$500,000 Pedestrian Knockdown Settlement in New York

Walking across the street. A driver who didn't stop. Our client was crossing the road when a vehicle struck them — a pedestrian knockdown that happened in seconds and left our client with injuries that took far longer to heal. Drivers have a duty to yield to pedestrians. This driver didn't.

Pedestrian Struck by Vehicle While Crossing the Street

Our client was crossing the street when a vehicle struck them. Pedestrian knockdowns represent one of the most dangerous types of traffic accidents — the pedestrian has no protective shell, no seatbelt, no airbags, and no crumple zone. The human body absorbs the full force of the vehicle's impact, and the resulting injuries often affect multiple body systems simultaneously. Our client was struck with enough force to cause injuries requiring emergency medical evaluation and an extended course of treatment.

The physics of pedestrian-vehicle collisions are brutally one-sided. Even at moderate speeds, a vehicle weighing several thousand pounds generates impact forces that the human body cannot withstand without significant injury. The initial strike, the secondary impact with the ground, and the potential for being thrown or dragged all contribute to the injury pattern. Our client's injuries demanded sustained medical attention including emergency care, specialist consultations, and rehabilitation.

Driver's Duty to Yield to Pedestrians

Drivers in New York have a statutory duty to exercise due care to avoid striking pedestrians. When a pedestrian is lawfully crossing the street, the driver must yield the right of way. The failure to yield is a violation of the vehicle and traffic law and establishes negligence per se in a personal injury claim. Our client was lawfully in the roadway when the driver failed to stop, and the resulting collision was the direct consequence of that failure.

Our attorneys investigated the circumstances of the pedestrian knockdown, documented the scene, and established the driver's failure to yield as the sole cause of the collision. The evidence demonstrated a straightforward liability case: our client was crossing the street, the driver failed to yield, and the impact caused the injuries that followed. The damages case documented the full scope of medical treatment, rehabilitation, and lasting physical limitations that our client now manages as a result of being struck by a vehicle while doing something as ordinary as crossing the road.

"Our client was walking across the street. A driver failed to yield and struck them. It's as simple and as devastating as that. Pedestrians have no protection — when a car hits a person, the person absorbs all the force. The injuries were significant, the treatment was extensive, and the driver who failed to yield bore full responsibility for the consequences." — Andrew Levine, Founding Partner

$500,000 Settlement for a Pedestrian Knockdown

This $500,000 settlement covers emergency medical care, specialist treatment, rehabilitation, lost wages, and the lasting physical limitations our client now manages from the pedestrian knockdown. It holds the driver accountable for failing to yield to a pedestrian who was lawfully crossing the street.

If you were struck by a vehicle while walking or crossing the street, our pedestrian accident attorneys have experience with pedestrian knockdown claims and are ready to review your case.