You Were Where You Were Supposed to Be. We'll Prove It.

When a driver strikes a pedestrian, the injuries are rarely minor. Broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage — the physical toll of being hit by a car is severe, and the financial pressure that follows can feel just as crushing. Patterson Law represents pedestrian accident victims across the NC Piedmont, building cases that account for the full cost of what happened to you, not just the bills sitting on your kitchen table right now.

Why Pedestrian Accident Cases Demand Immediate Action

Pedestrian injury claims are among the most complex in personal injury law — and among the most contested. Drivers and their insurers rarely accept liability without a fight, and the window for gathering critical evidence is short. Traffic camera footage gets overwritten. Witnesses move on. Skid mark patterns fade. The moment you are well enough to make a call, that call should be to an attorney who will move.

Patterson Law begins building your case from the first conversation. We identify available surveillance footage, secure witness statements, and consult accident reconstruction specialists when the facts require it. The driver's version of events is not the only version. We build yours.

What NC Law Says About Driver Duty of Care for Pedestrians

North Carolina law imposes a clear duty on drivers to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks and at legal crossings. When a driver fails to yield, runs a red light, or strikes a pedestrian in a designated crossing area, that failure is not a gray area — it is a violation of a specific legal standard. Being a pedestrian doing the right thing is itself a form of evidence.

NC's contributory negligence rule does create risk for pedestrians. If an insurer can argue that you were even partially at fault — jaywalking, stepping out unexpectedly, crossing against a signal — it can use that argument to deny your claim entirely. This is why the factual record matters so much. We investigate the actual sequence of events and build a record that reflects what really happened, not the story the other side wants to tell.

What a Pedestrian Accident Claim Can Recover

Pedestrian accident settlements in NC can include compensation for a wide range of damages. Because pedestrian injuries so frequently involve long recovery timelines and lasting physical consequences, the value of a well-built claim often extends far beyond immediate medical expenses.

A pedestrian accident claim may recover:

• Emergency and ongoing medical treatment costs
• Future medical expenses, including rehabilitation and specialist care
• Lost wages during recovery
• Diminished earning capacity if injuries affect your ability to work long-term
• Pain and suffering, including emotional distress and reduced quality of life
• Permanent disability or disfigurement
• Wrongful death damages if a family member did not survive the accident

We calculate what recovery actually costs — all of it. That means accounting for future care needs, not just the bills already in hand.

Pedestrian Accident Injuries We Handle Across the Piedmont

Not every pedestrian accident victim survives. If you have lost a family member in a pedestrian accident, Patterson Law handles wrongful death claims with the same thoroughness and personal attention we bring to every case. You can learn more about how we approach these cases on our wrongful death page.

Where We See Pedestrian Accidents Happen in Our Communities

Pedestrian accidents are not random — they concentrate in predictable locations. High-traffic commercial corridors, downtown areas with active foot traffic, and intersections with poor sightlines all produce disproportionate numbers of pedestrian injuries. We know these areas because we work in them.

In Kannapolis, downtown foot traffic around the ballpark district and the revitalized Main Street corridor creates regular pedestrian exposure. In Salisbury, the historic downtown pedestrian corridors and the areas around major retail and medical facilities see consistent pedestrian activity. In Gastonia, commercial retail areas along Franklin Boulevard and the surrounding commercial strips place pedestrians in close proximity to high-speed traffic. Our attorneys serve all of these communities and understand the local conditions that contribute to accidents in each area.

Why Clients Across Cabarrus and Gaston Counties Choose Patterson Law

Patterson Law is not a volume firm. We do not settle cases fast to move on to the next one. Nearly every client who walks through our doors was referred by a past client or a peer who trusted us with something serious — and that kind of trust is built one case at a time.

• Every case is handled by an attorney, not a case manager or support staff
• Face-to-face meetings available at our Kannapolis, Salisbury, and Gastonia offices
• Deep roots in Cabarrus and Gaston County courts and legal communities
• No pressure to settle before you understand what your case is actually worth
• Toby Patterson's past presidency of the Gaston County Bar reflects the firm's standing in this region

We compete directly with Charlotte-based firms that advertise heavily across the Piedmont. The difference is that when you hire Patterson Law, you are not a file in a large urban practice. You are a client with a name, a story, and a case that gets our full attention.

Pedestrian Accident Questions We Hear Most Often