Car Accidents — Initial injury lawyer meeting — Questions in pedestrian cases

Your personal injury lawyer will need to learn a lot of things about your lawsuit and will ask you a lot of questions when you first meet.

If you were a pedestrian and were struck by a car, the questions may include some of the following things.

The location and the surroundings

What were you doing before the car accident?
Where were you coming from?
What was your intended destination?

Describe the area where you were crossing.
Was there a marked intersection?
Was the traffic controlled by any lights or signs?
Why you were entering the street?
Describe the surroundings.

How were you dressed?
Were you carrying anything?

What was your condition?
Were you drinking?
Were you taking any medication?
Was your vision impaired in any way?
Was there a problem with sun glare?
Were you under any disability?
Were you walking with anyone?
Were you using a portable headset or similar device?

What part of your body was struck?
What part of the car hit you?
What part of your body was hit first?
Were you thrown to the ground or in the air?
What part of your body landed on the ground?

Where were you looking at the time?
Which way did you look first?
Where did you look next?
Where were you looking just before contact?
When did you see the car for the first time?
Where was the car when you first saw it?

Crossing at an intersection

Were you crossing the street at an intersection?
Where is the intersection located?
What are the cross streets?

Is the intersection marked by lines on the ground?
Can you describe the traffic pattern?
How many lanes are there in each direction?

Were there traffic controls at the intersection?
What type of controls were there?
Were they two- or three-way lights?
Were there walk/don’t walk signs?
Where were they located?
Were they working?
What color was the light for you?

What did you do before crossing?
How did you approach the intersection?
What color was the light when you arrived?
Did you cross with the light?
Did you wait for the light to change?
Which way did you look first?
Where did you look next?
Where were you looking just before contact?
How far across the street did you get?
When did you see the car for the first time?
Where was the car when you first saw it?

What was the car doing before the accident?
Was the car going straight or turning?
Where was the car coming from?
What lane was it in?
Which light was controlling the car’s motion?
Did the car have the light?
What was the car’s speed?
What was the driver’s condition?

Crossing not at an intersection

Were you crossing away from the intersection?
What was the crossed roadway like?
How many lanes did you have to cross?
How many directions of travel was the road?
How far is the nearest marked intersection?
What is the area like?
What were the traffic conditions?
Were there others crossing in the area?
What were the parking conditions?
Where was the car at the onset of crossing?
What was the speed of the oncoming car?

Non-crossing accidents

Were you walking along the roadway when struck?
In which direction were you walking?
Why were you walking in the roadway?
How close were you to the side?
Did you have any reflectors on at the time?

Were the available sidewalks closed or obstructed?
Why was the area closed?
Who closed the area?
Was there construction in the area?
Were there any permits for the closing?
Was there an alternative path?

Car up on the sidewalk

Did a car mount a sidewalk to hit you?
Were you lawfully on the sidewalk?
Did you have a chance to avoid the accident?
Did the driver explain the occurrence?

Possible contributing causes

Did the defendant’s car lose control?
Was there any construction in the area?
Were there any barriers in the area?
Was there a flagman in the area?
Was a police officer directing traffic?

Did any non-driver factor cause the accident?
Were the traffic lights operational?
Were any signs missing or obstructed?
Were you forced to use the roadway?
Was there an unauthorized sidewalk obstruction?