Manhattan Pedestrian Accident Attorney

If you are like many Manhattan residents and commuters, you prefer walking instead of driving. As a pedestrian, you avoid high gas prices and do not get stuck in city traffic. You also reap the benefits of carefree exercise.

Unfortunately, when you cross the street, aggressive city drivers sometimes put your life at risk. When one of them loses control or does not see you, they cause injuries that can alter your life. If this has happened to you, our Manhattan pedestrian accident attorney can determine if you qualify for compensation under New York laws.

The outcome is sadly predictable when any type of vehicle strikes a pedestrian. Pedestrians go for emergency treatment while vehicle operators hop back into their cars and drive away. As a pedestrian, you cannot withstand a vehicle’s weight, speed, and reinforced metal construction.

When you survive an impact, you ultimately endure hospitalization, treatment, rehabilitation, and a constant influx of bills. If your accident prevents you from working, you deplete your savings, live on sick pay, or survive without income. If someone has injured you while you were jogging, strolling, or just standing on a corner, our Manhattan personal injury lawyers can take steps to protect your legal rights.

 

We Make Negligent Drivers Pay

At Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, we believe that every injured person deserves aggressive legal representation. When you join forces with our Manhattan pedestrian accident lawyer, we begin working for you immediately. We rely on aggressive action, comprehensive legal knowledge, and our firm’s resources to build and help prove your case.

During your initial consultation, we discuss your accident and injuries and establish a formal working relationship. We conduct a timely investigation to document and preserve the relevant evidence.

Our attorneys analyze legal issues, identify the negligent parties, and place them on notice of your injuries. When appropriate, we interact with the negligent driver, their insurer, and legal representatives and try to resolve your case.

Our Law Firm’s Case Results

At Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, we are proud of our successes with pedestrian accident injury cases. We understand that no two accidents are the same and that injuries affect each client differently. We keep this in mind as we move our clients’ injury claims toward resolution. We work to prepare each case early on, so we are ready for negotiation, mediation, or another alternative dispute resolution process.

As each pedestrian accident case is unique, we cannot guarantee a specific settlement amount.

We believe our recent case results help demonstrate our commitment to fair settlement outcomes.

  • $1,100,000 settlement: A vehicle struck our 72-year-old client while she was in a crosswalk.
  • $800,000 settlement: A vehicle knocked our client down while they were crossing East 26th Street in a crosswalk.
  • $400,000 settlement: A vehicle struck our 32-year-old client when he was in a crosswalk.
  • $285,000 settlement: A distracted delivery driver struck our client while they were crossing East Houston Street in a crosswalk.
  • $525,000 settlement: A distracted pizza delivery driver struck our client.

We successfully settle cases when negligent drivers, companies, or insurers negotiate fairly. When necessary, we litigate. Our Manhattan pedestrian accident lawyer can present your evidence in court and let a judge or jury decide.

Types of Pedestrian Accidents

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration defines a pedestrian as “any person on foot walking, running, jogging, hiking, sitting, or lying down.” As New York City is busy day and night, pedestrians never cease these activities. Consequently, pedestrian accidents occur 24 hours a day. Nationally, most pedestrian fatalities occur between 6:00 to 8:59 pm.

The New York City Police Department reports city and borough accident statistics each month. During the most recent reporting month, the NYPD documented 618 pedestrian injuries citywide and 11 fatalities. Of these casualties, 123 pedestrian injuries and one fatality occurred in Manhattan.

The NHTSA’s Pedestrian Traffic Safety Facts provides these facts taken from its most recent nationwide accident data:

  • Nationwide a pedestrian died from accident-related injuries every 81 minutes.
  • Every 10 minutes, a pedestrian sustained injuries in an accident.
  • Male pedestrians accounted for 71 percent of the fatally injured victims.
  • Eighty-two percent of pedestrian fatalities occurred in urban areas.
  • Hit-and-run drivers caused one in four pedestrian fatalities
  • Eighty-nine percent of fatal pedestrian accidents involved single-vehicle crashes.
  • In New York State, 231 pedestrians died in accidents.

Frequent Causes of Pedestrian Accidents

When pedestrians cross the street, they can check oncoming traffic but cannot predict what a motorist will do.

