Pedestrian Hit by Car
$725,000
Insurer offered$25,000
Hip fracture and concussion in a crosswalk. The insurer offered $25,000.
Serving Washington, D.C.
Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Near You in Washington, D.C.
Hurt in a crash in Washington, D.C.? 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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Your attorneyAndranik "Andy" Boyadzhyan, Esq.Founding Attorney. Licensed in Washington, D.C.Attorney advertising. Services are not available in all states.
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In Washington, D.C., a pedestrian hit by a car is treated more fairly than a driver would be. The District's Collision Recovery Act lets you recover unless you were more than half at fault, so a crosswalk case does not collapse because you stepped off the curb a moment early. Top USA Law handles these claims from the hospital bed forward. Free review: (877) 411-5291.
Where pedestrians get hit in Washington, D.C.
The District adopted Vision Zero in 2015, and the streets DDOT keeps flagging are the same ones where people on foot keep getting hurt. On 14th Street NW in Columbia Heights and Georgia Avenue NW through Petworth, the crash is usually a driver turning across a crosswalk while watching for a gap in traffic instead of the person already in it. The Metro station exits at Columbia Heights and Petworth put hundreds of people into those crosswalks at once.
East of the Anacostia River the roads are wider and the blocks are longer. Pennsylvania Avenue SE between Potomac Avenue and Minnesota Avenue SE, Benning Road NE and Southern Avenue SE all carry fast through traffic past bus stops, and someone crossing to catch a Metrobus gets hit midblock or in a crosswalk with no signal at all.
Closer to downtown, Florida Avenue NE where it crosses New York Avenue NE, Rhode Island Avenue NE and the H Street NE corridor with its streetcar tracks mix delivery vans, rideshare pickups and turning drivers. The right turn on green, taken without a glance at the crosswalk, is the crash we see most.
The Collision Recovery Act and how a District pedestrian claim works
For drivers and passengers, the District follows contributory negligence, which bars anyone who was even slightly at fault from recovering. In 2016 the Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act, D.C. Code 50-2204.52, took pedestrians and cyclists out of that rule. If you were on foot or on a bike, you recover unless your own negligence was greater than the driver's, meaning more than 50 percent. That single change is why a crosswalk case in the District survives the arguments that would end it for a driver: you crossed a few feet outside the lines, or the signal had started to flash. Those facts can reduce what you recover, but they do not erase the claim unless the insurer proves you were mostly to blame.
Trauma care at MedStar, GW and Howard
A pedestrian struck by a car arrives by ambulance at MedStar Washington Hospital Center on Irving Street NW, George Washington University Hospital in Foggy Bottom or Howard University Hospital on Georgia Avenue NW, the District's three Level I trauma centers. There is no no fault coverage for a pedestrian here, so your health insurance carries the treatment while the claim against the driver's liability insurer pays it back. If the driver left, D.C. Code 50-2201.05c makes leaving after colliding a crime, and the uninsured motorist coverage on your own or a household member's auto policy can stand in until the driver is found.
Deadlines, the PD-10 report and filing in D.C. Superior Court
The Metropolitan Police Department writes the crash up on a PD-10 report, which Top USA Law pulls early. The lawsuit is filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia at 500 Indiana Avenue NW. The deadline is three years from the crash under D.C. Code 12-301; a wrongful death claim gets two years under D.C. Code 16-2702. If a District vehicle hit you, or a broken signal or faded crosswalk on a District maintained road played a part, the Mayor must receive written notice within six months under D.C. Code 12-309. A Metrobus is different: WMATA is an interstate compact agency with its own claim process, and we file with it directly.
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 Washington, D.C.
How Top USA Law handles Washington, D.C. pedestrian claims
Andranik "Andy" Boyadzhyan, licensed in the District, leads these cases. Top USA Law meets District clients by phone, by video, at home or at the hospital, since a pedestrian with a fractured pelvis is not driving to a meeting. The firm builds the fault record early, answers the contributory negligence argument with the Collision Recovery Act, and files in D.C. Superior Court when the offer does not match the injury. The consultation costs nothing, and you owe no attorney fee unless we win; costs may apply. Read the Washington, D.C. pedestrian accident lawyer page, or call (877) 411-5291.
Our Washington, D.C. offices
Courts where Washington, D.C. crash cases are heard
- Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Washington, D.C. laws that control your case
D.C. Code 50-2204.52
Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act: pedestrians and cyclists recover unless more than 50 percent at fault.
D.C. Code 31-2404
Optional no fault election and its effect on the right to sue.
D.C. Code 12-301
Three year deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit.
D.C. Code 16-2702
Two year deadline for a wrongful death action.
D.C. Code 12-309
Six month written notice to the Mayor for claims against the District.
D.C. Code 50-2201.05c
Leaving after colliding; a crime when the crash caused injury.
D.C. Code 50-2206.11
Driving under the influence.
Hurt in a crash in Washington, D.C.? Talk it through for free.
Washington, D.C. filing deadlines and insurance notice rules can be short. A free call tells you where your clock stands.
Pedestrian Accidents questions in Washington, D.C.
I was hit outside a crosswalk in Washington, D.C. Do I still have a case?
Usually, yes. The Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act lets a District pedestrian recover unless their own negligence was greater than the driver's, meaning more than 50 percent. Crossing midblock can reduce your recovery, but it does not bar the claim the way it would for a driver.
Who pays my hospital bills after a pedestrian accident in the District?
Your health insurance covers treatment at MedStar, GW or Howard first, because the District has no no fault coverage for people on foot. The claim against the driver's liability insurer then reimburses those bills and pays for lost wages and pain.
What if a Metrobus or a District government vehicle hit me?
A Metrobus claim goes to WMATA, an interstate compact agency with its own claim process. A District government vehicle, or a crosswalk or signal the District failed to maintain, requires written notice to the Mayor within six months under D.C. Code 12-309.
How long do I have to file a pedestrian accident lawsuit in Washington, D.C.?
Three years from the crash under D.C. Code 12-301, filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia at 500 Indiana Avenue NW. A wrongful death claim has two years under D.C. Code 16-2702, and a claim against the District needs six month notice first.
The driver who hit me in the District drove off. What now?
Report it to the Metropolitan Police Department right away so a PD-10 report exists and nearby cameras get pulled. Leaving after colliding is a crime under D.C. Code 50-2201.05c. While police search, uninsured motorist coverage on your own or a household member's auto policy can cover you.
How does Top USA Law work with pedestrian clients in Washington, D.C.?
By phone, by video, at your home or at your hospital bedside, whichever you can manage. Andranik "Andy" Boyadzhyan holds a District license. The consultation is free, there is no attorney fee unless we win, and any costs are explained in writing before you sign.
Last reviewed by Andranik "Andy" Boyadzhyan, Esq., September 2026.
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