Nevada City is unique in California with its artsy atmosphere, gorgeous views, and friendly people. However, pedestrian accidents can occur anywhere, including in this town named one of the best places to live by Sunset Magazine. When you or your loved one suffers a pedestrian injury caused by a negligent driver, you may claim compensation, which can recover the medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Since 1982, the legal team at AutoAccident.com has helped many people in Northern California, including Nevada City, obtain the compensation they deserve. We know it’s terrible to suffer an injury, especially when it’s someone else’s fault. The injured party should not face the financial losses that come with the trauma, and the negligent driver or other entity should be held responsible.

An injury lawyer can help an injured pedestrian get fair compensation following an accident. Awards given to an injured walker with the help of a legal professional are often considerably higher than if they try to collect damages alone. Insurance companies are in business to make profits, so they usually try to lowball when an injured party claims damages.

Since the injured party is suffering pain, facing high medical bills, and cannot work, it’s to the insurance company’s advantage if they take that lowball offer. It means the insurance company is no longer responsible for additional costs, such as continuing medical care.

In addition, laws about a pedestrian’s duties and rights can be ambiguous in California, and insurance companies can use these laws to deny a rightful claim. Our legal team at AutoAccident.com knows all the tricks that insurance companies use to attempt to deny or lower a claim’s value and how to counteract them so you get the compensation you deserve. If negotiations with the insurance company are insufficient to cover your losses, we are equally comfortable taking your case to civil court.

Pedestrian accidents can occur to a Nevada City resident in town or while visiting Sacramento, Yuba City, or other places. Some of the most common causes of a pedestrian accident caused by the negligence of another person or entity include:

• Distracted driving: There are many types of distracted driving, including texting, eating or drinking a soda while driving, checking GPS, or just holding a long conversation with a passenger. The problem is that anything that takes the driver’s focus or hands off the wheel of the car is distracted driving. This negligence is a significant cause of a Nevada City pedestrian accident.
• Drunk or drugged driving: Drunk drivers or those under the influence of drugs cannot handle a vehicle safely. Slow reflexes, poor judgment, the inability to determine the distance from other cars, and other problems make a driver under the influence a danger to others, especially pedestrians because they have no protection against a collision.
• Speeding: A speeding driver takes much longer to stop in an emergency and risks losing control, which can quickly end up causing a pedestrian accident. In addition, the faster the vehicle, the higher the risk of severe injuries and fatalities in a pedestrian crash.
• Failing to yield: When a pedestrian, bicycle rider, or others are inside the crosswalk at an intersection, they have the right of way to cross safely without being endangered by a negligent motorist.
• Running a red light: Drivers who run a red light or stop signs commonly cause pedestrian injuries.
• Ignoring the turn signals: Drivers who turn and don’t use their turn signals are not telling other motorists, pedestrians, and others their intentions. In the case of a pedestrian, the walker can end up stepping directly into the vehicle’s path.
• Negligence by a government entity: If intersections are poorly designed and maintained, they can lead to pedestrian accidents and collisions. Bad lighting, obscured corners, malfunctioning lights or pedestrian crossings, and other problems can cause a crash. If a government entity is negligent, a claim may be filed by the injured party. Because the timeline for filing is much shorter, asking for help from an injury attorney can be a positive move.

Many pedestrian accidents end up causing severe injuries, requiring hospitalization and a recuperative period. Trauma to the legs, hips, and pelvis is typical because this is where a vehicle strikes the pedestrian. If the person on foot is tossed by the impact, they can hit the windshield or hood of the car or land on the ground, all of which can cause severe trauma, including traumatic brain injuries. The following represents the most frequent injuries to a pedestrian in an accident with a motor vehicle:

• Lacerations to the face and broken teeth, facial fractures, and more often end up causing scarring or disfigurement.
• Bone fractures to the legs, pelvis, arms, wrists, and ribs can occur due to direct impact by the vehicle or by being thrown onto the car or on the ground.
• Traumatic brain injuries range from concussions to hematomas, hemorrhage, skull fractures with brain tissue damage, or diffuse axonal injury. More severe brain injuries can be life-altering events.
• Abdominal trauma results in internal bleeding or damage to an organ. This type of injury is often life-threatening and requires rapid surgical repair.
• Trauma to the chest can involve heavy bruising, rib fractures, collapsed lungs, or heart damage.
• Damage caused by trauma to the spinal cord depends on the extent and location. It may cause temporary or permanent paralysis from the waist or neck down.

Watch the YouTube video below for tips on how to stay safe as a pedestrian.

If you’ve been harmed in a pedestrian accident, call our experienced pedestrian accident attorneys in Nevada City at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice. We can review your case, answer your questions, and tell you the options available to obtain damages. See our case history of Settlements and Verdicts.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 10.19.23] Image by Brian Merrill from Pixabay cd [1014] cha}