Bronx Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Drivers have a legal obligation to yield to pedestrians and can be held accountable for negligence or recklessness that causes injuries and death. If you or a loved one has been hit by a motor vehicle, you need to speak with our dedicated Bronx pedestrian accident lawyers as soon as possible. At Zlotolow & Associates, our team of aggressive negotiators, skilled litigators, dedicated investigators, expert consultants, and compassionate support staff are committed to fighting for the rights of injured accident victims. For more than two decades, we have been taking on deep-pocketed insurance companies that try to shirk their responsibilities after serious accidents. Let us help you. Contact a Bronx pedestrian accident lawyer from Zlotolow & Associates today for a free legal consultation about your injury claim. We accept cases on a contingency fee basis. So we don’t charge legal fees unless we recover compensation for you.

How Our Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Investigates Bronx Injury Claims

It is crucial that you speak with a skilled Bronx pedestrian accident lawyer as soon as possible after a crash to learn about your legal rights. Our team can start to gather evidence for your claim immediately, before it is lost, degraded, or destroyed.

Our experienced investigators can track down evidence from:

• Law enforcement, whose accident report may include the officer’s observations and show whether the driver was charged
• The accident scene (noting skid marks or lack thereof, drag marks, visibility issues, traffic controls, etc.), which can help us understand how the accident happened
• Witness statements, as well as statements from you, the driver, and all other witnesses we can identify before memories fade
• The driver’s vehicle, damage from which will help to establish the type of impact and seriousness of subsequent injuries
• Medical records of your injuries, which may indicate the driver’s speed, angle, acceleration / deceleration, etc., at impact
• Damage to clothing, shoes, jewelry, personal belongings, etc., from impact of the vehicle (primary impact) or with the roadway (secondary impact), etc.
• Video camera footage of accidents that occur in urban areas like the Bronx
• Driver cellphone records, which may show distracted driving activity at the time of the crash
• Social media accounts, which may be incriminating for the driver

We will also work with you to help you maintain records of your costs and losses, and to document the pain and suffering your injuries and recovery cause you.

Because pedestrian accidents often involve catastrophic injuries, they are typically expensive, and insurers often work hard to avoid paying what the injured are truly due. You may have already heard from an insurance adjustor who, if he or she hasn’t denied your claim, has offered a settlement. Early settlement offers are based on previous payouts in similar cases and have little to do with your accident and injuries.

A seriously injured person should never sign or agree to anything from an insurance company without speaking to a knowledgeable pedestrian accident attorney. It is easy to unwittingly give up rights to compensation that you deserve.

Zlotolow & Associates can help you with an insurance claim from the start, including taking care of all paperwork and contact with insurers. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more.

How Long Does a Personal Injury Claim Take?

Engaging an attorney as soon as possible after a pedestrian accident is also important because of New York State’s statute of limitations. In general, a personal injury lawsuit, which would follow a pedestrian accident, must be filed within three years of the accident. A wrongful death claim must be filed within two years.

Personal injury and wrongful death cases are typically complex and time-consuming. They require time to:

• Promptly gather evidence of the accident before it is destroyed or otherwise lost
• Thoroughly investigate the accident and identify all potentially liable parties and available insurance
• Achieve the best possible recovery from injuries, which determines full medical costs
• Calculate other costs, in particular income losses, which are based in part on the extent of medical recovery
• Have consultants analyze your records and prepare reports that will further support your claim
• Overcome insurance company delay tactics

We can start you toward financial recovery with a free, no-obligation legal consultation about your accident and legal options. This is free legal advice about your crash from an experienced Bronx pedestrian accident attorney. If we cannot obtain a monetary settlement for you, you will owe us no legal fees. If we recover money in your case, we will keep an agreed-upon percentage of the final payment as our fee.

Compensation in Pedestrian Accidents

Zlotolow & Associates seeks full compensation for losses in pedestrian accidents, including future costs, which insurance companies will not pay on their own. Depending on the circumstances of your claim, we may demand payments for:

• Medical bills, from emergency responders’ care to hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and other long-term needs if you suffer disabling injuries
• Income losses because of the accident, including future loss if you cannot return to work because of your injuries
• Your pain and suffering
• Funeral and burial expenses after a fatal pedestrian accident

We investigate your pedestrian accident to identify its cause and determine who should be held liable for what has happened. In addition to compensation from insurance held by the at-fault driver, there may be third parties involved in the accident who can be compelled to compensate the injured.

For example, a third party might be the company that employed a truck driver who hit a pedestrian while on the job. The law says an employer is liable for injury caused by its employees. Under New York’s “dram shop” law, anyone who sold alcohol to an underage driver (less than 21 years old) or to someone who was “visibly intoxicated” could be held liable if their customer later hit a pedestrian and the accident was caused by the customer’s impairment.

After calculating the full extent of your losses and what’s necessary to make you whole financially, Zlotolow & Associates will file insurance claims with all liable parties. Our objective as your advocates is to recover the maximum compensation available to you, whether that comes through a settlement offer or a jury verdict.

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in the Bronx

Most pedestrian accidents are due to driver negligence and error. If you or a loved one has been hit by a car or truck, the probable cause may be one of the following:

• Distracted driving, particularly texting while driving
• Failure to yield, particularly in a left-hand turn
• Speeding
• Alcohol (impaired / drunk driving)

If you were hit by a car or truck while standing, walking, jogging, or running across or alongside the road, our Bronx pedestrian accident lawyers can help you review your options for pursuing compensation for your injuries.

Contact a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in the Bronx Today

Don’t give insurance companies a chance to take advantage of you if you or a loved one has been hit by a motor vehicle. Contact our personal injury lawyers in the Bronx now to discuss aggressive representation in a pedestrian accident claim. We seek maximum compensation and full financial recovery for injured pedestrians.