Home > Accident Types > Road Traffic Accidents > Road Accidents Involving Pedestrians

 

Road Traffic Accidents Involving Pedestrians

If you or a member of your family is suffering from a personal injury caused by a road traffic accident, our specialist personal injury lawyers may be able to help you claim compensation. Contact us today on 0800 032 8511 for claim advice, or by completing a claim enquiry form.

Road Accidents Involving Pedestrians
Making an Injury Claim
Compensation for Injured Pedestrians

Successful Claims for Pedestrians Injured in Road Accidents
Our Personal Injury Lawyers

Road Accidents Involving Pedestrians

All road users, pedestrians and vehicle users alike, have a responsibility to exercise due care to one another whilst on the road. Failure to do so can amount to 'negligence' in law.

Pedestrians are naturally more vulnerable than those driving and may be distracted. They may be children or under the influence of alcohol and, as such, they will not have the same level of awareness as an adult paying full attention to their surroundings. Drivers are expected to note this and act accordingly.

Safety tips and rules for pedestrians, designed to help prevent accidents, can be found in the Highway Code.

[Back to Top]

Making an Injury Claim

If you are unlucky enough to be a pedestrian injured in a road accident caused by someone else, you may be entitled to make a personal injury claim. It is always helpful to your case to have as much information as possible. Collecting the full details of any vehicles and witnesses at the scene, and taking photographs where possible is useful.

It is also important to contact the police, as they will compile a report of what has happened. That report will be very important in any claim.

Most importantly, you should seek legal advice from a specialist lawyer. They can assist you in compiling the necessary information to pursue your claim successfully.

In every case, medical evidence will be required, and it is necessary to show that the person you are making a claim against owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty of care (were negligent), and that the injury you sustained was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that negligence.

[Back to Top]

Compensation for Injured Pedestrians

If your claim is successful, and our Legal Line solicitors will be working hard to ensure that this will be the case, you will be entitled to two elements of a compensation award.

The first is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and what is known as loss of amenity. This is called general damages and can include an award for your inability to do things after the accident that you used to be able to do before, eg, play sports, look after your garden, walk the dog, etc. The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period after an accident or for ever if that is what the medical evidence supports.

The second element of a compensation award is for your losses and expenses and is known as special damages. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to the accident, so that these can be reclaimed. The aim is to put you back in a position financially as if the accident had never occurred.

[Back to Top]

Successful Claims for Pedestrians Injured in Road Accidents

Our lawyers recently acted on behalf of a pedestrian injured on a zebra crossing to recover compensation.  For further details about this and other successful cases, please refer to our news and success stories sections.

Read details of some of our successful cases where pedestrians injured in road accidents have received compensation:

• Following an avoidable pedestrian road accident, the quality of our client’s life was significantly changed. It was with considerable disappointment that, following the accident, she was forced to give up the job she loved as a nursery nurse. Only in her late 20’s, our client had worked with children for over 10 years and had anticipated making this her career and staying in this profession throughout her working life.
  
  Crossing the road at a junction, she was knocked down by a speeding car and suffered a serious compound fracture to her tibia and fibula, in addition to bruises, grazes and some psychological trauma and distress. Hospitalised for a week following the pedestrian road accident, she underwent surgery to insert a steel rod to the fracture. As she was dependent on crutches, she had to rely heavily on her partner and other family members for help with the everyday household tasks. This lasted for several months following her discharge from hospital.

  During her recovery from her injuries, she had to attend frequent sessions at the fracture clinic and was in a great deal of pain. She has been left with restricted movement and is unable to run, for example for a bus. Unable to kneel down, squat, or climb stairs easily, she cannot keep up with active children, so has had to find alternative work, which she naturally finds less satisfying. Her leg is generally stiff when she wakes and the screw causes sensitivity in her leg as it digs into her muscle.

  Although the defendant admitted liability for the pedestrian road accident, the other side’s insurers refused to negotiate a settlement. Our specialist personal injury solicitors commenced court proceedings before a satisfactory settlement of £30,000 was successfully achieved in accident compensation for our client for this injury claim.

