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NYC Pedestrian Accident Lawyers with Top Results

Hit by a Car, Truck, Bus, or Other Vehicle? Get Legal Help Today

If you were hit by a car or other vehicle while you were lawfully walking or standing, you need nothing less than a pedestrian injury attorney with a track record of success to get you the financial compensation that you deserve. The Law Firm of Block O’Toole & Murphy has some of the best results in pedestrian accident cases in New York, including:

  • $32,756,156 record-breaking jury verdict for a pedestrian struck by a driver impaired by drugs (largest negligence result ever in Long Island history)
  • $13,500,000 record-breaking settlement for 24-year-old woman who suffered brain injuries after being struck by a company-owned car (largest reported settlement of a personal injury case in Suffolk County, New York)
  • $12,000,000 settlement in Brooklyn case for a child standing on the sidewalk at the time of the collision. The client is expected to receive a $71,643,000 payout based on the $12,000,000 structured settlement annuity.

If you or someone you know has been seriously harmed in a pedestrian accident, contact the lawyers at Block O’Toole & Murphy by calling 212-736-5300 or filling out our online contact form for more information.

The grand majority of New Yorkers rely of walking as their primary means of transportation. Of the many pedestrians that navigate NYC streets every day, on average, one is seriously injured or killed by a vehicle every two hours. According to NYC.gov, the contributing factors to pedestrian fatalities are as follows:

  • 53% – Dangerous Driver Choices
  • 30% – Dangerous Pedestrian Choices
  • 17% – Dangerous Driver and Pedestrian Choices

Drivers have an absolute duty to take reasonable care to see all hazards on the road, including pedestrians. However, pedestrians should understand that they have a responsibility to protect themselves from danger. In order to travel as safely as possible, pedestrians must recognize the many dangers that exist on roadways and educate themselves on safe practices as well as the laws that are enforced to prevent accidents. General considerations for pedestrian safety include:

  • Make sure you are visible
  • Wear reflective clothing or carry a light when walking at night
  • Cross at well-lit intersections
  • Be alert; do not allow yourself to be distracted by electronic devices

Understanding New York Traffic Law

Every state has its own set of laws designed to protect citizens as they navigate the roadways. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law (NY V.T.L.) and the New York City Traffic Rules and Regulations govern the actions of both drivers and pedestrians. Laws concerning pedestrian travel include but are not limited to the following:

  • VTL § 1146: All drivers must exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian and must give warning by sounding the horn when necessary.
  • VTL § 1150: Pedestrians should obey all traffic-control signals when crossing roadways.
  • N.Y.C. R.R. Section 4-04(b)(1): The operator of a vehicle shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing a roadway within a crosswalk.
  • N.Y.C. R.R. Section 4-04(b)(2): No pedestrian should suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield.
  • N.Y.C. R.R. Section 4-04(b)(3): When any vehicle is stopped at a crosswalk to allow a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear in the same lane cannot pass the stopped vehicle.

When a pedestrian accident occurs, the adherence of both the driver and pedestrian to these laws is taken into consideration in determining liability. If an injured pedestrian decides to pursue legal action following an accident, their adherence to traffic laws will factor into their ability to recover compensation for their losses.

New York Accident Prevention Strategies

Although traffic laws were created with pedestrian safety in mind, NYC.gov still reported 115 pedestrian deaths in New York City in 2018. Unfortunately, more action is needed as many people do not fully comply with traffic laws and often behave negligently when on the road.

To further combat pedestrian accidents, there are a number of government-sponsored projects and prevention strategies that aim to improve city design, law enforcement, and public education. The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) has a number of projects to improve the city’s design including:

  • Pedestrian Ramps
  • Enhanced Crossings
  • Left Turn Traffic Calming
  • Neighborhood Slow Zones
  • Safe Streets for Seniors
  • School Safety Unit

Projects such as Safe Streets for Seniors and the School Safety Unit aim to help the two demographic groups that are most prone to pedestrian accidents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pedestrians ages 65 and older accounted for 20 percent of all pedestrian deaths in 2016 while one in every five children under the age of 15 who were killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians.

In 2014, the Vision Zero Action Plan was implemented as a way to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety throughout all five boroughs of New York City. Under Vision Zero, NYC officials plan to make streets safer through:

  • Improving public dialogue & education
  • Expanding enforcement of traffic laws
  • Updating street designs
  • Revising legislation

Public involvement in Vision Zero is encouraged so citizens can share the safety concerns they witness on their daily commutes with public officials through town halls and other events. If you wish to participate in the public discussion, visit the project’s website to take action.

