Lynn pedestrian accidents are incredibly serious personal injury accidents that cause significant injuries and medical expenses. Pedestrian accidents often lead to death, broken bones, brain injuries, and paralysis. Unfortunately, these terrible accidents happen every day.
If you or a loved one were recently injured in a Lynn pedestrian accident, Spada Law’s pedestrian accident attorneys are available to talk about your legal options. In a free consultation, we can review your case, explain your rights, and talk about the next steps to help you recover compensation for your injuries.
Contact our office for a free consultation at (617) 889-5000.
What to do After a Lynn Pedestrian Accident
If you or a loved one were injured, or worse, killed, in a pedestrian accident, we are so sorry you and your loved ones are navigating this difficult path. We’re here to help.
3 Important Things to do to Help Yourself after a Lynn pedestrian Accident:
- Get Medical Care
- Document Everything
- Hire an Injury Attorney
Get medical care immediately after being hurt in a pedestrian accident. Even if you don’t think your injuries are that serious, it’s still important to go to the doctor because many injuries will get worse over time if not treated. The pain from an accident usually increases once the adrenaline from the accident wears off. Going to your doctor, urgent care, or emergency room will ensure you get the necessary treatment. It will also help prove that your injuries were caused by the accident.
Document everything from your accident if you can, and collect information from the accident scene. Write down everything you remember about what happened. Take photos of the area it happened in, and see if any witnesses can tell you what they saw (and are willing to give you their contact information!). When you see your doctors, communicate honestly with them about your symptoms and pain so they can properly diagnose you and have detailed and accurate information in their records about your injuries and symptoms.
Hire a pedestrian injury attorney to represent you. Never talk to an insurance company after you’re injured in a Lynn pedestrian accident. If an insurance agent calls, whether your insurance or the insurance of the person who hit you, tell them you are hiring an attorney and will not speak with them. The insurance company of the person who hit you will call you to try and get you to admit fault for the accident somehow, or they may offer you a very low money settlement.
How Common Are Pedestrian Accidents in Lynn Massachusetts?
In 2021, pedestrian deaths increased by 30% in Massachusetts, and pedestrian deaths hit a 40-year high nationally.
Lynn had the highest concentration of pedestrian accidents from 2008 to 2017, according to MassDOT. More than 200 pedestrian accidents happened on Washington Street, between Western Ave and Broad St. from 2008 to 2017. Essex Street and Union Street were two of the other most dangerous roads in Lynn, with over 125 pedestrian-car accidents in the same time period.
Most Dangerous Streets for Pedestrians in Lynn:
An interactive crash data map names the most dangerous streets for pedestrians in Lynn, Massachusetts, based on data collected from 2010-2019.
- Western Avenue between Washington St. & Market Square.
- Washington Street between Boston St. & Broad St.
- Essex Street between Jackson St. & Market St.
- Union Street between Broad St. & Chestnut St.
- Franklin Street between City Hall Square & Western Ave.
- Lewis Street between Nahant St. & Wardwell Ave.
- Chestnut Street between Peach St. & Collins St.
- Market Square between Western Ave. & Lovejoy Pl.
- South Common Street between Commercial St. & Pleasant St.
- See all Lynn pedestrian crash data in MassDOT’s pedestrian accident map.
Pedestrian Safety Tips for Crossing Lynn’s Streets
- Put your phone away: We often see cases where a person was injured because they stepped off a curb while looking at their phone.
- Looking left & right is not enough: Look in front and behind you to make sure cars aren’t turning onto the street you’re crossing.
- Use crosswalks: If possible, use them because drivers are more aware, and you are more likely to make it to the other side of the street safely.
- Make eye contact with a driver: A driver may stop or travel slowly, but it doesn’t mean they see you. Make eye contact to make sure they see you.
- Be alert if a car stops for you: Even if one car stops to let you cross, be cautious as another car may be approaching in the next lane, or a vehicle may pass the car that stopped for you.
- NEVER walk in front of a truck, even at a red light: Wait for the truck to pass, even if you have to wait for a light cycle. Tall trucks might make it impossible for a driver to see you if you are right in front of a truck. You might be hit if you’re crossing the street in front of a truck, and the light turns green. Unfortunately, we’ve had this happen to a number of clients.
How Can a Lawyer Help Me with my Lynn Pedestrian Accident Case?
After a pedestrian accident, caring for yourself and your health is the most important thing. Hiring a Lynn pedestrian accident attorney helps you focus on healing because we will handle everything related to your case.
Spada Law Group's Lynn pedestrian accident lawyers have extensive experience in all types of pedestrian accident cases. We’ve handled many types of pedestrian accident cases, including crosswalk accidents, runners being injured by homeowner negligence, car vs. pedestrians accidents, parking lot accidents, and more. We understand devastating a pedestrian injury can be, and we are here to support you and work to get you the best possible outcome on your Lynn accident case.
At your free consultation, we will listen to your story and all the details of your pedestrian accident. Then, we will tell you about your legal rights, your options, and the likely path of your pedestrian injury case. Once you hire us, we handle everything – we will communicate with your insurance company and the insurance of the driver who hit you, negotiate for a fair settlement, and advocate for you to ensure you get all the medical treatment and compensation you deserve.
