A walk across West Broad Street or a stroll home from Carytown should never end in an emergency room. When a driver fails to yield, the person on foot has nothing to absorb the impact, and the injuries are rarely minor. If you were hurt by a motorist, a Richmond pedestrian accident lawyer at Emroch & Kilduff can take the pressure off you and start protecting your claim right away.
We have represented injured people in this city since 1970, and we have never taken a case for an insurance company. Our attorneys know these intersections, these courts, and the adjusters who handle these claims.
Call us at (804) 358-1568 for a free, confidential consultation, available 24/7. You can tell us what happened, ask whatever you need to ask, and decide what to do next with real information in front of you.
Why Injured Pedestrians in Richmond Call Emroch & Kilduff
You get one chance at a serious injury claim, and the choice of counsel shapes everything that follows. Here is what our Richmond pedestrian accident attorneys bring to your case.
- More than 50 years in Richmond. The firm opened its doors in 1970 and has spent five decades in the same community our clients live in.
- Injured people only. We do not represent insurers, corporations, or hospitals, so there is never a question about whose side we are on.
- Hundreds of millions recovered for injured Virginians across the injury cases we handle.
- Recognized advocates. William B. Kilduff, a partner since 1979, has been named a Virginia Super Lawyer every year since 2006 and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2010.
- A small team by design. Five attorneys and more than 20 staff members handle our files in-house, so the person who picks up the phone knows your case.
- Free, confidential consultations, available 24/7.
Those are the things we can tell you up front. What matters more is the part you cannot see on a website, which is whether someone listens carefully and then does the work. When you are ready to talk, call (804) 358-1568 and tell us what happened.
What Does a Richmond Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Do for You?
A Richmond pedestrian accident lawyer gathers proof before it disappears, handles the insurance company so you do not have to, and documents losses that are easy to undercount. Pedestrian cases move quickly at the start and then slowly for a long time afterward. The work we do in the first few weeks often decides what the claim looks like a year later.
Preserving Evidence Early
Skid marks fade, businesses overwrite their security footage, and witnesses move. We send preservation letters, request the crash report, photograph sight lines and signal timing, and track down video from nearby buildings. If a vehicle's data recorder holds speed or braking information, we work to secure it.
Handling the Insurance Conversation
An adjuster may call within days, friendly and eager to "get this wrapped up." Those calls are recorded, and early answers given while you are on pain medication can follow a case for years. Once we are involved, that contact comes to us instead.
Documenting the Full Cost
A pedestrian struck by a vehicle often faces orthopedic surgery, a head injury, or months of rehabilitation. The bills on your kitchen table are only part of the picture. Our Richmond pedestrian accident lawyers work with treating physicians and, where appropriate, life care planners and economists to show what the injury will cost over time.
Where Pedestrian Crashes Happen Around Richmond
Richmond is a walkable city with a street grid that was not built for the traffic volume it carries today. Certain places come up again and again in the calls we take.
- The West Broad Street corridor, where wide lanes and long blocks encourage speed between crossings
- Streets around the VCU campus downtown, where students cross midblock between buildings
- Shockoe Bottom on weekend nights, when foot traffic and vehicle traffic peak at the same hour
- Monument Avenue and Arthur Ashe Boulevard, especially on event days near The Diamond
- Midlothian Turnpike and Hull Street Road, where bus stops sit far from signalized crossings
- Shopping center lots at Short Pump and Stony Point, where drivers back out with limited visibility
If you have searched for a pedestrian accident lawyer near me after a crash in any of these areas, the location itself is often part of the case. Roadway design, lighting, and signal timing can all matter, and we look at them.
What Does Virginia Law Say About Drivers and Pedestrians?
Virginia law requires drivers to stop for a pedestrian who is crossing at an intersection or a clearly marked crosswalk. That duty appears in Va. Code § 46.2-924, which also tells drivers to yield the right of way at crossings where speed limits are 35 miles per hour or less.
Pedestrians carry responsibilities too, including crossing where the law allows and using signals where they exist. Drivers still have a broader duty to keep a proper lookout and to drive at a reasonable speed for conditions.
How those rules apply to your situation depends entirely on the facts, which is why we investigate rather than assume. Nothing on this page is legal advice about your case.
Who Can Be Held Accountable for a Richmond Pedestrian Accident?
