Pedestrian Accident Attorneys West Palm Beach

West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyers for Victims of the Most Unequal Collisions on the Road

A pedestrian struck by a vehicle has no seatbelt, no airbag, and no structural protection between their body and the impact. The injuries that follow, fractures, spinal damage, traumatic brain injuries, internal trauma, are rarely minor, and the financial consequences arrive before the physical ones have run their course. 

West Palm Beach pedestrian accident lawyers at Felice Trial Attorneys represent people who have been through exactly that, building the liability record and long-term damages documentation these cases require from the first weeks after the collision.

Florida ranks among the most dangerous states in the country for pedestrians, and Palm Beach County’s combination of high-speed arterials, seasonal driver traffic, and busy commercial corridors makes the risk real at intersections and crosswalks throughout the region. 

When a driver’s negligence puts someone in a trauma center, the legal case that follows has to account for everything, immediate medical costs, the full arc of recovery, lost earning capacity, and the permanent changes a serious pedestrian injury often leaves behind.

At Felice Trial Attorneys, we represent pedestrian accident victims throughout West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County, including clients who come to us after a previous attorney failed to pursue the full scope of what their injuries warranted. We are available around the clock. Contact us online any time to discuss your case.

Why West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyers at Felice Trial Attorneys Fight So Hard For You

Pedestrian accident claims look straightforward from the outside. A driver hit someone who was on foot. Liability seems clear. In practice, insurance carriers challenge pedestrian cases aggressively, disputing the injured person’s right of way, raising comparative fault arguments, and pushing early settlements before the true extent of injuries is documented. 

We build these cases to withstand that pressure.

Liability Investigation That Starts Before Evidence Disappears

The liability picture in a pedestrian accident can involve more parties than the driver immediately responsible. A municipality whose signal timing created a dangerous crossing, a property owner whose landscaping blocked sightlines, or a vehicle manufacturer whose defective equipment contributed to the crash may all carry responsibility alongside the at-fault driver.

We investigate the full liability picture from the outset, securing surveillance footage from traffic cameras and nearby businesses before it is overwritten, obtaining the accident report and any available witness statements, and assessing whether additional parties share responsibility for what happened.

West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Who Take Over Mishandled Cases

Pedestrian injury cases that arrive after a change in representation frequently have the same gap. The liability investigation stopped at the driver. No life care planning was pursued for a client with permanent injuries. 

A settlement offer arrived based on current medical bills with nothing accounting for ongoing care, lost earning capacity, or the long-term reality of what the injury produced.

Florida law allows substitution of an attorney at any time before a final settlement is signed. When we take over a pedestrian accident case, we assess the full evidentiary record, identify what was left undeveloped, and rebuild the case with the foundation it should have had from the beginning.

Preparation for Trial as a Starting Point

Insurers representing at-fault drivers know which firms prepare cases for trial and which ones settle. We prepare every pedestrian accident case as though a Palm Beach County jury will evaluate it, building the liability documentation, damages record, and witness support that create real negotiating leverage. 

Clients with permanent injuries need a damages picture that reflects years or decades of consequences, not just the bills that have arrived so far.

The Obstacles West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident Victims Face

Comparative Fault Arguments Against Pedestrians

Florida’s pure comparative negligence rule under Florida Statute Section 768.81 allows insurers to argue that a pedestrian shares responsibility for the collision. 

Common arguments include that the pedestrian crossed outside a marked crosswalk, entered the roadway without adequate time for approaching vehicles to stop, or was distracted at the time of impact. Each argument, if it gains traction, reduces the available recovery proportionally.

Florida’s No-Fault System and Its Limits in Pedestrian Cases

Florida’s no-fault insurance system requires drivers to carry Personal Injury Protection coverage, and in pedestrian accident cases, an injured person without their own vehicle insurance may access PIP through the at-fault driver’s policy. That coverage is capped at $10,000, which a serious pedestrian injury exhausts almost immediately.

Pursuing full compensation requires moving beyond PIP and establishing a claim for pain and suffering and economic damages against the at-fault driver. Florida’s serious injury threshold applies, and pedestrian accidents producing permanent injury, significant permanent loss of bodily function, or significant permanent scarring almost always satisfy it. 

Underinsured and Uninsured Drivers

Palm Beach County’s high volume of seasonal visitors, tourists, and drivers carrying Florida’s minimum liability coverage creates a real risk that the at-fault driver in a pedestrian accident does not carry enough insurance to fully compensate a seriously injured victim. 

Identifying all available insurance sources, including the injured person’s own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, umbrella policies, and any third-party liability, is part of the early case assessment we conduct on every pedestrian accident claim.

Florida’s Two-Year Filing Deadline

The Florida Legislature reduced Florida’s personal injury statute of limitations to two years in March 2023. For wrongful death claims arising from fatal pedestrian accidents, the same two-year deadline runs from the date of death. 

Cases that have been inactive under previous representation may be approaching that deadline without the injured person realizing how little time remains. We assess the filing deadline immediately when evaluating any new or transferred case.

Types of Pedestrian Accident Cases We Handle in West Palm Beach

Crosswalk and Intersection Accidents

Crosswalk collisions in Palm Beach County occur at signalized intersections, marked mid-block crossings, and locations where pedestrian infrastructure exists but driver compliance is inconsistent. 

