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(561) 295-5825It is no secret that Florida leads the nation in pedestrian accidents. Keller, Melchiorre & Walsh have guided many injured pedestrians through the process of filing a personal injury lawsuit with great success.
Our team of seasoned litigators is recognized as top Florida attorneys who reliably recuperate compensation for clients who have been involved in pedestrian accidents. KMW Legal clients often express concern about how they’re going to meet growing medical costs when they’re unable to return to work.
At Keller, Melchiorre & Walsh, we handle the details of negotiating a fair pedestrian accident settlement that encompasses the full scope of your damages. Do not risk losing the compensation you are entitled to by confronting big insurance companies without backup.
A Tampa pedestrian accident lawyer is available at your convenience for a free strategy session to assist you with your lawsuit.
Generally speaking, pedestrians have the right of way in the hierarchy of the road. In the vast majority of cases, it is the actions of a negligent driver that are responsible for a pedestrian accident when they fail to yield.
At intersections, drivers may neglect to observe the directions of the crosswalk signal and merge or turn before checking for pedestrians. Drivers will often look both ways before turning but fail to look back because they assume the way is still clear, but that assumption can end with a pedestrian in the hospital or being killed. This same scenario often plays out in busy parking lots when a driver is attempting to back out of a spot.
Impaired drivers also present a significant risk to the welfare of pedestrians in their path, especially at night. Their compromised judgment capacity and physical coordination, in addition to diminished visibility, means that by the time they see you, they do not have the time or capacity to stop. An attorney in Tampa could determine the cause and negligent party of a pedestrian accident.
Pedestrians, especially children, may become distracted by purchasing their food from a vendor or chasing down a ball that has rolled into the street and stepping out in front of oncoming traffic. In some cases, drunk pedestrians may stumble into the road unexpectedly, causing a speeding or distracted driver to hit them.
Even when pedestrians are partially at fault in an accident, a pedestrian accident attorney in Tampa will likely be able to help them claim and recover damages in a lawsuit, though their percentage of contribution will be subtracted from their settlement due to Florida’s pure comparative negligence laws.
There were 545 accidents involving pedestrians in Hillsborough County in 2020, 83% of which resulted in injuries. The Tampa area has garnered a nationwide reputation for its risk to pedestrians, who often suffer the most catastrophic injuries in a car accident because they are vulnerable to the full force of an oncoming vehicle.
Pedestrian accident injuries are usually, but not always, concentrated in the lower half of the body. The feet, knees, and hips are especially vulnerable to fractures or crush injuries. In cases where a pedestrian is hit more forcefully or is thrown by the impact of a car, they may hit their head on the road or the vehicle, resulting in a traumatic brain injury.
The weight of even a small passenger vehicle is enough to crush lungs, break bones, and damage spinal cords. Down the road, these injuries may require a transplant, an amputation, or result in a complete loss of sensation and function below the injury, respectively. An attorney in Tampa could work to secure compensation for all injuries and losses after a pedestrian collision.
In addition to the physical toll of your injuries, you will likely be saddled with the burden of medical bills for physical therapy, surgery, and mobility aids like walkers or prosthetics. In order to adjust to your new normal, you may have had to take time off from your job to see specialists and doctors. It’s entirely possible that you’ll never be able to return to work. Types of pedestrian accident damages:
A pedestrian accident lawyer in Tampa can help you determine which damages are most applicable to your pedestrian accident case and assist you in constructing a viable claim to recover the costs you have sustained as a result of a pedestrian accident.
After a pedestrian accident, a practice Tampa attorney is instrumental in recovering damages. Drivers are required to carry $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection insurance, but pedestrian accident damages routinely surpass this limit. In order to reclaim the costs of your medical bills, lost income and earning capacity, and emotional anguish, you need to enlist a pedestrian accident lawyer to negotiate your settlement.
The insurance companies you will be facing are not interested in paying you a fair amount for the expenses you’ve incurred. In fact, it’s their job to do the exact opposite; their goal is to limit their exposure to future lawsuits and pay out the absolute minimum amount of damages.
At KMW Legal, our skilled legal team will protect your right to compensation, even if you were partially at fault. Our comprehensive services include:
Personal injury lawyers do not get paid by the hour, nor do they require a large downpayment to secure their services. Instead, your pedestrian accident lawyer in Tampa works for a contingent fee that consists of a percentage taken out of the compensation they get you.
This percentage is usually around 33% and is directly tied to the compensation you receive, so your lawyer is guaranteed to work in your best interests. Some balk at the prospect of paying part of their settlement to their lawyer, but the alternative of going without a lawyer has repeatedly been shown to result in significantly lower settlements, even when taking into account contingent fees.
On top of this, KMW Legal will not collect our contingency fee until after we have won your pedestrian accident settlement, so you do not have to be stressed about covering legal fees on top of other mounting bills.
With a population of 387,916 people, Tampa is the largest city in Hillsborough County and one of the largest cities in the state. Despite it being such a large metropolis, Tampa still struggles with issues regarding the infrastructure’s friendliness to pedestrians.
For the past ten years, KMW Law has seen an extensive number of pedestrian accident cases due in part to Tampa’s issues with making roads as safe as possible for pedestrians. We have seen this problem handling cases involving accidents everywhere, from Ybor to Downtown Tampa. Our firm understands the pain and frustration that comes with these kinds of accidents and has devoted ourselves to representing pedestrians harmed in collisions throughout the Tampa Bay area.
In a split second, your family stroll to the beach or quick trip to the grocery store can end with you navigating life in a wheelchair, forfeiting a sport you love, or planning a funeral for a loved one. If a negligent driver has left you temporarily or permanently disabled and cost you a paycheck, then you should consider taking legal action by filing a pedestrian accident lawsuit.
Our clients will attest to our work ethic, compassionate approach, and unshakeable principles that make us respected litigators. We encourage you to verify their praise for yourself by reviewing our recent settlement results.
Keller, Melchiorre & Walsh provides a no-obligation, no-cost strategy session where we evaluate the viability of your pedestrian accident claim and help you reestablish your life. Contact a Tampa pedestrian accident lawyer to begin the process of filing your pedestrian accident lawsuit today.