Pedestrian Accident Lawyers in Birmingham

As a pedestrian, being hit by a car or truck can change your life forever. In addition to coping with serious physical injuries and emotional trauma, you will likely be facing high medical bills and be unable to work. The stress of the accident can be compounded by aggressive insurance companies that will try to deny you proper payment for your injuries.

Unlike most other states, Alabama grants right of way to motor vehicles, not pedestrians, in many cases. This makes it crucial for you to have an experienced Birmingham pedestrian accident lawyer on your side who knows the law and can fight insurance company claims that you were at fault.

At the Serious Injury Law Group, our dedicated personal injury attorneys have a long track record of securing maximum compensation for victims of pedestrian accidents. Our skilled legal team will launch an independent investigation into your accident to determine who was truly at fault and build a strong case for you.

Contact our pedestrian accident lawyer now to set up a free consultation about your case. Call us today or fill out our online form, and our Birmingham pedestrian accident lawyer will schedule a meeting wherever is most convenient for you ─ including in your home or at the hospital.

How Our Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Can Investigate Your Accident

The driver who hit you may initially seem concerned about your welfare, but inevitably the finger-pointing will begin. The driver may eventually turn and say you were at fault. The driver’s insurance company has a financial incentive to back its policyholder and put the blame on you.

At the Serious Injury Law Group, our Birmingham pedestrian accident lawyers understand what’s at stake in your fight against the insurance company. We will immediately begin collecting evidence in your case to show who is really at fault, including:

• Witnesses statements from you, the driver, bystanders, and other motorists
• Security camera recordings, which are increasingly available and may have recorded the accident and its aftermath
• Vehicle damage (dented hood, broken windshield, etc.), which can help identify speed at impact
• Damage to clothing, shoes, jewelry, personal belongings, etc., which also illustrates vehicle speed and force of impact upon the accident victim
• Accident scene evidence, such as skid marks or lack thereof, victim drag marks, visibility issues, presence of crosswalk and traffic control devices, etc.
• Driver cellphone records, which may indicate use at the time of the accident, i.e., distracted driving
• Credit/debit card records, which may indicate purchases of food or drink just prior to the accident (evidence of distraction) or potentially recent alcohol purchases
• Posts to social media accounts, where negligent drivers may incriminate themselves after causing accidents

We also analyze our clients’ medical records to identify the total extent of injuries and medical costs. Our team will take into account all of your accident-related costs and losses now and into the future, including the pain and suffering you have been put through.

Our pedestrian accident attorneys will negotiate aggressively for a proper car accident settlement or take your case to a jury, if the insurance company refuses to do what’s right. If you have already received a settlement offer, we urge you to contact our law firm immediately for a free case review.

Understanding Pedestrian Rights in Alabama

Pedestrians in Alabama — people who walk, jog, run, or stand alongside or on public roads and highways — are required by law to follow many of the same kinds of “rules of the road” that regular motor vehicles do. For example:

• As a pedestrian, you are expected to obey traffic signals, including stoplights in the absence of crossing signals, and to use a crosswalk if it is available to cross the street.
• If a crosswalk and crossing signals are available at either end of a block, the pedestrian is expected to use them. Crossing the street otherwise is considered illegal “jaywalking.”
• It is also illegal to cross an intersection diagonally unless guided by a signal or law enforcement officer.
• Where there are no crossing signals or crosswalk, pedestrians do not have the right of way. A person must yield to motor vehicles.
• When walking alongside a road, pedestrians must use the sidewalk if there is one.
• If only the shoulder of the road is available, pedestrians — by law — must walk as far away from the edge of the road as is practical.
• If you must walk on the roadbed, you are to walk on the left (facing traffic) and stay as far to the outer edge as possible. Pedestrians walking in the road are also required to yield to traffic.

Alabama’s harsh rules on pedestrian rights can make determining legal responsibility (liability) in these types of accidents complicated. If you stand alone against an insurance company as an injured pedestrian in Birmingham seeking compensation, you face a daunting task. There is ample opportunity for a driver and the insurance company to deny responsibility and instead blame you.

Let our experienced Birmingham pedestrian accident attorneys review your case for free, with no obligation. For years, our team has fought to protect the rights of injured accident victims across Alabama, and we are ready to stand strong for you.

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Birmingham

Increasingly, pedestrian accidents in Birmingham are caused by distraction — either distracted driving or a distracted pedestrian, or both. Additional common causes of pedestrian accidents include:

• Speeding or driving too fast for conditions, such as in rain or the glare from sunlight at dawn or dusk
• Alcohol and/or drug impairment
• Motorists’ failure to yield, particularly as they make left-hand turns
• Additional driver negligence, such as improper backing or otherwise failing to look properly before proceeding

If the negligent driver involved in your accident was ticketed by police and subsequently convicted, that can be strong evidence in your claim. However, it does not guarantee that you will receive maximum compensation. Conversely, if the driver is exonerated (or “beats” the ticket), that does not doom your personal injury claim.

It is important that you have a knowledgeable car accident attorney review your claim and advise you on all your legal options.

Contact Our Birmingham Pedestrian Accident Attorneys

Do not try to take on the insurance company on your own if you have been hit by a motor vehicle and seriously injured. Alabama law makes it easy in many cases for insurers to avoid paying what you deserve for medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and more in a pedestrian accident — and they will take advantage.

Contact the skilled pedestrian accident attorneys at the Serious Injury Law Group today to learn how we can help. In addition to helping those who have suffered serious car accident injuries, our law firm also works with families who have lost a loved one and need to file a wrongful death claim after a crash.

Call us today or fill out our form online to set up your free consultation. We do not charge fees upfront in pedestrian accident claims, and our attorneys only get paid if and when we recover money for you. With law offices in Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, and Lowndes County, we can travel to meet with you anywhere in Alabama.