​Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Bakersfield CA

Pedestrian accidents can be devastating, life-altering events that are often caused by careless or aggressive drivers. These accidents can be particularly dangerous because pedestrians have little to protect them from the force of the impact.

If a motorist hit you while you were walking in Bakersfield, you could be owed significant compensation—and the pedestrian accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Mickey Fine can help you demand it. Mickey Fine has more than 30 years of experience helping injured Californians and has secured millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts on their behalf.

Our team will be ready to handle your case for you and seek the full and fair compensation you need to pay your bills and move on with your life. Call our Bakersfield personal injury lawyers today or visit us online for a free consultation.

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Why the Law Offices of Mickey Fine Is the Right Choice After a Pedestrian Accident

With so many pedestrian accident attorneys in Bakersfield to choose from, here are a few reasons why the Law Offices of Mickey Fine is the right choice for your case:

• Affordable representation. We do not want you to worry about how much it costs to hire an attorney after a pedestrian accident. That is why we do not charge our clients any upfront fees. If we take your case, you do not owe us any fees unless we recover compensation for you. We also offer free consultations to potential new clients.
• Personal attention. Some law firms focus on settling cases as quickly as possible before moving on to the next client. At these firms, clients often work with paralegals and other staff instead of their lawyers. We believe you deserve better from your attorney. We provide individual attention to every client, and you can contact your attorney anytime you have a question or want an update on your case.
• Proven results. A lawyer can promise the world, but what they deliver may not live up to those expectations. Our firm has a proven track record demonstrating what we can achieve for our clients.
• Decades of experience. Attorney Mickey Fine has spent more than 30 years representing injured people in Bakersfield. That experience helps us be better advocates for you because we know the ins and outs of these cases.

How Our Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident Attorneys Can Help You

A pedestrian accident lawyer’s job is to protect your rights after an accident while you focus on recovering from your injuries.

Some of the ways our Bakersfield pedestrian accident lawyers can help with your case include:

• Investigating the accident. Our highly trained and experienced team can investigate the accident to determine who caused your injuries and how much compensation you could pursue. If you hire our firm, we will move quickly after a crash to preserve as much evidence from the scene as possible.
• Documenting your injuries and expenses. Pedestrian accidents often exact a harsh physical, emotional, and financial toll on a victim. To help you seek maximum compensation, we can use your medical records and other evidence to thoroughly document the accident’s impact on your life.
• Filing an insurance claim. Waiting too long to act after a pedestrian accident could jeopardize your right to compensation. Once we have investigated the crash and documented your losses, we can file an insurance claim against the liable parties and begin settlement negotiations.
• Negotiating a fair settlement. As for-profit businesses, insurance companies want to protect their profits above everything else, which means they may try to find ways to reduce your compensation. Our team knows the tactics insurance companies use to deny or minimize the value of a claim, and we can protect your right to compensation during settlement negotiations.
• Filing a lawsuit and seeking compensation in court. Insurance companies usually prefer to settle a suit instead of risking a trial. However, insurers sometimes refuse to make a reasonable settlement offer after a pedestrian accident. You may need to take the insurance company to court to protect your rights if this happens. We can develop a robust legal strategy for you to use in a trial.

Compensation After a Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident

Because pedestrians have little to protect them from a car crash, pedestrian accident cases often result in more severe injuries and significant financial losses than other accidents. The worse your injuries and financial losses are after an accident, the more critical it is to hire an experienced and dedicated attorney.

A Bakersfield pedestrian accident lawyer can help you pursue compensation for:

• Any medical expenses related to the accident, including hospital care, doctor’s appointments, prescription drugs, lab tests, diagnostic imaging, physical therapy, and the cost of future care
• Any wages you lost while healing from your injuries, as well as your reduced future earnings due to an injury or disability
• Physical pain and emotional distress
• Reduced quality of life due to a long-term injury or disability
• Damaged or destroyed personal property

Keep in mind that every pedestrian accident case is different, so the amount you could pursue may not match what someone else recovered after a crash. Your lawyer can tell you more about how much your pedestrian accident case might be worth.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics in Bakersfield

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), 1,034 pedestrians died in crashes statewide during one recent year. The CHP also noted that about 10 percent of all pedestrian accident victims that year were children under 15.

