Phoenix Pedestrian Accident Attorneys
Pedestrians are Phoenix’s most vulnerable road users. It is up to drivers to protect pedestrians through smart and prudent driving. Drivers must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians when applicable, watch for them at crosswalks, and pay attention to reduced speed limits in residential or school zones. Any breach of a driver’s duties could result in a pedestrian accident.
If a vehicle recently struck you or a loved one while walking, the Phoenix personal injury lawyers at Gallagher & Kennedy can help protect your rights. All it takes is a phone call to our firm to learn more about your options as the victim of a serious or catastrophic pedestrian accident. Call (602) 530-8400 today to speak to one of our Phoenix pedestrian accident attorneys for free.
Why Clients Choose Us
- We have proven our ability to get results, recovering millions of dollars on behalf of injured clients and their loved ones.
- We have 210+ years of collective experience in representing injured accident victims, including many pedestrians.
- We do not charge fees for our legal services unless we recover a settlement or verdict on the client’s behalf.
Why Our Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Don’t Charge Upfront Fees
Our law firm takes clients on a contingency fee basis, which means we only receive payment if we resolve your case with monetary compensation. That also means if we don’t win, you don’t owe us anything. Having supported injury victims in numerous cases for the last 40+ years, we’ve found that a contingency fee pricing arrangement works best for our clients. It also allows immediate access to legal help that might not otherwise be attainable.
Justice should never be hidden behind a paywall. Our goal is to remove that barrier and give anyone injured through negligence the opportunity to seek justice regardless of their economic status. There’s also the added confidence instilled in our clients and extra motivation for our attorneys, knowing that our success as a law firm is inextricably linked to theirs.
We Aim for Maximum Compensation in Your Pedestrian Accident Claim
In personal injury cases, often the victims aren’t going up against another person but against a large company or insurance agency. These companies spend copious amounts of money to avoid paying you what you deserve.
We take on defendants like these with a staunch resolve to get the results they want to deny you so unjustly. Our adversaries recognize our reputation for results.
While each case is unique and we cannot guarantee results, our pedestrian accident attorneys in Phoenix aim to achieve results for you like these:
- $10 million settlement in a case where a distracted driver struck a child
- $1.8 million settlement of claims resulting from wrongful death after a strip club served drinks to an underage driver
- $1.5 million settlement for a triathlete who was hit by a driver while training on a bicycle
Our results represent more than just their financial value. A huge part of their worth is the peace of mind it brings our clients, knowing they won’t have to worry about the cost of medical treatments or how they’ll keep a roof over their family’s head while they’re out of work. Our personal injury lawyers aren’t fighting for money—they’re fighting for your future.
Our Duty to You in Your Phoenix Pedestrian Accident Claim
As your legal counsel, our duties are far-reaching. We offer comprehensive legal services that ensure all aspects of your case are handled so you can focus on your recovery. Establishing negligence in your pedestrian accident is just one facet of our job.
To better understand how our Phoenix law firm works for you, here are some of the tasks we can manage for your case:
- Investigating your claim
- Determining the liable parties
- Gathering evidence
- Communicating with the insurance company and other parties
- Negotiating on your behalf for a fair settlement
- Filing a lawsuit, if necessary
- Prepping your case for court
- Fighting for you at trial
Why Work With Our Personal Injury Law Firm in Phoenix
Again, the team at Gallagher & Kennedy has more than 210 years of collective legal experience. Our prowess is evident in our history of handling some of the biggest cases across the country and securing multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts.
Compassionate and Committed
Our personal injury law firm in Phoenix is built on the passion our attorneys have for getting justice for our clients—your case is our cause. We know your pedestrian accident might be the worst thing that has ever happened to you, and we want to make sure you have the money you need to put your life back together.
Our adversaries in the insurance, corporate, and legal worlds know we aren’t afraid to take a case to trial. If we’re sitting at the negotiating table, we’re confident we have a winning case.
Abundant Resources to Build Your Case
Gallagher & Kennedy is a full-service law firm operating in multiple practice areas in Phoenix, which allows us to tap into a wealth of resources for each case. We have access to experts and the wherewithal to build a case properly. Our clients can’t be bullied by insurers trying to overwork and outmatch them with multiple defense lawyers. We have an extensive in-house legal team that’s ready to fight for you.