• In 2003, our client was looking forward to going to University to study design. Then out of nowhere, it seemed like that would be impossible, because of a tragic pedestrian road accident. One brief moment when the driver lost control of his vehicle and knocked down our client at a crossing. Due to the nature and seriousness of the road traffic accident, and the involvement of the police, there was never any question of any liability on the part of our client.
  
  He was rushed to hospital where he was ventilated and underwent a tracheotomy. He was in intensive care for some time, and then in a high dependency unit, until he was able to transfer as an in-patient to a rehabilitation centre. His main injuries from this pedestrian road accident were severe bruising to the head and side of his face, a dislocated jaw, torn ligaments of his knee. The head trauma resulted in some brain injury and he remained under the care of a neurosurgeon for several years. For some time, it was feared that he might also be suffering from epilepsy, but fortunately, whilst it cannot be discounted and his risk remains, there has been no evidence to support it.
  
  Although our client has made a remarkable recovery following this road traffic accident, he remains vulnerable. A year later than planned, he has now completed 2 years of his university course and shows every sign that he will successfully complete it. However, he may still be at a major disadvantage in the workplace in the future, due to ongoing cognitive problems. Some two years after the accident, our client had to undergo exploratory surgery on his knee, which has still not fully recovered.

  As the driver of the car admitted liability, this injury claim, required only to establish the level of accident compensation. This proved difficult due to the nature of our client’s injuries and the uncertainty of future prognosis, though our client was keen to put this behind him and get on with his life. Our specialist personal injury solicitors, Thompsons, were able to secure a substantial six-figure sum in compensation for this devastating accident.

• Many people might believe they would not have a personal injury claim if they are injured as a pedestrian in an accident and they are partially at fault, but our specialist solicitors are experts in dealing with such cases.
  
  One such accident happened to our client. He was involved in a pedestrian road accident during the hours of darkness. Walking across the road, he was knocked over by a speeding car and thrown several yards. It was argued that our client was partially at fault in that, as a pedestrian, he should have been more aware of the approaching car. However, the driver of the car was at fault in that he was travelling too fast for the conditions and was not aware of the pedestrian. In this case, our accident advice was that a personal injury claim was still appropriate and our personal injury solicitors advised the client to proceed.
  
  Our client was immediately taken to hospital where he was treated for the injuries he sustained following the pedestrian road accident. His injuries included a broken neck and shoulder, as well as concussion, cuts and bruising. Transferred to a spinal unit, he was provided with a halo frame which involved fitting during surgery. He had to wear this for many months which, coupled with his other injuries, meant he had to rely heavily on his wife. The halo, and later a collar, made it difficult to get around or to get upstairs to sleep. He has suffered problems with sleep ever since the pedestrian accident.

  His job was a very physical one, so he was unable to return to work for almost two years. He was told that is was not possible to return to his old job and had to take a position with lighter duties, which was not so satisfying.

  Years after his accident as a pedestrian he still suffers constant pain in his neck and has had to give up any thought of returning to his previous hobbies. Neither is he able to carry out the normal maintenance around the house and garden, tasks which he enjoyed before the accident.

  Our client still suffers constant pain, has frequent neck spasms, is very nervous in company, and has suffered psychological problems caused by the trauma of this very serious accident. He sought professional help regarding his mental health and is thought to be suffering from post-traumatic stress. His injuries have also raised concerns over the future condition of his spine and he is likely to be disadvantaged on the open labour market, as he is unable to lift anything heavy.

  Although there was joint responsibility for this pedestrian road accident, our specialist personal injury solicitors were able to secure £50,000 in accident compensation for our client for his suffering immediately following the accident, and the uncertainty of his future.

Compensation for Pedestrian Knocked Down by Driver - an article from our news section about a young woman injured whilst crossing the road.

[Back to Top]

Our Personal Injury Lawyers

The Legal Line lawyers are experts in all areas of personal injury, with extensive experience in recovering compensation for the victims of road traffic accidents. They can provide specialist accident claim advice, assistance and guidance in helping you to pursue your claim to the best possible outcome.

[Back to Top]