Pedestrian Knock-Down

Walking in America is becoming more dangerous every day. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) estimates more than 3,024 pedestrian fatalities occurred on U.S. roadways in 2025. This is “2.5% higher than pre-pandemic levels.” ⁽¹⁾

Data from New York City indicates 111 pedestrians were killed in 2025, while the total for all traffic fatalities sits at 205. According to the New York City Department of Transportation Deputy Mayor of Operations, “No New Yorker should lose their life while walking, driving, or biking in our city.” ⁽²⁾

Driver Negligence Can Seriously Injure Pedestrians

Highway safety professionals refer to the impact between a motor vehicle and a pedestrian as a crash rather than an accident, the distinction being that crashes are preventable.

The New York State Department of Health says, “Leading causes of these [pedestrian] crashes included distracted driving, failure to yield and crossing without a signal.” ⁽³⁾

Other contributing factors were drivers blocking crosswalks when stopped at intersections and not looking for pedestrians before turning. ⁽⁴⁾

“Pedestrian safety is everyone’s responsibility but drivers need to be especially aware that they are behind the wheel of a powerful machine that can do great damage,” warns the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Chair. ⁽⁵⁾

If you’ve been injured by a driver’s negligence, you may benefit from talking with an attorney. Weitz & Luxenberg’s Personal Injury and Malpractice unit has decades of experience in seeking justice for people harmed in crashes in which pedestrians were the victims.

Motor Vehicle Crashes Injure Thousands of Pedestrians Every Year

On average, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates one pedestrian was killed every 74 minutes and one injured every seven minutes in a traffic crash in 2024. ⁽⁶⁾

The NHTSA reported over 7,080 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes nationwide in 2024, and over 71,635 were injured. ⁽⁷⁾ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says data for 2021-2023 indicates emergency room visits for pedestrian related injuries reached 137,325. ⁽⁸⁾

Why Are Pedestrian Injuries From Motor Vehicles So High?

Each year, millions more people report walking or biking for health benefits and as a means of transportation. Although more people are walking, people are also driving more miles — on average nearly 13,596 miles per driver each year. ⁽⁹⁾ This combines for a greater likelihood of motor vehicles and pedestrians literally crossing paths.

Most Common Pedestrian Injuries from Motor Vehicle Crashes

The speed of a vehicle can play a major role in the severity of injuries in a crash with a pedestrian. “As far as fatalities were concerned, pedestrians struck at 20 mph had only a 1% chance of dying from their injuries, but at 35 mph, the risk reached 19%; at 50 mph, it exceeded 80%,” according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). ⁽¹⁰⁾ But even at low speeds, the human body is no match for a car, truck, or bus.

The most common injuries to pedestrians from motor vehicle crashes include: ⁽¹¹⁾

• Head trauma, including traumatic brain injury (TBI).
• Spinal injuries.
• Leg and pelvic fractures.
• Internal organ injuries.

How to Protect Yourself Against a Motor Vehicle Injury When Walking

The most severe motor vehicle crashes with pedestrians tend to happen in urban areas, away from intersections, or while it is dark. Knowing this can help you take steps to protect yourself.

Safety measures include: ^{(12) (13) (14) (15)}

• Crossing streets at crosswalks or intersections whenever possible.
• Increasing your visibility at night by carrying a flashlight and wearing reflective clothing.
• Walking on a sidewalk, or, if one is not available, walking on the shoulder, facing traffic.
• Staying alert. Watching signs, signals, and actions of drivers.
• Avoiding electronic devices or other distractions that divert your attention from the road.
• Staying away from alcohol and drugs when walking because they impair your abilities and judgement.

No matter what precautions you take, you cannot always protect yourself from a negligent driver. Common contributing factors on the part of a driver involved in a crash with a pedestrian include: ^{(16) (17) (18)}

• Impaired driving due to alcohol or drugs.
• Distracted driving.
• Speeding or reckless driving.
• Sign or signal violation by the driver.
• Failure to yield.

Texting and Cell Phone Use Causing Distracted Driving

Texting and other cell phone use while driving are two examples of distracted driving on the rise. In fact, according to the NHTSA, “Most interactions (20 of 21) between distracted pedestrians and distracted drivers resulted in some form of evasive maneuver by either.” NHTSA also reported that findings from a study indicated, “More than a quarter (27%) of all people observed were distracted by cell phone use.” ⁽¹⁹⁾

“In 2022 there were 3,308 people killed and an estimated additional 289,310 people injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving distracted drivers.” That same year, “there were 621 nonoccupants (pedestrians, pedalcyclists, and others) killed in distraction-affected traffic crashes.” ⁽²⁰⁾

The reason — certain activities combine all three types of [driver] distraction: ⁽²¹⁾

In essence, according to the NHTSA, “Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.” ⁽²²⁾

With thousands of deaths attributed to distracted driving each year, more and more states are legislating texting and other cell phone usage bans. For those harmed by distracted drivers, these laws may work in your favor.

Weitz & Luxenberg Can Help

Nicholas Wise, partner and senior trial attorney with Weitz & Luxenberg’s Personal Injury and Malpractice unit, is committed to “the strongest, most aggressive representation possible.”

When a 79-year-old Holocaust survivor was struck and killed by a New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus making a left turn, her family turned to Weitz & Luxenberg for help. Mr. Wise secured a $1.5 million settlement from the MTA for the family.

At the end of the day, this is about being a champion for those injured by others’ negligence,” Mr. Wise said.

“As attorneys we can’t undo acts of negligence,” Mr. Wise said at the time. “The best we can do is help survivors seek justice for their loved ones. Such a tragedy could have been avoided had the bus driver simply observed proper driving safety precautions.”

In another case, Mr. Wise secured an $800,000 settlement for a woman struck by a passing car as she stepped off a bus. The crash broke the woman’s ribs and pelvis, requiring surgery.

In a very disturbing case, a passenger in one vehicle was left paralyzed from his mid-chest down when the vehicle in which he was traveling was struck by a driver who had run a stop sign and then fled the scene. What makes this case particularly reprehensible is that the driver of that vehicle and his father concocted a story to avoid taking responsibility for the plaintiff’s injuries.

Learning that his son had been involved in an accident, the father reported that the car had been stolen recently. Both father and son not only lied to police, but also lied in their testimony on the stand to avoid being held accountable.

Once again, Weitz & Luxenberg’s Nicholas Wise, along with Adam Raffo, a Weitz & Luxenberg associate attorney in the firm’s Personal Injury and Malpractice unit, made it abundantly clear to jurors that this testimony was an elaborate cover-up.

The result: Mr. Wise and Mr. Raffo secured a phenomenal $20.5 million dollar verdict in favor of their client, who will need to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The firm’s attorneys also achieved an award of $3 million for their client’s past and future medical expenses. 

This exceptional win earned Weitz & Luxenberg a coveted #1 verdict spot in the New York Law Journal’s Top Verdicts and Settlements for that year, placing number 1 in the category of Motor Vehicles and number 4 overall.

Motorcycles, Bikes and E-Scooters Also Cause Knock-Downs

It is not only drivers of cars that can cause pedestrian injuries. There are accidents caused by the drivers of other vehicles as well. Accidents involving pedestrians also can be caused by motorcycles, electric scooters, and bicycles. This includes bicycle messengers and bicycle delivery people — bringing food or other products.

If the people riding these vehicles cause an injury by striking a pedestrian, they should be held responsible. If they are working for a company when the accident occurs, this can be a possible lawsuit against the rider’s employer.

Updated October 2026