Pedestrian Accident Lawyer NYC

Roughly half of all traffic deaths in New York City are pedestrians, and the overwhelming majority of those crashes happen where the pedestrian had the right of way — in a marked crosswalk, with the signal. New York City traffic rules are unusually favourable to people on foot, and used properly they convert a "he came out of nowhere" defence into a clear liability finding.

• NYC Administrative Code and VTL 1146: drivers must exercise due care and yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.
• Right of Way Law: a driver who fails to yield to a pedestrian with the signal can face criminal as well as civil liability.
• Vision Zero speed limits and turn rules, which help establish negligence per se.
• Pure comparative fault: crossing mid-block reduces your recovery, it does not eliminate it.
• No-fault applies to pedestrians too — the striking vehicle's policy pays your first medical bills.

A turning vehicle hit me while I had the walk signal

The single most common NYC pedestrian crash. Signal timing data, corner camera footage and the vehicle's failure to yield usually establish liability outright.

I was hit by a delivery van, box truck or e-bike

Commercial vehicles carry much larger policies, and the employer is responsible for the driver acting in the scope of work. Rider and fleet identification matters immediately.

The driver fled the scene

We pursue MVAIC and household uninsured motorist coverage in parallel while tracing the vehicle. See our NYC hit and run page for the deadlines involved.

Pedestrian impacts produce fractures, degloving injuries, traumatic brain injury and spinal trauma far more often than vehicle-to-vehicle crashes. Because there is no metal cage absorbing force, these cases regularly exceed the striking driver's policy limits, so identifying every available layer of insurance is a core part of the work.

I was hit by a car in a crosswalk while I had the walk signal.

You have the right of way, and the driver's failure to yield is a traffic law violation that supports liability. Even if you were mid-block or against the signal, New York's comparative fault rule means you can still recover — your award is reduced by your share, not eliminated.

A turning vehicle hit me and left the scene.

Report it to the NYPD immediately and get treated the same day. You can claim through your own auto policy's SUM coverage, a household policy, or MVAIC. See our hit and run page for the notice deadlines.

A delivery e-bike or moped hit me on the sidewalk.

Claims against commercial delivery riders often reach the app or restaurant that directed the work. We investigate the rider's employment status, the platform's insurance, and any building or fleet policy.

The driver says I stepped out suddenly.

Camera footage decides these cases. Nearby buildings, buses, and traffic cameras overwrite footage within days, so send us the location fast and we issue preservation letters.