The sad truth is that thousands of pedestrian accidents occur in the Bay Area each year, and many of those result in fatalities or life-altering injuries.
While car accident victims have the buffer of their own insurance companies working on their behalf, victims of a pedestrian accident are doubly at risk. First, there is the physical vulnerability of a pedestrian, who has no protection from the impact of a motorized vehicle. Then there is the fact that the driver’s insurance company will do everything they can to settle at the lowest price the victim will agree to. Without securing legal support, pedestrian accident victims have no advocates working on their behalf.
Even in cases where pedestrians share some of the blame (for example: crossing a street outside of a crosswalk or not making it to the other side before the “Don’t Walk” sign is flashing), negligent drivers are still accountable for their part in the accident.
The combination of both the physical and mental/emotional impacts clients experience after an accident can greatly reduce their quality of life. As your pedestrian accident lawyers, we’ll represent your case in a way that helps you reclaim your quality of life.
We base our figure on multiple factors, including:
Many of these items do not factor into a victim’s list of compensation, but personal injury lawyers are trained to think big picture and long-term. That way, we can pursue a settlement that covers everything you’ll ever need as a result of your comprehensive suffering.
The Burneikis Law team takes a holistic approach with our clients. Your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your loved ones are our first priority. Pedestrian accidents like yours have a multi-layered impact on victims and families, and we work to decipher those layers for you and make sure the compensation you receive addresses all of the hardships those layers present.
When we take your case, we will stand by your side, providing the support you need on multiple fronts as you heal from the event - and we’ll help to protect your interests today, tomorrow, and into the future.
The driver’s insurance company has one goal: to settle your claim with the least expense and minimal impact to themselves and their client(s). And, they have an entire legal team at their disposal to do just that.
The combination of the driver or defendant’s insurance claims specialists and legal team means you’ll be asked repeated questions, will have your own comments twisted around on you, and will be encouraged to settle as fast as possible before you can even begin to understand the full, long-term effects of the incident.
After years of experience working as an Oakland pedestrian accident lawyer, our staff have become experts at understanding the big picture impacts of a traumatic event like yours.
There are injuries that affect physical health, and there are injuries that occur in the mental and emotional realm. Many of these take weeks or even months to emerge because the combination of post-accident adrenaline and shock, combined with the “insurance claims” process, keeps you so busy that you have no time to truly take stock and assess the full impact of your experience.
When you work with us, we are all in. Our legal team is 100% on your side, and we take up the mantle on your behalf.
While you and your loved ones focus on treatment, healing, and restoration, we facilitate the business side of things, while making sure you are doing all you can to take care of yourself.
In many cases, it is not only the driver who is at fault. There may be several entities responsible for the event from start to finish. For example:
Even if you or a loved one were partially responsible for a portion of the accident, you still have a solid case if other negligent factors were at play. So, for example, the claims adjusters and our legal team may determine that the pedestrian was 25% responsible, but a faulty repair was responsible for the other 75%. Then, the settlement will be adjusted accordingly. Any part you played in the incident does not negate the negligence on others’ behalf.
Our legal team and staff consider our role as client educators as important as our role as client advocates.
We know that many injuries don’t reveal themselves for days or weeks after the accident, and that a “simple sprain or break” may continue to cause pain and discomfort even years or decades after the injury is considered healed by medical professionals.
Pedestrian accident victims are extremely vulnerable and the list of the “most common injuries” is tragically long:
We’ll make sure you have all of the medical tests and diagnostics necessary to assess any potential injury that could be missed in a basic physical or x-ray. We will also continue to foster your trust and encourage you to be completely honest with us.
This is not the time or the place for well-meaning toughness. A small pain in your ankle or wrist that you consider to be “nothing,” or assume will go away should still be given a careful assessment to make sure there isn’t a potentially debilitating injury lying in wait, ready to rear its head after your claim is already closed.
Experienced attorneys have long-lasting relationships with our clients. Over the decades, our industry has learned just how traumatic a pedestrian accident can be, including its potential for creating long-term PTSD if the victim’s mental and emotional wellbeing are not honored and treated with respect.
According to helpguide.org, some of the most common mental and emotional side effects experienced after a traumatic accident include:
Psychological effects of trauma can also affect you physically, showing up as:
These mental and emotional side effects can last for an indefinite amount without awareness and experienced treatment.
We are saddened to see how many accident victims shy away from legal support because they are scared or anxious about having to be in the courtroom. This often results in insurance claim settlements that are tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars less than potential clients would have received with the help of competent legal representation.
Please Note: Upwards of 95% of pedestrian accident settlements take place outside of the courtroom and without ever having to file a legal claim. If you are in the nominal percentage of cases that require filing a legal claim and attending courtroom appointments, your legal team will do everything they can to minimize the mental and emotional stress. We will support you every step of the way, so you are never alone.
Contact Burneikis Law to schedule your 100% no-cost, no-obligation case assessment. I am always honest with my clients. If I do not feel you have a case, I will still make sure you have the tips necessary to move forward with your insurance claim in an informed way that respects your rights as the victim.
Contact us now to schedule your free case evaluation. To see if we are a good fit, call (510) 328-3238 today. Burneikis Law specializes in personal injury cases in Oakland, the greater Bay Area, and throughout the state of California.