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San Diego Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Susan Handel

Susan Handel, San Diego Pedestrian Accident Lawyer – Serving All of San Diego County

California Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Each year, thousands of people are injured in pedestrian accidents. These accidents can cause serious spinal cord, brain and other types of serious personal injuries.

Susan Handel is renowned for her aggressive and compassionate representation on behalf of victims of serious personal injuries resulting from pedestrian accidents, as well as other types of accidents such as motorcycle accidents. Through her careful preparation and strong advocacy skills, Susan Handel has helped countless individuals obtain superior compensation for their injuries and losses. Moreover, as part of her personal commitment to each of her clients, she makes herself readily available to answer questions and discuss the progress of each client’s case.  Susan Handel has the experience, resources and knowledge to handle large, complex and difficult cases, while at the same time maintaining the compassion and understanding the significant impact that pedestrian accidents have on her clients and their families.  Susan Handel is widely regarded as an expert San Diego pedestrian accident lawyer with a record of a very successful results for her clients who have been injured in pedestrian accidents as well as truck accidents and other types of cases.

Every time a pedestrian steps off a curb, they place themselves at risk for serious injury and even death.  With nothing to protect the pedestrian from the full blow of a vehicle’s impact, traumatic injuries are often sustained. Factors such as poor visibility, driver error, and inadequate pedestrian crossings often lead to pedestrian accidents that can have devastating consequences for both the victims and their families.  Pedestrians on average are injured in traffic accidents every eight minutes according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  While people of all ages can be injured in pedestrian accidents, children and the elderly are at the highest risk.  When an unprotected pedestrian is hit by a motor vehicle, the results can be disastrous. Among the damages that commonly result in pedestrian accidents are injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and head injuries.

Even if you are partially at fault for a pedestrian accident, under the laws of comparable negligence you may still be entitled to recover a portion of your damages.  After performing a review of the circumstances surrounding your accident, Susan Handel will be able to determine the amount of responsibility the driver had and build up a case for you.

Pedestrian accidents can be sudden, tragic, life-changing events.  If an accident is due to someone else’s negligence, you have a right to pursue monetary damages in a number of areas including, but not limited to the following:

  • Lost wages, both past and future
  • Medical expenses, both past and future
  • Pain and suffering, both past and future
  • Mental anguish, both past and future
  • Damage to property
  • Funeral expenses
  • Loss of quality of life

Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents


  • The motorist does not come to a complete stop at a stop sign
  • The motorist fails to stop before turning on red at an intersection
  • The motorist does not provide enough room for the pedestrian or bicyclist on a street or roadway
  • The motorist is traveling too fast down neighborhood streets
  • The motorist is under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • The motorist does not see the bicyclist or pedestrian

States Enacted Laws that Mandate that a Motorist Observe the Following:


  • When a pedestrian is crossing the roadway within a crosswalk, motorists must yield the right of way to the pedestrian
  • When a vehicle is stopped at a crosswalk permitting a pedestrian to cross, motorists of any rear-approaching vehicles shall not overtake and pass
  • Drivers must yield right of way to pedestrians at stop signs, flashing red signals, or marked crosswalks
  • Motorists approaching residential area street crossings must exercise appropriate care for people who might be in the act of crossing the street

Pedestrians Must Obey the Following Standards:


      • No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a moving vehicle which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard
      • Although pedestrians have the right of way to cross in a crosswalk they must exercise ordinary care for their own safety
      • Pedestrians crossing the roadways at any point other than within a marked crosswalk, must yield right the of way to the vehicles on the roadway

    • Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals are in operation, pedestrians must not cross at any place except in the marked crosswalk
  • No pedestrian may cross a roadway intersection diagonally

Please call Susan Handel, a San Diego pedestrian accident lawyer for details.

What Should I Do After a Pedestrian Accident?


Pedestrian Accident Claim
It is extremely important that you follow some basic rules beginning at the scene of the pedestrian accident, so you do not jeopardize your health and your right to compensation.

