Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Attorneys

If you’ve been injured in a pedestrian accident, it can feel as though the bad news just keeps coming. Not only are you dealing with serious pain, but you might also be inundated with expensive medical bills and other unexpected costs. If you haven’t been able to return to work, the loss of income can quickly spiral into severe debt. Even if the liable party has insurance, the adjuster will be searching for reasons to dispute your claim. Our Bakersfield pedestrian accident attorneys understand the adversity you are facing, and we are ready to help you pursue the settlement you need to move on with life. It may be possible to recover both economic damages (such as medical bills and lost income) and non-economic damages (such as pain and suffering). At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we know how to maximize the potential value of every claim we handle. We won’t let the insurance adjuster coerce you into accepting an unfair settlement. To discuss your case in a free consultation, call 1-800-GO-HARRIS.

What Legal Terms Should I Know Before I Start the Proceedings?

If you’ve done any research on the statutes or case law pertaining to your claim, no doubt you’ve discovered that there are dense volumes of legal jargon that can be difficult to decipher by even the most studied minds. This, of course, is one of the reasons to hire a Bakersfield pedestrian accident lawyer; navigating the legal system is challenging—especially when you’re going up against an insurance adjuster who has a mastered knowledge of the relevant proceedings and a keen understanding of the best strategies to protect their employer’s bottom line. All too often, the path toward a fair settlement is a near-vertical climb, riddled with hurdles that the opposing party is more than willing to put in your way. Some of the most oft-used and effective tactics employed by insurance companies are entirely dependent on the claimant’s misunderstanding—or lack of understanding—about his or her rights and the procedures that must be followed to collect a fair recovery. But once you’ve hired a skilled and well-credentialed attorney, you can enter the proceedings without toiling over complex and unrelatable terms that seem almost purposefully confusing. Your lawyer will guide you through the proceedings, step by step, with an aggressive commitment to your best interests. Even if you have a highly experienced and accomplished pedestrian accident lawyer by your side, though, you may still feel a palpable anxiety due to being thrust into such unfamiliar circumstances. The fact that your financial future may be on the line certainly doesn’t help to quell the stress. We have found, however, that some of our more conscientious clients tend to be more at ease when they have at least a surface-level understanding of the proceedings and the terms they will encounter throughout. Several such terms are defined below:

• Duty of Care: The great majority of pedestrian accident claims are brought against defendants who are alleged to have breached the “duty of care” owed to the claimant or to the decedent. The duty of care is a legal obligation to exercise reasonable care given the circumstances. It can be either express—established through some sort of act or event—or implied—established as a consequence of circumstance. Drivers, for example, owe an implied duty of care to pedestrians, and that duty is breached when they break the law or behave in such a way that puts pedestrians at an unreasonably high risk of injury.

• Comparative Negligence: A common defense against pedestrian accident claims is that the pedestrian was partially (or entirely) liable. When multiple parties share fault for a single accident, a percentage of fault is assigned to each party in accordance with the state’s comparative negligence laws.

• Compensatory Damages: This is an umbrella term that encompasses both economic and non-economic damages. Examples include healthcare costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, lost enjoyment in life, and emotional distress. Punitive damages are separate from compensatory damages. Your Bakersfield pedestrian accident attorney can determine the kinds of compensatory damages that may be available, calculate their value, and discern whether punitive damages might also be recoverable given the facts of your case.

• Alternative Dispute Resolution: Sometimes a fair settlement can be reached without even having to file a lawsuit. Other times, the attorneys for the plaintiff and defense can find common ground after the discovery phase. But if the early stages of litigation do not result in a settlement, your case might proceed to alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Examples of ADR include mediation and arbitration.

Call Us Today for a Free Case Review with a Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Send us a message on our Contact Page or call 1-800-GO-HARRIS to speak with a member of our team. The consultation is free of charge. If we don’t win your case, you won’t owe any attorney’s fees. Our phone line is open 24/7, and we can come to you if you are unable to come to our office.