Beaumont Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Even though people rely on cars to get almost anywhere today, they still need to walk occasionally. Unfortunately, sometimes pedestrians have to walk in areas heavily populated by vehicles, such as parking lots and busy streets, where devastating accidents occur, especially when motorists fail to pay full attention to their driving.

If a car injured you or caused the loss of a loved one, you deserve support. A dedicated Beaumont pedestrian accident lawyer could help you pursue compensation in a personal injury suit.

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Beaumont

Civil cases are built on the concept of negligence, which means someone had a duty of care to another person and they breached that duty, causing compensable losses. Negligent and reckless drivers strike pedestrians for several reasons, including the following:

• Reversing – Failing to notice pedestrians when backing up, such as out of parking spaces or driveways
• Speeding – Reckless driving that often results in running stop signs or red lights, increasing the risk of collisions
• Distracted driving – Missing pedestrians in crosswalks or traffic light signals, leading to loss of control
• Drunk driving – Impaired judgment and slower reaction times

While cars typically hit walkers in heavily congested areas, such as in city and town centers, pedestrian collisions also occur in other places, like on rural roads or along the side of a highway, where a pedestrian cannot access a sidewalk to shield them from traffic. Pedestrian accidents are also prevalent in busy store parking lots.

A seasoned Beaumont pedestrian accident lawyer could investigate to learn more about the accident and carefully examine critical evidence to determine why it occurred.

What Happens When the Pedestrian is Partly At Fault?

When a car strikes a pedestrian, the individual can sustain severe injuries, but what if the pedestrian bears some degree of responsibility for the collision? Not all accidents are exclusively the fault of a negligent motorist. In some cases, a careless pedestrian might be partly at fault. Pedestrians could bear some responsibility in the following circumstances:

• If they walk on the street instead of on a sidewalk
• If they cross the street outside of a designated crosswalk
• If they cross the street at night while wearing dark clothing
• If they cross the street when a traffic light says, “Do not walk”

Fortunately, Texas law does not bar lawsuits when multiple parties are at fault for a crash. Instead, the court will review the facts of the case and assign percentages of fault. If the pedestrian is less than 51 percent to blame for causing the accident, they could still sue for damages. However, the court could reduce their damages award proportionately.

Experienced crosswalk accident attorneys in Beaumont could aggressively advocate on behalf of a pedestrian and search for evidence proving that the driver was primarily at fault for the crash.

Contact a Beaumont Pedestrian Collision Attorney

Motor vehicles can cause extensive damage to people walking because pedestrians lack protective gear to shield them from the impact. Consequently, pedestrians can suffer life-altering, or even fatal, injuries.

Compassionate attorneys from Schechter, Shaffer & Harris understand how traumatic pedestrian accidents can be and we want to help you get compensated for a brain injury, paralysis, or any other injury you experienced. Contact a determined Beaumont pedestrian accident lawyer who could fight for you – schedule a free consultation with us as soon as possible.