Common Injuries Caused by Pedestrian Accidents

When pedestrian accidents do occur, the potential damage caused can be catastrophic. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, the severity of injuries sustained in a pedestrian-vehicle collision depends on factors including:

  • Vehicle speed
  • Angle of impact of the vehicle upon the pedestrian
  • Center of gravity of the pedestrian
  • Part of body that first comes into contact with the vehicle
  • Part of vehicle the pedestrian first impacts
  • Vehicle design

These combined elements can lead to severe injuries such as:

  • Trauma to the head, legs and pelvis
  • Bone Fractures
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
  • Musculoskeletal Injuries
  • Paralysis and other spinal injuries
  • Amputation
  • Internal Bleeding
  • Loss of Fetus
  • Death

It is common for accident victims to not realize they have been injured at the time of the accident. For this reason, it is crucial for pedestrians hit by vehicles to seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Early injury detection allows for early treatment to minimize pain, and early medical records noting the injury are extremely helpful to a personal injury case.

Should I Contact a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer?

The damages associated with pedestrian accidents can be severe and include medical treatments, loss of wages, and pain and suffering. If you have sustained significant losses in a pedestrian accident caused by another party’s negligence, it is in your best interest to contact a skilled personal injury lawyer who can review your case and guide you through the legal process.

To determine fault in a personal injury case, you must prove that someone had acted negligently to cause the accident. Some factors that may influence a pedestrian accident case include:

  • Use of a crosswalk by the pedestrian
  • Attention to traffic-control signals
  • Distracted driving
  • Speeding
  • Weather conditions
  • Road conditions

An injured pedestrian must be able to prove that the driver was negligent and breached their duty of care, thereby causing the accident. A lawyer with experience in pedestrian accident cases can best examine the facts of your case and determine the best course of action.

Top Verdicts and Settlements for Clients Harmed While Walking or Standing

The lawyers at Block O’Toole & Murphy have dedicated their careers to helping accident victims get the compensation they deserve. Having litigated multiple pedestrian accident cases, we understand how devastating getting struck by a vehicle can have on you and your loved ones.

Our law firm is willing and able to invest in funds, research, and time necessary to help you get the compensation you deserve for your injuries, loss wages, pain and suffering, and more. We work with a number of respected experts to build the strongest case possible for our clients. For example, in one particular case where a pedestrian was struck by a car at night, we hired a specialist in nighttime visibility to gather evidence.

Notable case results* from the firm include:

  • $32,756,156 jury verdict for a pedestrian hit by a drug-impaired driver that recklessly drove through a barricade in Long Island
  • $13,500,000 settlement for 24-year-old woman who was hit by a company-owned vehicle while she was walking home at night in Suffolk County
  • $12,000,000 settlement in a Brooklyn, New York case for a child who was standing on a sidewalk when he was suddenly hit by a car that jumped the sidewalk
  • $9,950,000 settlement for a social worker who sustained a leg amputation after she was hit by a van in a parking lot in Buffalo, New York
  • $8,800,000 settlement for a pedestrian who suffered a traumatic brain injury after she was hit by a van in Ozone Park, Queens
  • $5,000,000 recovery in a wrongful death case for loved ones of a woman killed by a garbage truck while she was walking on the sidewalk in Midtown West
  • $4,000,000 settlement for a pedestrian who was hit by an automobile while walking within a crosswalk in Bushwick, Brooklyn
  • $4,000,000 settlement for a man who was searching through the trunk of his car when he was hit by a vehicle in Forest Hills, New York
  • $3,450,000 settlement in a Queens case for a pedestrian with multiple fractures after he was hit by a bus while crossing the street within the crosswalk
  • $2,800,000 recovery for a pedestrian hit by a vehicle that rolled onto the sidewalk as a result of a two-car collision in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
  • $2,750,000 settlement in a Bronx, New York case for a pedestrian who was struck by a van while attempting to cross the street
  • $2,500,000 award in a Brooklyn case for a pedestrian who was hit by a large truck and suffered a right leg crush injury
  • $2,200,000 settlement for a 60-year-old pedestrian who was hit by an NYC Transit bus that was attempting to turn left in Flatlands, Brooklyn
  • $2,100,000 recovery for a pedestrian accident victim who suffered serious head injuries
  • $2,056,656 jury verdict for a high school teacher who suffered neck and lower back injuries after she was struck by a public bus in Brooklyn Heights
  • $1,700,000 settlement for a woman who was hit by a left-turning vehicle while she was walking to work in the Bronx
  • $1,500,000 settlement in a Bronx case for pedestrian who was attempting to cross Bruckner Boulevard within the crosswalk at the time of the collision
  • $1,500,000 recovery for pedestrian who suffered retrograde amnesia after she was hit by a van in the Bronx
  • $1,500,000 settlement for a 33-year-old mother who was struck by a tow truck that was backing up in Melrose, Bronx
  • $1,500,000 settlement in a Manhattan case for a woman hit by a car owned by the City of New York in Tribeca

To view a complete list of the firm’s auto accident results, please visit our Motor Vehicle Accidents Verdicts & Settlements page for more information.

If you have been struck by a vehicle, we can help you hold the people that caused your accident responsible. Call today: 212-736-5300

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*Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Vehicle Accidents

Contact a Pedestrian Accidents Lawyer Today

Speak with an injury attorney experienced in litigating New York pedestrian accident cases today. Simply call 212-736-5300 or fill out the below form for a FREE legal consultation.