Utter the phrase, "pedestrian hit" to most adjusters, and it will conjure up thoughts of hospital bills, assessments of negligence, and injury settlements -- to name but a few.

There was a time when courts applied the Draconian rule of categorically denying recovery for emotional distress related to witnessing another person's injury or fearing for another person's safety.

It has been more than two years since Hurricane Katrina's violent winds and water left in its wake the damaged and destroyed homes of tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents.