Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Lawrenceville, GA

Walking through the many beautiful parks and down the winding roads in Lawrenceville, Georgia can feel freeing. An accident with a vehicle might be the last thing you’d expect to occur. However, a pedestrian accident can occur at any time and leave you with significant trauma, life-altering injuries, and unexpected bills.

An insurance company may be reluctant to pay out your claim, or offer you a quick, lump sum payment that doesn’t even begin to cover your losses. A pedestrian accident lawyer in Lawrenceville can help you find the justice you deserve.

The Scott Pryor Law Group knows how to deal with the insurance companies, will offer you and your loved ones the legal support you need in the road to healing, and help you to navigate the complexities of the legal process.

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Lawyer shaking hands with a recovering client in a wheelchair, symbolizing justice and support after a pedestrian accident.

Important facts about pedestrian accidents in Georgia

In Lawrenceville and statewide, pedestrian accidents may occur on any road. The number of annual pedestrian accidents in Georgia is slightly higher than the national average. If you’re on foot and need to cross traffic, it’s important to take precautions to reduce your chances of getting hit by a vehicle.

Nevertheless, collisions with vehicles may occur even if you’re following every law and taking every precaution, especially at night. According to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), 84% of pedestrian fatalities as a result of an accident occur during nighttime hours.

Important facts to know about pedestrian accidents include:

More Georgia pedestrian accidents occur in urban areas than on rural or suburban roads
Pedestrians and bicyclists account for 21% of traffic fatalities in Georgia
Nationally, pedestrian accident fatalities increased by 48% between 2014-2024
95% of pedestrian accidents in Georgia occur outside of a crosswalk
Vehicles traveling at 40mph are responsible for 9 out of 10 pedestrian accident fatalities

What is a pedestrian accident?

Legally, a pedestrian accident is a collision between a moving vehicle and a person on foot who is injured or killed in a crash. Pedestrian accident claims fall under personal injury law in Georgia, and a pedestrian hit by an at-fault driver has the legal right to pursue compensation and justice for their suffering.

A negligent driver in a pedestrian accident might face criminal charges along with civil lawsuits. If the driver in your accident is criminally charged, those charges will have to be resolved before your lawsuit can proceed.

Common causes of pedestrian accidents

Pedestrian accidents often occur when you least expect a collision. Although there are a wide variety of causes for these accidents, the Lawrenceville personal injury lawyers of The Scott Pryor Law Group often see the following common causes:

Distracted Driving
Drunk Driving
Failure to Stop
Failure to Yield
Ignoring Traffic Signals
Inclement Weather
Jaywalking
Left Turns
Poor Visibility
Reckless Driving
Road Construction
Speeding
Unmarked Crosswalks

Injured pedestrian lying on the road after being struck by a vehicle, waiting for emergency assistance.

Steps to take after a pedestrian accident in Lawrenceville

If you’ve been hit by a vehicle in a pedestrian accident in Lawrenceville, it’s important to take steps that ensure your safety and can protect your personal injury claim. Here are the general steps you should take after your collision.

Move to safety

If your injuries won’t prevent you from doing so, move away from traffic. Ensure you’re in a safe place and call 911 to report your accident.

Wait for first responders

Wait for first responders to arrive before leaving the scene of your accident. Filling out a police report is vital to your future personal injury claim. The police report will include the date and time of your accident, an initial assessment of what occurred, the contact and insurance information of all involved parties, any eyewitness statements, and a statement from you and the driver.

If you need immediate medical assistance, paramedics on the scene can assess your injuries and transport you to the hospital via ambulance.

Seek medical attention

Even if your injuries do not initially seem severe, medical attention is vital to your safety and provides important documentation for your case. For example, if you have internal bleeding or other internal injuries, the shock of your accident might mask the severity of your symptoms. However, if you wait to see a doctor, these injuries could prove hazardous or even fatal.

Documentation of your official diagnosis, treatment, and any prescribed medications or scheduled surgeries is crucial to your claim for compensation.

Call your insurance company

Most auto insurers provide coverage for auto-related accidents—even if you were a pedestrian who was hit by a vehicle. It’s important to file your initial claim with your insurance company. You’ll be assigned a claims agent and case number, and your insurer will contact the at-fault driver’s insurance company for you.

Consult a lawyer

A pedestrian accident lawyer in Lawrenceville can help you negotiate any settlement offers with the insurance companies and fight for your just compensation. Insurance giants are notorious for lowballing or denying compensatory claims, and may use a fleet of seasoned attorneys to cast doubt on the validity of your case.

The right lawyer will help to defend you against these tactics and fight for the best possible outcome in your case.

CONTACT THE SCOTT PRYOR LAW GROUP TODAY

Attorney explaining Georgia's negligence laws to a client during a legal consultation.

