek a prompt medical evaluation after any pedestrian accident, even if you only sustained minor injuries. This safeguards your health by ensuring that potentially harmful internal damage does not go untreated, and an evaluation by a doctor will provide documentation of the physical harm your accident caused. It also shows that you have made a good-faith effort to care for your injuries. Just be sure to keep all recommended follow-up appointments and stick to your treatment plans. Insurance companies look for reasons to deny your claim or downplay your injuries but having solid medical records of the treatment you received can bolster your case.   

If you feel sudden symptoms such as increasing pain, severe headaches, numbness or tingling, dizziness, difficulty breathing, nausea, or vomiting in the days or weeks following the accident, get immediate medical treatment because these could be delayed signs of serious injuries. If you are having trouble finding quality medical treatment for your injuries or are concerned about growing medical expenses and want to pursue a claim against the responsible party for your accident, contact our helpful legal team at RTRLAW today to discuss your options for getting the continuing care you need to heal. 

Why Is Head Trauma So Dangerous?

Head injuries can result in long-term consequences for pedestrian accident victims. The human skull is good at protecting the brain from everyday dangers, but when it strikes a solid object like the sidewalk or a vehicle with force, the likelihood of brain and skull damage is high. The brain is fragile and heals very slowly from injury, if at all. In many cases, victims will face permanent challenges from their head trauma, including:  

• Anxiety 
• Coordination and dexterity issues 
• Depression 
• Difficulty speaking 
• Dizziness 
• Insomnia 
• Light sensitivity 
• Memory loss 
• Mood swings 
• Nausea 
• Personality changes 
• Seizures 
• Severe chronic headaches 
• Vertigo 
• Vision loss 

If you have suffered a TBI or other catastrophic injury in your pedestrian accident, it’s crucial to work with a law firm with experience in recovering compensation for these types of damages. Because these injuries are long-lasting and often impair your ability to maintain employment, finding a qualified personal injury lawyer in Florida who can properly value your claim and account for your future care and needs is critical to your health and potential injury case. .RTRLAW’s dedicated personal injury lawyers have the legal experience needed to handle your matter with the careful attention it deserves. Since 1988, the attorneys at RTRLAW have helped tens of thousands of clients recover hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation.  

What Compensation is Available to Victims of Pedestrian Accidents?

A pedestrian accident disrupts your life, leading to financial expenses, physical pain, lost productivity, and other negative impacts. Those responsible for your injuries because of their negligence can be held liable for their actions. While recovering compensation does not erase the hardships you’ve endured from the accident, it ensures that you and your family can be confident in your future and will not face the further tragedy of financial struggles.  

An experienced personal injury attorney can help you recover three categories of compensation for your accident:   

• Economic damages: You deserve to be compensated for current and future financial losses arising from your accident. Examples of economic damages include: 
• Medical bills: You may have expenses from hospital stays, surgeries, medications, doctor appointments, rehabilitation and therapy, expected ongoing medical care, and more, which can be recovered in your settlement. 
• Lost wages: All the income you’ve lost from not being able to work between the time of your accident and the conclusion of your pedestrian accident lawsuit can be included in your compensation. 
• Loss of earning capacity: If you’ve sustained permanent, debilitating injuries, your earning ability may have been negatively impacted. Your employment history and the number of years you would have continued working will be considered when determining how much you could have earned if the accident had not occurred. 
• Non-economic damages: Harm from a pedestrian accident is not just financial. You can be impacted physically and emotionally as well currently, and in the future from your injuries. Non-economic damages account for these losses, such as: 
• Pain and suffering: In general, as the severity and duration of your injuries increase, so does this compensation.  
• Mental anguish: The emotional distress caused by an accident can be overwhelming. If you suffered shame, humiliation, fear, or other negative emotions at the time of the accident or are facing mental health struggles as part of the aftermath, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you recover non-economic damages. 
• Loss of enjoyment of life: This is your inability to take part in and enjoy the things that you once did frequently prior to getting inured such as dancing, hiking, gymnastics, etc. 
• Loss of consortium: This is your inability to provide support, love, or daily help to either your spouse or your children due to your injuries.   
• Punitive damages: These damages are only available if your case goes to trial because they are awarded at the court’s discretion to punish the defendant for engaging in intentional, malicious, or grossly negligent actions.  These damages are rare and are rarely awarded as the burden of proof to obtain them is high.   

How Can RTRLAW Help You? 

As a pedestrian accident victim, you have legal rights. Insurance companies may try to offer you a low settlement or accuse you of being at fault for your injuries to minimize their losses. In these cases, it is vital to have a compassionate, aggressive law firm with years of experience in personal injury law on your side.   

For more than 35 years, RTRLAW has been fighting for the rights of our clients. Our hardworking personal injury attorneys will fight the insurance company on your behalf to get you the most compensation possible in your case.   

You can meet with one of our tenacious personal injury lawyers at our Tampa office or at any of our office locations. For your convenience, we can meet with you at your home, workplace or even at the hospital. What’s more, we can take care of all the necessary paperwork electronically by phone, text or email. We make it as simple as possible for you to get your case started and will communicate with you every step of the way to make sure you’re kept in the loop on your matter.  

Contact RTRLAW today in Tampa for a FREE, no-obligation case review and to find out how we can serve you at (813) 370-0229 or toll free at 1-833-HIRE-RTR (833-447-3787).