Personally Committed to Secure Compensation for You
Pedestrian Injury Lawyer
in Grand Rapids
At Goodman Acker P.C., our pedestrian injury lawyer helps secure fair and just compensation by providing comprehensive, smart legal representation. Call us at 248-286-8100 to schedule a no-cost consultation and discuss your case with someone who will protect your rights.
Were You or a Loved One Hit by a Car While Crossing the Street?
A pedestrian accident is one of the most harrowing and life-altering events a person can experience. Your life can change profoundly in a second, and the effects of that second can last a lifetime. A Grand Rapids pedestrian accident lawyer with the right skill, experience, and resources will review your case and confidently indicate what type and how much compensation you can potentially claim.
At Goodman Acker, we have witnessed how a single act of negligence can alter another person’s life forever. A normal day of window shopping in the West Side neighborhood can be tragic. You do not, however, have to be shopping to get injured. Walking across the street on a busy day, at dusk, or at any time for any reason can end in a terrible accident. Much of the increase in pedestrian accidents throughout Grand Rapids has to do with the rapid growth the city has been experiencing.
Whether you are a Grand Rapids native or not, you deserve compensation for any injury you sustain due to the fault of another person.
How We Can Help You
Our Grand Rapids Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Explains What is at Stake
Our Grand Rapids pedestrian injury lawyer can help you, but our help extends well beyond getting compensation for your injuries. We do a lot more. Here is a summary of how we can help you if you have been involved in a pedestrian accident:
Investigate Thoroughly and Competently
We use our resources and collective insight to investigate all aspects of any given injury case. We interview witnesses, analyze medical records, review police reports, and examine videos, photographs, and social media — whatever we have or think we might have; we will investigate it.
Identify The Right Parties
A demand letter is often the first step in a pedestrian car accident case. In Michigan, because of our no-fault law, understanding whom to send that first demand letter to can be confusing. Is it your own insurer or the at-fault party’s insurer? We take the guesswork out of it, so you never have to worry that you are sending anything to the wrong place or missing out on compensation available to you. We identify all parties who can be sued and then send out demand letters accordingly.
Potential parties include:
- Your own auto insurance company
- The at-fault party’s insurance company
- The at-fault party (the driver who hit you)
- The owner of the vehicle (if the driver was not the owner, the owner could be a friend, a parent, another family member, an employer, or another entity).
Parties subject to a claim or lawsuit depend on the circumstances of the accident. In some cases, where injuries do not amount to serious impairment of body function or wrongful death, we may only have to deal with your own insurance company, but if the injuries are substantial, we may be able to seek compensation from all potential parties.
We put together a strong demand letter supported by the facts and the law. We establish expectations and consequences for failure to timely and properly respond to the demand. We use the demand letter as our starting point for negotiations.
Negotiate without fear.
Our aim is to settle as quickly as possible with a payout that meets all your expenses and needs. To that end, we use our 150+ years of combined legal experience and insight to get results. We first persevere to settle before filing a lawsuit, but we will not be intimidated by insurance adjusters and will sue and go to trial if that is what it takes.
Go to trial, if necessary.
When the insurance company fails to agree to fair and just compensation, we have no qualms about going to trial. Though most cases settle before trial, we will do what it takes to get you what you deserve, and we will use the facts and the law to prove your claim by a preponderance of the evidence.
Obtain just and fair compensation.
We get results. Our success rate of 99% for all cases we conclude is unparalleled. We have recovered millions of dollars collectively for our clients. You are entitled to compensation for any property damage, lost wages, and medical expenses, including long-term medical care if needed.
You are also entitled to excess medical expenses and excess lost wages from the at-fault driver or the vehicle owner. (M.C.L. 257.401(1)). Excess medical expenses and wages are those expenses and wages that exceed the limits of your insurance policy. In other words, if your insurance policy only covers $100,000 in medical bills and lost wages, but you suffered $125,000 in damages for the same, you can obtain the remaining $25,000 from the at-fault party and/or vehicle owner.
You may also be entitled to compensation for non-economic damages. Per M.C.L. § 600.1483, these damages include “pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, or physical disfigurement, loss of society and companionship…loss of consortium, or other noneconomic loss.” To recover pain and suffering, we must prove that you suffered a serious impairment of body function, also referred to as the tort threshold injury requirement. If it applies in your case, we will prove it.
For us, just and fair compensation is recovering what is right under the circumstances and the maximum the law will allow.
Provide Peace of Mind and Security When You Most Need It
From the very first moment we meet you and decide that we are a good fit for your case, we take complete charge. We know you need time to recover physically, mentally, and emotionally. We do the work, so you do not have to stress about it. You can rest assured that with our competent legal team in Grand Rapids, you will be well taken care of as much as you will be well represented.
