6 Pedestrian Accident Tips For You

Were you injured while walking in Boise and have questions about our 6 pedestrian accident tips for you? Contact our attorneys to get started.

1) Choosing a Pedestrian Accident Attorney

If you’ve been injured as a pedestrian in Idaho, how do you pick the best lawyer? The answer is really quite simple. You pick the best trial lawyer you can. You pick the best injury trial lawyer that you can. At Hepworth Holzer, we are those lawyers.

A while back, a nice woman was crossing the crosswalk here in Boise, Idaho. It was almost two years ago because we just settled her case the other day. She was crossing in a crosswalk here in Boise, Idaho. She entered the crosswalk lawfully and was on her way when a driver who had been on her right wanted to turn left on the road that she was in. The road she was in was a one-way coming from her right.

The driver looked to his right to make certain that he wouldn’t hit anybody, any other cars, or wouldn’t get struck himself, but did not check to see if the crosswalk was clear. He accelerated hard onto the one-way street. As he did so, he went through the intersection and through this nice young woman. She was terribly injured.

She called, explained the facts of her case, and asked whether we could help. Our answer was yes. She also told us that her father’s business lawyer in Sandpoint, Idaho thought that maybe he could help her. She originally talked to him and realized that this isn’t what he does. It’s not his field of work. She hired the lawyers here at Hepworth Holzer instead. We saw her through to the end.

It’s important that you hire the right lawyer, the right trial lawyer, for your pedestrian accident. Spend time, interview lawyers, and find one that has done these types of cases hundreds if not thousands of times. We look forward to hearing from you.

2) Differences Between Pedestrian Accidents and Auto Accidents

How is a pedestrian injury claim different than an automobile collision claim in Idaho? The answer is there are many things that are the same and many things that are different, as you know from the fact that it’s a pedestrian claim. There’s generally only one car involved. That’s the car that runs somebody over.

In pedestrian cases, the insurance companies that defend negligent, dangerous drivers are almost universally looking for an out. They will claim that somehow the collision is a result of the pedestrian’s failure to do what they should have done. They’ll claim that a pedestrian wasn’t in a crosswalk. They’ll claim that a pedestrian wasn’t in a crosswalk legally; in other words, that they entered the crosswalk after the sign had changed. They will argue that as a matter of law, certain intersections are not crosswalks and misstate the law when doing so.

Just two years ago, we had a case involving a woman who is now deceased. She was walking to her local 7-1-1 from her neighborhood. Her road made a tee intersection with a busy road here in Boise.

When she came to the sidewalk at the end of her road, she checked both ways. It was clear. She proceeded across the street. As she did so, a young woman just off work, as a waitress in a bar as fate would have it, came up the hill, over the top, and right through this lady who had already cleared three of the four lanes of traffic.

The insurance company claimed that they weren’t going to pay because this sweet, old, now deceased woman was not in a crosswalk. Now, they were right; she was not at a crosswalk that was lined out with white paint and little strips, but as experienced pedestrian injury lawyers would tell you, in Idaho, anytime there’s an intersection of two roads at the corner, there is a presumed crosswalk for pedestrian crossing. We brought that case and put it to them. Experienced trial lawyers like those at Hepworth Holzer can help you recover in your pedestrian injury claim.

3) Pedestrian Accident Case Timeline

How long does it take to resolve my pedestrian injury claim in Idaho? The answer to that is it depends. It depends on the extent of your injury and the speed of your recovery, as well as the defenses that the driver’s insurance may think they have. These cases sometimes resolve rather quickly, but most cases do not.

The reason for that is when a car strikes a person, the injuries are often very substantial. As you might imagine, when you’re substantially injured, it takes your body longer to recover. In our practice here at Hepworth Holzer, we’re not in the business of running cases in so that we can run them out for the quickest possible settlement. We’re interested in the fullest possible recovery.

