Austin Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Fighting for Injured Pedestrians Against Insurance Companies
In a collision between a person and a vehicle, the pedestrian always loses. In an instant, your life can be shattered by a driver's negligence, leaving you with catastrophic injuries, mounting medical bills, and no way to earn a living.
But the fight is just beginning. The driver's insurance company will immediately go to work to protect itself. They will try to blame you for the accident—claiming you were in the wrong, distracted, or "darted out." At Smith & Vinson Law Firm, we don't let them.
Our award-winning trial lawyers are not afraid to take on the biggest insurance corporations. We know their tactics, and we know how to beat them. Our job is to hold the negligent driver accountable and fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.
From the beginning, we focus on putting you in the strongest position possible. That can include coordinating with your medical providers so your care continues while your case is pending, helping you understand how to handle insurance calls, and explaining what to expect at every stage. Because we routinely handle serious injury cases in Austin, we understand how local crash reports, EMS records, and treatment at area hospitals fit together to tell the full story of what happened to you.
If you were hit by a car, do not talk to an insurance adjuster. Talk to us. Call (512) 359-3743 for a free, confidential consultation.
Why Choose Smith & Vinson Law Firm for Your Pedestrian Accident Case?
When you are fighting for your future, you need a law firm with a proven record of winning in the courtroom.
- You Pay Nothing Unless We Win: We handle all pedestrian accident cases on a contingency-fee basis. This means you pay no upfront costs, and we only collect a fee if we win your case.
- We Are Trial Lawyers, Not a Settlement Mill: Insurance companies know which lawyers will accept a low offer and which lawyers will fight them in court. Our reputation as former prosecutors and a former judge who have handled thousands of cases prepares us for trial from day one. This aggressive preparation gives us the leverage to demand a full and fair settlement.
- We Have a Record of High-Value Results: We have successfully recovered millions of dollars for our injured clients, including a $2.5 Million personal injury settlement and an $810,000 wrongful death result. We have the resources and experience to win complex injury cases.
When you hire us, you work directly with a legal team that knows Austin and understands how pedestrian crashes happen here—from busy downtown intersections and areas around the University of Texas to high-speed roads where drivers fail to yield at crosswalks. We use that knowledge, along with accident reconstruction and testimony from qualified medical professionals, to present a clear picture of how the driver’s choices changed your life and why you should be compensated under Texas law.
Contact Our Austin Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Today
Do not let an insurance company bully you into accepting less than you deserve. You need a team of aggressive trial lawyers to fight for your rights.
Contact Smith & Vinson Law Firm at (512) 359-3743 for a free, no-obligation consultation. We will listen to your story, answer your questions, and explain how we will fight for you. You pay us nothing unless we win your case.
Cases We Take
Your Recovery Is Our Priority
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Car AccidentLearn More -
Dog BitesLearn More -
Truck AccidentsLearn More -
Work InjuriesLearn More -
Wrongful DeathLearn More
The #1 Challenge: The Insurance Blame Game
In Texas, the most common defense in a pedestrian accident is to blame the victim. The insurance company will investigate to see if they can claim you were:
- Jaywalking or crossing outside a crosswalk
- Distracted by your phone
- Ignoring a "Don't Walk" signal
- "Darting out" into traffic
They do this because Texas follows a "modified comparative fault" rule. This law states that if you are found to be 51% or more at fault for the accident, you are barred from recovering a single dollar.
Our job is to fight this tactic. We immediately get to work gathering evidence—like surveillance video from nearby businesses, cell phone records from the driver, and witness statements—to prove the driver was the one who was negligent, distracted, speeding, or failed to yield the right-of-way.
Because we routinely handle cases in Austin, we know how to obtain and review key records such as police reports, 911 recordings, and traffic signal timing data from local agencies. We also work with investigators who can visit the crash scene, document sight lines, measure skid marks, and identify any nearby cameras that may have captured the impact. All of this helps us challenge an insurance company’s attempt to push blame onto you and protect your right to pursue a financial recovery.
Fighting for Full Compensation for Your Injuries
A pedestrian accident can result in devastating, life-altering injuries. We fight to recover compensation for all your damages, including:
- All current and future medical bills
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Permanent impairment or disability
When we build your claim, we look beyond the initial hospital bills to understand how your injuries will affect you in the long term. That can mean working with your treating doctors to document permanent limitations, consulting with vocational professionals about how your ability to work has changed, and, when necessary, using life-care planners to estimate the cost of future surgeries, therapies, and assistance. By presenting this full picture, we put you in a better position to pursue a settlement or verdict that reflects the true impact of the crash on your life in Austin.
