Pedestrian Hit by Car
$725,000
Insurer offered$25,000
Hip fracture and concussion in a crosswalk. The insurer offered $25,000.
Serving Manhattan, New York
Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Manhattan, New York
Hurt in a crash in Manhattan? The insurance company already has a team working on your claim. You should too. A free call tells you where you stand.
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In New York, a pedestrian struck by a car in Manhattan collects no fault benefits from the driver's insurer even though you were never inside the vehicle, and a second claim covers pain and suffering when the injury is serious. Top USA Law handles both from the first call. Call (877) 411-5291.
Where pedestrians get hit in Manhattan
The Manhattan pedestrian crash is usually a left turn. A driver heading up one of the avenues turns across the crosswalk on green, watching oncoming traffic for a gap, and the person walking with the signal stays hidden behind the windshield pillar until the bumper reaches them. It happens on Second and Third Avenues, where the bus lane and the bike lane give a turning driver two more things to watch, and at Columbus Circle and Times Square, where Broadway crosses the grid at odd angles.
Downtown, Canal Street and Delancey Street carry bridge traffic through neighborhoods that live on foot, and a truck off the Manhattan Bridge or a car racing for the Williamsburg Bridge is thinking about the next light, not the curb. The West Side Highway crossings into Hudson River Park are long, and a walker caught by the countdown is stranded on the median.
Uptown, 125th Street mixes buses, taxis and people crossing mid block from the subway stairs. On the Upper West Side and the Lower East Side the injured person is often an older resident who could not clear the crosswalk before the light changed, and the fall to the pavement does as much damage as the impact. Vision Zero has rebuilt some of these corners since 2014. People on foot still get hurt at them.
No fault, the serious injury threshold and filing at 60 Centre Street
People hit on foot assume no auto coverage applies to them. In New York it does. The no fault coverage on the vehicle that struck you pays your medical bills and part of your lost wages regardless of fault, up to the 50,000 dollar basic economic loss limit in Insurance Law 5102, even though you were in a crosswalk and not in the car. The application is generally due within 30 days of the crash, and once proof of claim arrives, Insurance Law 5106 gives the insurer 30 days to pay.
Bellevue, NewYork-Presbyterian and the Collision Investigation Squad
Serious pedestrian injuries go by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital on First Avenue or NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell on York Avenue, both Level I trauma centers. The precinct writes the collision report, and when the injury is critical the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad measures the scene and downloads the vehicle's data; we request that file when it closes. If the driver left, VTL 600 makes it a crime. Report it within 24 hours so MVAIC, which covers New York residents hit by unknown drivers when there is no household policy, accepts the claim; its notice of intention is due within 90 days.
Suing the driver in New York County
No fault does not pay for pain, scarring or a limp. That comes from the driver's liability insurer, and Insurance Law 5104 allows the claim only for a serious injury under Insurance Law 5102(d), such as a fracture, significant disfigurement or a significant limitation. A broken hip or tibia clears it on the diagnosis alone. Suit is filed in Supreme Court, New York County, at 60 Centre Street; CPLR 214 gives three years from the crash and EPTL 5-4.1 gives two years from a death. If the insurer says you stepped off the curb against the countdown, CPLR 1411 reduces your recovery by your share, and for lawsuits filed on or after May 26, 2026, fault greater than the driver's can bar it. A New York City Transit bus, a City vehicle or a broken signal brings General Municipal Law 50-e into it, with a notice of claim due within 90 days.
See if you have a case
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Results in cases like this
Rear End Collision
$2,300,000
Insurer offered$85,000
Spinal cord injury after a rear end crash. The insurer offered $85,000.
T Bone Accident
$1,800,000
Insurer offered$120,000
Broken pelvis and internal bleeding at an intersection. The insurer offered $120,000.
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome.
Where we help in New York
How Top USA Law handles Manhattan pedestrian claims
Manhattan pedestrian cases are won on footage, which is overwritten fast. In the first days Top USA Law sends preservation letters to the storefronts, building lobbies and bus cameras along the block, requests the precinct report and any Collision Investigation Squad file, and opens the no fault claim with the driver's carrier. We meet Manhattan clients by phone, by video, at home or at the hospital bedside. Read the New York pedestrian accident lawyer page for the statewide rules, or call (877) 411-5291 for a free consultation. There is no attorney fee unless we win; costs may apply.
Our New York offices
Courts where New York crash cases are heard
- New York County Supreme Court, Manhattan
New York laws that control your case
N.Y. Ins. Law 5102
Defines basic economic loss and the serious injury threshold.
N.Y. Ins. Law 5104
Bars a pain and suffering suit between covered persons unless the serious injury threshold is met.
N.Y. Ins. Law 5106
No fault benefits must be paid within 30 days of proof of claim.
N.Y. CPLR 1411
Modified comparative negligence in motor vehicle cases (lawsuits filed on or after May 26, 2026): recovery is reduced by your share of fault, and you can be barred if you are more at fault than the other side.
N.Y. CPLR 214
Three year deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit.
N.Y. EPTL 5-4.1
Two year deadline for a wrongful death action brought by the personal representative.
N.Y. GML 50-e
Ninety day notice of claim for claims against municipalities and public authorities.
N.Y. VTL 600
Leaving the scene of an incident; a crime when the crash caused injury.
N.Y. VTL 1192
Driving while intoxicated or impaired.
Hurt in a crash in Manhattan? Talk it through for free.
New York filing deadlines and insurance notice rules can be short. A free call tells you where your clock stands.
Pedestrian Accidents questions in Manhattan
I was hit in a Manhattan crosswalk and do not own a car. Who pays my medical bills?
The no fault coverage on the vehicle that hit you pays, regardless of fault, up to the 50,000 dollar limit in Insurance Law 5102. You do not need your own policy. The application is generally due within 30 days, so Top USA Law files it in the first week.
The driver turned left into me on Second Avenue and said I came out of nowhere. Does that hurt my case?
Not much. A driver turning across a crosswalk must yield to a pedestrian crossing with the signal, and a bus lane or bike lane does not excuse a missed look. If you share some blame, CPLR 1411 reduces your recovery by your percentage, and for lawsuits filed on or after May 26, 2026, fault greater than the driver's can bar it. Camera footage usually settles who had the light.
The car that hit me on Canal Street kept going. What do I do?
Report it to the NYPD within 24 hours. MVAIC, which covers New York residents hit by unknown drivers when no household auto policy exists, requires that report and a notice of intention within 90 days. Leaving an injury crash is a crime under VTL 600, and we canvass the block for cameras.
What counts as a serious injury for a Manhattan pedestrian?
Insurance Law 5102(d) lists a fracture, significant disfigurement, permanent loss of use, or a permanent or significant limitation. A pedestrian's fracture clears the threshold, and Insurance Law 5104 then allows the pain and suffering claim.
An MTA bus or a City truck hit me. Is the deadline different?
Yes. New York City Transit and the City are public entities, so a notice of claim must be served within 90 days under General Municipal Law 50-e, long before the three year deadline under CPLR 214. The same rule applies when a broken signal maintained by the City contributed to the crash.
What does a Manhattan pedestrian accident lawyer at Top USA Law cost?
Nothing up front. The consultation is free and the firm works on contingency, so there is no attorney fee unless it recovers money for you. Costs may apply and are explained in writing before you sign. We meet Manhattan clients by phone, by video, at home or at the hospital.
Last reviewed by Paul Perkins, Esq., September 2026.
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Hit by a semi truck on the highway. Top USA Law knew exactly how to deal with the trucking company. Got me $425,000 after they initially offered $30,000.
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Statewide guide: Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in New York