Pedestrian Crashes Can Cause Catastrophic Brain Injuries

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driver shocked to see injured pedestrian in front of her car75 pedestrians died and many more were injured in Kentucky during 2019. Victims of pedestrian accidents include children walking to school, runners training for their next race, workers on a lunch break, tourists taking in the sites, and anyone else who is walking or running. Cars and trucks must share the road with pedestrians to prevent catastrophic injuries and deaths. Both drivers and pedestrians must use reasonable care to avoid a pedestrian crash. However, when a crash occurs, it is often the pedestrian who suffers the most significant injuries. Without the protection of a motor vehicle, a pedestrian risks suffering a catastrophic injury, such as a traumatic brain injury.

Types of Pedestrian Brain Injuries

When a pedestrian is hit by a car, his or her head is often impacted in the collision. This almost always causes a serious brain injury, such as a:

  • Skull fracture
  • Brain bleed
  • Swelling of the brain
  • Concussion
  • Contusion
  • Diffuse axonal injury

These brain injuries can significantly impact your life. Now and in the future, you could suffer from:

  • Emotional problems. A brain injury can cause anxiety, depression, and even personality changes.
  • Cognitive issues. Critical thinking, decision making, and memory could all be affected by a brain injury.
  • Language difficulties. Communication may become challenging. Speech, reading, writing, or word retrieval abilities may be different after a traumatic brain injury.
  • Different sensations. After a brain injury, you may experience things such as touch, pain, and vision differently than you did before your injury.
  • Medical problems. People with some traumatic brain injuries may be at higher risk for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other health conditions.

Symptoms of traumatic brain injuries may begin immediately after a pedestrian crash or develop over the following few hours or days. Accordingly, it is critical that you see a doctor immediately after you are hit by a car and that you report symptoms such as:

  • Headaches or head pain
  • Weakness
  • Numbness
  • Speech difficulties
  • Drowsiness
  • Unusual behavior
  • Memory or cognitive problems

After a complete examination and diagnostic tests, a doctor will diagnose your injuries and recommend a treatment plan.

Pedestrian Accident Brain Injury Compensation

The traumatic brain injury you suffered in a pedestrian crash may cost you a significant amount of money, pain, and suffering. If a distracted, drunk, or otherwise negligent driver caused the pedestrian accident and your resulting injuries, then that driver, or his insurer, should pay for all of your damages. Compensation in a pedestrian accident lawsuit or insurance settlement could include:

  • Healthcare costs. Your medical expenses may be significant and will include past, current, and future hospitalizations, surgeries, medications, doctors’ appointments, and rehabilitation therapies such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and psychotherapy.
  • Lost income. Any wages, benefits, or income from self-employment that you can’t earn because of your injury should be part of your recovery.
  • Out-of-pocket expenses. Any costs you incur because of your traumatic brain injury should be included in your compensation.
  • Physical pain and emotional suffering. There is no amount of compensation that can take away your pain and suffering, but financial compensation is the only way the legal system has of compensating you for these significant damages.

You may be legally entitled to this recovery, but the driver or the driver’s insurance company is not going to hand over compensation unless you fight for it.

Let Our Brain Injury Lawyers Fight for You

Your life is already much more difficult than it was before your pedestrian accident. Now, you suffer from a brain injury that has changed your everyday life and long-term plans. You know that you need to pursue legal action quickly to protect your financial recovery, but the process may seem overwhelming. That’s where the experienced brain injury attorneys of Gray and White Law can help. Call us or fill out our online contact form any time—24/7/365—to set up a free consultation and to protect your rights before your time to file a brain injury lawsuit expires.

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