Have you been seriously injured in a pedestrian accident in San Diego, CA? You may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills and other damages. Our experienced San Diego pedestrian accident lawyers at Mission Personal Injury Lawyers will fight to get the compensation you deserve. Contact us at (619)777-5555 for a free consultation.
You don’t need to go up against the insurance company alone. For over 25 years, our San Diego pedestrian accident lawyers have fought for accident victims’ rights.
Contact our law office in San Diego today to speak with a personal injury lawyer who can help you.
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How Mission Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Pedestrian Accident in San Diego
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers has served San Diego, California, accident victims for over 25 years. Our award-winning San Diego personal injury attorney has earned numerous awards and accolades.
We have been named Best of the Bar by the San Diego Business Journal multiple times and earned the Lawyers of Distinction Award. Our reputation and history of successful verdicts and settlements have earned us a 10.0 Superb AVVO rating.
Choose Mission Personal Injury Lawyers to represent you in your pedestrian injury case, and we will:
- Offer the insightful legal advice and guidance you need
- Conduct a careful investigation into your accident to determine causation and liability
- Work with experts to develop expert testimony regarding the cause of your accident and the value of your damages
- Fight any attempts to shift blame to you
- Negotiate on your behalf with the insurance company
- Present a persuasive case to a jury to seek full compensation if a fair settlement isn’t offered
Our pedestrian accident attorneys are not afraid to take your case to court to fight for the money you deserve. Call our law office today to schedule your free consultation with an aggressive San Diego pedestrian accident lawyer who will fight for you.
How Common Are Pedestrian Accidents in San Diego, CA?
Pedestrian accident deaths recently reached 25-year highs across the United States. In 2017, about 6,000 pedestrians across the country were killed in traffic accidents, with fatalities increasing 27% between 2007 and 2016, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
The association projected over 6,500 pedestrian deaths in 2019, the highest number in over 30 years. Pedestrian fatalities are up more than 50% in the past ten years alone.
San Diego County is known for its high rate of pedestrian fatalities and injuries, although the city has made efforts to reduce pedestrian deaths as part of the nationwide Vision Zero campaign. Since joining this movement in 2015, San Diego has invested over $50 million in improvements, like upgraded crosswalks at intersections prone to crashes.
In 2019, there were 213 traffic deaths and serious injuries in San Diego, down from 294 in 2018. There were 84 pedestrians seriously hurt or killed in San Diego in 2019, down from 127 in 2018.
There are limits to the changes San Diego can make to improve pedestrian safety, however. Speed plays a crucial role in the severity of pedestrian injuries and the risk of death. Yet, California law requires cities to set speed limits based on how fast 85% of cars travel on the road.
What Is My Pedestrian Accident Case Worth?
The value of your case depends on many factors. There is no way to estimate the value of a case without a consultation and careful review.
However, the following factors may affect your injury claim’s value:
- The type and severity of your injuries
- The cost of medical treatment, including anticipated future medical care
- Lost income
- Lost or reduced earning capacity and lost employment benefits
- The loss of a normal life
- Disability and disfigurement
- Pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other invisible injuries
- Circumstances of your case, including whether the at-fault driver was drunk or displayed extreme negligence
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers will conduct a careful investigation to determine the full extent of your damages. Our personal injury lawyers will fight for the full value of your case. Contact our law office for a free consultation to discuss what your case may be worth.
What Kind of Damages Are Available to Pedestrian Accident Victims?
When the driver is found partially or totally at fault, you may be entitled to a range of compensatory damages.
These damages cover your economic and non-economic damages, including:
- Medical bills, current and future
- Property damage
- Lost wages for time you took off work
- Reduced or lost earning capacity
- Benefits of employment, such as paid time off, pension contributions, and health insurance
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
In some cases, you may be entitled to punitive damages. A jury may award these damages to punish the defendant for intentional harm, disregard for human life, or extreme recklessness, such as drunk driving.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for a Pedestrian Accident in California?
California uses a pure comparative negligence rule in cases that involve shared fault. This means you can recover compensation even if you are 99% at fault for your accident.
If you are found partially liable for the crash, your damages will be reduced by the amount of fault assigned to you.
For example, if you suffer $100,000 in damages but are found 75% at fault, your damages will be reduced by 75% ($75,000). Your total recovery would be $25,000.
When vehicle accidents have unclear liability, insurance companies use it to their advantage. The insurance company may try to blame you for your accident to reduce the amount they need to pay. Your San Diego pedestrian injury lawyer will fight back against these victim-blaming attempts.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Pedestrian Accident Injuries
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers will fight for the full compensation you deserve for the serious injuries you have sustained in a motor vehicle crash. We will work to prove the extent of your injuries and their value in your claim.
