San Clemente Pedestrian Accident Attorneys

There's a lot to do in the aftermath of a serious pedestrian accident. Seeking medical care should be your top priority. You may then have to notify friends and family about what happened, find a coworker to cover for you, and develop a new schedule and lifestyle to facilitate your recovery. Our pedestrian accident attorneys in San Clemente understand the challenges that you now face, and we are prepared to take over the logistics of your claim so you can focus on your health. Our legal team can compile evidence, handle settlement negotiations with the insurance company, and litigate your case if a settlement cannot be reached. We have many decades of combined experience representing the injured and their families and have won more than $300,000,000 in settlements and trial verdicts. For a free consultation, call 1-800-GO-HARRIS.  

Why Taking Immediate Legal Action Is So Important

If you’re the kind of person who likes to stay organized, you might be thinking about putting off your personal injury claim until your life is in order. With so much on your plate, it’s only natural to be apprehensive about entering into complicated legal proceedings; however, delaying your claim could turn out to be a critical mistake. Here are a few reasons to take action as soon as possible:

• Evidence Might Be Time-Sensitive: The longer you wait, the greater the chance that essential evidence will no longer be available when your attorney performs the investigation. Surveillance footage and dashcam recordings might be erased or overwritten. Eyewitnesses may forget important details about what happened, thus reducing the value of their deposition. The at-fault driver might get his or her vehicle repaired before the damage can be evaluated by an accident reconstruction expert. At the end of the day, the sooner your San Clemente pedestrian accident lawyer can conduct the investigation, the better the chance that key evidence can still be gathered.
• The Insurance Company Will Want a Statement: Another reason to schedule your free consultation right away is the insurance company will likely want a statement from you. The adjuster who is assigned to your claim might seem friendly, but their job is to search for reasons to deny your claim or reduce its value. Even if you don’t think a particular statement could harm your case, you never know how it might be misrepresented to challenge the severity of your injuries or to shift fault to you. When you hire an attorney from Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we will take over all correspondence with the insurance company and defendant. Many insurance carriers throughout California know that our law firm has a reputation for tough litigation, which often makes them think twice about taking a hardline during settlement negotiations. We won’t hesitate to file a lawsuit and proceed to litigation if the opposing party refuses to cooperate.
• Your Lawyer Can Help You Avoid Mistakes: A final reason to speak with a lawyer immediately is your San Clemente pedestrian accident attorney can help you avoid critical errors and oversights you might not have considered. For example, did you know that a simple photo of you in the hospital could bring the severity of your injuries into question? In fact, any photos of you taken after the crash or even a description of the incident might be used by the insurance company to dispute your claim. For this reason, it’s a good idea to avoid using social media while your case is pending. Other mistakes include returning to work before your injuries have healed, participating in strenuous activities too early, or violating your doctor’s orders in some other way.

Can Punitive Damages Be Recovered After a Pedestrian Accident?

In some cases, yes. You won’t be able to obtain a punitive award unless the egregious nature of the defendant’s conduct exceeds ordinary negligence. Specifically, you will have to prove that the behavior constituted malice, oppression, or fraud. Put simply, you may be able to obtain a punitive award if the driver intentionally hit you, or if the driver was acting with despicable conduct and a willful or conscious disregard for your rights or safety. In pedestrian accident cases, punitive damages may be awarded if the driver was drunk or fled the scene of the crash, but these of course are not the only circumstances when a punitive award might be obtainable. At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we can evaluate your claim for free, perform a thorough investigation, and find out if punitive damages should be sought given the facts of your case.  

Set up a Free Case Review with a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in San Clemente

Our attorneys have an in-depth knowledge of the statutes, case law, and procedures that pertain to pedestrian accident lawsuits. You can rest assured that we will represent you with the utmost tenacity and compassion from the moment you retain our legal services to the day your case is resolved. We accept these cases on a contingency fee basis. For a free consultation, contact us HERE or call 1-800-GO-HARRIS.