Being hit by a vehicle can leave you dealing with serious injuries, medical treatment, and time away from work. You may also have questions about insurance and who was responsible for what happened.
A Parkland personal injury lawyer from Viles & Beckman can investigate the collision and explain what options you have for pursuing compensation. If you need a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Parkland, we can handle the legal side of the claim while you focus on your recovery.
Our 5-Star Promise is built around clear communication, straightforward guidance, and keeping you involved in decisions about your case. You should know what is happening and why, rather than being left to figure it out on your own.
How a Parkland Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Can Help
Pedestrian accident claims can involve conflicting accounts of where someone was crossing, whether the driver saw them, and who had the right of way at the time.
We look at the whole picture. That can include photographs, video footage, witness accounts, the crash report, vehicle damage, and medical records showing the injuries you sustained.
A Parkland pedestrian accident lawyer can also communicate with the insurance companies and review settlement offers with you before you decide what to do.
Expect More, Receive More: Legal Support That Feels Like Family
What Does Florida Law Require Drivers to Do Around Pedestrians?
Florida law sets rules for both motorists and pedestrians. Drivers have particular obligations at crosswalks and intersections, but their responsibilities do not end there.
Florida Statutes § 316.130 requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with pedestrians. The statute also addresses when motorists must stop or yield at crosswalks.
Whether a driver broke one of those rules will depend on what was happening immediately before the collision. We compare the law with the available evidence instead of assuming fault from the location of the impact alone.
How Do We Work Out Who Caused a Pedestrian Crash?
The police report can be useful, but it may not answer every question about fault. Officers are often reconstructing the event from what they see and what the people involved tell them afterwards.
Video may show when a pedestrian entered the roadway or whether the driver slowed down. Witnesses may have seen something that was missed in the initial report, and damage to the vehicle can sometimes help establish how the impact occurred.
A pedestrian crash lawyer in Parkland can bring those pieces together when the driver and pedestrian give different versions of what happened.
What if You Were Crossing Outside a Crosswalk?
Crossing outside a marked crosswalk does not automatically mean you caused the collision or that you have no claim. Florida law places responsibilities on pedestrians, but it also requires drivers to exercise due care.
Florida’s comparative-fault law allows responsibility to be divided between the people involved. Your compensation can be reduced if you share some of the blame.
Under Florida Statutes § 768.81, someone found more than 50% responsible for their own harm generally cannot recover damages in a negligence action covered by the statute.
What Compensation Can a Parkland Pedestrian Injury Lawyer Pursue?
The cost of a pedestrian accident can continue long after you leave the hospital. You may need further treatment while also losing income because your injuries prevent you from returning to work.
A claim may account for medical expenses, reasonably necessary future treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and pain and suffering. The losses included will depend on how the collision has actually affected you.
A Parkland pedestrian injury lawyer can use medical records, employment information, and other documentation to build a clearer picture of those losses.
What Injuries Can Result From a Pedestrian Accident?
Without the protection of a vehicle around you, even a collision at a relatively low speed can cause significant injuries.
Pedestrian accidents can result in fractures, head injuries, damage to the back or spine, torn ligaments, and injuries to internal organs. The effects can range from temporary pain and restricted movement to conditions that require ongoing treatment.
What matters to your claim is the injury you actually sustained and how it has affected your health and daily life, not whether it fits a particular label.
What Should You Do After Being Hit by a Vehicle?
Your health should come first. If you are able, there are also a few practical steps that can help preserve information about the collision:
- Get medical attention: Tell the healthcare provider what happened and describe any symptoms you are experiencing.
- Report the collision: Contact law enforcement so the accident can be documented.
- Take photographs: Capture the vehicle, surrounding road, traffic signs, crosswalk, and any visible injuries if it is safe to do so.
- Keep your records: Save medical paperwork, insurance correspondence, receipts, and information about work you have missed.
You do not need to collect every piece of evidence yourself. Viles & Beckman can investigate further once we understand how the collision happened.
Should You Give the Driver’s Insurer a Recorded Statement?
An insurance adjuster may contact you while you are still recovering and ask for a detailed account of the accident.
You do not need to guess about something you cannot remember. Seemingly small details about where you were standing, when you entered the road, or what you saw before the impact can become important if fault is later disputed.
If Viles & Beckman represents you, we can deal with the insurer and make sure the claim moves forward without you having to manage those conversations alone.
Should You Accept an Early Settlement?
An early offer can arrive before you know how long your recovery will take. If you are still receiving treatment or cannot return to work, that can make the true effect of your injuries difficult to judge.
Once you accept a settlement and release the claim, it is usually finished. If your recovery takes longer than expected or you need more treatment, you generally cannot go back later and ask for more.
Viles & Beckman can review an offer alongside your medical expenses, lost income, and other documented losses before you decide whether to accept it.
How Long Do You Have to File a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit?
Florida generally gives you two years to bring an action founded on negligence. That applies to many pedestrian injury lawsuits.
The current deadline appears in Florida Statutes § 95.11. Different circumstances can affect the deadline, so the date should be checked against the facts of your case.
There are practical reasons not to leave an investigation until the end of that period. Video can be overwritten, witnesses can become harder to find, and memories of the collision can fade.
Why Work With Viles & Beckman?
Viles & Beckman currently reports more than $200 million recovered for clients and thousands of successful cases. Past results do not determine what will happen in your case.
Our approach also focuses on the experience you have while the case is ongoing. Through our 5-Star Promise, we aim to give you clear answers, keep you involved, and make sure you understand the decisions being made.
We handle personal injury claims on a contingency-fee basis, so there is no upfront legal fee and our fee depends on obtaining a recovery for you.
Talk to a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Parkland
You may not know exactly who was at fault or what insurance will cover your losses. You do not need to work all of that out before speaking with us.
Viles & Beckman can review what happened, investigate the available evidence, communicate with insurers, and explain what options you have.
Contact Viles & Beckman for a free consultation with a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Parkland. We can start with the circumstances of the collision and help you work out what comes next.