Right-of-way violations, turning vehicles that fail to yield, and drivers running red lights or stop signs all contribute to serious intersection collisions. We investigate signal timing, sightline conditions, and driver behavior in every crosswalk accident case we handle.

Parking Lot Pedestrian Accidents

Parking lots like those at The Gardens Mall and Tanger Outlets are among the more common locations for pedestrian collisions, particularly in the heavily trafficked commercial corridors of Palm Beach County. 

Low-speed does not mean low-injury in parking lot collisions, and the liability picture in these cases often involves both the driver and the property owner whose parking lot design or maintenance contributed to the dangerous conditions.

Hit and Run Pedestrian Accidents

When a driver strikes a pedestrian and flees the scene, the injured person’s own uninsured motorist coverage becomes the primary source of compensation. Florida law requires insurers to offer uninsured motorist coverage, though drivers may reject it in writing. 

Identifying available coverage and building the liability record from whatever evidence exists at the scene, traffic cameras, witness accounts, and physical evidence, is the immediate priority in hit-and-run cases.

Distracted and Impaired Driver Collisions

Distracted driving and impaired driving are among the leading contributors to pedestrian fatalities in Florida. When a driver’s phone records, toxicology results, or prior traffic history support a claim of reckless or grossly negligent conduct, the damages analysis may extend beyond compensatory damages. We evaluate the full circumstances of each collision when assessing what the case may support.

Fatal Pedestrian Accidents and Wrongful Death

Palm Beach County’s pedestrian fatality rate reflects the broader danger Florida roads present to people on foot. When a negligent driver’s actions produce a fatal outcome, the surviving family faces legal decisions at the same time they are managing an unimaginable loss. 

We handle wrongful death claims arising from fatal pedestrian accidents with the same trial-ready preparation we bring to every catastrophic injury case, accounting for the full economic and personal losses the family has sustained.

Compensation in West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident Cases

Pedestrian accident compensation addresses both the documented financial impact of the injury and the human cost of what a serious collision takes from the person who survived it.

Economic damages reflect measurable losses:

• Medical expenses: Emergency trauma care, surgeries, hospitalizations, rehabilitation, and all treatment costs from the date of the accident through resolution of the case
• Future medical costs: Ongoing treatment, follow-up procedures, and long-term care needs projected over the victim’s life expectancy for injuries that do not fully resolve
• Lost wages: Income lost during recovery from the date of injury through the end of the case
• Lost earning capacity: Where a permanent injury limits the ability to return to the same work or earn at the same level, future income losses form part of the damages calculation

Non-economic damages address what financial figures alone cannot capture:

• Pain and suffering: The ongoing physical and emotional experience of living with injuries caused by a driver who failed to exercise reasonable care
• Loss of enjoyment of life: The activities, independence, and relationships affected by permanent physical limitations
• Loss of consortium: The impact on a spouse or family members’ relationship with the injured person

A pedestrian accident case that reaches settlement without a fully developed damages picture, including life care planning for permanent injuries and economic documentation of lost earning capacity, may resolve for significantly less than what the injured person will actually need. We make that documentation central to every case we handle.

FAQ for West Palm Beach Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

How does Florida’s serious injury threshold apply to pedestrian accident cases?

Florida’s no-fault system allows injured parties to step outside PIP limits and pursue pain and suffering claims when an injury meets the serious injury threshold: permanent injury, significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death. 

Pedestrian accidents producing fractures, traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage, or other significant trauma typically satisfy this standard. We confirm threshold eligibility as part of the initial case review.

What if the driver who hit me did not have enough insurance to cover my injuries?

Inadequate insurance coverage is a genuine concern in Palm Beach County pedestrian cases. When the at-fault driver’s liability policy is insufficient to compensate for serious injuries, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage from the injured person’s own auto policy may provide additional recovery. 

Other potential sources include umbrella policies and third-party liability where road design, traffic control, or property conditions contributed to the accident. We identify every available source of compensation as part of the case evaluation.

Can a pedestrian accident case involve parties other than the driver?

Yes. Depending on the circumstances, a municipality responsible for crosswalk design or signal timing, a property owner whose landscaping obstructed driver sightlines, or a vehicle manufacturer whose defective equipment contributed to the collision may all carry legal responsibility alongside the at-fault driver. 

Identifying third-party liability requires investigation that goes beyond the accident report, and those claims carry their own procedural requirements, particularly when a government entity is involved.

What should I know about claims against a government entity for a dangerous road condition?

Claims against Florida government entities, including municipalities responsible for road design and traffic control, carry specific procedural requirements distinct from standard personal injury claims. 

Florida’s sovereign immunity waiver under Florida Statute Section 768.28 requires pre-suit notice to the relevant agency before a lawsuit may be filed, and damages against government entities are subject to caps that do not apply in cases against private parties. 

We assess government liability as part of the full liability analysis on every pedestrian accident case.

The Road Was Supposed to Be Safe

Pedestrian accidents do not happen because walking is inherently dangerous. They happen because a driver was not paying attention, was moving too fast, or made a decision that put someone else’s body in the path of a vehicle. 

The injuries that follow are serious, the financial consequences are real, and the legal case built around them has to account for both. Felice Trial Attorneys represents West Palm Beach pedestrian accident victims at every stage, from the earliest days after a collision to cases transferred from prior counsel that need to be rebuilt with the preparation they lacked. Our attorneys are available around the clock, and there is no cost to discuss your situation with us.

Contact us online today.