Guide To Pedestrian Car Collision Settlements

When a pedestrian is struck by a car, they are often left with severe injuries which will have a great, negative impact on their overall quality of life, as well as on the people surrounding them. The resulting medical expenses, lost wages, and the overall pain and suffering will thus oftentimes force the victim to file a claim in order to receive compensation for their losses.

First Steps

Immediately following the collision, you should first assess the severity of your initially noticeable injuries. Then, if you feel capable of doing so, you should notify the police so they will send an officer who will write up a report. Since the general circumstances surrounding the accident will be documented in this report, you can later use it if you choose to file a claim. Seeking medical care is one of the most crucial aspects after an accident because if you don’t do that you lose out on an opportunity to file a claim later on. The defendant will claim that you were not injured and that is why you didn’t require medical aid.

Regardless of whether you feel that you are injured or not, you should always visit the emergency room or a general physician as soon as possible. An assessment of your condition could reveal injuries with late on-set symptoms that require treatment. From here on out, you will also want to make sure that you keep track of receipts, and that your physician keeps detailed medical records of your visits and treatments.You will also want to obtain the contact information of the driver and surrounding witnesses, as well as the driver’s license plate and insurance company name.

Compensation For The Pedestrian

There is a whole series of factors which will influence how much compensation you can obtain for your losses, starting with how severe your injuries are, how they will affect you moving forward, how many wages you have lost, whether you will lose out on future earnings because of the accident, your past and future medical treatment and therapy, and the general unique circumstances of the case.It should also be noted that, if you are found partially liable for the collision, the settlement can be reduced by the at fault percentage assigned to you.

How A Lawyer Can Help

Since you will be forced to work together with your insurance company, it is wise to also get a personal injury lawyer in Kitchener involved, especially if you feel that all settlement offers made to you have been unfairly low. A lawyer will be familiar with the process of negotiations, and will know which evidence is needed to support your claim.It is good to hire the services of a lawyer that has handled similar cases in the past and has proven success in winning maximum compensation.