Going for a walk is a great way to enjoy some fresh air, get some exercise, reduce your carbon footprint, and save money on transportation costs, among the many other benefits of choosing your feet over a vehicle. However, in New Jersey and everywhere else throughout the United States and the world, there are significant risks that come along with walking, too. Whether you are walking on a sidewalk, using a crosswalk, walking along the shoulder of a road without a sidewalk, or using any other public roadway, you are constantly at risk of being involved in an accident, no matter how vigilant you are in your travels.
The unfortunate reality of being a pedestrian is that there is always a risk of being hurt by a negligent or reckless driver, no matter how safe and alert you remain. Fortunately, being hurt in an accident that someone else caused means that there is a likely path towards getting compensation for your accident – there is no reason that you should be held financially responsible for ANY of the monetary issues that this accident causes. To get that money back, you will need to file a claim with the driver’s insurance, but even though your legal rights are there, getting the money you deserve is more complicated than you may first expect.
Contact Balkin Law Group Injury Lawyers, LLP For a Free Initial Consultation Today After a Pedestrian Accident in NJ
Hiring a pedestrian accident attorney in New Jersey is one of the most important steps that you can take after an accident to ensure that you are working towards getting the money that you truly deserve, not just the money that the insurance company wants to pay out. Insurance companies take advantage of the fact that claimants are generally suffering from pain, stress, and anxiety during their claims process, meaning that they are more motivated to reach a quick settlement – which is why the settlement offers an insurance company will make are alarmingly lower than what the victim actually deserves.
When you are working with a personal injury attorney, you can focus on your personal needs and recovery from your injuries without taking on the burden of your claims process or legal issues. The team at Balkin Law Group Injury Lawyers, LLP is available for a free initial consultation as soon as possible and will be happy to go through all of the details of your case in order to explain to you how we can help you through this process and fight for the money that you truly deserve.
Steps to Take After a New Jersey Pedestrian Accident
After any accident, it can be overwhelming to think about what you need to do in order to take care of your medical needs while protecting your legal interests and ensuring that you do not take any steps that may complicate the upcoming administrative steps that you will need to take. The following is meant to give you a general overview of the most important early actions to take, starting with the moment that you are involved in the accident so that you can move forward towards getting the care that you deserve.
Call 911
After an accident, the first thing to do is to call 911, because it is important that you are without professional attention for as short of a time as possible. Once you or someone else at the scene of the accident has contacted 911, they will be able to speak with the 911 dispatcher and get some advice on how to handle the situation while waiting for the first responders, which can be the difference between someone panicking and knowing how to take a measured approach to the accident.
Get Medical Attention
When the EMTs arrive, make sure that you let them give you a full check and provide you with field care and emergency medicine. In addition to the field care, it is important to follow their advice on more medical care, which may mean taking an ambulance to the emergency room in order to get much more advanced and focused care than EMTs can give you at the scene of the pedestrian accident in New Jersey.
Follow Up With Your Doctor
If you do not take an ambulance to the emergency room, this does not mean that you are in the clear and that you do not need to undergo any additional medical care. In fact, if you leave the scene of a pedestrian accident under your own power, you should contact your primary care physician as soon as possible. The obvious benefit of seeing your doctor is that they will be able to monitor and care for your injuries, but the additional benefit is that you will establish an official record of your injuries, which will be essential during your claims process.
Contact an Attorney
Many people would think that the next step is to file an insurance claim, but in reality, you will benefit greatly from partnering with an attorney before you even make initial contact with the insurance company. From the time that you first contact the insurance company, they will start examining every statement that you make, every document that you submit, and any other possible way that they can find in order to pin additional blame on you, and therefore limit your settlement. Your attorney will be able to use their experience and legal know-how to submit your information in a way that limits their ability to do so.
File an Insurance Claim
Now that you are partnered with one of the experienced New Jersey pedestrian accident attorneys at Balkin Law Group Injury Lawyers, LLP, you can file your insurance claim with confidence. Your attorney will handle all of the stressful details of the process so that you can focus on your recovery, your personal needs, and getting your life back on track. Stress is shown to have a significant impact on wound recovery, and when you are fighting with a major insurance company to get the money that you rightfully deserve, the stress and frustration may simply complicate your recovery if you are trying to do it alone.