Pedestrian accidents frequently cause life-threatening injuries to the victims and even death. They are more common than most people realize, and injured pedestrians should receive compensation for their losses.
It’s crucial to understand more about making a personal injury claim for money if you get severe injuries in a pedestrian accident. Before filing a lawsuit related to a pedestrian accident in Michigan, you should be aware of these five things.
Gather more evidence at the accident scene
It is crucial to gather as much proof as possible at the scene of the collision to present to a pedestrian accident attorney. If possible, take pictures of the incident, and get the contact information of any witnesses. It will be crucial to have proof to show the driver was at fault for the collision.
Visit a doctor as soon as possible.
Even if you don’t immediately consider your injuries severe, you should visit a doctor soon for a thorough medical evaluation. Some injuries can take hours or even days to show symptoms. Internal bleeding, for instance, might not be readily apparent. But things may get much worse if you put off seeing a doctor for too long. The driver who was at fault in this situation may contend that you contributed to the severity of your injuries.
Pedestrians may be eligible for various forms of compensation
Both economic and non-economic damages may be available to pedestrians hurt in car-related incidents. These losses could cover paying for medical expenses, missed wages, prescription drugs, and pain and suffering.
You may first submit a claim for no-fault insurance benefits. These cover medical costs, missed wages, attendant care needs, and other benefits. Even if you were at fault or didn’t have motor insurance, you are still eligible for these payments.
Second, you may be qualified to make a negligence claim. A seasoned pedestrian accident attorney can help you demonstrate that the driver who hit you was entirely or substantially to blame for the collision. This claim offers you a settlement payment for your personal injury.
Even if you believe you contributed to the collision in any way, you should still file a claim.
As long as the plaintiff was not at least 51 percent at blame for the incident that resulted in her injuries, Michigan’s modified comparative responsibility legislation still permits plaintiffs to seek damages in a personal injury claim.
As a result, you should still submit a claim even if you think you may have contributed to the pedestrian accident. If you are 50% or less at fault, you are still entitled to damages, but the amount of those damages will be diminished by the degree of your fault.
Your window of opportunity to submit your claim will be quite short.
According to Michigan law, a victimized pedestrian has a finite amount of time to submit a claim. A plaintiff must submit a claim within three years of the injury according to Michigan’s three-year statute of limitations.