It’s important that you understand you only get one opportunity to resolve your case. We want to make sure that occurs after the full extent of your damages are completed. How long does it take? When we know when you will be better, then we can tell you when we think we can have your case done.

In Idaho, there’s a two-year statute of limitations for most people. We can always file a lawsuit if we approach that two years. If the case goes to trial, obviously, that takes longer. We can answer all those questions and help you through the process. If you’ve been hit as a pedestrian in Idaho, check in with the lawyers at Hepworth Holzer. We’ve done this many times.

4) Injured by a Hit and Run

If you are hit as a pedestrian by a hit-and-run driver anywhere in Idaho, is it possible that you would have a means of recovery? The answer to that is yes, depending upon whether we can find the hit-and-run driver and hold him accountable. If not, whether under your own auto insurance policy, you might have coverage that extends to this very event. Pedestrians almost universally think that as a pedestrian, they’re not insured. In Idaho, your auto policy likely extends coverage to you as a pedestrian.

The lawyers at Hepworth Holzer have done hundreds if not thousands of pedestrian cases. We know all the tricks. We can jump through all the hoops. We can help you find the recovery that you deserve. Please give us a call.

5) Common Mistakes After a Pedestrian Accident

What are common mistakes people make after having been involved in a pedestrian collision? In Idaho, pedestrians are hit by automobiles or other moving vehicles with great regularity. That is true everywhere. There are mistakes that people commonly make that given the opportunity, we’d like them not to make, and they’d like not to make.

Many times, following a wreck, the at-fault driver will check on the injured person. If they seem okay, they might say it isn’t necessary to call the police. They might suggest paying on the side. That is almost universally a bad idea.

If you’ve been run over by a car as a pedestrian and it’s the fault of the car, you should definitely call the police. The police can investigate. They can make determinations and find a number of facts that will matter to you later on, if it turns out that you’re injured.

Another problem that frequently exists in pedestrian versus auto or moving vehicle cases is when the injured party doesn’t call the police and doesn’t get all the information about the driver and his insurance. It’s critical that you have this information. I’ve had a number of cases where injured pedestrians have simply taken a business card from the person who ran them over. Sometimes that worked out fine because that person stepped to the plate and admitted they were involved; in other cases, a sly, young at-fault driver provided a business card that wasn’t him at all. That left our injured pedestrian scrambling to find the right person and the at-fault person. It’s never a good idea not to get a picture if you can of the person who ran you over, the vehicle they’re in, the vehicle’s license plate, a picture of their driver’s license, a picture of their proof of insurance, and a picture of their vehicle registration. These are all things the police will generally do if you call the police.

Another mistake people make is they leave an accident scene feeling like they’re okay. A few hours later, they almost universally find that being struck by a 6,000-pound vehicle was hard on their body. It’s very important if you’ve been injured— even if those injuries show up later in the day, the next day, the next week— that you get checked out by your healthcare provider as soon as possible. The lawyers at Hepworth Holzer can help you figure out how to get those bills paid.

Another problem people make is they have the vehicle information from the at-fault driver, but they make the mistake of contacting his insurance. Those insurance adjusters that answer the phone are in the business of protecting people. Unfortunately, they are not in the business of protecting you, the pedestrian; they’re in the business of protecting the knucklehead that ran you over. They’re very adept at getting information from you that we would not allow you to give them. Before speaking with the bad guy’s insurance company, it’s a good idea to check in with your lawyers at Hepworth Holzer or somewhere else.

If you decide to hire a lawyer for your pedestrian wreck, we would encourage you to do your research. Pedestrian wrecks are difficult cases. They take experienced injury trial lawyers, lawyers who the insurance companies know and fear. Please check with us. We can help.

6) Speaking to the Insurance Company After a Pedestrian Accident

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Were you or a loved one severely injured after being hit by a vehicle in Boise and have questions about our 6 pedestrian accident tips for you? Contact experienced Boise Pedestrian Accident Attorneys at Hepworth Holzer today for a free legal consultation and case evaluation.

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