Table of Contents

• How Much Is My Cape Girardeau Pedestrian Accident Case Worth?
• Where Do Pedestrian Accidents Frequently Occur in Cape Girardeau?
• Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Cape Girardeau
• Common Injuries in Cape Girardeau Pedestrian Accidents
• Fighting the Insurance Company After a Cape Girardeau Pedestrian Accident
• What to do after a Pedestrian Accident in Cape Girardeau
• Contact an Experienced Cape Girardeau Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today

Why Choose Us for Your Legal Needs?

There is no disputing that victims of pedestrian accidents frequently suffer debilitating injuries. Therefore, if a negligent driver caused you to fall on the ground, you must select a local pedestrian accident lawyer to represent you throughout your case and pursue the full monetary recovery you need.

At Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz, our legal team of Cape Girardeau personal injury attorneys has a strong history of aggressively and successfully representing injured accident victims across Southeast Missouri.

In addition, our legal team has 100+ years of experience representing injured accident victims. Our lawyers are passionate about aggressively taking on insurance companies, fighting for our client’s legal rights, and getting them the full monetary recovery they deserve.

Our attorneys have collectively recovered millions of dollars for our injured accident victim clients. We welcome the opportunity to speak with you about your case, review your legal options, and begin fighting for your legal rights and interests today. You can visit our conveniently located office at 1610 North Kingshighway, Suite 201, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

How Much Is My Cape Girardeau Pedestrian Accident Case Worth?

The total value of a pedestrian accident case depends upon various factors. Since every case is unique, not all accident victims will receive the same types and amounts of monetary compensation.

Factors that may determine the amount of monetary recovery that a pedestrian accident victim recovers include:

• Whether the accident victim suffered a severe or permanent injury
• Whether the at-fault individual had sufficient insurance coverage to compensate the accident victim
• The specific circumstances surrounding the accident
• The total cost of the accident victim’s medical treatment
• The specific treatment that the accident victim underwent for their injuries

An injured pedestrian accident victim may have sustained debilitating injuries that required various types of medical treatment, including hospitalization, doctor visits, medical procedures, vocational rehabilitation, and physical therapy.

Fortunately, these accident victims can recover monetary damages for their related medical costs. Also, if they suffered a permanent injury in their accident, they may pursue monetary recovery for their anticipated expenses, including the cost of an anticipated surgical procedure or physical therapy.

In addition, if the accident victim’s injuries prevent them from working, they can recover compensation for their lost earnings. Similarly, if they had to accept a different work position – at a lower pay rate – because of their injuries, they can claim loss of earning capacity.

In addition to these economic damages, which compensate pedestrian accident victims for their out-of-pocket expenses, accident victims can receive compensation for their intangible losses. These damages are frequently called non-economic damages.

Common types of non-economic damages that an accident victim may recover include compensation for:

• Emotional and mental distress
• Past and future pain and suffering
• Loss of the ability to use a body part
• Lost quality of life
• Loss of spousal companionship and consortium
• Long-term or lifetime care costs
• Permanent scarring
• Permanent disfigurement or disability

Additionally, in some situations, a pedestrian accident victim may be eligible to recover a certain amount of punitive damages. The purpose of punitive damages is to punish the wrongdoer driver for their wildly egregious conduct.

For example, if a driver sped through a traffic intersection at 70 miles per hour or drove while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, resulting in a pedestrian accident, the accident victim can recover punitive damage compensation.

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Where Do Pedestrian Accidents Frequently Occur in Cape Girardeau?

Pedestrian accidents are an unfortunately common occurrence in Missouri. These accidents usually happen when drivers fail to drive safely or carefully.

Some of the most common locations for pedestrian accidents in Cape Girardeau include:

• The Show Me Center and other Southeast Missouri State University facilities
• West Park Mall and Walmart’s parking lots
• Residential streets located throughout the area
• Parking lots in the downtown riverfront

If you suffered injuries in a pedestrian accident in one of these locations, our legal team at Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz can immediately investigate your accident circumstances and determine your legal options for moving forward.

For instance, we can file a injury claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company immediately and begin pursuing the settlement compensation you need for your accident-related losses.

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Cape Girardeau

In most situations, pedestrian accidents happen when people drive carelessly or negligently. One common cause of pedestrian accidents is traffic law violations, especially at local traffic intersections and in parking lots and parking garages.

When drivers exceed the speed limit, fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians at crosswalks, or commit other traffic law violations, they may bring about a severe pedestrian accident, which leads to debilitating injuries.

Additionally, a pedestrian accident may happen when a driver fails to watch the road attentively, such as combing their hair, texting while driving, eating or drinking, applying make-up, roughhousing with vehicle passengers, or using a smartphone without Bluetooth.

These activities may cause a driver to take their eyes off the road and keep them from noticing a nearby pedestrian. In some situations, a distracted driver who is not watching where they are going may even cause their vehicle to jump the curb and strike a pedestrian on a sidewalk.

