Are Pedestrians Safe on South Florida Streets?
As children, we learn to look both ways before crossing the street. To cross with the lights. To use crosswalks. We learn how to avoid being hit by a car, but it still happens on busy streets in South Florida. In fact, Florida has the dubious distinction of being a national leader in the number of pedestrian fatalities in car and truck accidents.
A pedestrian accident – being hit by a car, truck or another motor vehicle – is almost always the result of driver negligence or recklessness. When a pedestrian is injured or killed in an accident that was not their fault, they or their family is entitled to compensation for their losses.
It should be safe for anyone to walk along and cross streets in the Greater Miami area. Unfortunately, sometimes it is not and innocent people get hurt. If a driver in South Florida has compromised your safety — upended your life — by running into you or a loved one and causing serious injury, you need legal help. You need an aggressive Miami pedestrian accident lawyer to seek compensation for you.
Our Florida Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Will Fight for You
If you or a loved one of your has been hit by a car in South Florida, we urge you to contact Payer & Associates as soon as you can to get the legal assistance you need. You may be eligible to obtain compensation for your injuries and losses, and the best way to seek a full and fair insurance settlement is to have an experienced, local pedestrian accident attorney fighting for you.
Attorney James Payer is an avid jogger in Miami and over the past 30 plus years has witnessed the way many drivers in South Florida ignore the rights of pedestrians. Even when on the sidewalk or using a crosswalk your at risk of being hit by a car in South Florida.
The pedestrian accident lawyers of Payer & Associates have dedicated their legal practice to standing up for injured people and their families. We never work for insurance companies. As your attorneys, we are always available to answer questions and address your concerns. You will have one attorney — James D. Payer or Christian G. Payer — who will be your attorney, in your corner, start to finish.
Contact Payer & Associates for assistance with your legal claim today. You’ll get straight-forward, no-nonsense personal assistance, and you won’t have to worry about paying a fee or costs to get your case started. In fact, we always provide free initial consultations and don’t charge for our legal services – or the expense of filing your claim – unless we recover money for you.
There’s no risk on your part. Our aim is to make you whole financially. Call our pedestrian accident lawyer now.
Why Are Pedestrian Accidents More Likely in Florida?
Here in Florida, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMVA) says there are three factors that contribute to the heightened danger pedestrians face:
- Population growth, leading to congested roads designed for motor vehicles instead of people
- Tourism, adding some 80 million people to Florida roadways each year who are unfamiliar with traffic and pedestrian patterns
- Climate, with warm temperatures that bring people outdoors more often and later into the evening.
Hundreds of Floridians and tourists die every year after being hit by a car or truck. Many more are injured. The FLHSMV says more than half of the state’s fatal pedestrian accidents are likely to occur in six counties:
- Miami-Dade (Miami)
- Broward (Fort Lauderdale)
- Palm Beach (West Palm Beach)
- Orange (Orlando)
- Hillsborough (Tampa)
- Pinellas (St. Petersburg)
Regardless of where the pedestrian accident that has injured you or a loved one and shattered your life occurred, you deserve to be made whole financially if it was not your fault. With experienced and assertive legal assistance from our pedestrian accident lawyers, you may be able to obtain compensation for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering and much more.
Payer & Associates provides the aggressive legal advocacy necessary to hold negligent drivers and their insurance companies accountable after pedestrian accidents in South Florida.
Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Florida
Someone who has never been hit by a car might wonder how a pedestrian accident could happen. How does someone get hit by a car? Where and when do cars hit pedestrians?
The FLHSMVA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and other organizations have studied pedestrian accidents and found trends. They tell us that pedestrian accidents:
- Are more likely in urban environments, i.e., city streets.
- Happen more often away from intersections.
- Occur more often in early evening (6 to 9 p.m.).
- Are more likely to injure male pedestrians.
- Involve alcohol use by the driver or pedestrian about half of the time.
It is also distressing to know that children and are very likely to be the victims of pedestrian accidents. NHTSA says pedestrian accidents account for 20 percent of traffic accident fatalities among kids up to 14 years old.
When a driver causes a pedestrian accident, it is often because he or she has:
- Been inattentive (i.e., engaged in distracted driving, like texting while driving)
- Failed to yield right of way
- Exceeded the speed limit
- Consumed alcohol (driving under the influence)
You, unfortunately, may recognize your pedestrian accident in one of the scenarios above. But what the statistics don’t tell you is that you have recourse after being hit by a car. You can hold a negligent driver accountable for the harm he or she has caused you and your family. A pedestrian hit by a car deserves justice.
We Hold Negligent Drivers Who Hit Pedestrians Accountable
The personal injury lawyers of Payer & Associates represent pedestrians and their families after they have been hit and injured by negligent drivers in South Florida. We have more than 40 years of combined experience helping people just like you. We understand the injuries you are likely to have and the pain, suffering and expense of the recovery ahead of you.
As your legal advocate after a pedestrian accident, your Payer & Associates attorney will ensure thorough preparation of a case for you that may include:
- Accident Investigation. We can gather police reports and accident scene evidence, and interview you and witnesses. We can search for security camera footage of the accident, and subpoena the driver’s cellphone records. When necessary, we can call upon a network of forensic consultants to reconstruct the accident and get to the truth and debunk phony defense theories and smoke screens.
- Medical Records Review. With the help of consulting medical professionals, we can analyze your medical records to develop a full picture of your injury and recovery prospects. In addition to helping us understand the medical treatment you have received and may need in the future, this helps us portray the pain and suffering you have been through and deserve to be compensated for.
- Calculation of Losses. In addition to being repaid for every dime of your medical expenses, under Florida personal injury law you may seek compensation for your losses due to:
- Income lost while recuperating or because of disability
- Property damage (jewelry, clothing, etc.)
- Permanent disfigurement or disability
- Emotional distress, including anxiety and depression
- Interference with familial relationships (loss of consortium)
We seek maximum compensation in personal injury cases. In the event of permanent disability due to your injuries, we can have a life care plan developed to detail expected costs in the years to come. Our aim as your pedestrian accident attorneys is to do everything possible to make you whole financially and to do so with as little burden as possible on you. We first seek to negotiate settlements to obtain faster resolution of the case so you can get on with your recovery, but are always prepared to fight for you in court if that’s what’s required.
Contact Our Experienced Miami Pedestrian Accident Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident in South Florida, you cannot count on insurance companies to do what’s right. You need someone on your side who’s ready, willing and able to fight. You need a pedestrian accident lawyer from Payer & Associates, a Miami law firm that stands up for people like you. Contact us now to discuss your situation in a free consultation.