  • Stay at the scene of the pedestrian accident and wait for a police officer to come and make a full report of your accident. The existence of a police report will strengthen your pedestrian accident claim.
  • Seek medical attention immediately. Obtaining a complete examination from a doctor as soon as possible will serve two purposes. First, the doctor can often detect injuries that you may not have noticed until several days after the accident and will be more easily treated if caught early; and second, a doctor’s examination will automatically create a complete medical record of any injuries you sustain during this accident and this will strengthen your case.
  • Get complete information from everyone at the scene of the pedestrian accident. Obtain the name, address, telephone number, driver’s license number, and insurance information of all of the drivers involved in the pedestrian accident, as well as the names of any emergency personnel and the contact information of any witnesses.
  • Do not admit guilt or sign any statements without talking to a lawyer first. Be cooperative with the police, other drivers and emergency personnel at the scene of the pedestrian accident, but don’t say anything that can later be used as evidence to prove that you were responsible for an accident that wasn’t your fault.
  • Take photographs of your injuries and the other vehicles involved. These photographs work best as evidence when they are taken at the scene of the pedestrian accident, but they can also be taken after the fact if you are severely injured and need immediate hospitalization.
  • Keep complete records of medical expenses and other costs related to your accident which can be used as evidence to help you verify these damages.
  • If you have automobile insurance, contact your insurance company and report the accident so they can begin processing your claim. Make sure you give this information to your insurance company with an attorney’s assistance at the time you give the statement in order not to prejudice your claim.  Your own insurance company is in the business to make money, they are not there to assist you no matter how nice they may seem. They are looking to find ways to getting out of paying you the compensation you deserve-don’t be one of their victims!
  • Contact Susan Handel immediately.

What You Should NOT Do after You Have Been Involved in a Pedestrian Accident

Do not panic. Remain calm and call for help.
Do not leave the scene of the accident.
Do not discuss the accident with anyone but the police and your attorney.
Do not speak to anyone from the at-fault party’s insurance company without an attorney.
Do not sign any papers from an insurance company or agree to a settlement without an attorney.
Do not wait. Contact Susan Handel immediately.

Should I Trust an Insurance Company?


Absolutely not! Insurance companies are in the business to make money, they are not there to assist you. In order to avoid paying for the full extent and treatment of your personal injuries, insurance companies often try to settle quickly after a pedestrian accident, before the full extent of your injuries are apparent. The insurance companies are very sophisticated in how they go about setting up a claim, but their number one goal is to pay you as little as possible and even nothing if they can get away with that! If you try to go up against a large insurance company without knowing the system, you are not going to be treated fairly and you will not obtain the superior compensation you deserve. Don’t be one of their victims.

Dealing with Pedestrian Insurance Companies


If a negligent vehicle operator causes an injury but is not insured, he or she may be required to pay for the damages resulting from the accident they caused. However, if that person is covered by automobile liability insurance, his or her insurance company will be responsible for paying the damages that the injured person proves are caused by the accident based on available insurance. However, the insurance companies fight injury cases vigorously because they want to avoid paying money to you. Unless the injured person can prove that the other driver was negligent, that negligence actually caused the accident, and that their injuries were caused by the accident, an insurance company will never pay. Even when liability for the accident is completely clear, insurance companies very often dispute the amount of damages an injured person must prove – not only the amount of damages, but the extent of the damages as well.

Pedestrian Insurance companies can be manipulative and difficult to work with. Susan Handel is not intimidated by an insurance company, the pedestrian insurance company’s attorneys, or the pedestrian insurance company claims adjusters. Susan Handel will work tirelessly to represent your rights until you receive the superior compensation to which you are entitled. Your case is important and Susan Handel knows how crucial the outcome can be to your future health and well-being.

Susan Handel has extensive experience and meticulous investigating talents. She is aided by qualified engineers, accident reconstructionists, medical experts, vocational rehabilitation experts, and a team who will gather and analyze all of the relevant evidence in large damage cases involving catastrophic injuries and fatalities.

Recovering Compensation in a Pedestrian Accident


Pedestrian accidents can be sudden, tragic, life-changing events. Susan Handel understands that no monetary compensation can make up for the loss of one’s health or worse, the loss of a loved one. She also understands that victims of pedestrian accidents often face staggering medical costs and other financial and emotional hardships. Susan Handel can help victims recover superior compensation for present and future medical care, present and future lost wages, pain and suffering, funeral expenses, loss of quality of life, and any other damages associated with your accident.