Finally, some pedestrian accidents happen because of intoxicated drivers. Since alcohol is a depressant, it can slow down a driver’s mental functioning and reaction time, causing significant delays.

As a result, if a driver sees a pedestrian in a crosswalk, they may not stop in time to avoid causing a collision. Alcohol intoxication may also result in various physical symptoms, including dizziness and blurred vision. As a result, a driver cannot drive carefully.

If you suffered injuries in a recent pedestrian accident that resulted from negligent driving, you are not alone. However, given the short timeframe, you must consult a pedestrian accident lawyer as quickly as possible.

Our legal team can file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company on your behalf and aggressively engage the adjuster in ongoing settlement negotiations. We may also litigate your case in the court system if the insurance company refuses to compensate you adequately for your injuries.

Common Injuries in Cape Girardeau Pedestrian Accidents

Victims of local pedestrian accidents frequently stand to suffer extremely serious injuries, depending upon the accident circumstances.

In general, an accident victim who strikes the ground with a significant amount of force is likely to suffer permanent and sometimes fatal injuries in their accident. However, the specific injuries that a pedestrian accident victim suffers will likely vary from case to case.

Permanent injuries are unlikely to get better, even after a significant amount of time has passed. Pedestrian accident victims who suffer permanent injuries may require ongoing medical attention, such as medical procedures and physical therapy, at a significant cost to the accident victim. They may also experience pain and suffering for the rest of their life.

Some of the most common injuries that pedestrian accident victims may suffer include:

• Broken bones
• Rib fractures
• Amputations
• Soft tissue muscular injuries
• Tendinitis
• Traumatic head and brain injuries
• Open lacerations and road rash
• Spinal cord damage
• Complete and incomplete paralysis injuries
• Internal bleeding
• Internal organ damage
• Permanent cognitive impairments
• Facial contusions
• Mouth and teeth Injuries

While you concentrate on recovering from your pedestrian accident injuries, our legal team from Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz can advocate for you. Specifically, we can begin gathering medical documentation and assembling a settlement demand package for the insurance company to review in your case.

Fighting the Insurance Company After a Cape Girardeau Pedestrian Accident

Many victims of pedestrian accidents that result from driver negligence can file a personal injury claim with a responsible driver’s insurer. However, insurance companies are never on the side of an accident victim, and they will do everything possible to deny a personal injury claim or limit the compensation they pay out in a case.

Insurance companies are huge business operations, and they want to try and keep as much of their money in-house as possible. However, insurance companies cannot meet this goal if they have to pay out significant settlement compensation to accident victims.

Sometimes, insurance companies will even blame the pedestrian for causing or contributing to their own accidents. Similarly, they may allege that the accident victim’s claimed injuries are pre-existing or unrelated to the subject accident.

If the insurance company makes those allegations in your pedestrian accident case, we can combat their tactics and pursue the full monetary recovery you need. For example, we may highlight the strengths of your case, including favorable expert reports, medical treatment records, and other documentation.

If the insurance company stubbornly refuses to increase its settlement offer, we may file a lawsuit and litigate your case in the court system.

At that point, we can explore various litigation options in your case, including a jury trial or alternative dispute resolution (ADR) proceeding, such as a mediation hearing or binding arbitration session.

Our legal team will keep you well-informed of all new developments in your case so that you can make intelligent and informed decisions throughout the process.

What to do after a Pedestrian Accident in Cape Girardeau

Following a pedestrian accident, there are certain steps you can take to streamline your case.

First, focus on completing your medical treatment regimen, including consulting with various medical professionals, undergoing recommended medical treatment, and attending physical therapy sessions.

Additionally, you need to retain your medical records, medical bills, police reports, and other documents pertinent to your case. Then forward us those documents once you hire us for legal representation. Our team can use those documents to assemble a settlement demand package for the insurance company to review.

Contact an Experienced Cape Girardeau Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today

 

If you recently suffered injuries in a local pedestrian accident, time is of the essence. According to the Missouri statute of limitations, accident victims must file a pedestrian accident lawsuit within five years of their accident date. This might seem like a long time, but delaying the start of the process can only hurt your chances of full compensation.

Hiring our firm sooner allows us to obtain and preserve stronger evidence to prove your case. We also have more time to negotiate with insurance companies to possibly settle the matter out of court.

The knowledgeable legal team at Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz can handle every step of the claims-filing and litigation processes and begin advocating for your legal rights and interests immediately.

For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a skilled Cape Girardeau pedestrian accident attorney, please call us at (573) 335-6651 or contact us online today.

Testimonial:

I had never worked with lawyers, and at first I was scared, not knowing what to expect. When I first met with Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz, I immediately breathed a sigh of relief. I’m a shy person, and they gave me confidence to speak out. The experience was very good. If you are in a similar situation, I highly recommend them. They’ll take care of everything. – Laura A.