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Pedestrian accidents happen fast, but the consequences unfold for months or years. A single impact can trigger medical debt, lost income, and insurance hurdles that make recovery harder than it needs to be, especially when the driver clearly broke the rules.
Our attorneys step in early to take control of the claims process, gather evidence before it disappears, and deal directly with the insurance company so you’re not pressured into a low settlement. We focus on the issues that shape your case from day one—fault disputes, medical documentation, and the long-term effects of injuries that upend daily life.
If you’ve been hit by a car while walking in Washington, call the pedestrian accident attorneys at Freeman Law Firm, Inc. at (253) 383-4500 for a free consultation. Let us fight for the compensation you need to focus on recovery and start rebuilding your life.
Those details—where the pedestrian was, what signals were present, how each person behaved—aren’t just background. They become leverage points in the claim. The more clearly those facts are preserved, the harder it is for the insurance company to deny responsibility or shift the blame.
Washington law gives pedestrians the right-of-way in marked and unmarked crosswalks. However, pedestrians also have legal responsibilities to avoid causing accidents. For example:
Under RCW 46.61.235, drivers in Washington have a clear legal duty to operate their vehicles in a way that protects pedestrians. That means:
Clear duties on both sides give Washington attorneys a starting point for building or defending a claim. If the driver ignored a crosswalk or the pedestrian disobeyed a signal, those facts shape how the insurance company responds—and whether a claim gets paid, delayed, or denied. Attorneys use these laws to frame fault, confront blame-shifting, and force the insurer to account for what actually happened.
In the pedestrian cases we handle, we see the same patterns of driver behavior come up again and again. Most crashes happen because someone ignored a clear rule, wasn’t paying attention, or failed to yield when the law required it. Common causes of pedestrian accidents include:
Washington personal injury laws give pedestrians the right to hold negligent drivers accountable—but securing a payout isn’t automatic. Our pedestrian accident lawyers use traffic violations like failure to yield, speeding, or distraction as anchors for the claim, gathering evidence and applying pressure early so insurers can’t downplay the driver’s responsibility.
What you do immediately after a pedestrian accident will impact both your physical and financial recovery. Take the following steps to protect your health and preserve your right to compensation:
After a pedestrian accident, your priority should be your health. Many injuries, including internal bleeding, soft tissue damage, and concussions, may not show symptoms right away. Seeking emergency treatment protects your well-being and creates a clear medical record that connects your injuries to the accident.
Delays in treatment can hurt both your recovery and your claim. Insurance companies often use gaps in treatment to argue that your injuries were not serious or were not caused by the accident. Prompt medical attention helps counter those tactics.
If you are physically able, document the scene of the accident. If not, ask someone to do it for you. Useful evidence includes:
Also, call the police and request a collision report. In Washington, a collision establishes an official record of the accident and what happened and may note whether the driver was cited for any violations.
After an accident, the driver’s insurance company may call and ask for a recorded statement. Do not agree to this, as it is not in your best interest. You may inadvertently downplay your injuries, blame yourself for the accident, or create contradictions that can be used to reduce your payout. Before speaking with any insurance representative, consult a pedestrian accident lawyer in Washington who can handle all communication with the insurance company and protect your rights.
Your actions in the hours and days after the crash can affect everything that follows. Our Washington State pedestrian accident attorneys can take over the legal side early, gathering evidence, controlling communication with the insurer, and making sure the steps you’ve taken are used to your advantage.
For a valid pedestrian accident claim in Washington, there has to be evidence that the driver’s negligence directly caused your injuries. Negligence means the driver failed to act with reasonable care, by speeding, texting, ignoring traffic signals, or failing to yield at a crosswalk.
However, not all accidents are as simple as a single act of negligence by a single party. Pedestrian accidents are sometimes the result of negligence by both parties. The good news is that you may still have a valid claim even if you are partly to blame for the accident.
Injury claims in Washington follow the concept of pure comparative negligence, which means you can still recover compensation even if you were partially at fault, as long as you were not 100 percent responsible.
For example, if you were hit by a car while crossing the street outside a marked crosswalk, but the driver was speeding or not paying attention, both you and the driver may share fault. If you were then found 20 percent at fault, your compensation would be reduced by 20 percent. However, you could still recover the remaining 80%.
Pure comparative negligence allows injured pedestrians to recover compensation even when they’re partly at fault. A Washington State pedestrian accident attorney can evaluate the facts, push back against inflated blame, and build a claim that reflects the driver’s share of responsibility.
