Were you injured in a pedestrian accident in Savannah, GA?
At Chattahoochee Injury Law, we provide pedestrian accident representation on a contingency basis. No attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
If you were hit by a car while crossing a Savannah street, you may be facing a hospital stay, weeks away from work, and an insurance adjuster who already suspects you stepped off the curb too soon. The driver’s insurer is not on your side.
At Chattahoochee Injury Law, we have represented injured Georgians for 13 years. Our Savannah, GA pedestrian accident lawyer builds each claim around the physical evidence rather than the adjuster’s assumptions. We take these cases on contingency, so there is no fee unless we recover money for you. Contact our office for a free consultation.
Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Savannah, GA
A pedestrian accident claim is a personal injury case brought by someone who was on foot when a motor vehicle struck them, or by that person’s family. The claim seeks payment from the driver, and sometimes from an employer or property owner, whose carelessness caused the collision. Most of the cases our Savannah pedestrian accident attorney handles involve a driver who turned without looking, ran a signal, or was speeding on a four-lane road.
Pedestrians made up 34% of all traffic deaths inside Savannah between 2016 and 2021, double the statewide share of 17%, according to the city’s Vision Zero Action Plan. A person on foot has no bumper, no airbag, and no frame around them. We treat these injuries with that reality in mind.
Types of Pedestrian Accident Cases We Handle in Savannah
Who hit you, where it happened, and what the driver was doing at the time all change which insurance policies apply and how we investigate. Our pedestrian accident lawyer in Savannah, GA handles each of the situations below. Several of them overlap in a single case.
- Crosswalk and intersection collisions. Drivers turning left or right across a marked crosswalk account for a large share of the pedestrian injuries we see downtown and along Abercorn Street. We pull signal timing records, intersection camera footage, and witness statements to establish who had the right of way.
- Hit-and-run accidents. Roughly one in four pedestrian crashes in Georgia is a hit-and-run. We canvass nearby businesses for video and pursue your own uninsured motorist coverage when the driver is never identified.
- DUI accidents. Impairment was suspected in a majority of Savannah’s fatal crashes over the past several years. A DUI arrest strengthens the civil claim and can support a request for punitive damages on top of your compensation.
- Truck accidents. When a commercial driver strikes a pedestrian, we preserve the vehicle’s electronic data and the company’s driver file before either one disappears.
- Rideshare accidents. An Uber or Lyft driver who hits a pedestrian while logged into the app may trigger the company’s commercial policy. We identify which coverage period applies and make the claim against the right insurer.
- Child injuries. A child injury case involves a different filing deadline, court approval of any settlement, and a long view of future medical needs. We handle each of those steps.
- Parking lot and driveway incidents. A driver backing out of a space on Broughton Street or in a shopping center lot is still responsible for looking. These cases often turn on surveillance video, so we send preservation letters right away.
Why Choose Chattahoochee Injury Law as My Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Savannah, GA?
Experience With Georgia Pedestrian Injury Claims
Benjamin Clary founded Chattahoochee Injury Law and has handled Georgia injury claims, pedestrian cases among them, for 13 years. He is admitted to practice in Georgia, earned his undergraduate degree at the College of Charleston, and received his law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. His peers have rated him AV Preeminent through Martindale-Hubbell, the service’s highest mark for legal ability and ethical standards, and he has been selected by Super Lawyers.
Those credentials matter less to you than this. Ben knows how Chatham County adjusters evaluate a pedestrian claim, which crash-report details they seize on, and which arguments actually move a settlement number. Our personal injury lawyer in Savannah, GA has experience handling cases when the injured person was on foot.
Proven Results
We have helped injured clients across coastal Georgia recover millions of dollars from at-fault drivers, businesses, and their insurers. A sample of those outcomes:
- $5,600,000 for a client injured in a commercial vehicle collision
- $1,000,000 in a premises liability case involving a shooting
- $750,000 in a second commercial vehicle crash
- $415,000 for a client hurt by a commercial driver
- $155,000 for a car accident client
Every pedestrian case we accept is handled on a contingency fee. You pay nothing up front. We collect a fee only if we recover money for you, and we explain that arrangement in writing before you sign anything.
What Is Important to Understand About a Pedestrian Accident Case?
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Pedestrian Accident Cases
Georgia measures damages as compensation for the injury done. In a pedestrian case, that usually means:
- Medical expenses, from the ambulance ride through future surgery and rehabilitation
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering, which under Georgia law includes mental suffering tied to a physical injury
- Punitive damages when a driver showed conscious indifference, such as driving drunk
Liability follows negligence. We must show the driver owed you a duty of care, breached it, and caused your injuries. Georgia’s modified comparative negligence rule then reduces your award by your share of fault and bars recovery entirely at 50% or more, so the adjuster’s first goal is to pin half the blame on you. Our job is to stop that. The types of damages available depend on your facts, and a 2025 state law changed how juries now review medical bills.