In sum, we help by being there for you. It is that simple. You focus on recovery while we focus on your case. Contact our pedestrian accident lawyer in Grand Rapids today at 248-286-8100 to schedule a consultation and learn specifically how we can help your case.
Why Choose Us
We Build Our Law Firm on Relationships and Sustain It on Success
Our Grand Rapids pedestrian accident attorney has the experience and resources to secure just and fair compensation for you. We know how insurance adjusters — even those from your own insurance company whom you always thought were representing your interests but are only representing the interests of the insurance company — sometimes try to manipulate and intimidate. Throughout the years, we have seen and heard about every tactic. There is no trick up an insurance adjuster’s sleeve that we cannot address.
Their goal is to reduce any payout or settlement. Our goal is to maximize compensation.
But there is more to us and our services than negotiating with insurance adjusters. Here are a few things about us in which we take pride:
- Substantial experience. We have 150+ years of combined legal experience.
- Unparalleled success. We have a success rate of 99% for cases we conclude.
- Trusted by the community. We regularly feature on local news, like Fox 2 News and Local 4 Detroit.
- Client-driven. Our clients are treated like family and their testimonials attest to it.
- Results-oriented. We get results and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients.
- We are available 24/7 for client emergencies.
- Free initial consultations. We know deciding to hire a pedestrian accident lawyer can be exhausting and stressful, so we offer free, no-obligation initial consultations to create a stress-free environment as we discuss your case.
- Unparalleled commitment. Founding Partner Barry J. Goodman and his legal team in Grand Rapids are committed to providing excellent care and services to each client that walks through our doors.
We at Goodman Acker have high standards for ourselves. As a result, we have built a successful law firm that protects the rights and interests of our clients.
Pedestrian Accident FAQs
Common Questions for Personal Injury Attorneys in Grand Rapids
Pedestrians, and even drivers, may have many questions after an accident in Grand Rapids. It is important to get the right information and timely answers. Not only will this help inform the parties but will help guide them to their next step. Here, our pedestrian injury lawyer answers some of these questions.
Pedestrian accidents often result in severe — and even catastrophic — injury to the pedestrian, and usually little or no injury to the negligent driver. In almost every pedestrian accident case, the impact of being hit by a car has the potential to injure a victim in a life-altering way.
Pedestrian accidents can result in injuries like:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Broken bones
- Cuts
- Bruises
- Burns
- Loss of limbs.
In the worst cases, pedestrian accidents lead to fatal injuries.
Liability for pedestrian accidents most often falls on the driver. Pedestrians have their own responsibilities to walk safely and be aware of hazards, but accountability ultimately is on the driver to watch the road and react to any potential dangers, such as a pedestrian. For example, per M.C.L. § 257.612, motorists must yield to pedestrians whether or not a traffic signal is green, steady yellow, or red.
It is possible that a third party could be liable for a pedestrian accident. For example, a city could be at fault if it failed to install a crosswalk in an area that is known to be dangerous to pedestrians. This is just one example of the many distinct factors that can cause pedestrian accidents. These distinct factors can complicate a personal injury or wrongful death case.
In any of these cases, however, liability does not always mean responsibility to pay compensation. Michigan adheres to no-fault laws, and these laws most often require the victim’s own insurance to cover economic damages.
Although most pedestrian accident cases are the result of driver negligence, it is possible for the injured pedestrian to be liable for their injuries. Although rare, a pedestrian could be considered partially at fault for their injuries if their own negligent behavior contributed to the accident.
For example, a pedestrian may be considered responsible for their own injuries if they were jaywalking, using a cell phone at the time of the accident, or walking in an area where pedestrians are prohibited. When a pedestrian contributes to an accident, any compensation they receive could potentially be reduced in proportion to their fault.
Although car insurance is generally associated with car accident coverage, pedestrian accidents are typically covered, too, because they usually involve vehicles. Most car insurance policies include some type of bodily injury coverage or personal injury protection, which should provide a payment to pedestrian accident victims.
However, it is possible that your claim will be denied. As is true in any motor vehicle accident case, the insurance company may not readily pay your claim and can make attempts to undervalue your coverage. In these cases, further legal action may be necessary.
See How 150+ Years of Experience Can Help by Contacting Our Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today
You have experienced a traumatic event and need time to recover. The Goodman Acker P.C. legal team is committed to helping pedestrian accident injury victims focus on themselves while we focus on the case. We use our combined experience, insight, and resources to obtain the best outcome.
Contact us at 248-286-8100 to schedule a free initial consultation and get meaningful answers to your specific questions and concerns.
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN
Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well.
ABOUT GOODMAN ACKER
Why Choose Us