Pedestrians don’t have the protection that drivers do. When someone is hit while walking, the injuries are more likely to be serious and the recovery more complicated and expensive. Insurance companies know this, but they still try to downplay the impact unless every part of the injury is clearly documented and tied to the crash.
Some of the most common injuries in pedestrian accident claims include:
Many clients also face emotional effects that interfere with work, sleep, and everyday life. It’s common to experience:
Our attorneys work closely with your doctors and care providers to connect the full scope of your injuries to the crash. That includes future treatment needs, psychological impact, and how the injuries have changed your day-to-day life. When insurance companies try to reduce the claim to a few medical bills, we present the broader picture and push back with evidence they can’t ignore.
After being injured in a pedestrian accident, recovery can stretch over months, interrupting work, draining savings, and reshaping your everyday life. In Washington, compensation is based on the real losses you have suffered, financial and otherwise.
The cost of medical treatment and long-term care, coupled with lost income if you cannot work, can be a huge burden after a pedestrian accident. As such, a pedestrian accident claim in Washington allows you to pursue compensation for the following damages:
Washington law also recognizes that injuries affect more than just income. Compensation for non-economic damages covers losses that are intangible and difficult to quantify, such as:
A pedestrian accident can strip away the things that make life feel normal and that deserves acknowledgment, even if there is no receipt attached.
In fatal pedestrian accidents, families may have the right to bring a wrongful death claim. This type of claim focuses on the financial and emotional impact the death has on the surviving relatives.
Wrongful death damages may include:
A wrongful death case can be overwhelmingly emotional for everyone involved but can also bring financial stability to a family who has lost a breadwinner.
The strength of a pedestrian accident claim depends primarily on how well it is documented, presented, and defended. At Freeman Law Firm, we build every case from the ground up, using evidence, strategy, and local experience to counter insurance company tactics.
We begin by gathering all available evidence as early as possible, including:
In some cases, we may consult experts in accident reconstruction or other relevant disciplines to demonstrate how and why the driver failed to avoid hitting a pedestrian.
The medical part of your case is more than just paperwork. We work closely with your providers to track the full scope of your injuries, treatment plans, and long-term outlook, which allows us to present a complete picture of how the accident affected your health and daily life.
We also step in to deal with medical bills. Our actions may include:
We will work to protect your financial stability as the case progresses and ultimately maximize the compensation you receive.
We have handled pedestrian accident claims throughout Washington and understand how local courts approach these cases. Whether your case is resolved through negotiation or goes to trial, our experience helps shape strategy and timing.
That includes understanding:
Knowledge gained through experience enables us to apply pressure from the very beginning, not just when a court date is approaching. Working the case this way can influence how much your case is worth.
In Washington, the personal injury statute of limitations gives you three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Once the deadline passes, you lose the right to take legal action, even if your injuries are ongoing or the driver was clearly at fault.
If the accident led to a loved one’s death, the timeline usually starts on the date they passed, not the day of the accident. However, specific rules can vary depending on the circumstances.
Statute of limitations deadlines apply whether the driver was cited or not, whether their insurance company cooperates or stalls, and whether you are still recovering. Wait too long to file, and the case is over before it begins.
Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Viewing or using this site does not create an attorney-client relationship with Freeman Law Firm, Inc. Case results depend on specific facts and cannot be guaranteed. For legal guidance for your individual situation, contact our office for a consultation.
Most pedestrian accident lawyers in Washington, including our law firm, work on a contingency fee basis.
There are no retainers, hourly bills, or hidden costs. If the case does not recover money, you do not owe anything. This arrangement allows you to get the help you need immediately, without adding financial stress to the medical bills, lost wages, or long-term recovery you are already dealing with.
After a pedestrian accident the medical bills, missed work, emotional exhaustion, and pressure from the insurance company can turn daily life into something unrecognizable. But you do not have to face it alone. Freeman Law Firm, Inc. has helped injured pedestrians in Washington and their families deal with some of the most challenging chapters of their lives..
If you or someone you love is a victim of a pedestrian accident in Washington, call Freeman Law Firm today at (253) 383-4500 or visit our contact page for a free consultation with a trusted Washington State pedestrian accident attorney. We will work to build a case that fully reflects your injuries, your losses, and what it will take to rebuild—so the compensation you recover matches the reality of what you’ve lived through.