When a car hits a pedestrian, the victim often suffers painful injuries that are expensive to treat. If you were hurt in a pedestrian accident, you may be facing significant medical bills, income losses, and other financial stress. You have options for recovering compensation to cover these expenses. You can file an insurance claim or a pedestrian accident lawsuit.

A Vero Beach pedestrian accident lawyer from our team represents victims of these crashes, pursuing compensation on their behalf.

At Lulich & Attorneys, our team offers free consultations for accident victims. We can assess your options and discuss your next steps with you today. You have choices about how to proceed with your case. Choose our team to guide you through this process and take care of building your compensation case. Reach out to a member of our team today.

Let Our Vero Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Take on Your Personal Injury Case

Lulich & Attorneys fights for justice for pedestrian accident victims in Vero Beach. We understand how important it is for those facing serious injuries to recover compensation for their medical expenses, time away from work, future care needs, and other damages. Relieving clients of their financial worries and allowing them to focus on their physical recovery is a top priority for our lawyers.

When we handle a pedestrian accident case, we can manage all parts of the claim or lawsuit. Our clients are able to participate in their cases as much or little as they want. We can provide regular case updates while you undergo inpatient rehabilitation or other ongoing care and recovery. You can trust our team to handle your case and fight for your best interests.

Our Vero Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Does Not Charge Upfront Fees

When we represent pedestrian accident victims, our attorneys work based on contingency. We do not charge victims any upfront fees or costs. Our team can use our firm’s resources to pay any upfront costs instead of expecting our client to pay these expenses out of pocket.

Once we recover compensation in your case, we take a portion of your final financial award as our attorney’s fees. This allows you to avoid putting yourself in an uncomfortable financial situation.

You Could Pursue Compensation Through an Insurance Claim in Vero Beach

When a victim suffers injuries in a crash, including as a pedestrian, there might be options for seeking compensation in their case. Our attorneys can explain your legal options and keep you updated about your case.

Generally, the first place Vero Beach collision victims turn to is their insurance company. Under state law, all drivers are required to carry at least $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. This no-fault policy covers some of the policyholder’s own expenses and losses after an accident-related injury.

PIP policies provide coverage for:

  • Up to 80 percent of medical care costs
  • Up to 60 percent of income lost
  • $5,000 in death benefits if the victim passes away

In a pedestrian accident, the victim could receive PIP coverage from:

  • Their own policy
  • The policy of someone who lives in their household
  • The policy of the at-fault driver

Pedestrian accident victims may have the opportunity to pursue additional damages in a fault-based claim. An injured pedestrian could file an auto liability insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.

You May Decide to Seek Compensation Through a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit

Vero Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Some injuries that might qualify you to sue the at-fault driver include:

  • Scarring or disfigurement
  • Lasting damage to a major body part or system
  • Injuries with a major risk of death
  • Injuries that cause partial or total disability for 90 days or more

If we determine we should pursue a fault-based case on your behalf, our attorneys can investigate what happened and gather evidence to show the at-fault driver acted carelessly or recklessly. This evidence may support your auto liability insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.

Let Our Vero Beach Attorney Pursue Your Pedestrian Accident Damages

When a car strikes a pedestrian, their injuries often require immediate medical attention. They could spend days or weeks in a trauma unit, require inpatient rehabilitation, and have ongoing care needs for the rest of their life. Many pedestrian collisions are life-altering. Reach out to a Vero Beach pedestrian attorney.

These injuries are expensive to treat and even costlier to manage long-term. In addition, a pedestrian hurt by a motor vehicle often suffers injuries that do not allow them to work and earn a living.

Our attorneys understand how frustrating it is to face significant financial stress because of an accident you did nothing to cause. This is why we pursue damages on behalf of our clients. The money you recover can help support your financial future, and pursuing a case allows you to feel a sense of justice.

The compensation we recover includes money for damages such as:

  • Medical bills to date
  • Future treatment costs
  • Ongoing care and support expenses
  • Income losses from time missed at work
  • Reduced earning capacity if you cannot return to work
  • Property damages, if any
  • Travel expenses for medical treatment
  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

We document these damages when we investigate your case. We use this documentation and other evidence to estimate what a fair settlement might look like. We cannot begin settlement negotiations until we know all the losses you suffered. Doing so might cause us to accept a settlement that does not adequately compensate you for your current and future expenses and losses.

What Happens if My Loved One Passed Away From Their Pedestrian Accident Injuries?