We fight for pedestrians who have suffered the following injuries:
- Amputation
- Back injuries
- Brain injury
- Broken bones
- Catastrophic injuries
- Organ damage
- Nerve damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Wrongful death
We will also fight for compensation for your mental and psychological injuries. This may include depression, PTSD, anxiety, and more.
What Causes Most Pedestrian Accidents in San Diego, California?
The rise in pedestrian traffic deaths across the United States has been blamed on many factors, including increasingly congested and growing cities, distracted driving, and even legal marijuana.
In its annual report on pedestrian fatalities, the GHSA pointed to several trends:
- More pedestrian deaths at night on local roads away from intersections.
- An increase in unsafe driving behaviors like drowsy driving, distracted driving, and speeding.
- An increasing number of large SUVs on the road. Pedestrians struck by a large SUV are twice as likely to die as pedestrians struck by a passenger car.
In San Diego, several factors have been identified as the leading causes of pedestrian injuries and deaths in car accidents. A study conducted with UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center found that San Diego drivers often fail to see pedestrians when they are making right turns at busy intersections.
This led the city to re-time certain streetlights to lag behind adjacent pedestrian signals. The goal is to give pedestrians more time to enter a crosswalk so they are more visible to drivers before they get a green light.
Poorly designed intersections are only one factor in pedestrian accidents in San Diego. Distracted driving and inattention (from both drivers and pedestrians) are leading factors as well.
Distracted Driving
According to the NHTSA, 400 pedestrians were among the 2,841 people killed by distracted driving in 2018. It’s difficult to determine exactly how many pedestrians are killed due to distracted driving, but it’s believed to be a leading factor.
Around 65% of pedestrian victims of distracted driving are white males between 25 and 64. Victims of distracted driving are more likely to be struck in a city outside of a marked crosswalk. About half of these accidents occur during the day.
Pedestrian Caused Accidents
Pedestrians may also contribute to or cause accidents in San Diego.
A pedestrian may be negligent if they:
- Cross at an unmarked crosswalk and fail to yield to oncoming traffic
- Cross outside a crosswalk
- Cross at a designated crosswalk when the signal says not to cross
- Attempt to cross while intoxicated
- Are inattentive or distracted, such as using a cell phone while crossing
- Disrupt the flow of traffic
- Do not wear reflective gear and cross at night, especially outside a marked crosswalk
- Dart into the street
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers will conduct a thorough investigation into your accident to determine how it occurred. We will consider all possible causes of your crash to identify liable parties.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Pedestrian Accident in California?
There are many ways to prove negligence in pedestrian accident cases in San Diego.
Your San Diego pedestrian accident attorney at Mission Personal Injury Lawyers will investigate your accident to gather evidence, such as:
- Witness statements
- Expert testimony
- Video or photo evidence of the scene of the accident. This can come from witnesses, social media, dash cams, or surveillance footage from intersection cameras and businesses.
- Police report, which may have an opinion on the cause or observations by police
- Traffic citations any party may have been issued
- Subpoena for the driver’s cell phone records to prove they were texting or calling at the time of the accident
We will consider the driver’ actions and other factors like intersection design, weather conditions, and road conditions.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Pedestrian Accident in California?
In California, you have just two years from the date of your accident to file a personal injury lawsuit for damages. This same statute of limitations applies to wrongful death lawsuits if a victim was killed in a pedestrian accident.
If you do not file a lawsuit before this deadline expires, you are barred from recovering any compensation from the at-fault party for your injuries.
Do not make the mistake of delaying your claim. You may think two years is a long time. However, crucial evidence like surveillance footage and witnesses can disappear. Your accident may require a lengthy investigation, and delays can damage the value of your claim.
Contact the experienced San Diego pedestrian injury lawyers at Mission Personal Injury Lawyers as soon as possible to protect your case and begin gathering the evidence you need.
Contact Our San Diego Pedestrian Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
At Mission Personal Injury Lawyers, we understand the devastating effects of pedestrian traffic accidents. You should not be left with a financial and mental burden after a negligent driver strikes you. You also should not be forced to fight a stressful and complex battle with the insurance company while you struggle to heal.
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers is here to fight for you and the full compensation you deserve. Contact our law office today for a free consultation with a San Diego pedestrian accident lawyer who will support you at every stage of your claim. We work on a contingency-fee basis; you pay nothing unless we are successful in recovering compensation for you.
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Visit Our Personal Injury Law Office in San Diego, CA
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers
2515 Camino del Rio South
San Diego, CA (92108)
(619) 777-5555