Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Nashville

Getting hit by a car can leave you trying to piece together what happened while you’re still dealing with the injuries. Maybe you remember the impact clearly. Maybe you don’t. Either way, there may already be questions about the crosswalk, the traffic signal, where the driver was looking, or whether you somehow caused the collision. 

A pedestrian accident lawyer in Nashville can investigate those questions and protect your injury claim while you focus on your medical care. At Wettermark Keith, we’ve spent decades representing people injured because someone else wasn’t careful enough.

As your Nashville personal injury lawyers, we understand how quickly a pedestrian accident can turn into an argument over fault, especially once an insurance company gets involved. Our firm has recovered more than $1.5 billion for clients, and our team includes former insurance lawyers and adjusters who have seen these disputes from the other side.

The Driver Says You Were at Fault. Now What?

Pedestrian accidents aren’t always handled as simply as “the car hit the person.” An insurance adjuster may argue that you stepped into traffic unexpectedly, crossed outside a crosswalk, weren’t paying attention, or entered the roadway against a traffic signal. That can be frustrating when you’re the one who ended up in the emergency room.

Tennessee’s pedestrian laws give both drivers and pedestrians responsibilities on the road. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-8-134, drivers must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in marked crosswalks in the circumstances covered by the statute. Tennessee law also addresses pedestrians crossing outside crosswalks, including when they must yield to vehicles. 

Where you crossed is important, but it isn’t necessarily the entire case. Tennessee uses modified comparative fault principles when responsibility is shared. If an insurer is trying to put an unfair percentage of blame on you, our pedestrian accident attorneys in Nashville can look beyond that allegation and examine what the evidence actually shows.

We Start With What Can Still Be Proven

A pedestrian collision can happen in seconds. Reconstructing those few seconds later may take considerably more work.

That’s why we want to know what evidence exists and how quickly we need to preserve it. Depending on the crash, our investigation may involve:

• Video evidence: There may be footage of the crash that no one has looked for yet. Cameras on storefronts, homes, or around an intersection could show the impact, the vehicle approaching, or what happened a few seconds beforehand.
• Eyewitness statements: What someone saw from the sidewalk or another vehicle can fill in details that aren’t in the police report. A witness might remember the driver’s speed, where you were when you were hit, or which direction traffic was moving at the time.
• Police reports: The responding officer’s report can provide names, observations, diagrams, and other useful information about the scene.
• Vehicle evidence: Damage patterns and other physical evidence may help accident reconstruction experts understand how the impact occurred.
• Medical records: Treatment records can document internal injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and other harm caused by the collision.

Surveillance footage doesn’t necessarily remain available indefinitely. Neither do witnesses’ memories. Working with a pedestrian injury lawyer in Nashville early gives us a better opportunity to find and preserve evidence before it becomes harder to obtain.

Serious Injuries Can Create Problems Long After the Crash

Pedestrians have very little protection from a moving vehicle. Even a collision that occurs at city speeds can result in substantial injuries. Some people leave the scene in an ambulance. Others initially think they’re okay and realize later that something isn’t right.

Medical bills are only part of what can follow. You might miss weeks of work, need rehabilitation, or find that an injury keeps you from returning to the same job. Pain and suffering, lost income, future medical expenses, and other economic damages or non-economic damages may become part of a personal injury claim. 

If the injuries are fatal, the case changes entirely. Surviving family members may have grounds to pursue a wrongful death claim. Whatever the outcome of the collision, we look at what was actually lost rather than treating every pedestrian injury like the same insurance claim.

Who Pays When the Driver Has Little or No Insurance?

Finding out the driver was responsible doesn’t necessarily mean there’s enough insurance to cover a serious injury. Some drivers carry limited coverage. Others may not have valid insurance at all.

Depending on the circumstances, uninsured motorist coverage or other coverage under an applicable auto insurance policy may become important. There can also be cases involving an employer, a government vehicle, or another party whose conduct contributed to what happened. Questions of vicarious liability sometimes arise when a driver causes an accident while working.

A pedestrian hit by car lawyer in Nashville can identify potential sources of coverage instead of stopping at the first insurance policy. That’s particularly important when medical expenses are high or an injury has long-term consequences.

What We Handle While You’re Recovering

A serious injury can turn into a second job if you try to handle the legal process yourself, often requiring calls with an insurance company, requests for medical records, or clearing up misinformation in the police report. 

We take that work on. We communicate with insurers, organize evidence, investigate the negligent driver or other responsible parties, document the losses connected to the accident, and prepare the injury claim for negotiation. When disputed issues require outside expertise, we can bring in accident reconstruction professionals and other qualified experts.

Not every case ends in a jury verdict, and most clients aren’t looking for a courtroom fight just for the sake of one. But if reasonable settlement negotiations don’t resolve the case, our personal injury law firm can discuss legal action and what pursuing the case further would involve.

Talk to a Pedestrian Accident Attorney in Nashville

You may have found us after searching for a pedestrian accident lawyer near me in Nashville because the insurance company called, your bills are piling up, or you simply aren’t sure whether you have a case. You don’t need to figure all of that out before contacting us. An initial consultation lets you tell us what happened and helps us better understand your legal rights.

Wettermark Keith handles these cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay attorney fees upfront for us to pursue your claim. We’ve represented more than 100,000 clients, and when you come to us after a serious pedestrian accident, we take that responsibility personally. 

Contact our team for a free consultation and let us start figuring out what happened and who should be held responsible.