What Are Important Aspects of a Pedestrian Accident Case?
A handful of facts decide most pedestrian claims long before a lawsuit is filed. We lock those facts down first.
- Right of way. Whether you were in a marked crosswalk, at a signal, or mid-block shapes the fault argument from day one.
- Visibility and lighting. Most fatal pedestrian crashes in Georgia happen in the dark, and insurers lean on that fact hard.
- The driver’s conduct. Speed, phone use, and impairment show up in crash reports, phone records, and toxicology results.
- Available coverage. Georgia minimum policy limits are low, so we review every policy, including your own uninsured motorist coverage.
What Is the Pedestrian Accident Case Timeline?
Most pedestrian claims resolve within a year to 18 months. Serious injuries take longer, because we will not settle before the full medical picture is known.
- Weeks 1 to 4: investigation, evidence preservation letters, and notice to every insurer
- Months 1 to 6: medical treatment and documentation of your losses
- At maximum medical improvement: demand package sent to the insurer
- 30 to 90 days later: negotiation, often in several rounds
- If no fair offer arrives: lawsuit filed in Chatham County, followed by discovery and trial
What Should You Bring to Your Pedestrian Accident Consultation?
Bring what you have of the following to your consultation. We can obtain the rest of what we need at a later time.
- The police report number or the responding officer’s card
- Photos of the scene, the vehicle, and your injuries
- Names and phone numbers of witnesses
- Medical records and bills received so far
- Any letter, email, or voicemail from an insurance company
Most Dangerous Locations for Pedestrian Accidents in Savannah
Savannah’s own crash analysis points to specific corridors where people on foot are hurt most often.
Dangerous streets:
- Abercorn Street, where wide lanes and speeds above 35 mph concentrate pedestrian crashes
- Bay Street, with heavy foot traffic from River Street and the squares
- Skidaway Road near Victory Drive, where sidewalks are missing on several stretches
- Waters Avenue and DeRenne Avenue, both on the city’s high-injury network
- Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Montgomery Street, and 37th Street
Dangerous highways:
- Ogeechee Road (US 17)
- Victory Drive (US 80)
- Dean Forest Road (SR 307)
- Interstate 16 and Interstate 516, both listed as high-fatality corridors
Reach Out to Chattahoochee Injury Law to Schedule a Consultation
You do not need every document in hand to get started. Chattahoochee Injury Law offers a free, confidential case review. Our Savannah, GA pedestrian accident lawyer takes every case on contingency. We can tell you honestly whether we can help. Contact us to schedule your consultation.
Pedestrian Accident Statistics in Savannah, GA
Chatham County recorded 59 pedestrians seriously or fatally injured in 2022, the fourth highest count of any Georgia county and the third highest rate per resident, according to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Inside the city limits, Savannah’s Vision Zero plan counted 136 pedestrian crashes ending in death or serious injury on non-state roads between 2016 and 2021, and 90 of those happened on streets posted at 35 to 45 mph. The council resolution that launched Vision Zero noted 169 traffic deaths of all kinds in the city between 2013 and 2020 and set a target of zero by 2027.
Statewide and national figures show the same direction. Georgia’s pedestrian death toll has nearly doubled over the past decade, and the national count has climbed faster than overall traffic deaths. Dark conditions, high posted speeds, and alcohol appear again and again in the data.
- 345 pedestrians died on Georgia roads in 2022, a 12% increase over the 307 deaths recorded in 2021 (Governor’s Office of Highway Safety)
- 81% of fatal pedestrian crashes in Georgia from 2018 through 2022 occurred in dark conditions (Governor’s Office of Highway Safety)
- 7,314 pedestrians were killed across the United States in 2023, about one every 72 minutes, according to NHTSA crash data
- Alcohol was involved for the driver, the pedestrian, or both in 48% of fatal pedestrian crashes in 2022, per the CDC
- One in four pedestrians killed nationally in 2023 was struck by a hit-and-run driver, according to the same NHTSA report
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Savannah, GA
The causes below come up repeatedly in the crash reports our Savannah pedestrian accident lawyer reviews. Several of them point to more than one responsible party.
- Drivers failing to yield in crosswalks. Failure to yield is the top driver factor in Georgia’s serious and fatal pedestrian crashes.
- Left turns at signalized intersections. A left-turning driver is watching oncoming cars for a gap, not the crosswalk on the far side. When the gap opens, the driver accelerates into the pedestrian who had a walk signal.
