What are a pedestrian’s rights after an accident in Philadelphia Pennsylvania?

Pedestrians do sometimes end up getting hit and injured by drivers who are not careful enough on the roads. Fortunately, there are fairly simple ways for victims to receive compensation once they have contacted the right attorney. There is also the option of cooperating with law enforcement if they decide to prosecute a reckless driver.

Young man hit by a car on the streets of Philadelphia

There were news reports of a 20 year old man who was hospitalized after he was hit by a car while crossing the intersection of 56th and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia. Police believe that a 2009 Volkswagen car was speeding through the area, which caused the accident. Witnesses said that the man appeared to be thrown like a rag doll against a building after the speeding car hit him without slowing down. Some of the witnesses were people in that same building who were alarmed after hearing the very loud initial impact. The man will now require several surgeries for his injuries.

Police have a surveillance video of the area and released a statement that they are investigating to determine if any criminal charges or traffic infractions will be given to the suspected driver. They also disclosed that another car was hit during the accident as it was attempting to park.

What are a pedestrian’s options?

When a pedestrian is hit, they can file the same kind of lawsuit against the driver as if they were driving a car. In all kinds of accidents, the victim can make the person at fault financially responsible to pay for all of their medical treatment, hospital costs, lost time at work and wages, and other related expenses. In this particular incident, the man’s multiple surgeries may be a huge expense, and the driver can be made to pay for all of them.

The structure of all of these lawsuits are essentially the same. They are called negligence cases and your attorney’s job is to prove that the defendant breached their duty of care on the road, which caused injuries to you. The most important element of these cases are damages. This is the legal term for the total amount of money that the defendant has to pay out for all of the plaintiff’s expenses. Skilled accident lawyers know how to argue for the largest amounts allowed by law in each state.

Can I prosecute the person?

In cases of reckless drivers, those who intentionally cause an accident, or intoxicated drivers, the police may ask for your cooperation in a criminal investigation. If this happens, you should cooperate with the prosecutor and police to punish the person at fault, but this usually will not get you any kind of payment aside from small amounts of restitution. You can file a civil lawsuit against the driver whether or not a criminal case is ever filed or the person is convicted. After providing your information to law enforcement, you may receive a subpoena to testify against the person in court or provide other information to help the prosecution.

Discuss your options after a car accident

To make sure you are compensated appropriately and exhaust all available legal remedies, it is important to speak to an experienced car accident attorney. Metzger and Kleiner Attorneys at Law represent people in Philadelphia and throughout the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania.