Pedestrian Accidents and Cases: A pedestrian is ordinarily a person walking on city streets, sidewalks or on private property. Pedestrian accidents relating to slip and fall's and or trip and fall's are covered in the premises liability section of this web site.

Thousands of people are killed each year, while walking. Pedestrian accident cases can involve persons who are hit by cars, motorcycles, bicycles, other motor vehicles or even other pedestrians while walking.

In the state of Ohio, motor vehicles are by law supposed to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians. Furthermore, motor vehicles are supposed to stop while a pedestrian is walking in a designated crosswalk. However, pedestrians have a duty of due care in that the law will not protect them if they suddenly dart or run into traffic.

By law, if a person in a motor vehicle is involved in an accident, they are supposed to stop and exchange identification and insurance information. Often times pedestrians who were injured due to being hit by a car or other motor vehicle, have suffered such severe injuries that they are unable to obtain the identification and our motor vehicle information of the person that hit them.

If you can, ask any bystander to call 911 for you. We always recommend that either you or another person call the police. It is very important for you to try to get the police on the scene of the accident, so that they can prepare an accident report.

Furthermore, ask any bystander that may be able to assist you, to take down the identification, and insurance information of the person who hit you. We further recommend you try to get the names, addresses and phone numbers of any and all witnesses that may have seen the accident.

It is imperative that you call our law firm, as soon as possible if you have suffered a pedestrian type of accident. For a free consultation contact us at 216-502-0800.

Bicycle Accidents: Bicycle accidents are similar to motorcycle accidents, in that the same type of catastrophic injuries can result. Unlike motorcycle accidents, bicycle riders are not required to carry motor vehicle insurance. However, there are special rules relating to where people may ride bicycles.

We highly recommend that you read the motorcycle accident section of this web site for information that will pertain to a bicycle accident case. Just like in a motorcycle accident case, most bicycle accident cases involve a negligent motorist hitting the bicyclists, because they did not see the bicycle rider. You can read the motorcycle accident section of our web site by clicking here now. We highly recommend that you follow the advice contained in that section.

Motor vehicle passenger cases: Motor vehicle passenger cases involve persons who are passengers in cars, buses, trucks, trains, airplanes, motorcycles, and/ or any other type of motor vehicle, who were injured when the vehicle they are either riding in or riding on, is involved in an accident.

Often times passengers in motor vehicles are either friends or relatives of the person in two is operating the vehicle, and are hesitant to seek legal representation for their injuries. The bottom line is if you are a passenger in a motor vehicle that is involved in an accident, and you are injured, you have the legal right to be compensated for your loss.

We understand the dilemma you may face if the operator of the motor vehicle that you are riding in is a friend or relative, however, that should not be your main concern. Your main concern should be taking care of yourself.

The person who was operating the motor vehicle, should have liability insurance and or coverage to cover you, the passenger, in cases where they are at fault in a motor vehicle accident. Although technically, you will be making a claim against the person operating the motor vehicle, in reality, you will be making a claim against their insurance company. In extreme cases of injury, the person operating a motor vehicle in which you are riding may not have enough insurance coverage to cover your entire loss. In these types of cases, you will be in reality, seeking full compensation from the person who is a fault.

It may be that the person who is driving the vehicle in which you were a passenger is not at fault in the accident. In this type of situation, you will be seeking compensation from the at fault person or persons responsible for the accident.

Furthermore, there may be a combination of fault between multiple drivers in the accident, including the driver of the vehicle in which you are a passenger.

In any case, we always recommend that you retain a lawyer to represent your legal interests, Passenger cases are usually easier to obtain a recovery on, because you usually do not have the burden of proof as to who is at fault. The passenger will generally make a claim against all drivers in an accident, and let the chips fall where they may.

Dog Bite Cases: in Cuyahoga County Ohio, the owners of dogs are strictly liable for the actions of their pets. The owners of dogs have a duty to ensure that their dogs stay on their property, and not bite people. Most people think that dog bites do not merit hiring an attorney. However, we have seen cases where victims of dog attacks and maulings have suffered horrible injuries.

In many cases that we have seen, the owners of said dogs are either family friends or neighbors. For this reason, many victims of dog attacks are hesitant to seek legal representation to protect their rights.

You must understand, that it was not your fault and that you were attacked by the dog, and that you are entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, medical expenses, lost wages, emotional distress, permanent scarring, and other losses which occur in a dog bite case.

If you were the victim of a dog attack, we obviously recommend that you get medical treatment as soon as possible. It is very important that you identify the owner of the dog, because they are liable for the dog's actions. Furthermore, if the owner of the dog lives in an apartment or a leased home, the landlord may be liable for your injuries in the dog attack, if they knew or should have known of the dangerous propensity of the dog. As in other personal injury cases, we recommend that you report the dog attack as soon as possible to the owner of the dog, as well as he owner of the property where the dog ordinarily is kept.

When reporting the incident as mentioned above, ask the person that you're reporting the incident to for a copy of their driver's license or other identifying information. Also try to write down a physical description of the person that you're reporting the incident to. We further recommend that you call the police department, and or your local animal control organization so that a formal report of the incident can be made. You should never assume that the dog that bit you is free of disease.

Assault and Battery Cases: Assault and battery cases are intentional torts. What this means is that you can recover not only special and general damages, but you can also recover punitive damages in such cases. Punitive damages which are also known as exemplary damages, are meant to punish the person who committed the act, and can far exceed your other damages. However, these types of cases are ordinarily not covered by insurance.

ASSAULT: Assault is defined as an intentional act which creates an imminent apprehension of a harmful or offensive contact on the part of the victim. The apprehension must be reasonable. What this means in layman terms is that of someone for instance raises their arm as though they were going to hit you, and you feel like you're about to be hit, and your belief is reasonable, you're the victim of an assault, and are entitled to legal compensation for being assaulted.

BATTERY: Battery is defined as an intentional act which causes a harmful or offensive contact. What this means in layman's terms is that if someone for instance it hits you or grabs you, you are the victim of a battery, and are entitled to legal compensation for being battered. remember, battery is not just being hit, it is a harmful or offensive contact.

So battery can include not only being hit, but it can also include:

• rape,
• someone
• intentionally striking your car with the intent to scare you,
• someone grabbing your buttocks or
• other contacts of this nature.

If you have been assaulted or battered, it is critical that you call the police immediately and report the incident. If you are injured, we recommend as always that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. We then recommend that you call us at 216-502-0800, so that we can evaluate your case.