Legal Guidance When It’s Needed Most
Pedestrian accident cases involving serious injuries, wrongful death, drunk drivers, or hit and runs typically require services from a law firm. Any pedestrian accident case with complex factors that might make it harder to obtain a fair settlement could benefit from an attorney’s attention—otherwise, the pedestrian could be forced to settle for an unfair amount or nothing at all. The Phoenix accident lawyers at Gallagher & Kennedy can make sure that your rights as an accident victim are protected during your personal injury claim.
Establishing Negligence in Your Phoenix Pedestrian Accident Case
Protecting your right to compensation means putting together a definitive case for driver or third-party negligence. Our pedestrian accident attorneys can work with experienced investigators to uncover the source of your accident and look for any signs of negligence that contributed to the crash. Many times it comes down to driver error.
A strong case for compensation establishes the four elements of negligence.
There are four elements to prove liability for damages:
- Duty of care: The at-fault party is obligated by law to drive safely or otherwise prevent others from getting hurt. As a driver, the law requires them to obey traffic laws, pay attention, and prevent an accident from occurring. The duty that the negligent party owes in a car crash should be a given. However, in some circumstances, the plaintiff must prove that the opposing party actually had an obligation to prevent harm.
- Breach of duty: If the driver or another party owed you a duty of care, we must prove that they failed to fulfill that duty. Duty is presumed when another driver is at fault, but it’s important to show how they failed to live up to their responsibility. Were they using a cell phone while driving? Did they run a red light? Did they accidentally accelerate when they should have braked? The breach is usually the actual cause of the accident.
- Causation: Next, your Phoenix pedestrian accident lawyer must demonstrate that the driver’s failure to operate a vehicle safely was the proximate cause of the accident. Without the driver’s improper actions, they would not have struck you.
- Damages: Finally, it’s your attorney’s job to prove that the accident left you with injuries or other losses. Whether you suffered physical, emotional, and/or financial harm, the injury must be a result of the pedestrian crash.
If the suspected negligent party is not the other driver but a third-party entity, such as a local government or car company, the elements of negligence would be applied to their specific obligations to you.
Liability in Phoenix Pedestrian Accidents
The party responsible for the crash is liable for damages. Unfortunately, sometimes that party is the pedestrian victim if they exhibited poor judgment in crossing the road. Other times, the party is a driver who failed to act responsibly—for example, by driving while distracted or failing to obey a stop sign.
We have also managed cases where neither the driver nor the victim was to blame. Instead, it was a third-party entity that neglected their duty, such as a local government that failed to address faulty traffic lights.
Potentially liable parties in a Phoenix pedestrian accident may be:
- Driver: Negligent drivers are often the cause of pedestrian accidents. Poor judgment, distracted driving, driving under the influence, or disobeying traffic laws are just a few ways that a driver can harm a pedestrian.
- Car manufacturer: Defective vehicle parts can lead to accidents. You can hold the car manufacturer liable in this case.
- Tire manufacturer: Faulty tires are a detriment to both drivers and pedestrians. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 35 percent of all vehicle crashes are related to tire problems. Some may be due to a lack of proper maintenance, while others are manufacturing issues. For instance, tread separation can begin long before you buy the tires.
- Local government: Your local government is responsible for the upkeep of roads, traffic signals, and streetlights. If government-controlled factors contributed to your pedestrian accident in Phoenix, you might have a claim against them.
- Construction company or site owner: Hazardous construction sites are dangerous to workers as well as nearby pedestrians. Falling debris or road obstructions are two examples of construction hazards.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents
Over many years of representing injured pedestrians, the Phoenix accident pedestrian lawyers at Gallagher & Kennedy have realized that most accidents happen due to driver carelessness. Too many drivers fail to keep their eyes on the road, making it difficult to stop in time when a pedestrian crosses the street.
Others do not understand pedestrian right-of-way or yield when they should.
- Distracted drivers: Distracted driving currently takes the lives of more than 3,100 people in the U.S. every year. The state has started cracking down on drivers who disregard the safety of others, making it illegal to drive while using a cell phone. 100 percent of accidents caused by distracted driving are preventable. When a driver chooses to drive while distracted, they need to be held accountable.
- Speeding: Recently, the state reported 359 deaths and 19,554 people injured in speed-related crashes in one year alone. These crashes are more deadly for pedestrians who have no outside protection during the impact.
- Drunk drivers: Recently, over 5,600 alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents occurred throughout our state in one year. Of that total, 164 were accidents that began with a driver hitting a pedestrian, resulting in 45 deaths. Drunk driving (or otherwise driving under the influence of controlled substances) slows the driver’s reaction time, increasing the risk of harm to those who travel on foot.