When a pedestrian accident victim passes away from their injuries in Vero Beach, their surviving family members may still have an opportunity to seek fair compensation through a wrongful death case. State law allows a deceased party’s personal representative to file a case for wrongful death compensation.

A personal representative is the party named to handle the estate plan in the decedent’s will. Sometimes, the family must go to court to establish a personal representative if the decedent did not have a will. This personal representative serves as the plaintiff in a lawsuit and represents the family’s best interests for financial recovery.

We could seek damages for your family based on Florida law. These damages could include lost income, medical bills before your loved one’s passing, funeral and burial costs, and more. Discuss your options during your free initial consultation with our team.

Our Vero Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Can Help You Decide How To Approach Your Case

When you contact our firm, a member of our team can listen to the details of your case and advise you on your legal options. There are generally two approaches we could take to seek damages for you if your PIP coverage does not pay for all your pedestrian accident-related losses.

These include:

  • Filing an auto liability insurance claim with the liable party’s insurer
  • Suing the liable party in civil court

Sometimes, we pursue these options concurrently, continuing our negotiations with the insurance company while preparing a lawsuit. If we do not settle your case outside of court, we can present a compelling case in court and ask the jury for a fair award for you.

Many cases settle without going to trial. Only occasionally do we need to take a traffic accident case before a jury to win a fair payout for our clients. However, our trial lawyers can prepare your case like it will go to court.

How Long Do You Have to File a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit in Vero Beach?

Time limits apply to filing a lawsuit and beginning the legal case against a liable party in Vero Beach.

Under Florida law, victims generally have up to:

  • Four years to sue for their injuries
  • Two years to sue for the wrongful death of a loved one

Exceptions to the statute of limitations exist, and you could have more time or less to file depending on the details of your case. The applicable deadline depends greatly on the circumstances of the crash. You can learn about the deadline that applies to your case by contacting our team for your free consultation. We can discuss your accident and injuries with you, determining the timeline for moving forward with your case.

Getting started on your case quickly is a good idea, even if you think you have plenty of time to file. As time passes, evidence often disappears. It is usually easier to obtain evidence in the first few days or weeks after an accident than several years later.

Understanding Liability and Negligence in a Pedestrian Accident Case in Vero Beach

Pedestrian accidents generally occur because of one party’s negligence. We often see careless or reckless drivers cause collisions with other drivers, stationary objects, and pedestrians. These crashes lead to painful injuries for our clients. We can build a case and seek justice for you once we determine that another party’s negligence caused your accident and the injuries you suffered.

To build a compelling case and recover compensation on your behalf, we must show how negligence occurred by satisfying the following four elements:

Duty of Care

All motorists have a duty of care to behave a certain way under the given circumstances to keep others safe. This generally means they have an obligation to follow the applicable laws and be mindful of the safety of those sharing the roads, intersections, and walkways.

Breach of Duty

When a motorist violates the law or otherwise does not uphold their duty of care, this is a breach of duty. This is usually because of carelessness or recklessness, such as failing to check blind spots, speeding, or running red lights.

Causation

A breach of duty—violating a traffic law meant to protect pedestrians—could lead to a collision that causes serious injuries to a pedestrian, cyclist, or another non-motorist. When a party’s breach of duty is the proximate cause of a collision, the party who violated the law is likely at fault.

Damages

Elle Nichols, Lawyer for Personal Injury in Vero Beach
Elle Nichols, Vero Beach Personal Injury Attorney

A pedestrian accident victim can only hold the at-fault driver legally responsible if they suffered damages because of the collision. This could include medical expenses, lost income, and psychological damages.

Let’s consider an example. Imagine a driver failing to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk when turning right. Traffic laws require the driver to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk, creating a duty of care. They failed to do so, which breached that duty. Their failure to yield was the proximate cause of the collision, and the pedestrian required emergency medical care.

The driver likely would be legally liable for the injuries and damages that occurred based on these circumstances. With strong evidence, we could document all four elements of negligence and prove that the liable party owes you compensation for your losses.

Speak to a Team Member About Your Vero Beach Pedestrian Accident Case Today

At Lulich & Attorneys, crash victims and their families can speak with a member of our team to learn about their options following a Vero Beach accident. We provide these initial consultations for free. Our team answers questions, explains the next steps in your case, and discusses how our Vero Beach personal injury lawyers help those hurt in pedestrian accidents get justice.

Contact us at (772) 589-5500 to get started on your case today.

Vero Beach Office

Address: 1612 20th Street,
Vero Beach, FL 32960

Phone: 772-589-5500