Pedestrian accidents occur in Manhattan due to the same negligent actions as vehicle and truck crashes.

  • Speeding: Speeding frequently contributes to accident causation. When a driver is speeding, they cannot always stop in time to avoid an accident. Speed increases the force upon impact, and it also increases injury severity. To stop late-night speeding, the city recently reinstated 24-hour speed enforcement cameras. They have been proven effective in reducing speed-related accidents.
  • Alcohol Use: When a motorist consumes alcohol, it affects performance before it reaches 0.08 percent BAC, the legal limit. Even at low alcohol blood levels, a driver’s judgment, alertness, and other essential senses diminish.
  • Drug and Substance Use: Drugs and illegal substances affect drivers in ways similar to alcohol. In attributing drugs as an accident cause, laws do not distinguish prescription drug use from illicit drug use. Both can have an adverse effect on driving behaviors.
  • Aggressive Driving: Aggressive driving includes several driving habits, such as unsafe lane changes, excess speed for conditions, and failing to yield to pedestrians and vehicles that have the right of way.
  • Drowsy/Fatigued Driving: Drivers cause accidents when they do not have enough sleep or take medications that make them drowsy. The NHTSA estimates that drowsy/fatigued driving accidents occur more frequently than reported. After an accident, the condition is often challenging to detect.
  • Distracted Driving: Driving requires a driver to keep their hands, eyes, and mind fully engaged. Non-driving-related activities distract drivers and prevent them from paying attention to the road. Distracted driving involves more than cell phone use. Eating, passenger interactions, dashboard devices, and other activities draw attention away from a driver’s primary tasks.

Pedestrian Accident Injuries

Pedestrians walking across the street have no protection when a vehicle strikes them. Pedestrians rarely walk away with only bumps and bruises. Often they require treatment for severe or catastrophic injuries. After months or years invested in recovery, some injured pedestrians live with permanent impairments.

A vehicle’s weight and mass quickly cause serious harm, even at low speeds.

  • Spinal cord Injury 
  • Paralysis
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Traumatic amputations
  • Internal organ damage
  • Nerve damage
  • Multiple fractures and crushed bones
  • Disc and spine injuries
  • Muscle sprains and strains
  • Fatal injuries

At Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, we evaluate your injury claim and review medical bills, hospital records, and physician narrative reports. We also research recent court judgments and settlement amounts for similar cases. This gives us an informed idea as to your claim’s value.

Manhattan Pedestrian Accident Injury Statistics


Source: https://www.itsmr.org

New York No-Fault Coverage is Primary

If you sustain injuries in a pedestrian accident in New York, the vehicle owner’s Personal Injury Protection coverage is primary. Each vehicle owner must have $50,000 in PIP coverage plus a $2,000 death benefit. The driver’s PIP coverage pays your medical bills, 80 percent of your lost wages, and other expenses.

You have a legal right to make a liability claim only if your injuries meet a tort threshold.

  • Death
  • Dismemberment
  • Disfigurement
  • Loss of a Fetus
  • Total Disability
  • Fracture
  • Permanent loss of use of body organ, member, function, or system
  • Permanent limitation of use of a body organ or member

If an uninsured motorist or hit-and-run driver caused your accident, you must make a claim under your own auto policy’s PIP coverage. If you do not have insurance or access to benefits under someone else’s policy, you have another option. You might qualify to file a claim with New York’s Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation.


Call Our Manhattan Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Now if a Driver Injured You

Top 100 National Trial Lawyers

If you were injured as a pedestrian in Manhattan, you may be eligible for compensation for your injuries. Let the Manhattan pedestrian accident lawyers at Jacoby & Meyers, LLP, explain the process to you. Contact us or phone us at (212) 445-7000 for a free case evaluation with our experienced Manhattan pedestrian accident lawyers.

Client Testimonials

Review: 5/5
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“David was always there for me to guide me through this difficult car accident. He helped me get better, was always there to listen to me and fought to get me an amazing settlement. I am very pleased with this beyond expectations result and his professional handling. If you need a lawyer, David and his team is the one to go to!”
Review by: Qing L.

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Manhattan Office

39 Broadway
Suite 1910
New York, NY 10006
212-445-7000