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Rockford Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Pedestrians can suffer devastating injuries if they are struck by a car. Because they lack protective equipment, they could be seriously hurt or even killed while the automobile driver walks away unscathed. Fortunately, accident victims may be able to recover compensation for their losses.
Have you suffered serious personal injury in an auto accident or as a result of medical malpractice in northern Illinois?
If so, contact the personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC today. We want to help you fight for your rights!
Our experienced team will handle everything from start to finish so that you don't have to worry about anything at all during this difficult time.
Contact Rockford personal injury attorneys at (888) 424-5757. You deserve justice after being injured in an accident caused by someone else's negligence, so call a car accident lawyer with civil trial practice experience today!
Pedestrian Accident Statistics
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), pedestrian accident rates are rising. In recent years, the number of pedestrians killed in auto accidents has risen faster than motorist fatalities. As a result, pedestrian deaths account for approximately 15% of automobile accident fatalities each year.
Shockingly, there are more than 60,000 injuries and 4,400 deaths related to pedestrian accidents in the United States every single year. The majority of the deaths and injuries occur in large cities like Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, and San Diego.
Unfortunately, pedestrians involved in accidents with motor vehicles are often the injured victims because drivers don't do everything to avoid hitting them. Therefore, it is prudent to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC when this happens.
Auto Accident Statistics
When two automobiles collide, there is often significant damage done to both vehicles and serious harm to their occupants. However, while severe injuries frequently occur in automobile accidents, fatalities are much less common than a few decades ago.
Fatalities in automobile accidents have declined since the 1970s. For example, in 1973, 52,627 fatalities resulted from car accidents, and in 2012, that number had dropped to 32,367.
The most recent data concerning auto accident injuries reveal that approximately 2.3 million people receive medical treatment for injuries suffered in motor vehicle accidents each year. It accounts for approximately 1.8% of all injuries, which is an amazing improvement over the early 1970s when injury rates were 7.2%!
When Pedestrians Are Involved
Unfortunately, the sheer size and weight of a passenger vehicle colliding with a pedestrian can be catastrophic. Data from the Illinois Department of Transportation reveals that in 2000 there were 1,907 pedestrians killed in an accident and another 70,000 injured.
In 2010, the number of fatalities dropped to 925 while injuries remained at approximately 66,000. The average age of a pedestrian struck by a car is 46 years old. Over half of all fatal accidents with pedestrians occur on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Approximately 40% of all accidents occurred at night between 6 PM and midnight.
By 2019, the number of fatalities involving pedestrians in Illinois rose to more than 1,100 fatalities while injuries increased to around 100,000. Unfortunately for pedestrians, they have few protections if a car or other vehicle hits them while walking.
Pedestrian Right of Way
Pedestrians have the right of way at intersections, but statistics show that nearly one-third of all accidents involving a pedestrian occur at an intersection. Drivers should make sure to remain alert for pedestrians outside of intersections because the other party may not always have the right of way.
Most pedestrian fatalities happen on local roads instead of state highways or interstates. Illinois is the only state requiring pedestrians to wear reflective clothing to be more visible when walking at night or in poor weather conditions, but even this isn't effective.
Evening Hours Are Most Deadly for Pedestrians
Pedestrians are more likely to be killed between 6 PM and 9 PM, but freezing rain causes three times more accidents than clear conditions, while snow causes twice as many deaths than dry roads!
Auto accidents involving pedestrians are often fatal or cause serious injuries that require extended periods to recover. Therefore, if you have been injured in a pedestrian accident caused by an individual who was driving, you must speak with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
An effective legal advocate can help ensure that your case is properly investigated and prosecuted so you receive all the financial compensation you are entitled to following an accident.
At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC, our personal injury law firm has been representing injured victims who have been severely harmed and surviving family members of those killed in car and pedestrian accidents for years to resolve their personal injury lawsuit.
What You Can Do To Avoid Being Involved in an Accident
Whether you are a pedestrian or a driver, you can take steps to protect yourself from being involved in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident involving a pedestrian.
- Remain Aware: If you are a pedestrian, always remain aware of your surroundings when walking near any street or intersection. Be especially mindful during the night when visibility is low, and weather conditions are poor.
- Follow Traffic Laws: Drivers should also keep their eyes on the road at all times because it only takes seconds for a pedestrian to step in front of their car. Even experienced drivers can be caught off-guard by an unexpected pedestrian who darts into the street, so it's important to drive slowly and especially when roads are icy or wet.
- Leave Plenty of Space: Drivers should give pedestrians plenty of room when passing them if they are walking on the side of the road and should never try to pass another vehicle that is stopped near a crosswalk or intersection.
- Avoid Distracted Driving: You should also avoid distractions such as talking on the phone, listening to loud music, changing the radio station, or texting while driving because all of these actions can divert your attention away from the road. If you must use your cell phone for an emergency, it is advisable to pull over and park your car somewhere safe before using it.
- Be Especially Careful at Crosswalks and Intersections: Pedestrians should be especially mindful of their surroundings when walking near an intersection or crosswalk. It's not uncommon for a driver coming from the side street to believe that it is clear and continue driving, striking a pedestrian who was crossing with the right-of-way.
