Reno Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

Nevada law requires almost every accident to be reported to local law enforcement. When they arrive, the police will secure the scene, help traffic move smoothly, ensure medical care is received, collect all parties’ information, and talk to witnesses. They will write a detailed report describing factual information about the scene. This report will be essential to your insurance claim and personal injury claim. Without it, you won’t be able to make any claims against the at-fault party.

Nevada law requires all drivers to yield to a pedestrian who is in a crosswalk. However, pedestrians also have a responsibility to ensure they do not step into the crosswalk when it is unsafe to do so. If you are in a crosswalk before a car can be seen, you are safe—if you see a car approaching a crosswalk at a high rate of speed, you should not enter the crosswalk.

Nevada has had a hands-free law since 2012; it is illegal for drivers to be on the phone or texting unless they are in hands-free mode. Your Reno pedestrian accident attorney may subpoena the phone records to prove the driver was violating this law. In Nevada, and across the United States, distracted driving is dangerous for those who share the roads, including bicyclists and pedestrians.

Pedestrian accidents are complicated. Drivers who have filed an accident report with their insurance company will do anything possible to avoid being told they are liable for your injuries. Furthermore, the insurance company does not want to pay any more than necessary. This means they will try to show their client was not completely at fault.
Some of these erroneous defenses may include:

• Claiming the accident was partially your fault
• Claiming you were not as seriously injured as you stated
• Saying your injuries are actually part of a prior incident, and not from the result of the accident

These are not unusual tactics as every insurance adjuster will take extraordinary steps to protect their client—the insurance company. Hiring a Reno pedestrian lawyer allows you to have someone serving as your advocate.

First, make sure you have reported the incident involving any driver to both the police and the insurance company. If you have uninsured or underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage on your vehicle, you may file a claim with your own insurer. If someone in your home has the same coverage, your claim may be filed with them as well.

You should avoid speaking with the insurance company until you speak with a Reno accident injury lawyer. There are a few reasons for this, but the primary reason is that you need to make sure you understand your legal rights before discussing anything with the insurance company.
Keep in mind, insurance companies have lawyers who advise them on which questions they should ask accident victims, and what answers pose the “best” option for getting settlement amounts reduced. Therefore, what may seem like a “simple” question could be a trap. Your best option is to hire an attorney and let them deal with the insurance company on your behalf.

While there are no guarantees, there are some basic things you can expect a Reno pedestrian accident lawyer to do including determining every avenue the accident has impaired you. These include all medical costs for the treatment you receive for injuries suffered in a pedestrian accident and wages lost while recovering from your injuries. Additionally, you may also be entitled to collect for any future loss of wages and medical bills.
In rare instances, your attorney may ask for punitive damages from the driver who caused the accident. Keep in mind, courts only award these damages after egregious behavior—for example, if a drunk driver injured you.

Following an accident of any kind, it is not unusual to have to deal with medical bills. Initially, you must pay these bills. If you have existing medical insurance, you can submit the bills to them for payment. However, understand once you have settled, you may need to refund those payments to the insurance company through a process known as subrogation. If you have to make out-of-pocket payments, you may want to discuss payment options with your medical provider and ask if they can wait until you recover these costs. Benson & Bingham Accident Injury Lawyers, LLC can help with this process.

This is one thing you should not have to be concerned with as a Reno pedestrian accident attorney should provide you with a free consultation to discuss the events. During the consultation, you will learn your legal rights, and what options are available to you.
Should you opt to move forward and pursue a case, chances are the attorney will be willing to work on a contingency fee basis. This means that unless the firm obtains a settlement on your behalf, you will not pay any legal fees. Typically, the firm takes a percentage of the final settlement which may fluctuate depending on whether the case is settled or goes to trial.
Sadly, more than 6,000 accidents occur across the United States annually that involve a pedestrian losing their life. Nevada is among the top 10 worst states in the United States for pedestrian accidents, in part due to the frequency of visiting tourists unfamiliar with the area. One should not need to walk with such care and vigilance when traveling in Reno, however pedestrian accidents inevitably occur and victims need to take every measure to ensure their injuries are wholey compensated.