At Truth Legal we have specialist solicitors who can handle your pedestrian accident claim, with many years’ experience and numerous cases handled.
Phone Harrogate 01423 788 538 now for a free, no obligation consultation.
Although it’s not a pleasant thought, everyone who uses the roads runs some risk of being involved in an accident. Pedestrians are a particularly vulnerable class of road-user. So whilst, on average, more accidents may happen to vehicle drivers, pedestrians in a road traffic accident are more likely to suffer severe or even fatal injuries.
Government statistics show that 24,540 pedestrians were injured in road traffic accidents between October 2016 and September 2017. Of that number, 26% were killed or seriously injured. By comparison, the proportion of car occupants killed or seriously injured in the same period was 10%. Even for cyclists, another vulnerable class of road-user, the percentage was lower (20%).
As this unfortunately suggests, pedestrians can suffer a wide range of injuries, some very severe or even fatal. They commonly range from cuts, bruises, and soft-tissue injuries (such as whiplash) to much more severe effects like brain injuries.
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident whilst you were walking, you may be able to claim compensation for your injuries, and the other losses which you have suffered. The law provides a great deal of protection for pedestrians.
Why instruct Truth Legal for your pedestrian accident claim?
You should instruct specialist personal injury solicitors to act on your behalf when making a personal injury claim. If you entrust your case to our experienced team of solicitors you can be sure that your claim is in safe hands. They have the knowledge and expertise help you every step of the way.
We are based in Harrogate with presences in York, Manchester, and London. We are more than willing to sit down with you for a free, no-obligation consultation and to discuss any ways in which we can help you.
Contact us now to begin your claim.
If you have already instructed another firm, you are always able to change your solicitors. Perhaps they are not personal injury specialists, you do not have confidence in their abilities, or they are not providing you with the service you deserve? If so, you should consider switching solicitors. By instructing Truth Legal instead, you will ensure you have experienced personal injury solicitors working hard to make your case a success.
Pedestrian Claims Unaffected by the 2021 Whiplash Reforms
You may have heard about changes to the law involving whiplash claims and road traffic accidents. These changes alter the process by which certain personal injury claims are made, imposing lower injury compensation awards, and preventing affected claimants from instructing solicitors to help them.
However, if you were injured as a pedestrian, your claim will not be affected by these changes fortunately. This means that, even if you have suffered whiplash-type injuries, you can instruct Truth Legal to help you in your personal injury claim.
No Win, No Fee Agreements
No Win, No Fee Agreements are a useful way to avoid the risks of paying fees if your claim is unsuccessful. Under the agreement, in almost all situations, you will not have to pay our legal costs if we do not secure compensation for you. If we are successful, often but not always a portion of your compensation will be deducted for our fees, with the majority being paid by the other party’s insurance company. This is how No Win, No Fee Agreements normally work.
Truth Legal will often act through a No Win, No Fee Agreement if the accident was not your fault.
We will always provide you will full information regarding fees before we begin acting for you. If you have any queries about funding, we are more than willing to explain matters further.
We have also partnered with CrowdJustice, a leading crowdfunding platform specifically designed to help clients get access to funding for their case. Find 0ut more about Crowdfunding for legal cases.
Finding out more about pedestrian claims
Truth Legal offers free initial consultation sessions with no obligation to proceed further. If you would like to discuss your unique situation, or you wish to begin your claim, please contact us.
There are unfortunately many ways in which a pedestrian accident can occur. For example:
- Careless or dangerous driving by another road user. This could involve ignoring a red traffic light or other road signs, failing to give way at a pedestrian crossing, or making a manoeuvre without proper observations.
- Drunk drivers or someone driving under the influence of drugs.
- Hit and run drivers. Apart from any moral issues, it is a criminal offence to leave the scene of an accident without stopping. Claims can often be pursued even if the other driver is untraced.[link to untraced drivers claims page]
There are several steps to legally establishing a personal injury claim. You must prove:
- A duty of care – The party you are claiming against must have owed a duty of care towards you. Road-users owe duties of care to one another so this is rarely at issue in a pedestrian accident claim.
- Breach of that duty – The other party must have failed in their duty somehow. For a car driver, the standard they must meet is that of a reasonably competent driver. If they have fallen below this standard, then they have breached their duty of care. An example would be a driver failing to stop at a red traffic light. It is fair to say a ‘reasonably competent’ driver would have stopped at the light.
- Causation – The breach mentioned above must have caused your injuries and other losses. Continuing the above example, if the driver who ran a red light collided with you as you crossed the road, any injuries sustained from that collision will have been caused by the driver’s breach of duty.
- Reasonable injuries and losses – The compensation you claim for your injuries and losses must be reasonable. As an extreme example, you might incur travel expenses for attending treatment sessions but hiring a helicopter to take you to them would not be a reasonable expense!
Pedestrians also hold duties of care towards other road-users. As such, it is possible for pedestrians to be liable for accidents if they have breached their duty. One example could be walking out into the road suddenly without looking. If you are worried that your conduct could be partially to blame for your accident, it does not necessarily mean you cannot make a claim. If you are held to be liable in part, it will usually mean a reduction in your compensation. Motorists have the greater potential to hurt others so their conduct is generally held to a higher standard.
Legal time limits apply to all personal injury claims. The general rule is that you must settle your claim or commence court proceedings within 3 years of the date of your accident. Missing this deadline means you will probably be unable to claim compensation.
Other rules can change the time limit which applies though, and courts also have the power to allow cases beyond the deadline. However, it is always best to investigate your potential claim as soon as possible. Contact us now to discuss your legal position.
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