In 2013, approximately 4,735 pedestrians died, and another 66,000 injured were injured, in automobile accidents in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This means that 14 percent of all traffic deaths and 3 percent of auto accident injuries involved pedestrians.

Those are startling statistics, especially considering that pedestrian accidents often involve catastrophic injuries for the person hit by a car, pickup truck, or SUV. Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are becoming more frequent. For example, pedestrian deaths skyrocketed by roughly 10 percent in 2015, according to U.S. News & World Report. Some analysts attribute increased pedestrian accidents to the proliferation of cellphone use distracting drivers and pedestrians. Four states — California, Florida, Texas, and New York — accounted for 42 percent of the pedestrian deaths in the first six months of 2015. According to the LA Times, California actually leads the nation in the number of pedestrian fatalities. This means that potentially hundreds of people in and around Modesto suffer severe, permanent injuries or lose their lives due to a pedestrian accident.

If you or a loved one was hit by a motor vehicle and suffered severe injuries, you need to contact a Modesto pedestrian accident lawyer sooner rather than later to discuss your legal options. At AutoAccident.com, we proudly offer free case evaluations.

Only specific individuals listed in the California Code of Civil Procedure can file a wrongful death legal action in a Modesto civil court. The California Code lists the following as eligible people who may take this type of legal action on behalf of a deceased loved one:

• The decedent’s surviving spouse or domestic partner;
• The decedent’s child, or children;
• If there is no living spouse or child, then the decedent’s parents (if living) may file a claim; or
• The executor of the decedent’s estate.

In personal injury and wrongful death claims, two types of monetary damages can be recovered: economic and noneconomic damages.

Economic damages include medical bills from the accident (both incurred and future medical expenses) and lost wages due to time missed from work due to the accident. If you lost a loved one in a pedestrian accident and are pursuing a wrongful death claim, economic damages would include funeral and burial costs and the value of the financial support lost by your loved one’s death (both current financial support and expected future financial support).

Noneconomic damages constitute pain and suffering damages. They are those harms and losses that do not fit neatly onto an Excel spreadsheet or billing invoice. Instead, they are those intangible harms such as waking up at night with throbbing headaches or other physical aches from your injury, missing out on family events and outings, not being to play ball with your child because you are unable to walk, or now have significant knee pain, and so forth.

Every state, including California, limits the time an injured party (or the survivor of a decedent in a death case) must file a civil claim against the reckless party in court. This time limit is called the statute of limitations. California’s statute of limitations for filing a personal injury case is two years from the date of your injury, according to California Code of Civil Procedure 335.1.

This means that if you do not file a lawsuit within this two-year period, a California court will likely throw your case out of court, and you will lose your right to pursue financial restitution from the at-fault party.

The statute of limitations for a pedestrian accident wrongful death case is the same as a personal injury claim. You must bring a wrongful death claim within two years of your loved one’s death date.

Once your Modesto personal injury attorney files a lawsuit, you must understand that the burden is on you (i.e., the plaintiff) to prove your case and show that the defendant was responsible for your injuries or your loved one’s death. Specific legal elements must be proven in court to prevail in your personal injury or wrongful death case. These elements include:

• Duty of Care – You bear the burden of showing the defendant owed you or your deceased loved one a duty of care. For example, if you were seriously injured while crossing the street and were hit by a car, you must show that the defendant had an obligation to obey specific rules of the road while operating their vehicle. For example, they were obligated to yield at the crosswalk or stop at a stop sign. In most cases, this is a relatively easy element to satisfy since there are established regulations that all drivers must follow when operating a vehicle in California;
• Breach of the Duty – You must show that the defendant breached the above-described duty of care. For example, there may be evidence that the driver was texting while driving in the case of an auto accident, which caused them not to see you or your loved one in the crosswalk. Or, they may have been intoxicated or driving at a high rate of speed. This evidence can be established through accident scene photographs, deposition testimony, accident reports, eyewitnesses, and so forth;
• Causation – You must show that the breach of the duty by the defendant directly caused (i.e., proximately caused) your injuries or the death of your loved one.

As you can see, multiple hurdles must be overcome to prevail in a pedestrian accident injury or wrongful death case. You need an experienced and skilled Modesto personal injury lawyer to represent you. At AutoAccident.com, our legal team has the litigation experience, skills, and resources to obtain the maximum compensation you and your family rightly deserve.

If you were struck by a vehicle while walking or jogging in or around the City of Modesto, contact our legal team for free, friendly case advice at (209) 227-1931 or (800) 404-5400. Our pedestrian accident lawyers are available by phone or appointment for a free consultation at our Modesto office:

1015 12th Street, STE 7
Modesto, CA 95354

See a list of our past cases on our verdicts and settlements page.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 8.21.23] Photo by SHVETS production from Pexels sb bw [cs 1092]}