In appropriate cases out of court settlements will be obtained for our clients, but if it is in your best interests to take the case to trial, Susan Handel has the resources, knowledge and experience to do so.

Call Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Susan Handel


If you or a loved one are involved in a serious accident, it can be medically, emotionally, and financially overwhelming. The Law Offices of Susan Handel will help your family and you cope with all of those difficulties.

Susan Handel has the experience, resources and knowledge to handle large, complex and difficult cases, while at the same time maintaining the compassion and understanding the significant impact pedestrian accidents have on her clients and their families.

Susan Handel is widely regarded as an expert personal injury attorney with a record of very successful results for her clients who have been seriously injured or have lost loved ones in pedestrian accidents.

Your initial consultation with Susan Handel is both free and confidential. You deserve the very best, so call Susan Handel now and she will be happy to answer any questions and address any concerns you may have regarding your accident. Susan Handel also provides in-person, free, confidential home and hospital visits for your convenience.

Why You Need San Diego Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Susan Handel


You need to get the advice from attorney Susan Handel immediately after an accident in order to avoid making mistakes which may affect your ability to receive superior compensation for the injuries you sustained in your pedestrian accident. There is no charge for an initial consultation with Susan Handel, so you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by speaking with her immediately after your pedestrian accident.

One of the worst mistakes that accident victims make is thinking they are guaranteed to receive fair compensation from insurance companies and responsible parties without the assistance of a pedestrian accident lawyer. Unfortunately, the insurance companies, even your own, are in the business to make money-they are not there to assist you. Trying to “go it alone” can lead to a very unfair relationship between you and the insurance company. Keep in mind that the insurance companies have armies of adjusters, defense lawyers, and claims representatives whose number one goal is to pay you as little as possible and even nothing when you present your personal injury claim. Susan Handel’s goal is completely the opposite. She will see to it that you receive excellent medical care at no up-front cost to you and that you obtain superior recovery for your injuries.

Claims adjusters will be acting immediately to find ways to reduce the value of your claim. They will ask to take a recorded statement from you to get your description of the accident. Later they will turn that around and use it against you if they can.

It is common practice for an insurance company to contact you immediately after a pedestrian accident and make a premature, low ball settlement offer to you. This is completely unfair and improper. You will not know the true value of your case until all of your medical treatment is completed because until then, the amount of your damages cannot be established. The insurance companies know this. However, they are in danger of losing massive amounts of money as a result of these accidents, and will work vigorously to protect their financial interests with complete disregard for your injuries and the consequences you will suffer from your accident.

Insurance companies can be manipulative and difficult to work with. Susan Handel is not intimidated by an insurance company, the insurance company’s attorneys, or the insurance company claims adjusters. Susan Handel will work tirelessly to represent your rights until you receive the superior compensation to which you are entitled. Your case is important and Susan Handel knows how crucial the outcome can be to your future health and well-being.

Susan Handel has extensive experience and meticulous investigating talents. She is aided by qualified engineers, accident reconstructionists, medical experts, vocational rehabilitation experts, and a team who will gather and analyze all of the relevant evidence in large damage cases involving catastrophic injuries and fatalities.

Susan Handel, Pedestrian Accident Lawyer


If you or a loved one are involved in a serious accident, it can be medically, emotionally, and financially overwhelming. The Law Offices of Susan Handel will help your family and you cope with all of those difficulties.

Susan Handel has the experience, resources and knowledge to handle large, complex and difficult cases, while at the same time maintaining the compassion and understanding the significant impact pedestrian accidents have on her clients and their families.

Susan Handel is widely regarded as an expert personal injury attorney with a record of very successful results for her clients who have been seriously injured or have lost loved ones in pedestrian accidents.

Your initial consultation with Susan Handel is both free and confidential. You deserve the very best, so call Susan Handel now and she will be happy to answer any questions and address any concerns you may have regarding your accident. Susan Handel also provides in-person, free, confidential home and hospital visits for your convenience.