When it comes to an accident involving a vehicle and a pedestrian, it is often the drivers of vehicles who have the higher duty of care. This is common where accidents take place involving pedestrians crossings or crossing the road in general, or where cars and pedestrians may mix together, such as in car parks.
So where do you stand if you are injured as a pedestrian on a pathway or pavement? What are your rights for making a claim for personal injury compensation?
In the same way that there is a duty on pedestrians to take care when crossing the road, there is a huge duty on drivers who need to navigate on a pavement or other pedestrian area. Common scenarios where this can be happen can be where a driver is moving off the road and in to a private residence or other premises where a pavement or path crosses the entrance.
You sometimes get vehicles in pedestrian areas of inner town and city centres too – commonly delivery wagons as an example.
The duty is of course primarily on a driver to ensure that they do not collide with a pedestrian on a pavement or in an area where pedestrians ought to have the right of way. So, generally speaking, you should have a good claim for personal injury compensation if you are hit as a pedestrian in these circumstances.
To start a claim the main thing you need is the registration number of the vehicle at fault. Hopefully you have obtained this, although it can be common in these sorts of cases for the injured victim to be taken away by paramedics without the chance of getting the details of the driver at fault. The police should have been involved so one of the first things to do would be to contact them for the details you need.
When it comes to making a claim for compensation one of the most important things you need to do is pick the right lawyer to represent you. Due to the government legal changes last year, most law firms will take at least 25% from your payout, and many will also charge additional percentages and have further fees to pay which can be upfront or deducted at the end of the case.
In what you could call the worst kinds of scenarios to be in, you could end up with:
- Deductions of up to 40% or more
- Upfront insurance costs of up to £1,500 (or more in some cases)
- Administration fees – common if you contact a claims management company for a law firm
To claim the safe way call our dedicated claims helpline on 0800 634 7575 today – we offer a genuine no win, no fee, no upfront costs for cases like these, no hidden or additional admin fees or other complicated deductions, and competitive percentages.