Georgia laws that could impact your case

The driver who hit you in your pedestrian accident may face criminal charges—especially if the collision was a hit and run. If the driver is charged with a misdemeanor or felony, you may have to wait to proceed with your civil lawsuit until after sentencing.

The following Georgia laws can also impact the outcome of your case.

Modified Comparative Negligence

Georgia’s modified comparative negligence (or comparative fault) law mandates that if you are partially at fault for your collision, the amount of compensation you can seek may decrease.

Modified comparative negligence sets the following guidelines:

If you’re liable for 50%-100% of your accident, you no longer have a valid legal claim to compensation.

If your comparative fault is greater than 0% but less than 50%, your compensation will be decreased to reflect your liability.

For example, if you’re walking in a crosswalk, but going against the signal, and are hit by a speeding driver, you may still have a legal path to compensation, but the amount of compensation you can receive will decrease.

Statute of Limitations

Georgia’s statute of limitations, § 9-3-33, requires that you file any personal injury claim within two years of the date of your accident. This statute allows you ample time to build your case, and it protects defendants from old and frivolous claims.

However, if you let this time elapse without filing a claim, you cannot pursue compensation or file a case. Two years can be added to the statute of limitations if your claim includes a loss of consortium (the loss of companionship and intimacy as a result of your accident) — this extension gives you four years to file your claim.

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Compensation in a Lawrenceville pedestrian accident claim

If you file a lawsuit as a result of a pedestrian accident in Lawrenceville, your lawyer from The Scott Pryor Law Group will advise you on the compensatory claims you can include. Personal injury compensation falls into categories known as damages. The specific damages you claim are categorized by type: Economic, Non-Economic, and Punitive.

These categories help a judge or jury to validly explore the amount of compensation you’re justly owed and determine an awarded amount.

Economic Damages

Economic damages (or special damages) cover the losses you’ve suffered with a set monetary value. In other words, the courts will look at the documented bills and expenses you’ve incurred as a direct result of your pedestrian accident to ensure you receive any compensation you’re owed.

Economic damages after a pedestrian accident in Lawrenceville might include:

Assisted Living Costs
Home Healthcare Costs
Lost Wages (including bonuses and tips)
Medical Expenses (including all doctor’s visits, hospital stays, medications, surgeries, and ongoing treatment)

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages (or general damages) cover the pain and suffering you’ve endured that is immeasurable. No amount of financial compensation can make up for these losses, but they may help to relieve your financial worries and allow you to focus on healing.

Non-economic damages after a pedestrian accident in Lawrenceville might include (but aren’t limited to):

Catastrophic Injury
Chronic Pain
Disfigurement
Emotional Distress (If you’ve received a diagnosis and treatment for anxiety or depression, your attorney might advise you to include this in your claim)
Loss of Consortium (loss of companionship and intimacy)
Loss of Limb
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Punitive Damages

In Georgia, punitive damages are also called “vindictive damages.” This is compensation that is typically determined by a judge or jury and acts as punishment to a defendant.

However, your pedestrian accident lawyer might advise you to include punitive damages in your compensatory claim if you’ve suffered severe injury or your collision was completely avoidable.

If the defendant in your case is proven to have acted with gross negligence in your collision, punitive damages may be warranted. For example, if you had the right of way on a crosswalk and a driver hit you after speeding through a red light, you might include punitive damages in your claim.

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Pedestrian Accident FAQ

How much will a pedestrian accident lawyer cost me?

At The Scott Pryor Law Group, we work on a contingency basis. This means that we only get paid if you get paid. You won’t have to worry about ongoing, exorbitant legal fees on top of your accident expenses. We want you to have the best legal representation possible without having to worry about breaking the bank.

Can I still file a personal injury claim if I was jaywalking?

Yes, you might still be able to file a personal injury claim if you were struck by a vehicle while you were jaywalking. You may be determined to hold modified comparative negligence in your case if you’re cited for jaywalking.

However, if the driver who hit you was, for example, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you may still be owed compensation.

What evidence will a lawyer use to prove liability?

A Lawrenceville pedestrian accident lawyer with The Scott Pryor Law Group will collect evidence from any CCTV and traffic cameras, photos and videos of the scene of your accident, your filed police report, and eyewitness statements.

This evidence will help to prove the driver’s liability in your accident and strengthen your personal injury lawsuit.

Contact The Scott Pryor Law Group

A pedestrian accident lawyer from The Scott Pryor Law Group understands that your experience is unique to you, and we care about the life-altering trauma you’ve suffered.

We’ll fight the insurance giants to help you and your loved ones receive the justice you deserve so that you can focus on your recovery.

We can’t guarantee a successful verdict, but we’ve recovered 7-figure settlements for many clients and are dedicated to fighting to achieve the best possible outcome in your case.

Schedule your free consultation with The Scott Pryor Law Group today.