How Long Do You Have to Go to a Doctor After a Pedestrian Accident Caused by an Obstructed Sign?

Personal Injury Lawyer

Traffic signs and signals provide important information to pedestrians. Do Not Walk signals protect pedestrians from oncoming traffic. Hidden Driveway signs alert pedestrians to the possibility of a vehicle unexpectedly entering their path.

Signs warning of danger may alert pedestrians to broken sidewalks, missing guardrails, or pathways that are not intended for pedestrian use. Train crossing signs tell pedestrians that railroad tracks are actually in use.

Pedestrians risk serious injury or death when they ignore warning signs. But pedestrians are sometimes injured because they cannot see a warning sign. When signs are obstructed by overgrown bushes or tree branches, they fail to serve their cautionary purpose.

The state or local government that erects a warning sign has a duty to assure that the sign is visible. That duty is fulfilled by regularly inspecting signs and trimming away foliage that might obstruct them.

Unfortunately, governments with limited budgets tend to neglect routine maintenance. As a result, signs become hidden from view. Pedestrians are injured when the government neglects its duty to assure the visibility of warning signs.

A lawyer, like a pedestrian accident lawyer from Butler Law Firm, can help injury victims recover compensation for pedestrian accidents that are caused by the government’s neglect of its duty. Talking to a lawyer immediately after an accident makes it possible for the lawyer to have pictures taken of the obstructed sign.

Going to a Doctor After a Pedestrian Accident Caused by an Obstructed Sign

A lawyer can also advise pedestrian accident victims of important deadlines. Every state has a statute of limitations that sets a deadline for settling or bringing a lawsuit for injury compensation.

A shorter notice of claim statute requires victims of government negligence to give notice of a claim that might later be filed. Failing to abide by deadlines can make it impossible to recover compensation for accident injuries.

The law sets no deadline for visiting a doctor after a pedestrian accident. It is nevertheless important to see a doctor promptly.

Pedestrians who have serious injuries will typically receive emergency or urgent care. Whether an injury is serious, however, is often a judgment call that a doctor should make. Internal bleeding can be fatal but it does not always cause immediate or intense pain. The same is true of brain swelling after a blow to the head.

Accident victims sometimes try to live with an injury, only to find that their condition worsens. Damage to muscles, ligaments, and tendons might not heal if the pedestrian tries to resume normal activities. In fact, those injuries might become more serious if they are not treated. An injury that might be treated with rest or immobilization of a joint could eventually require surgical repair if the injury is ignored.

Settlement Benefits of Seeing a Doctor After a Pedestrian Accident Caused by an Obstructed Sign

When a pedestrian brings a claim against the government for injuries caused by an obstructed sign, the government will scour the pedestrian’s medical records for evidence it can use to deny or minimize the payment of compensation. Any delay in seeing a doctor will be viewed as proof that the injuries were caused by an event that occurred just before treatment began. 

Failing to follow through on treatment recommendations is also viewed with suspicion. The government will argue that the accident victim stopped treating because the injuries healed. Any later treatment will be attributed to a new and unrelated injury.

The government’s suspicions do not need to be true. The mere fact that a jury might believe them reduces the settlement value of the injury claim. To protect the opportunity to receive full value for accident injuries, it is important to see a doctor immediately and to follow the doctor’s instructions faithfully until discharged from treatment.