Winter Park Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

Traffic accidents involving a pedestrian often result in serious, even fatal, injuries to the pedestrian. Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents have been on the rise across the United States in recent years. A report published by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) tells us that pedestrian fatalities have increased by almost four percent in the last decade. Throughout the U.S., over 7,500 people were fatally injured in pedestrian accidents in 2022 and another 100,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for non-fatal pedestrian accident injuries. Florida’s residents, however, did see a one percent decrease in pedestrian fatalities from 2021 to 2022. If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a Winter Park pedestrian accident and another party caused or contributed to the accident, you could be entitled to compensation for your physical injuries and emotional trauma.

As the victim of a Winter Park pedestrian accident, you may be encountering financial difficulties along with trying to manage physical pain and emotional suffering. If you lost a loved one to a pedestrian accident, you are experiencing profound grief while facing an uncertain financial future. When the negligent or wrongful conduct of another party (or parties) caused, in whole or in part, the pedestrian accident that led to your injuries or loss, let a Winter Park pedestrian accident lawyer at Bailey Fisher help you navigate the legal system to ensure that the responsible party is held accountable. The team at Bailey Fisher is committed to helping pedestrian accident victims recover compensation for physical injuries, emotional trauma, and financial devastation. Let us put our experience, skills, and resources to work for you. Contact the team at Bailey Fisher today by calling 407-628-2929 or submit our online form to find out how we can help you.

What Are Some Common Causes of Winter Park Pedestrian Accidents?

In 2022, there were 664 pedestrian crashes in Orange County, Florida resulting in 55 deaths and 586 non-fatal injuries. Due in part to the year-round warm weather and in part to the number of tourists who flock to the Sunshine State each year, Florida has more pedestrian traffic than many other states. Florida also has one of the highest pedestrian accident rates in the nation. Some common contributing factors in a Winter Park pedestrian accident include:

Alcohol and drug use. Almost one in three pedestrians aged 16 or older who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2021 had a BAC of 0.08 or greater.
Ignoring pedestrian traffic laws. Despite traffic laws aimed at protecting pedestrians, motorists routinely ignore those laws.
Speed. Nationwide, speed is a contributing factor in almost 10 percent of all fatal pedestrian accidents.
Distracted driving. The use of cell phones, eating, talking, and other distractions increase the likelihood of a motorist failing to recognize pedestrians in the roadway.
Age. One out of every three pedestrian accident fatalities in Florida is a victim over the age of 60, due in part to the high number of older residents in the State of Florida.

What Are Some Common Winter Park Pedestrian Accident Injuries?

Not surprisingly, a pedestrian often suffers serious, even life-threatening, injuries when involved in a traffic crash with a motor vehicle. Pedestrians simply have no protection against vehicles weighing thousands of pounds traveling at a high rate of speed. Consequently, common pedestrian accident injuries include:

Traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Internal organ damage or failure.
Paralysis
Breaks and fractures.
Soft tissue injuries.
Spinal cord injury
Muscle, ligament, and tendon sprains and strains.
Scarring
Disfigurement
Depression
Anxiety
Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)
Death

Does Florida Law Protect Pedestrians?

In an effort to protect pedestrians who are sharing the roadway with motorists, Florida law sets forth both the rights and the responsibilities a pedestrian has while navigating a roadway. Most of the applicable laws can be found in Florida Statute 316.130 which makes it clear that pedestrians must not step into the path of an oncoming vehicle, must use crosswalks and sidewalks when available, and must obey traffic signals. That same statute addresses the duties and obligations of motorists when they interact with pedestrians, such as:

Duty to use due care. Motorists are obligated to use due care to avoid colliding with pedestrians, to give warning, and to exercise proper precaution when there is a child or confused/incapacitated person present.
Duty to stop/yield. Drivers of motor vehicles are required to stop for pedestrians who are in a crosswalk with a traffic control signal or signage. If there are no traffic control signals or signs, a driver must yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
Refrain from passing. A motorist cannot pass another vehicle that is stopped for pedestrians in a crosswalk.

Failing to obey a pedestrian law or breaching a duty owed to a pedestrian can constitute negligence or wrongful conduct on the part of a motorist if a pedestrian accident ensues. That negligence or wrongful conduct, in turn, may lead to legal liability on the part of the motorist for injuries sustained by the pedestrian.

Am I Entitled to Compensation for a Winter Park Pedestrian Accident?

You could be entitled to both economic and non-economic damages from the party or parties who caused or contributed to a Winter Park pedestrian accident. Economic damages compensate an injured victim for the objective, easily quantifiable expenses related to the accident, while non-economic damages represent compensation for difficult-to-value injuries that are more subjective in nature. Together, economic and non-economic damages may compensate you for:

Medical, hospital, and specialist expenses.
Past and future lost income or wages
Rehabilitation and therapy expenses.
Physical pain
Disfigurement and scarring.
Mental distress and emotional trauma.

If you are the surviving spouse, parent, or child of someone who was fatally injured in a Winter Park pedestrian accident, you may also be entitled to compensation in a Florida wrongful death lawsuit for things such as mental pain and suffering, the loss of companionship, care, and support of the decedent, and the loss of future net accumulations to the decedent’s estate.

Get Help from an Experienced Winter Park Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a Winter Park pedestrian accident, an experienced Winter Park pedestrian accident lawyer at Bailey Fisher can protect your right to full and just compensation and ensure that the at-fault party (or parties) is held accountable.

Call us at 407-628-2929 or submit our online form today. One of our experienced Winter Park pedestrian accident lawyers will evaluate your case for free. For viable personal injury cases, we will follow up with the necessary legal action to hold the responsible party accountable for their negligence and recover the financial compensation you deserve for your pain, suffering, and losses.