Causes of Bakersfield Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian accidents can happen for many reasons, including:

• Impaired driving. Drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol are more prone to speeding and other aggressive driving behaviors that can cause pedestrian crashes. Sometimes, an impaired driver may not see a pedestrian in the street until it’s too late to avoid a collision. Alcohol delays a driver’s reaction time and impairs their judgment.
• Distracted driving. Too many pedestrians suffer injuries at the hands of distracted drivers. Common driver distractions include talking on a cell phone, texting while driving, eating or drinking, applying makeup, grooming, talking to passengers, using a navigation device, and adjusting in-vehicle controls.
• Drowsy driving. Research shows that going more than 20 hours without sleep affects a driver’s performance to roughly the same extent as driving with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent, the legal limit in California.
• Speeding. Pedestrian safety advocates often use the phrase “speed kills” when talking about these cases because speeding drivers tend to cause more severe injuries. Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to speeding drivers because there is nothing to protect them from the force of a crash.
• Mechanical defects. If a car’s brakes, steering, or other crucial components fail as it nears an intersection or in a busy area, the driver may not be able to avoid hitting a pedestrian. In these cases, injured pedestrians may have a claim against the company that built the car or the defective part.
• Poor road conditions. Rain, fog, and poor-quality roads can increase the time it takes for a car to safely slow down and stop at an intersection. If motorists do not adjust their driving for poor road conditions, they might hit pedestrians crossing the street in front of them.

Injuries From Pedestrian Accidents in Bakersfield

Pedestrians frequently suffer catastrophic injuries after a car hits them, and these injuries may include:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Head injuries
• Face injuries
• Back and spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
• Neck injuries
• Internal bleeding
• Injuries to internal organs
• Severed or crushed limbs
• Broken bones
• Severe abrasions (“road rash”)
• Severe lacerations and bruises
• Emotional distress

Insurance Issues in Bakersfield Pedestrian Accidents

One reason to hire a lawyer after a pedestrian accident is that they can help you navigate the insurance issues that often arise in these cases.

Some potential insurance issues in a pedestrian accident case include:

• Proving liability. It is rare for a driver or their insurance company to admit fault in a pedestrian accident, and they may try to blame you for the crash. A lawyer can use police accident reports, crash scene photos, eyewitness accounts, expert testimony, medical records, and other evidence to show why you have the right to compensation for your injuries.
• Shared liability. Under California law, you can seek compensation after a pedestrian accident, even if you played a role in the crash. However, if you are partly responsible for a collision, the court could reduce your compensation by your share of the fault. Your pedestrian accident attorney can find evidence minimizing your role in a crash to help you recover maximum compensation.
• Documenting your injuries. No insurance company will pay more in a claim than they have to. Therefore, you need strong evidence of your injuries and financial losses to maximize your potential compensation. A pedestrian accident lawyer can help if the insurance company makes a lowball settlement offer in your case.
• Seeking compensation. The insurer may try to offer a lowball settlement or deny your claim to avoid liability. An attorney can fight for you at the negotiating table or in court to secure a fair settlement or verdict on your behalf.

What to Do After a Bakersfield Pedestrian Accident

Here are the critical steps to take once you have started medical treatment after a pedestrian accident:

• Save any evidence from the crash scene. If you have any photos from the accident scene or other evidence, store the evidence in a safe, secure place. This evidence may make the difference between winning or losing your case.
• Hold on to your medical records and receipts. Without your doctor’s notes and other medical records, you may have trouble proving the extent of your injuries after an accident. Keeping these records organized can make a significant difference in your case. Likewise, saving receipts is crucial to recovering compensation for financial losses after a crash.
• Do not post on social media. It is understandable to reach out to friends and family for support after an accident. However, insurance companies can find anything you post and use your posts against you. No matter how innocent your posts are, you do not want to give an insurer an excuse to deny or minimize your claim. The best way to protect yourself is to stay off social media entirely.
• Talk to our Bakersfield pedestrian accident lawyers before speaking with any insurance companies. The driver’s insurance company will likely contact you soon after a crash and ask you to accept a quick settlement. If an insurer contacts you, tell them to talk to your lawyer. The insurer may try to use anything you say to deny liability, so keep the conversation brief while still being polite.
• Hire our Bakersfield pedestrian accident lawyers. Our pedestrian accident attorneys’ job is to protect your rights and help you recover maximum compensation. The sooner you speak to our lawyers, the more we can help and protect you.

Contact a Pedestrian Accident Attorney in Bakersfield Now

Our team understands how painful a pedestrian accident can be and is here to help you seek compensation and justice for your injuries. Call the Law Offices of Mickey Fine today at (661) 333-3333 or visit our contact page to speak with our Bakersfield pedestrian accident attorneys.

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