Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Middletown

Finkelstein & Partners, LLP
280 NY-211 Suite 206,
Middletown, NY 10940
845-344-4855

From the crosswalks of downtown to the winding streets of Presidential Heights, Middletown’s pedestrians are the most vulnerable of all potential traffic accident victims. The injuries they sustain in a collision with a motor vehicle frequently involve catastrophic or fatal trauma, and the expenses they face getting medical treatment and rebuilding their lives can strain them to the breaking point.

If you suffered injuries in a Middletown pedestrian accident, you may have the right to receive financial compensation from the party or parties at fault. Finkelstein & Partners wants to help you get it. We represent victims of pedestrian accidents throughout the Hudson Valley, fighting to get them the money they need to overcome the harm inflicted on them. Hire a pedestrian injury lawyer today

About Finkelstein & Partners

Finkelstein & Partners is an award-winning personal injury law firm. Since 1959, our lawyers have committed their careers to helping injured victims of unjust accidents secure financial compensation for their injuries and losses. We have a solid track record of getting results for our clients, including a recent $8.3 million settlement on behalf of a child pedestrian accident victim.

We pride ourselves at Finkelstein & Partners on our dedication to serving clients in the Hudson Valley communities where we live and work. Our team provides personalized service and unsurpassed legal representation.

Types of Cases We Cover

Pedestrian Accident Cases We Handle

According to the New York State Department of Health, motor vehicle accidents cause around 300 pedestrian deaths and 15,000 pedestrian injuries every year in the Empire State. Middletown bears a tragic portion of that heavy toll.

Finkelstein & Partners has the experience and resources to represent clients in a wide variety of Middletown pedestrian accidents, including:

  • Crosswalk accidents in which a careless driver fails to yield to a pedestrian crossing the street;
  • Non-crosswalk accidents in which drivers refuse to slow down or stop for a pedestrian crossing a road that does not feature a crosswalk;
  • Road shoulder accidents in which a negligent driver fails to move over for a pedestrian walking on the side of the road;
  • Illegal passing accidents in which drivers pass a stopped school bus, ice cream truck, or other vehicle and clip a pedestrian (often a child); and
  • Parking lot accidents in which unsafe drivers strike a pedestrian in a crowded parking lot, such as those around Middletown’s shopping centers, entertainment venues, and businesses.

However, these are merely examples of common scenarios leading to pedestrian accidents in Middletown. No matter the circumstances of the pedestrian accident that harmed you or your loved one, the team at Finkelstein & Partners wants to help you get the money you deserve for the harm you have suffered.

The Heavy Toll of Middletown Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrians commonly sustain severe injuries in traffic accidents from a vehicle knocking them to the ground. When not fatal, these injuries frequently require extensive medical treatment and long recovery periods. They often leave victims disabled and under extreme financial strain.

At Finkelstein & Partners, we draw on a base of knowledge and experience accumulated over our more than sixty years of law practice to evaluate the harm our clients have suffered in pedestrian crashes.

We can help Middletown pedestrian accident victims secure compensation for trauma such as:

  • Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) that leave victims paralyzed and reliant on mobility devices to live independently;
  • Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that result in permanent loss of consciousness or long-lasting physical, emotional, and cognitive difficulties;
  • Crush injuries and traumatic amputation of a limb, often occurring when a vehicle runs over a victim, resulting in permanent disability;
  • Back injuries resulting from the force of impact in a pedestrian accident, which often lead to chronic pain and immobility;
  • Orthopedic injuries such as shoulder separation, hip fracture, and ligament injuries that may heal with proper care, but cause severe pain and disruption;
  • Facial injuries that can result in disfigurement, scarring, and eye damage;
  • Severe cuts and scrapes that can cause dangerous blood loss, infection, nerve damage, and scarring;
  • Emotional trauma from being the victim of or witnessing a violent pedestrian accident, which often emerges through post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and
  • Wrongful death, where a victim sustains fatal injuries in a pedestrian accident.

As above, this is only a partial list of the types of trauma our clients may have suffered in a pedestrian accident. No matter what harm you suffered because of a pedestrian accident in Middletown, the team at Finkelstein & Partners knows how to help you get the financial compensation necessary for paying for care and rebuilding your life.

Seeking Compensation for a Pedestrian Accident in Middletown

At Finkelstein & Partners, our primary mission is to secure maximum financial compensation for our injured clients, so that they can heal from their trauma and return to living their lives.

We usually do that by taking legal action on their behalf, which often takes the form of pressing insurance claims or pursuing personal injury lawsuits in Orange County courts. But we never take a one-size-fits-all approach—we tailor the services we provide to the unique needs of every client we represent.

Who owes you monetary damages for your pedestrian accident injuries?

Having represented injured clients in personal injury matters for over sixty years, our lawyers possess a deep understanding of how to identify the party or parties responsible for the harm caused by a Middletown pedestrian accident, and of how to hold them accountable for that harm under New York law.

