Being struck by a vehicle as a pedestrian can alter your life in seconds. You may be left with painful injuries, mounting medical bills, and the uncertainty of how to recover financially while you heal physically. The insurance companies you expected to help often create more problems than solutions.
They will argue that you stepped into traffic, weren’t paying attention, or acted negligently to shift fault onto you. These tactics are dangerous under North Carolina’s “contributory negligence” rule, which bars compensation if you’re found even 1% at fault for the accident. An unfair accusation could result in you losing access to the financial recovery you need, leaving you to cover all your accident-related expenses.
Founded by somebody who experienced a catastrophic accident of their own, Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers stands up to insurers and protects injured victims from losing everything.
Our pedestrian accident lawyers in Hickory push back against insurers’ unfair tactics by conducting our own investigation, calling on specialists to perform accident reconstruction, and building a trial-ready case.
And with our A&A Zero Fee Guarantee™, there’s no financial risk to you. You pay nothing up front, and you won’t owe us attorney fees unless our Hickory personal injury lawyers recover compensation for you. Call us now to begin your case with a free initial consultation.
Why Choose Our Law Firm to Protect Your Pedestrian Accident Claim
After suffering injuries in a pedestrian accident, the stakes couldn’t be higher due to North Carolina’s strict contributory negligence rule.
Insurers rely on this loophole, using tactics like blame-shifting to argue that you were distracted, jaywalking, or crossing against the signal. They want to reduce or eliminate what they must pay, leaving you responsible for all costs.
At Auger & Auger, our Hickory pedestrian accident lawyers understand how insurers think and, more importantly, how to counter these tactics. For over 30 years, we’ve successfully protected clients from blame-shifting strategies, building strong cases and recovering over $100 million in compensation with a 99.5% success rate.
Here’s how our pedestrian accident attorneys in Hickory protect your claim:
- Gathering the needed evidence: We investigate and collect surveillance footage, crosswalk markings, accident reports, and witness statements. Our goal is to leave no gaps for insurers to exploit.
- Handling the insurers for you: Insurers will try to twist facts, use selective evidence, or intimidate victims into accepting partial or denied responsibility. We become the point of communication with the insurance company to protect you from tactics designed to use your statements against you.
- Preventing the risks of contributory negligence: Even minor details, like where you were standing, can be misrepresented by insurers. That’s why we focus on preemptively addressing and neutralizing these claims. We work alongside specialists, analyze traffic patterns, and use data-based reconstructions when necessary to firmly establish fault.
Through this results-driven approach, we actively prevent insurers from succeeding in their attempts to deny or undervalue your compensation.
How Insurance Companies Try to Use the Strict Contributory Negligence Rule Against You
Insurers capitalize on North Carolina’s contributory negligence rule, claiming you bear even a tiny percentage of responsibility. For example, if they argue you “weren’t paying attention,” or “stepped outside of a crosswalk,” they are essentially trying to eliminate your claim, even in cases where you followed traffic laws and had the right of way under G.S § 20-173.
Using available data, such as vehicle speed, skid marks, and witness statements, our specialists can recreate the crash. Reconstruction could show that the driver ignored the pedestrian signal or had ample time to stop but failed to do so.
Filing a pedestrian accident claim is not easy when insurance companies use negligence laws against you, but our attorneys have the experience to block these bad-faith tactics.
How Insurers Use Your Own Statements Against You
You’ll likely be contacted by the driver’s insurance company. Insurers will take your words from a post-accident statement and twist them to shift blame onto you or minimize your injuries. Even replying “I’m okay” to an adjuster who asks, “How are you?” puts your claim at risk.
If you say something like, “I didn’t see the car until it was too late,” insurers will claim you were at fault for not being aware of your surroundings, even if the driver blatantly disregarded pedestrian right-of-way laws or had the last opportunity to avoid hitting you.
Our Hickory pedestrian accident attorneys work so that insurers never get the chance to misinterpret or misuse your words against you. We handle the communications with the liable parties and their insurance companies and prepare you for depositions and statements.
Why You Shouldn’t Accept an Initial Settlement Offer After a Pedestrian Accident
After a pedestrian accident, insurance companies will reach out within days, offering you a lump-sum payment before the full extent of your injuries and damages becomes clear. Early offers are a tactic designed to limit their payouts, not to ensure that you’re fully compensated.
They rely on the fact that many accident victims are overwhelmed. Accepting their initial offer could mean forfeiting your right to additional compensation, even if your injuries worsen or your recovery takes longer than expected. Pedestrian accident injuries can be catastrophic and take weeks or even months to fully diagnose and treat.
An insurance company’s early settlement offer is unlikely to account for future treatments, ongoing therapy, lost earning potential, or the emotional toll of your injuries.
Our Hickory pedestrian accident lawyers consult your doctors and other medical specialists to evaluate the long-term impact on your health, your ability to work, and your overall quality of life. We come prepared to the negotiating table with this knowledge and a trial-ready case.
Let Our Hickory Pedestrian Accident Attorneys Fight Back and Handle Your Claim
A pedestrian accident can leave you with catastrophic injuries while you and your family face financial, legal, and emotional hurdles. Insurers will shift blame, minimize your injuries, or push you into accepting less than you need to recover, but you can fight back.
We take on the insurance companies, conduct investigations, and gather evidence to counter their arguments.
And with our A&A Zero Fee Guarantee™, you pay nothing upfront and owe us nothing unless we win your case. Call us today for a free consultation.
