La Habra Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

<h1>Introduction</h1>

In the California city of La Habra, located in Los Angeles County, pedestrians depend on drivers exercising due care and obeying the law of the road whenever they cross the street. Unfortunately this is all too often not the case; people drive at unsafe speeds, go through stop signs and red lights and even drive under the influence. Such people kill or injure hundreds of pedestrians each year. Of course there are plenty of cases in which the pedestrian was wholly or partly at fault but we will not be discussing those. We will be looking instead at those pedestrians who, through no fault of their own, have been the victims of a car accident and need the services of a La Habra pedestrian accident lawyer in presenting their cases before a judge.

<h2>What a pedestrian accident lawyer does</h2>

<h3>Investigating the driver’s record</h3>

When a pedestrian injury occurs, the first thing that the lawyer does is to identify the driver who is responsible for the accident. He or she makes an inquiry to find out what type of driving record that person has to find out if he has been involved in similar mishaps in past times. He also wants to know if there was alcohol or drugs of any kind in the driver’s system at the time the accident took place.

<h3>Taking care of insurance matters</h3>

The lawyer will also want to find out about the culprit’s car insurance policy. Does it include uninsured motorist coverage or medical payments coverage? What about liability insurance? Does the driver intend to use the policy to cover the costs or has he or she done so already? (In such a case the suit will be between the insurance company and the driver; there can be only two sides in any lawsuit.)

<h3>The condition of the car</h3>

What condition the car was in at the time of the accident can have a tremendous impact on the case. For example, if the brakes were faulty and the driver knew about it but did not do anything to remedy the problem then the pedestrian and his or her lawyer have one big piece of evidence working in their favor.

<h2>Representing the client</h2>

A lawyer who specializes in pedestrian accidents is necessary because the victim, if operating alone, may be up against a wall of bureaucracy from the driver’s insurance company, which may offer him or her a settlement. If the injury is a serious one, the extensive treatment required will raise the patient’s medical bills. The lawyer can also call the victim’s physician to testify as to the seriousness of the injury.