In the event of an accident with a motor vehicle, pedestrians are vulnerable and unprotected. It’s for that reason that injuries in pedestrian accidents are usually severe.
Common Pedestrian Accidents
Most pedestrian accidents are caused by drivers who just don’t pay sufficient attention to what’s going on around them. Pedestrians are often hit when crossing streets at marked and unmarked crosswalks, while walking on the sides of roads, while walking through parking lots and when vehicles are backing up.
Comparative Negligence
A pedestrian accident lawyer in Atlanta will tell you that the most common defense raised by insurance companies is that the injured claimant wasn’t paying sufficient attention to what was going on around him or her too. That defense is based on the law of comparative negligence. Georgia is what’s known as a modified comparative state. Any negligence on the part of the injured claimant doesn’t operate to preclude a damages recovery, so long as the claimant was less than 50% negligent. Any percentage of negligence that is attributable to the claimant is then deducted from his or her gross award. For example, if a gross award is $100,000, and the pedestrian claimant is determined to be 25% at fault, the net award would be $75,000.
Pedestrian accidents become highly complicated quickly. If you were the victim in a pedestrian accident, don’t give the opposing insurer any type of a statement. It will only try to use your own words against you in the future. Instead, A victim should retain an experienced and effective pedestrian accident lawyer in Atlanta right away by calling the Champion Firm, P.C. at 404-594-5034. You can also use our easy contact form at website