More than one party may share responsibility, and identifying all of them often determines whether there is enough coverage to pay for a serious injury. We look past the obvious defendant.
- The driver who struck you
- The company that owned the vehicle or employed the driver, if the driver was working at the time
- A property owner whose lot, walkway, or lighting created an unsafe condition, which overlaps with the work our Richmond premises liability attorneys handle
- Another motorist whose conduct forced the collision, even if that vehicle never made contact
Sorting this out takes investigation, not guesswork, and it is one of the first things we do. The same analysis applies whether the collision happened on foot or behind the wheel, which is why our Richmond car accident attorneys often work alongside the pedestrian side of our practice.
Compensation After a Serious Pedestrian Injury
Virginia allows an injured person to seek payment for both the measurable costs and the human ones. In pedestrian cases, the second category is often the larger of the two.
- Emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, and future medical treatment
- Physical therapy, assistive equipment, and in-home care
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity going forward
- Home or vehicle modifications after a permanent injury
- Pain, scarring, disfigurement, and the loss of activities that made life yours
No one can responsibly promise you a number, and we will not do that. What we can do is build the record that supports the full value of what you lost.
How Long Do You Have to File a Pedestrian Accident Claim in Virginia?
In most Virginia personal injury cases, the deadline is two years from the date of the injury, under Va. Code § 8.01-243. Miss it, and the claim is generally gone, no matter how strong it was.
There are wrinkles. Claims involving a child are handled differently under Virginia's tolling rules in Va. Code § 8.01-229, and claims against a city, county, or state agency carry much shorter written notice requirements that can expire in months.
Because your deadline depends on your facts, the safe move is to ask early rather than assume. A short phone call costs nothing and settles the question.
What If the Driver Was Uninsured or Underinsured?
Your own auto insurance may still pay, even though you were walking when it happened. Virginia requires uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on auto policies under Va. Code § 38.2-2206, and that coverage frequently follows the policyholder as a pedestrian.
Household policies sometimes stack, and a resident relative's coverage may apply as well. We read every policy in the household before we accept that the money is not there.
FAQs Answered by Our Richmond, VA Pedestrian Accident Lawyers
These are the questions people ask us most often in the first conversation, and the answers below are general information rather than advice about any particular case.
Do I have to give the other driver's insurance company a recorded statement?
Usually not. You have obligations to your own insurer under your policy, but you are generally under no duty to sit for a recorded interview with the other side's carrier. Once we are on the case, those requests come to us.
What if I was hit in a parking lot instead of on a public street?
Parking lot cases are common and are handled as injury claims like any other. Fault analysis leans more heavily on surveillance video, lot design, and driver visibility, and the property owner's maintenance of the lot may also come into play.
Can I still bring a claim if the driver left the scene?
Often yes. Hit-and-run collisions may be covered under uninsured motorist benefits, and police investigations and nearby video sometimes identify the driver later. Report it promptly and let us look at the coverage.
Who pays my medical bills while my case is pending?
Health insurance, medical payments coverage on an auto policy, or both typically carry the bills in the meantime. Repayment questions can arise at the end of a case, and we address them as part of the resolution rather than leaving them for you to sort out.
What if my child was the one who was hit?
A parent or guardian brings the claim on the child's behalf, and Virginia treats the filing deadline differently for minors. Settlements involving a child may also require court approval, which we handle.
What does it cost to hire your firm?
The consultation is free and confidential. If we take your case, our fee arrangement is explained in writing and agreed to before any work begins, so there are no surprises later.
How long does a pedestrian accident case usually take?
It depends mostly on medical treatment, because valuing a claim before you reach a stable recovery point rarely serves you. Straightforward cases can resolve in months, while serious injuries often take longer. We would rather be patient than settle short.
Talk With a Richmond Pedestrian Accident Attorney Today
Pedestrian Accident Attorney at Emroch & Kilduff
Being struck while walking changes a life in a second, and the months that follow are full of decisions no one prepared you to make. You do not have to make them alone, and you do not have to make them today.
Our Richmond office at 7301 Forest Avenue, Suite 300, serves the metro area, and we also meet clients at our Tappahannock office. Whether you are still in the hospital or months into physical therapy, we are glad to look at your situation.
Call Emroch & Kilduff at (804) 358-1568 for a free, confidential consultation, available 24/7. Tell us what happened, and let us carry the rest.