- Speed on multilane arterials. Abercorn Street, Ogeechee Road, and Victory Drive carry heavy volumes at 35 to 45 mph or more. The Federal Highway Administration has documented how survival odds for a person on foot fall sharply as impact speed climbs past 30 mph.
- Distracted driving. Georgia is a hands-free state, yet phone use remains the second most common driver factor in serious pedestrian crashes.
- Impaired driving. Alcohol or drugs were suspected in 60% of Savannah’s fatal crashes during the Vision Zero study period.
- Poor lighting and nighttime conditions. Four out of five fatal pedestrian crashes in Georgia occur in the dark. Unlit stretches of Skidaway Road and Ogeechee Road give drivers little chance to react, and poor lighting on commercial property can create a separate premises liability claim against the owner.
- Backing vehicles in parking lots and driveways. Shopping center lots on the southside and the parking garages downtown produce a steady stream of low-speed strikes.
- Missing, obstructed, or crumbling sidewalks. Where there is no sidewalk, people walk in the road. Where sidewalks are blocked by debris, utility poles, or parked cars, people step into traffic to get around them.
- E-bikes, e-scooters, and motorcycles on shared paths. An e-bike rider or e-scooter rider traveling 20 mph on a sidewalk can break a pedestrian’s hip or wrist. Motorcycles that lane-split through stopped traffic hit pedestrians who are crossing between cars. Georgia residents hit by an e-bike face a tangle of homeowner, renter, and rental company policies.
- Large vehicles and blind zones. SUVs, pickups, and box trucks sit higher and strike a pedestrian in the chest or head rather than the legs. The NHTSA pedestrian safety program has flagged the growing share of these vehicles as a factor in rising death counts. Head trauma is a frequent result, and vehicle strikes are among the leading causes of TBI nationally.
Savannah Pedestrian Accident Lawyer FAQs
How much does a pedestrian accident attorney in Savannah cost?
Nothing up front. Chattahoochee Injury Law takes pedestrian cases on a contingency fee, which means our fee is a percentage of what we recover and nothing if we recover nothing. Case costs such as records fees and filing fees are advanced by the firm and repaid out of the settlement. The consultation itself is free.
How long do I have to file a pedestrian accident claim in Georgia?
Georgia gives you two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. Claims against a city or county carry much shorter notice deadlines, sometimes a matter of months, so a crash involving a government vehicle or a dangerous public road needs attention right away.
What if I was crossing outside a crosswalk?
You can still recover. Georgia’s comparative negligence rule reduces your award by your percentage of fault rather than wiping it out, as long as you were less than 50% responsible. A driver speeding or looking at a phone carries fault regardless of where you crossed. We argue those facts every day.
Who pays my medical bills while the case is pending?
Your health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid pays first, and the plan is reimbursed from the settlement. If you have no coverage, many Savannah providers will treat you under a letter of protection, which defers payment until the case ends.
What if the driver who hit me left the scene?
A hit-and-run does not end your claim. The Savannah Police Department investigates these crashes, and nearby business cameras often capture the vehicle. If the driver is never found, your own uninsured motorist coverage, or a resident relative’s policy, typically steps in to pay.
Should I give the insurance adjuster a recorded statement?
No, not before speaking with a lawyer. Adjusters use recorded statements to lock in details that later undercut your claim, and the real cost of a recorded statement often shows up months later at the negotiating table. Refer the adjuster to our office instead.
Can I recover if the driver had no insurance?
Often, yes. Uninsured motorist coverage on your own policy, or on a policy belonging to a family member you live with, can cover a pedestrian struck by an uninsured driver. We review every available policy during the first week of a case.
What is my pedestrian accident case worth?
It depends on the severity of your injuries, your medical costs, your lost income, the strength of the fault evidence, and the insurance available. We give you a realistic range once the medical picture is clear, not a general guess assessment.
What if I was hit by an e-bike or scooter instead of a car?
The same negligence principles apply, but the insurance picture is different. An e-bike rider is usually covered, if at all, under a homeowner’s or renter’s policy, and rental scooter companies carry their own coverage with strict notice rules. We sort out which policy responds and make the claim against it.
Do I have to go to court?
Most pedestrian accident claims settle without a trial. We prepare each case as if it will be tried, which is exactly what produces fair settlement offers. If the insurer refuses to pay what the case is worth, we file suit in Chatham County and take it to a jury.
What if my child was struck by a car in Savannah?
Children’s claims follow special rules. The filing deadline does not begin running until the child turns 18, and future medical needs must be projected across a lifetime. Our Savannah, GA pedestrian accident attorney structures the recovery to protect the child’s funds.
Factors That Affect the Outcome of Your Pedestrian Accident Case
Two pedestrians struck at the same Savannah intersection can end up with very different results. The reasons usually fall into one of the categories below.
