A lot of car accidents happen on major thoroughfares as vehicle to vehicle accidents, but pedestrian-car accidents can be especially deadly, because pedestrians have little protection against large metal vehicles weighing several thousand pounds. Staten Island is doing something about these tragedies, though. In an effort to slow speeding cars down in its side streets, Staten Island is working to create “slow zones” where speeding cars are a problem; these areas have traditionally had a problem with speeders and with above average accident rates, particularly near schools and senior centers.

Although the idea is still in development, places designated as slow zones will be cutting their speed limits from 30 to 20 miles an hour, and can have other so-called “traffic calming” devices, according to borough President James Molinaro, devices like speed bumps and extra signs cautioning motorists to slow down.

That’s great for Staten Island, of course, but other places may not have such stopgaps in place. If you’ve been the victim of a pedestrian-car accident, you are obviously hurting, not sure where to turn next. The offending party’s insurance company may already have approached you with a settlement, and you may be wondering whether not you should take it. Don’t; although it may seem like a wise idea, don’t settle with the insurance company until you talk to one of the many qualified New York car accident attorneys in the area. A New York personal injury attorney can help you get compensation for your injuries, pain and suffering, and you’ll likely be able to get more money than you could by working on your own with the other party’s insurance company.

Why do car-pedestrian accidents happen?

One of the most common reasons car-pedestrian accidents happen is because drivers are simply being inattentive. They may be talking on their cell phones, fiddling with GPS devices, or doing other things besides keeping their eyes on the road. Alcohol or other drugs can often be a factor in these accidents, as well, but it’s a sad fact that supposedly benign devices like cell phones can be so distracting that in some cases, they make drivers as dangerous as if they’ve been driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Regardless of why your car-pedestrian accident happened, though, you need fair compensation so that you can recover from your injuries as quickly as possible. Your  personal injury lawyer will take a look at your case and will review it at no charge to you. If it’s found that you do indeed have a case and that you deserve more compensation than the offending party’s insurance company is offering you (if it’s offering you any at all), your New York personal injury lawyer will take your case on contingency and fight to make sure you get the compensation you deserve.

You can turn your attention to recovering from your injuries, while the NYC lawyer you hire negotiates with the insurance company to receive a truly fair settlement. If that doesn’t happen, not to worry; your personal injury lawyer will have no qualms about taking your case to trial, so that you can rest assured you’ll have the best outcome possible.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a serious car accident, the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe handles car accident claims throughout Nassau, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Suffolk.  We have collected millions for our clients and we can do the same for you.  We invite you to contact us at (516) 358-6900 so that we can evaluate your car accident claim and provide an estimate of the value of your claim.