- Unsafe or unmarked crosswalks: Pedestrians rely on crosswalks to guide them safely across the street. When these zones are not properly marked, walkers may cross at the wrong place. If a crosswalk is placed in an unsafe location, walkers are at risk of being struck.
- Malfunctioning traffic signals: Broken traffic signals are a danger to all Phoenix road users. Without them, drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are left to navigate the flow of traffic on their own. If drivers receive a mixed signal or mistakenly believe they have the right of way, a collision can occur. Pedestrians are at the mercy of drivers who get to decide if they stop or go because traffic signals are not functioning.
- Low visibility: Many pedestrian accidents occur at night when the visibility is low. Drivers may have difficulty seeing, making it hard to avoid hitting a pedestrian. According to the NHTSA, 76 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes occur in the dark.
Our lawyers can investigate your pedestrian accident for signs of someone else’s negligence and gather evidence to help prove your case. We can then bring your insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit within the state’s deadlines. The Phoenix pedestrian accident attorneys at Gallagher & Kennedy are ready to defend your best interests and work to prove someone else’s financial responsibility for your damages.
Potential Compensation in a Phoenix Pedestrian Accident Case
A successful pedestrian accident claim could reimburse you for many economic and non-economic damages. If you or a loved one suffered a catastrophic injury to the spinal cord or brain, your case could end in a six- or seven-figure award to cover a lifetime of medical expenses. The potential value of your claim will depend on the type(s) and severity of the damages you suffered.
Economic damages compensate you for the financial losses your pedestrian accident in Phoenix caused, while non-economic damages provide financial compensation for any losses without a set monetary value.
For example, you may be eligible to claim compensation for:
- Medical bills
- Lost income
- Reduced earning potential
- Rideshare, taxi, public transportation, or carpooling costs if you can no longer travel by foot
- Rehabilitation or physical therapy
- Chiropractic care
- Mobility equipment (such as crutches, canes, scooters, or wheelchairs)
- Permanent disability
- Disfigurement or scars
- Significant physical pain and suffering
- Emotional costs, such as depression, difficulty sleeping, anxiety attacks, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Reduced quality of life
Our Phoenix pedestrian accident lawyers can evaluate your claim and give you a fair estimate of its worth during a free, confidential consultation. An attorney will listen to your story, ask questions about the accident, and help you decide the best course of action for financial recovery, so you can move forward.
Wrongful Death in a Phoenix Pedestrian Crash
If you lost a loved one in a Phoenix pedestrian accident, our law firm wishes to express our deepest sympathies during this unimaginable time. Many pedestrian fatalities are preventable, which can make it even harder to cope with the loss.
As you and your family navigate this bereavement period and consider your legal options, we hope that you will allow us to fight for you. Our pedestrian accident attorneys serving Phoenix can file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver or the appropriate liable party.
In a wrongful death claim, your family may recover compensation for:
- Medical expenses
- Funeral, burial, or cremation costs
- Lost financial support
- Lost household services
- Loss of care, companionship, love, guidance, protection, etc.
- Emotional suffering, such as grief, depression, stress, or shock
Our law firm is honored to fight for grieving families who deserve justice. There’s nothing that can replace your loved one, but we hope to ease any financial and emotional burden caused by the careless acts of another.
Common Injuries for Pedestrian Accident Victims
The head, pelvic region, and lower legs are often injured in pedestrian accidents. These injuries and others can be catastrophic for victims. Some may be permanently disabled if they survive.
Common injuries in adult pedestrian crashes include:
- Fractures of the shins, pelvis, knees, or ribs
- Ligament damage
- Cuts, bruises, or abrasions
- Dislocated joints
- Dismembered limbs
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Paralysis or another spinal cord injury
- Neck or back injury
- Nerve damage
The risk of pedestrian accidents and death is also prevalent for children.
Those who survive may endure injuries like:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Chest injury
- Abdominal injury
- Torn muscles, nerves, tendons, and ligaments
If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a collision, a Phoenix pedestrian accident attorney from our firm can seek the compensation you need to pay for adequate medical care now and in the future.
Call Gallagher & Kennedy Today for Help With Your Pedestrian Accident Claim
Our Phoenix car accident attorneys are passionate about helping injured victims seek justice and fair compensation from negligent or reckless parties. We believe that legal action can help initiate real change in pedestrian safety across the state.
To learn more, contact us today at (602) 530-8400 for your free case review.
Galleger Kennedy – Phoenix Office
2575 E Camelback Rd, Suite 1100
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Tel: (602) 530-8400