When you’re walking down the street, the last thing on your mind is becoming a statistic. Yet every year, thousands of pedestrians face life-altering injuries when vehicles strike them. Being struck by a vehicle while walking is one of the most devastating accidents you can experience. Not only are the physical injuries severe, but the financial, emotional, and legal challenges can feel overwhelming. One of the most common questions our pedestrian accident lawyer team hears is: What compensation is available in pedestrian accidents?

At Warner & Warner, our role as experienced pedestrian accident lawyers in Orlando is to help you understand the types of compensation you may be entitled to, and to fight for the full recovery you deserve.

Medical Expenses: Your Immediate Priority

Your medical bills likely started accumulating the moment the ambulance arrived. In pedestrian accidents, these costs escalate quickly because the human body simply wasn’t designed to withstand the force of a moving vehicle. Your compensation should cover every medical expense related to your accident, including:

• Emergency treatment represents just the beginning. Those ambulance rides, emergency room visits, trauma surgeries, and intensive care stays create substantial bills before you’ve even begun to process what happened to you. But emergency care is only the foundation of your medical journey.
• Ongoing medical care becomes your new reality. You’ll face countless follow-up appointments with specialists, rehabilitation sessions that stretch for months, and diagnostic tests to monitor your recovery. Each appointment represents both progress toward healing and additional financial burden.
• Specialized treatments often become necessary when dealing with the complex injuries pedestrian accidents cause. Physical therapy helps rebuild your strength and mobility. Chiropractic care addresses spinal injuries. Reconstructive surgeries restore function and appearance. These treatments require skilled professionals and specialized equipment, driving costs higher.
• Medical equipment and devices may become permanent parts of your life. Wheelchairs, braces, prosthetics, and mobility aids aren’t just medical necessities—they’re expensive investments in your independence and quality of life.
• Future medical costs represent perhaps the most critical component of your claim. If your injuries require lifelong care, ongoing treatments, or future surgeries, your settlement must account for these expenses. Failing to include future medical costs could leave you financially vulnerable years down the road.

Lost Wages and Diminished Earning Power

Your paycheck stopped when your ability to work ended, but your bills didn’t pause for your recovery. Compensation for lost income encompasses several categories that extend beyond your immediate missed paychecks.

• Current lost wages cover the income you’ve already lost during your recovery period. This includes not just your base salary, but overtime opportunities, bonuses, and benefits you would have earned.
• Future earning capacity becomes crucial if your injuries permanently affect your ability to work. Perhaps you can no longer perform physical labor, work long hours, or maintain the same level of productivity. Your settlement should reflect this reduced earning potential throughout your career.
• Career changes sometimes become necessary when injuries prevent you from returning to your previous job. If you need retraining for a new career or must accept lower-paying work due to your limitations, compensation should bridge this gap.

A fair pedestrian injury settlement doesn’t just consider your current paycheck; it looks ahead at how your ability to earn an income has been affected.

Pain and Suffering: The Invisible Damages

While medical bills and lost wages come with clear dollar amounts, your pain and suffering represent equally real consequences without convenient price tags. These damages acknowledge that your accident affected far more than just your bank account.

• Physical pain extends beyond your initial injuries. You’re dealing with ongoing discomfort, the pain of medical procedures, and the challenges of rehabilitation. This persistent pain affects every aspect of your daily life.
• Emotional trauma often proves as debilitating as physical injuries. Many pedestrian accident victims develop anxiety around traffic, depression from their changed circumstances, or post-traumatic stress disorder from the traumatic event. These psychological wounds require professional treatment and significantly impact your quality of life.
• Loss of life enjoyment occurs when injuries prevent you from participating in activities you once loved. Whether it’s playing sports, gardening, traveling, or simply keeping up with your children, these losses deserve recognition in your settlement.

This is where having a skilled pedestrian accident lawyer makes a difference. Insurance companies often undervalue pain and suffering, but your attorney will fight to ensure it’s accounted for.

Additional Compensation Categories

Property damage 

This might seem minor compared to your injuries, but every damaged item, your phone, clothing, bicycle, or other personal belongings, represents additional losses that should be included in your claim. While this may seem small compared to medical expenses, every dollar counts when calculating a personal injury payout.

Wrongful death damages 

Wrongful death becomes relevant in the most tragic cases. If you’ve lost a loved one in a pedestrian accident, Florida law allows families to pursue compensation for funeral expenses, lost financial support, and the immeasurable loss of companionship.

What Influences Your Settlement Value?

Several factors determine the ultimate value of your compensation:

• Injury severity plays the primary role. Catastrophic injuries that permanently alter your life typically result in substantially higher settlements than minor injuries with full recovery.
• Driver negligence can increase your compensation significantly. If the driver was intoxicated, texting, speeding, or otherwise behaving recklessly, this may elevate your claim’s value.
• Comparative fault under Florida’s modified comparative negligence rules means your compensation may be reduced if you’re found partially responsible for the accident.
• Available insurance coverage creates practical limits on your recovery, making it essential to explore all potential sources of compensation.

Why You Need a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Insurance companies are not on your side. Their goal is to minimize what they pay out, often by offering quick settlements that don’t reflect the true value of your case. An experienced pedestrian accident lawyer in Orlando will:

• Investigate the accident thoroughly
  
• Gather and preserve evidence, including medical records and witness statements
  
• Calculate the full scope of your damages, including future costs
  
• Negotiate aggressively with insurance companies
  
• Represent you in court if necessary
  

Taking the Next Step

So, what compensation is available in pedestrian accidents? The answer is broad: medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and, in tragic cases, wrongful death benefits. But the actual pedestrian injury settlement you receive depends heavily on the skill of your legal team. If you want to be properly represented and get the personal injury payout amount you truly deserve, get in touch with Warner & Warner today.