Tulsa Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Walking is a fitness-friendly and eco-conscious choice. It’s also the best way to reach destinations within urban communities without worrying about driving or parking. This is especially true in pedestrian-friendly cities like Tulsa, considered the second-most walkable city in Oklahoma. While most walks are uneventful and end with a safe arrival at a destination, it only takes one bad moment in traffic for a pedestrian to suffer serious and often life-altering injuries. When an exposed pedestrian and an average 4,000-pound vehicle collide, the pedestrian is vulnerable to grave harm.
If you or a loved one experienced serious injuries in a pedestrian accident in Tulsa or the surrounding area, call the experienced injury lawyers at Dan Davis Law today for the legal representation you need for prompt results.
Why Choose Us for Your Pedestrian Accident Attorneys in Tulsa?
Dan Davis Law is an Oklahoma law firm with deep roots in Tulsa. As personal injury advocates for over 25 years, our firm has the resources, experience, and in-depth knowledge of Oklahoma injury law to achieve maximum compensation in your pedestrian accident case. We provide advantages to every client’s case, including the following:
Experience
With over a quarter of a century of personal injury advocacy in Oklahoma, our team has the experience with Oklahoma laws and insurance systems you need to advance your case forward and achieve results. Founding lawyer, Dan Davis, is a skilled trial attorney who dedicated his career to those injured due to someone else’s careless or reckless actions.
Personalized Strategies
At Dan Davis Law, we understand that no two pedestrian accidents are the same. We don’t follow a formulaic strategy for a fast settlement. Instead, your resourceful attorney will investigate the circumstances of your unique case and determine the best way forward to achieve the optimal results.
Results
Our firm of experienced personal injury attorneys in Tulsa have recovered over $400 million in settlements and jury awards for our injured clients, including pedestrian accident victims in Tulsa. The results behind the Dan Davis Law name put a powerful voice behind your claim for compensation.
Alarming Pedestrian Accident Statistics
Pedestrian accidents happen more often than people think, especially in high-traffic areas like Tulsa. Despite urban engineering measures designed to separate pedestrians from traffic such as sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian bridges, and barriers, pedestrian accidents have increased an alarming 83% since 2009. The following pedestrian accident statistics show the gravity of the problem:
- Pedestrian deaths make up 18% of traffic fatalities
- There were 7,522 pedestrian fatalities in 2022
- 25% of pedestrian deaths in 2022 were hit-and-run accidents
- There was a 19% increase in pedestrian deaths between 2019 and 2022
- 250 pedestrian accidents occurred in Oklahoma in 2021
- 115 walkers and bicyclists (labeled as Vulnerable Road Users) were fatally injured in Oklahoma traffic accidents in 2021
In car vs. pedestrian accidents in Tulsa and elsewhere, unprotected pedestrians are at extreme risk of injuries, including life-altering disabilities or wrongful death.
How Do Pedestrian Accidents Happen?
Despite the efforts of city planners and improvements in sidewalks, crosswalks, and crossing signals, pedestrian accidents still occur, with deadly implications for walkers, skaters, and those of all ages using sidewalks and crosswalks. Common causes of Tulsa pedestrian accidents include the following:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Drivers who fail to yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks
- Inadequate lighting
- Intoxicated drivers
- Drivers making left turns
- Poor road design
- Traffic signal malfunctions
Most pedestrian accident deaths result from negligence, typically from a careless driver but sometimes due to a negligent roadway planning agency, road maintenance agency, or a defective auto part or crossing signal. It takes an in-depth investigation of the pedestrian accident to identify the negligent party and compile evidence of liability.
Proving Liability in a Tulsa Pedestrian Accident
Drivers have a responsibility to avoid distraction and carefully adhere to traffic laws such as pedestrian right-of-way laws and the speed limit. When they act carelessly or recklessly, Oklahoma’s civil courts leave them financially liable for the victim’s damages. Proving liability requires showing the following:
- That the at-fault party owed a duty of care to pedestrians, including taking all reasonable measures to prevent causing injury
- They breached this duty through an act of negligence
- Their breach of duty directly caused injuries to a pedestrian
- The injury victim suffered economic and non-economic consequences
Once your attorney from Dan Davis Law documents evidence of liability, they’ll carefully calculate your damages, send a demand package to the negligent driver’s insurance company, and negotiate the maximum settlement possible. Our experienced Tulsa pedestrian accident lawyers are also more than ready to go to court with a lawsuit if it’s required to obtain your compensation. Most claims end with a settlement, but sometimes insurance companies dispute claims, undervalue them, or attempt to assign an undue portion of fault to the injury victim, requiring litigation in court.
Less commonly, the defendant in a pedestrian accident case could be a negligent city government entity or the manufacturer of a defective signal light or car part.
Injuries in Tulsa Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrians like walkers and skaters have no protection in a crash. They make direct contact with the vehicle, obstacles, or the roadway. Common injuries in pedestrian accidents include:
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Fractures of the limbs, hips, pelvis, and ribs
- Spinal cord injuries
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains and torn ligaments
- Road-rash (severe abrasions)
- Bruises and lacerations
Injuries in Tulsa pedestrian accidents range from mild and inconvenient, with an emergency room bill and a few days of missed pay, to severe injuries and a lifetime of disability.
What Compensation Can I Get in a Pedestrian Accident Claim in Oklahoma?
Depending on the nature and severity of the injuries, compensation in a successful pedestrian accident claim could include any or all of the following:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Lost income
- Future income loss for ongoing care related to the accident
- Diminished future earning capacity due to disability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for any other non-economic damages that apply like scarring, disfigurement, emotional trauma, or loss of enjoyment of life
- Wrongful death of a family member
Compensation relieves financial hardship associated with serious injuries and also gives injured pedestrians a sense of justice. If a loved one was killed in a pedestrian accident in Tulsa or the surrounding area, a close family member like a spouse, parent, or adult child can recover compensation and a sense of justice through a Tulsa wrongful death claim.
Call the Tulsa Pedestrian Accident Lawyers at Dan Davis Law
No one should have to face a complicated legal process to recover damages or deal with insurance companies who prioritize profits over paying out to injury victims while also trying to recover from serious injuries. Contact the experienced lawyers at Dan Davis Law so a Tulsa pedestrian accident attorney can evaluate your case with a free consultation. We also operate on contingency-based payment so we only take our fee after we win your case. Our dedicated client advocates are ready to help.