Our Lynn pedestrian attorneys will investigate your case, find out what your case is worth, and negotiate with insurance companies
We thoroughly investigate your Lynn accident by looking into police reports, requesting any possible nearby surveillance footage that captured the accident, speaking with witnesses, accident experts, and more. We will determine a fair value for your case from all this information. Once we know what your case is worth, we will negotiate with insurance companies to ensure you get what you deserve.
If an insurance company doesn’t offer a fair settlement, our Lynn accident attorneys can file a lawsuit to represent you in a trial in court.
How Long do I Have to Contact a Lynn Pedestrian Accident Attorney?
In most cases, you have three years from the date of your pedestrian accident in Lynn to file a claim. Generally, you have three years to either reach a settlement in your case or file a court claim to go to trial.
If you do not reach a settlement or file a lawsuit within three years, you lose your right to pursue compensation for your injuries and damages from the person who caused the car accident. This three-year period is the statute of limitations for injury cases in Massachusetts.
While you technically have three years to file a pedestrian injury lawsuit, the best practice is to contact a Lynn pedestrian attorney as soon as possible after your accident. The sooner our team is on board, the more helpful we can be, and it gives us the best opportunity to gather all the evidence we can in your case. For example, many local businesses may only keep a record of their surveillance footage for a few months, so that is the information we can no longer have for your case if we don’t get on the case in the beginning. The sooner we begin representing you, we also have more time to negotiate a favorable settlement for you rather than needing to file a lawsuit under a tight time constraint.
What Damages Can I Collect After a Pedestrian Accident in Lynn?
If you were injured as a Pedestrian in Lynn, your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage on your car insurance policy would cover your medical bills and a portion of lost wages up to the PIP policy limit of $8,000. Most of the time, however, the medical bills and other expenses after a Lynn pedestrian accident exceed $8,000. To recover more than this or for other losses, such as your pain and suffering, you must file a claim or lawsuit against the person who caused the accident.
After being hurt as a pedestrian, you can recover compensation for non-economic and economic damages. Economic damages include any costs and expenses due to your injuries. Non-economic damages include losses without a dollar amount.
Economic damages include medical bills, lost wages, property damage expenses, and any other expenses related to the accident.
Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, the loss of quality of life, emotional or psychological trauma, loss of companionship, and more.
Suppose a loved one was killed in a Lynn pedestrian accident. In that case, you may file a claim on their behalf to pursue compensation for losses, including their medical expenses, funeral costs, emotional pain and suffering, and loss of financial support.
Who is at Fault for a Lynn Pedestrian Accident?
One of the first things an injury attorney will do in your case is determine who caused the Lynn pedestrian accident.
You might think a driver is automatically at fault if you were hit by a car while crossing the street in Lynn. This is not exactly true, as there are many factors to consider when determining who caused the accident. It is possible that you and the driver who hit you were both responsible, for example, or maybe a third party caused the accident by forcing the driver who hit you to swerve unexpectedly.
How Do I Prove a Driver is at Fault for my Lynn Pedestrian Accident?
Even if pedestrians are partially responsible for the accident, they still have a valid pedestrian injury claim. To recover compensation from the driver who hit you, we only need to prove that the other driver was more than 50% responsible for the accident.
In Massachusetts, a “modified comparative negligence” rule essentially allows pedestrians to recover damages as long as they are not primarily at fault.
Pedestrians could be partially at fault for causing a Lynn pedestrian accident if they were jaywalking, texting while walking, unexpectedly running out in front of a car, or crossing the street without looking. If a pedestrian is found 20% responsible for the accident, for example, they can still recover 80% of their case’s total value from the at-fault driver.
Drivers are often at fault for pedestrian accidents for driving while distracted, speeding, not obeying traffic lights or stop signs, not stopping for a crosswalk, or if they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
How We Help People After Pedestrian Accidents in Massachusetts
Check out our case results to learn how our Massachusetts injury attorneys have helped people recover after being injured in a pedestrian accident.
- Learn how Spada Law helped a pedestrian injured in a life-threatening Massachusetts accident while crossing a street settle for the maximum insurance benefit.
- Learn how Spada Law helped a Woman Injured in a Parking Lot get a $200,000+ Settlement.
Injured in a Pedestrian Accident in Lynn, Massachusetts? Reach out for a FREE Consultation with a Pedestrian Accident and Injury Lawyer
Pedestrian accidents are among the most serious cases we see. They almost always result in serious injuries or even death. Getting hit by a car while walking is challenging and stressful enough, but navigating the legal process and dealing with insurance companies doesn’t have to be challenging and stressful.
If you or a loved one were injured as a pedestrian in Massachusetts, you have rights and may be able to get compensation for your medical bills, time lost from work, pain and suffering, and more. Our pedestrian accident attorneys are here to guide you every step of the way.
Over the last three decades, we’ve helped thousands of people in Massachusetts get the recovery they need after a pedestrian accident injury. Recently, Boston Magazine named Attorney Spada one of Boston’s Top Personal Injury Lawyers. We’re here and ready to help.
We have three offices but proudly serve the entire state with the ability to meet with you remotely from the comfort of your own home. Contact us for a free consultation so we can learn more about your accident and injuries and see how we can help you get the recovery you deserve.