At Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C., our Berwyn pedestrian accident lawyers help injured people and families pursue accountability after crosswalk crashes, hit-and-runs, rideshare collisions, and other serious roadway incidents.
Since 2002, our firm has represented hardworking people across the Chicago area with a focus on clear communication, practical guidance, and strong preparation. With more than 75 years of combined experience and over $100 million recovered for clients, we know how to build claims that insurance companies are forced to take seriously.
Our founding attorney’s background working on the insurance side gives our team a useful perspective when dealing with adjusters. Contact us today for a free consultation with one of our Berwyn personal injury lawyers.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Berwyn
Pedestrian crashes are rarely “just accidents.” They often happen because a driver was impatient, distracted, speeding, or unwilling to give a person on foot the time and space required by law.
Common causes include:
- Failure to yield at crosswalks.
- Left-turn crashes at intersections.
- Speeding in residential areas, school zones, and commercial corridors.
- Distracted driving.
- Drunk or drug-impaired driving.
- Poor visibility.
- Hit-and-run drivers.
- Rideshare and delivery driver negligence.
- Commercial vehicle blind spots.
- Unsafe signals, faded markings, or poorly maintained roadways.
Liability may rest with one driver, or it may involve several parties. A delivery company, rideshare carrier, trucking company, public entity, road contractor, or vehicle owner may share responsibility depending on the facts.
Our Berwyn pedestrian accident attorneys look beyond the first police report and evaluate every source of insurance coverage that may apply.
Your Rights Under Illinois Law
Illinois law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in certain crosswalk situations and to use due care to avoid hitting people on foot. Drivers must also be especially cautious around children and people who appear confused, incapacitated, or unable to protect themselves.
Pedestrians have duties under Illinois law as well. Drivers and insurers may focus on whether you were inside a marked crosswalk, crossed with a signal, crossed mid-block, or entered the roadway suddenly.
Those facts do not automatically decide the case, but they can affect how fault is argued.
How Shared Fault Can Affect Your Claim
Illinois follows modified comparative negligence. If you are found more than 50% responsible for the crash, you cannot recover compensation. If you are 50% or less responsible, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault.
Insurance companies often use this rule to blame injured pedestrians. They may argue that you “came out of nowhere,” wore dark clothing, crossed outside the crosswalk, or should have seen the vehicle sooner.
We respond by looking at the full picture, including driver speed, lighting, signal timing, sight lines, traffic flow, witness statements, and available video.
Damages You Can Recover After a Pedestrian Crash
A pedestrian accident can affect your body, your work, your family, and your sense of safety. Illinois law allows injured pedestrians to pursue compensation for financial losses and the human impact of the injury.
Depending on your case, compensation may include the following:
- Ambulance transportation
- Emergency room treatment
- Hospital stays
- Surgery
- Physical therapy
- Follow-up care
- Prescription medication
- Medical equipment
- In-home assistance
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning ability
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of normal life
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Emotional distress
If a pedestrian accident causes a death, eligible family members may be able to bring a wrongful death claim for funeral expenses, loss of financial support, loss of companionship, grief, sorrow, and other damages recognized under Illinois law.
Severe pedestrian injuries can require long-term care planning. When needed, we work with medical providers, life-care planners, vocational professionals, and other qualified resources to show the full cost of the injury, not just the bills available today.
How Our Berwyn Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Build Your Case
Before we talk strategy, we want to understand how the crash has affected your health, your work, your family responsibilities, and your daily routine. Many of our clients are people who work hard, support families, and cannot afford to be treated like claim numbers.
From there, we build the case with focused evidence, including:
- Reviewing the crash report and any supplemental police records.
- Securing available video from businesses, homes, traffic cameras, or dashcams.
- Speaking with witnesses while their memories are still fresh.
- Examining the crash location for sight lines, signals, markings, lighting, and traffic flow.
- Gathering medical records that show the connection between the crash and your injuries.
- Identifying every insurance policy that may apply.
- Looking at the employer’s responsibility if the driver was working at the time.
- Evaluating the public entity or contractor’s responsibility if unsafe roadway conditions played a role.
We also help clients get medical care when access to treatment is an issue. Our firm has relationships with medical providers who may treat patients on a lien basis, which can help you continue care while your case is pending.
Throughout the process, we keep you updated. You should know what is happening in your case, what we are waiting on, and what decisions need to be made. That level of communication is part of who we are as a firm.
When Filing a Lawsuit Makes Sense
A lawsuit is not always necessary, but it may be the right move when the insurance company denies fault, delays payment, undervalues the injury, or refuses to provide requested information.
Litigation allows us to use formal discovery tools, including depositions, subpoenas, written questions, document requests, phone record requests, company policy requests, and court orders when the defense will not cooperate.
We discuss litigation with you before taking that step, so you can understand why we recommend it, what the process may involve, and what choices you have.
Choose Charlie for Your Berwyn Pedestrian Accident Case
Choosing a lawyer after a serious injury is a personal decision. You want a firm that knows how to deal with insurance companies, prepares cases carefully, and communicates with you throughout the process.
At Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C., we are proud to be approachable, responsive, and serious about results. We are not a billboard firm that treats clients like files in a system. We get to know the people we represent, and we go to bat for them when insurance companies try to pay less than the case calls for.
Our firm handles pedestrian accident cases on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay no legal fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Call Our Berwyn Pedestrian Accident Attorneys Today
If a driver, company, or public entity caused your injuries, Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C. can identify your legal options and begin preserving evidence right away.
Choose Charlie. Contact us today for a free consultation with a pedestrian accident attorney in Berwyn.