In any given pedestrian accident case, legal liability may fall on:

  • A driver who hit a pedestrian while doing something dangerous like texting and driving, speeding, or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
  • The employer of a driver who hit a pedestrian with a work vehicle, especially if that employer failed to train or supervise the driver properly, or did not maintain the vehicle in safe working condition;
  • The government entity responsible for having designed or built public infrastructure that was unsafe for pedestrians, such as when a city knows about but does not fix an unreasonably dangerous intersection or crosswalk; or
  • An automotive manufacturer that produced a defective vehicle or part (like brakes or tires) that failed during normal use, leading to a collision with a pedestrian.

We need to investigate to know who might owe you money for your pedestrian accident injuries. But one thing is certain: Pedestrian accidents should never happen, and when they do, someone other than the pedestrian victim usually bears the blame. At Finkelstein & Partners, we know how to figure out who that is, and how to compel them to pay for your injuries and losses.

What damages can you seek?

New York personal injury law generally entitles victims of pedestrian accidents to receive financial compensation for the full range of economic and non-economic injuries and losses they suffered. The types and amounts of money damages available to a victim can vary from case to case, depending on the injuries involved, the victim’s characteristics, and the funds (including insurance) potentially available to pay for the harm done.

In general, however, the Finkelstein & Partners team will typically aim to secure compensation on our clients’ behalf to pay for:

  • Medical care and therapy you need to heal from pedestrian accident injuries and to address any long-term health complications those injuries may cause;
  • Goods and services you need to purchase because of the pedestrian accident and the harm it caused, such as hiring someone to assist you with daily tasks like childcare or transportation while you heal, or modifying a living space to accommodate your new disability.
  • The income you did not earn while taking time off from work to heal from a pedestrian accident injury, and/or paid time off (vacation or sick days) you used while healing from those injuries;
  • The future income you would have earned, but now will not, because of disabilities or impairments caused by your pedestrian accident injuries;
  • Pain and suffering you endured because of the pedestrian accident, including inconvenience, emotional struggles, interference with your personal or intimate relationships, and an overall loss of your quality of life.

Sometimes, our team can also convince a court to award our client additional punitive damages, which punish the at-fault party for wrongful or intentional misconduct.

What You Can Do to Help Your Case

A pedestrian accident can shatter your body and your life. In its aftermath, you may struggle to decide where to turn for help or what to do first to protect yourself and your family. The team at Finkelstein & Partners is available 24/7 to chat with you online or by phone, for free, about your case, and we invite you to reach out to us today.

You may also benefit from following these simple tips for protecting your rights.

Get Medical Care Immediately and Do What Your Doctor Tells You

Never brush off getting into a pedestrian accident. Always seek immediate medical care, even if you feel like you did not sustain serious injuries. You cannot expect to be the best judge of your condition after getting hit by a vehicle, and some potentially life-threatening injuries do not show obvious symptoms immediately.

So, let a doctor check you over, and then follow the doctor’s treatment plan as best you can. This protects your health, first and foremost. It also safeguards your rights by creating medical records of your injuries that a lawyer can use to prove your case by showing that you took responsible steps to take care of yourself.

Do Not Agree to Any Informal or Formal Settlement Made Directly to You

It’s not unheard of for drivers who strike pedestrians to offer them cash on the spot, supposedly to make things right and avoid the need to get the authorities or insurance companies involved. Never agree to that sort of informal payment. It could be illegal, and at the very least it may make it much more difficult for you to get the money damages you deserve.

It’s also pretty common for the at-fault party’s insurance company to contact an accident victim directly with a formal claim settlement. Agreeing to this offer is not usually illegal, but insurers rarely (if ever) directly offer victims fair settlements. In fact, their goal in contacting you directly is to trick you into agreeing to take far less money than the law entitles you.

Say no thanks to this offer and follow the next tip instead.

Contact Our Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Right Away

As the victim of a pedestrian accident, you have potentially valuable rights that the at-fault party, that party’s insurance company, and others may try to take away from you. Your rights also come with an expiration date, known as the statute of limitations, and if you miss an important deadline in pursuing a claim you could lose those rights completely.

To make sure those mistakes do not happen, connect with an experienced pedestrian accident attorney as soon as you can, or have a family member do it for you. The sooner you have an attorney representing your interests on your side, the better your chances of protecting yourself and securing the full value of your legal rights to financial compensation.

Contact an Experienced Middletown Pedestrian Accident Attorney Today

andrew finkelstein
Middletown Pedestrian Accident Attorney, Andrew Finkelstein

Did you or your loved one get hurt in a pedestrian accident? If so, a skilled pedestrian injury lawyer can hold someone legally and financially accountable to you for the harm you have suffered. With the right lawyer on your side, you will not have to worry about paying for your care or having the financial support you need to move forward with your life.

Finkelstein & Partners has more than sixty years of experience fighting on behalf of injured pedestrian accident victims like you. Contact us today at  845-344-4855 for a free case evaluation.