- The severity and permanence of your injuries. A broken ankle that heals in twelve weeks and a crushed pelvis that requires two surgeries and a lifetime of physical therapy are valued on different scales. Permanent impairment, scarring, and any loss of function carry the most weight, and the medical records have to document each of them clearly.
- Where you were when the vehicle hit you. A marked crosswalk with a walk signal puts the burden squarely on the driver. A mid-block crossing on Abercorn Street at night gives the insurer an opening to argue shared fault. Neither fact ends the case, but each one shifts the starting point of every negotiation.
- What the driver was doing in the seconds before impact. Speed, a phone in hand, a blood alcohol reading, or a right turn made without stopping each changes the claim. A DUI arrest or a citation on the crash report can also open the door to punitive damages. We obtain the police report, the citation history, and any body camera footage early.
- The quality and timing of the evidence. Surveillance video from a nearby business is often overwritten within days. Skid marks wash away in the first rain. Witnesses move or forget. A claim built on photographs, video, and recorded witness statements taken in the first week is worth more than one built on memory a year later.
- How quickly you sought medical care and whether you followed through. A gap of three weeks between the crash and your first doctor visit will be used against you, as will missed physical therapy appointments. Consistent treatment ties your injuries to the collision and documents your recovery.
- The insurance coverage actually available. Georgia’s minimum liability limits are low. A driver carrying only the minimum cannot pay for a catastrophic injury, so we look to employer policies, umbrella coverage, and your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. The total available coverage often sets the practical ceiling on recovery.
- Your own statements to the insurer. An early recorded statement, a casual apology at the scene, or a social media post about feeling fine can all be pulled out months later. The less you say to the other side before you have counsel, the stronger your position.
- The credibility of the parties and witnesses. Juries in Chatham County weigh who they believe. A driver with a prior DUI and a pedestrian with a clean record and consistent story present very differently at trial, and insurers price that difference into their offers.
- Whether the case is prepared for trial. Insurers track which lawyers settle every case and which ones file suit and try cases. A claim that is investigated, documented, and ready for a courtroom from the beginning draws a better offer than one the adjuster expects to settle cheaply. Our Savannah pedestrian accident lawyer prepares each case on that assumption.
- Timing. Settling before you reach maximum medical improvement means guessing at future costs, and guessing low is common. Waiting too long risks the two-year filing deadline. The right moment to resolve a pedestrian claim is after the medical picture is clear and before the evidence goes stale.
Important Resources for Savannah Pedestrian Accident Cases
What Are Important Georgia Legal Resources for Pedestrian Accident Cases?
The rules that govern a Georgia pedestrian claim are public, and the sources below let you read them for yourself. The three that matter most are the filing deadline, the comparative fault rule, and the damages statutes.
- The Georgia General Assembly publishes the text and history of every bill, including the 2025 tort reform act that affects how damages evidence is presented.
- O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 sets the two-year statute of limitations for injuries to the person.
- O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33 is Georgia’s modified comparative negligence and apportionment statute, with its 50% bar on recovery.
- O.C.G.A. § 51-12-4 defines damages as compensation for the injury done, and the surrounding sections of Chapter 12 cover general, special, and punitive damages.
- The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety publishes annual pedestrian crash data by county.
What Are Important Local Resources for Savannah Pedestrian Accidents?
The agencies and facilities below handle most of what an injured pedestrian in Savannah needs in the first days after a crash, from the police report to trauma care. Keep the phone numbers handy.
Chattahoochee Injury Law lists these resources for your convenience only. We are not affiliated with these organizations and do not endorse them, and they do not endorse us.
About Chattahoochee Injury Law
Chattahoochee Injury Law represents injured people across Savannah, Pooler, Richmond Hill, and Atlanta in 18 practice areas, from pedestrian and bicycle crashes to boating injuries and negligent security. Founder Ben Clary has resolved confidential settlements in premises liability, product liability, and boating cases alongside the public results listed above.
What Our Clients Say
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Ben is a really great lawyer. He helped me through a really tough time. I was able to return to my life while he handled everything, and if I ever had any questions, he was always happy to answer. Overall, he’s just a great person, and I honestly don’t think I could have chosen a better lawyer. If you’re looking for a lawyer who will fight for you, I sincerely and highly recommend Ben.” – Brisa Rodriguez
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Additional Resources for Savannah Pedestrian Accident Cases
A driver who was not paying attention has already cost you enough. Chattahoochee Injury Law has spent 13 years holding careless drivers and their insurers accountable for the people they hurt. Our Savannah pedestrian accident attorney is ready to review your case. The consultation is free, and every pedestrian claim is handled on a contingency fee. We will go over what happened and tell you where the claim stands. Contact us today to speak with our team.