What To Do After A Pedestrian Accident In Austin
The steps you take in the hours and days after being hit by a vehicle can affect both your health and your legal claim. If you are able, calling 911 and waiting for law enforcement to arrive ensures that a formal crash report is created and that EMS can evaluate you at the scene. Getting prompt medical care at an Austin-area hospital or clinic not only protects your well-being, it also creates records that link your injuries to the collision.
After you have received emergency care, it is helpful to gather and keep anything related to the wreck. That can include photographs from near the crash site, contact information for witnesses, and any paperwork you receive from the Austin Police Department or other responding agency. You should also avoid posting about the collision on social media or giving detailed statements to an insurance company before you have spoken with a lawyer, because those comments can be used to argue that your injuries are less serious than they truly are.
Once your immediate medical needs are addressed, reaching out to a law firm that regularly handles pedestrian injury cases in Austin allows you to understand your options before important deadlines pass. A legal team can calculate the statute of limitations that applies, explain whether a claim will likely be handled informally with an insurer or filed in a Travis County court, and start protecting critical evidence. Having someone focused on the legal side from the beginning lets you concentrate on following your doctors’ recommendations and adjusting to day-to-day life after the crash.
Our Process: How We Fight for You
Our process begins with a free case evaluation and strategy session where we will listen to your story, review the police report and other evidence, and give you an honest assessment of your case and your legal options. From there, we launch an immediate investigation to preserve critical evidence before it disappears. While we build your case, our team works closely with you, your doctors, and life-care planners to calculate the full value of your claim, including all current and future medical bills, lost wages, and the full extent of your pain and suffering. Finally, we move to aggressive negotiation and litigation, sending a powerful demand package to the insurance company. We negotiate from a position of strength, and if they refuse to pay what your case is worth, our trial lawyers will file a lawsuit and take them to court.
Throughout this process, we keep you informed so you always know what is happening with your claim. We explain major steps such as filing a lawsuit in the appropriate Travis County court, answering written discovery, and preparing for a deposition in clear, straightforward terms. Our goal is to shoulder the legal burden so you can focus on medical treatment and day-to-day recovery, while still having the information you need to make confident decisions about any settlement offers.
Speak with our Austin Pedestrian Accident Lawyer today—call (512) 359-3743 for a free consultation and let us fight for the compensation you deserve.
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“I had a very positive experience working with Smith and Vinson Law Firm. Jarrod and his paralegal, Paloma, were very organized, professional, responsive, and kept me informed throughout the process. Jarrod is very knowledgeable and experienced, and I especially appreciate his thoughtful consideration and genuine compassion during a very traumatic personal injury time.- Ravi K.
Jarrod was always accessible and prompt whenever I had questions or when matters needed attention, which made a meaningful difference throughout the process.
Everything was handled with care and attention to detail, and I would highly recommend Jarrod and his team.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How soon after a pedestrian accident should I contact a lawyer? Immediately. The Texas statute of limitations is two years, but crucial evidence like video footage and witness memories disappear much faster. Contacting us right away allows us to preserve the evidence needed to win your case.
What compensation might be available after a pedestrian accident? You may be entitled to recover costs for all your medical treatment, all lost income, and non-economic damages for your physical pain, mental anguish, and the impact the injury has had on your life.
Who could be liable in a pedestrian accident in Austin? Liability may rest with the at-fault driver. If the driver was working (e.g., for a delivery service), their employer might also be liable. In some cases, a government entity could be at fault for a poorly designed or maintained crosswalk.
What if I was partially at fault for the accident? Under Texas's comparative fault rule, you can still recover damages as long as you are not 51% or more at fault. Our job is to gather the evidence to minimize any percentage of fault wrongly assigned to you.
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$1.2M Premises Liability
Our client, a 58-year-old IT professional, was visiting a commercial office building in Austin for a business appointment when he fell on a defective stairway. The stairway was missing a code-required handrail and had inadequate lighting. He suffered a severe ankle injury requiring surgery with permanent hardware.
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$400K Personal Injury
Our client, a 26-year-old construction worker, was T-boned by a commercial plumbing truck that ran a red light at highway speed. The impact totaled his vehicle and left him with four cervical herniations, three thoracic herniations, and a permanent traumatic brain injury confirmed by advanced DTI imaging. The insurance company's initial offer was $100,000.
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$67k Collision
Rear-ended by an underinsured driver, our client faced serious injuries and mounting medical bills. After securing the at-fault driver’s $30,000 policy limits, we pursued additional compensation through underinsured motorist coverage—recovering an extra $37,500 to help support her continued recovery.
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