Being struck by a negligent driver while walking is one of the most traumatic experiences anyone can go through, not just in physical terms but in psychological and financial ones as well. It can be important to stay calm and act purposefully after being injured in this way since what you do in the immediate aftermath of a pedestrian crash can have a huge impact on what your life looks like in the months, years, and even decades to come.
While every pedestrian accident claim is unique, there are some standard steps to take after a pedestrian accident in Philadelphia that improve your chances of getting a favorable case result. Here is a brief overview of what you should be thinking about in the hours and days after this sort of incident, as well as what a pedestrian injury lawyer could do to help you enforce your rights.
The first step anyone involved in a pedestrian crash in Philadelphia should take afterward is calling 911. If needed, this is key to getting emergency medical personnel to the scene so they can provide treatment for serious injuries. Calling 911 will get a police officer to respond to the scene as well. Once they have arrived, they can conduct interviews with witnesses and involved parties, make notes about the situation, and compile that information into an accident report which can serve as admissible and extremely valuable evidence in court later.
Pedestrian accident victims can do a lot to create and preserve relevant evidence before leaving the scene of the accident themselves, such as:
Physical well-being should always come first. It is always best to prioritize emergency medical care if necessary rather than staying at the scene with a life-threatening injury.
Even if a pedestrian accident in Philadelphia does not seem to have caused any serious injuries, taking a trip to an emergency room or urgent care clinic is perhaps the single most important step for the pedestrian to take after the incident. In addition to ensuring the crash victim gets proper care for injuries that do not yet have any obvious symptoms, treating physicians will also produce formal documentation of all crash-related injuries, which can be vital to proving that those injuries actually stemmed from the accident and were not pre-existing conditions that cannot be the basis for a lawsuit.
Once you have followed all the steps to take after a pedestrian accident in Philadelphia, your next top priority should be contacting and retaining an experienced lawyer. Even if you have evidence showing that you were hurt specifically because of a motor vehicle driver’s negligence, you may have a deceptively hard time converting that evidence into a successful case result if you try to navigate the legal system on your own.
Your legal representative could discuss the specifics of your possible claim and offer preliminary guidance about how best to enforce your rights during a private consultation. Schedule yours by calling today.