Protect Your Rights Following an Accident
The law enforcement officers who investigate your accident should provide you with a form known as a PD-10 which provides important information regarding your accident. If they do not, ask the Rockford, IL officers for this document, so you have proof that you were involved in an accident.
Suppose another individual caused your injury. In that case, you should speak to Rockford, Illinois, personal injury lawyers who can review your case to determine if you have a good case that is worth filing a personal injury claim to seek financial relief for your losses.
If you cannot visit our Rockford, IL office, a personal injury attorney will come to you to discuss how you can recover financial compensation. Call a personal injury lawyer at (888) 424-5757. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC has locations throughout Illinois, including Chicago, Dupage County, Cook County, Sangamon County, Peoria County, and Will County.
We can meet you at your home or hospital, and our experienced, compassionate staff will help you through this difficult time.
Our Rockford, IL, personal injury lawyers have handled pedestrian accident cases for individuals throughout Illinois for the last 40 years. We specialize in cases when walking near intersections or crosswalks as drivers approach these busy areas.
Establishing Fault is Important When You've Been Injured in a Rockford Pedestrian/Car Accident
The most important aspect of any personal injury case is proving that the defendant is at fault and liable for the plaintiff's injuries. There are many ways to collect evidence that can be used to build a solid case on your behalf.
Following are some of those methods:
- We can gain access to police reports that offer evidence, witness statements, and accounts of the scene from the responding officers. These reports are also valuable due to the information they provide on the witnesses themselves. We can contact the witnesses to see if they remember anything they hadn't previously and determine how to investigate by looking at conflicting accounts.
- Access to video evidence will provide irrefutable evidence to support your case, which is why we will request video from traffic cameras and closed-circuit security cameras in the area of your accident. In addition, when witnesses are offering differing testimony, this can settle the dispute.
- Acquire phone records to call into question whether the driver was distracted. Texting and talking on the phone is illegal, but it is also a factor in many car and pedestrian accidents. Moreover, as technology advances, we find it a distraction to more people behind the wheel.
- Gain access to 911 calls. As the video evidence, these calls can help us construct the accident again and determine which witnesses are providing the most accurate testimony.
- Send car accident reconstruction specialists to the scene. Revealed evidence would reveal whether the brakes were applied before the collision, if the driver was speeding at the time of impact and whether other efforts were made to avoid the accident.
- Construct a three-dimensional reenactment of the accident for the jury to view. It can make it much easier for the jurors to understand the course of events that led to your catastrophic injuries.
The Many Paths to Recovering Damages After a Pedestrian Accident
We'll prove that the driver is liable for your injuries. Our legal team will pursue the compensation you deserve for the cost of your medical care, your rehabilitative therapy, lost wages, pain and suffering, and adjustment to life with a disability.
Working with insurance companies is integral to this process, which can include the following:
- Seek compensation from the driver's insurance company: Unfortunately, the damages often exceed insurance policy limits in pedestrian accidents. We will need to look in other directions to recover the maximum amount of damages the law will provide.
- File a claim with your driver's or health insurance policy: Your own car insurance may have an underinsured or uninsured motorist clause that allows you to file a claim if the driver's insurance policy cannot cover the full cost of your medical treatment or other losses. We can also negotiate with your health insurance company to obtain additional compensation for what the other insurance companies will not cover.
- Recover the driver's assets to bridge the difference: It isn't always an option because some defendants may not have the assets to cover the costs. Still, when a driver does have access to assets that can be sold to cover their liability, it is an option for us to go after these assets when all other options have been exhausted.
- Hold third parties accountable for negligence: Some pedestrian/car accidents result from an auto part malfunction, faulty tire, or defective brakes. We can seek monetary compensation in these cases, citing strict liability to hold a parts manufacturer, designer, or distributor legally and financially accountable.
Rockford Pedestrian Accident FAQs
Our personal injury law firm understands many families have unanswered questions about how to deal directly with an insurer to receive financial compensation after being involved in an accident. A Rockford pedestrian accident lawyer has answered some questions below.
Call our law office at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form for additional information. Then, let us answer all the questions you have.
Schedule a Free Appointment With a Qualified Rockford, IL Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
The northern Illinois personal injury lawyers at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have helped thousands of people aggressively pursue justice to recover the compensation they deserved after a catastrophic accident.
If a negligent driver has struck you, we can help you too and guarantee results for every client, or our services come free of charge. To learn more, contact us to arrange your free case review.
Our award-winning Rockford, Illinois pedestrian accident attorneys will sit down with you and review your legal options to know exactly what you can expect if you decide to pursue legal action. We will also collect the information we need to begin working immediately on your behalf to represent your interests.
Our Winnebago County law firm will look forward to having the opportunity to serve you in your time of need. Call our law firm at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form today to schedule a free consultation to discuss financial recovery.
All confidential or sensitive information you share with your Rockford personal injury lawyer remains private through an attorney-client relationship.
Our law practice also provides personal service to surviving family members who lost a loved one through wrongful conduct or medical negligence by ensuring they receive financial compensation through wrongful death lawsuits.