A Bradenton pedestrian accident lawyer represents people struck by cars, trucks, and buses while walking, running, or crossing the street in Manatee County. Florida pedestrian cases involve no-fault insurance rules, the serious injury threshold, and right-of-way laws that decide who had the duty to yield, and the evidence often disappears within days. Have our 30 years of experience in personal injury go to work for you. No fees or costs unless we get results.
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Heintz Law represents injured pedestrians and families in Bradenton, Palmetto, Cortez, Anna Maria Island, Lakewood Ranch, Manatee County, and the Suncoast. Founding Partner Steven E. Heintz and our Bradenton pedestrian accident attorneys handle these cases as part of the firm's personal injury lawyer practice, from crashes on US 41 and Manatee Avenue to parking lot knockdowns and school zone crashes.
After being hit by a car as a pedestrian, call 911 and get medical care, even if you can stand. Get the driver's name, plate, and insurance, photograph the scene and your injuries, collect witness names, keep your clothing and shoes, and see a doctor within 14 days to protect your insurance benefits.
Business surveillance and doorbell video is often recorded over within days. Many pedestrians do not remember the moment of impact, which makes video and witnesses even more important. Our article on what to do after a hit-and-run covers additional steps when the driver flees.
Florida is one of the most dangerous states in the country for people on foot. A national report released in June 2026 counted 3,726 pedestrian deaths in Florida from 2020 through 2024, the third most of any state. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports pedestrians have the highest fatality rate of any road users.
Wide, high-speed roads, long distances between signalized crossings, heavy tourist and seasonal traffic, and early darkness in winter all contribute. In Bradenton, busy corridors such as US 41, US 301, Manatee Avenue, Cortez Road, 14th Street West, and State Road 70 combine fast traffic with shopping centers, bus stops, and neighborhoods. Our article on where pedestrians are hit by cars in Bradenton looks at local patterns.
A pedestrian hit by a car in Florida usually looks first to their own personal injury protection coverage, called PIP, or a household family member's policy. If the pedestrian has no PIP of their own and is a Florida resident, the PIP coverage on the vehicle that struck them may apply. Care must begin within 14 days.
PIP pays 80 percent of reasonable medical bills and 60 percent of lost income, up to its limits. The full $10,000 in medical benefits is available only if a qualified provider determines there was an emergency medical condition. Otherwise, medical benefits are limited to $2,500.
Beyond PIP, payment may come from:
Yes, when the injury meets Florida's serious injury threshold. To recover pain and suffering from the at-fault driver, the injury must involve a permanent injury, a significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death. Many pedestrian injuries meet that standard.
Because a pedestrian has no vehicle around them, injuries from even low-speed impacts are often severe. Fractures requiring surgery, brain injuries, and scarring frequently support a claim for pain and suffering. Objective findings, such as imaging and surgical reports, and consistent treatment help document permanency.
Florida drivers must stop and remain stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk at a signalized intersection or where signs require it, and must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks at intersections without signals. Pedestrians crossing outside a crosswalk must yield to vehicles. Every driver must use due care to avoid hitting any pedestrian.
Key Florida pedestrian rules include:
An unmarked crosswalk exists at most intersections even without painted lines. Drivers often do not realize this, and it can matter a great deal in deciding fault.
Often, yes. Crossing outside a crosswalk does not automatically bar a claim. Drivers still have a duty to use due care to avoid pedestrians, and a speeding, distracted, or impaired driver may bear most of the fault. Florida's modified comparative fault rule reduces recovery by the pedestrian's share of fault.
Under Florida's modified comparative fault rule, a pedestrian found 50 percent or less at fault recovers damages reduced by that percentage, while a pedestrian found more than 50 percent at fault recovers nothing. Evidence of speed, lighting, sight lines, driver distraction, and the driver's reaction time often decides how fault is divided. Our article on modified comparative negligence explains the rule.
Liability for a pedestrian accident may fall on the driver, the vehicle owner, the driver's employer, a rideshare or delivery company, a trucking company, a transit agency, a government agency responsible for road design or signals, a construction contractor, a property owner, or a vehicle manufacturer.
Our Bradenton pedestrian accident attorneys handle crosswalk and intersection crashes, left- and right-turn crashes, parking lot and driveway backovers, sidewalk crashes, hit-and-runs, nighttime crashes, school zone and bus stop crashes, construction zone injuries, and crashes involving trucks, buses, and rideshare vehicles.
Common pedestrian accident injuries include leg, knee, hip, and pelvic fractures from bumper impact, traumatic brain injuries from striking the hood, windshield, or pavement, spinal cord injuries, internal bleeding, road rash and scarring, amputations, and death. Many survivors need multiple surgeries and long rehabilitation.
An injured pedestrian may recover economic damages, such as medical bills beyond PIP, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and future care, along with non-economic damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, scarring, and loss of enjoyment of life when the serious injury threshold is met. A spouse may have a separate claim.
For most Florida pedestrian accident claims arising on or after March 24, 2023, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the crash. Wrongful death claims generally must be filed within two years of the death. Claims against government agencies require written notice before a lawsuit and follow separate rules.
Older information giving four years is out of date for most current crashes. Our Florida statute of limitations page explains the deadlines in more detail.
When a pedestrian is killed, Florida law allows a wrongful death claim brought by the personal representative of the estate. Surviving spouses, children, and in some cases parents may recover for lost support, companionship, guidance, and their own grief, and the estate may recover medical and funeral expenses.
Our wrongful death page explains who can bring the claim and what Florida law allows.
Our Bradenton pedestrian accident attorneys handle each case in stages, from first contact through investigation, pre-suit negotiation, discovery, mediation, trial, and appeal. Every file is prepared from the start as if a jury will hear it, because the insurer's view of trial risk shapes how it values the claim.
Steven E. Heintz is the Founding Partner of Heintz Law, a Bradenton firm that represents only injured people and their families. His approach is careful preparation, aggressive advocacy where the facts call for it, and trial readiness from the first conference. Settlement on the right number is welcome. Settlement that shortchanges a client is not.
Pedestrian accident cases are handled on a contingency fee, so there is no fee unless there is a recovery. Cyclists struck by vehicles have related rights explained on our bicycle accident lawyer page.
If you or a family member was hit by a vehicle while walking in Bradenton, Palmetto, or anywhere in Manatee County or the surrounding counties, Heintz Law can preserve the evidence, identify every source of coverage, and explain your options under Florida law.
Have our 30 years of experience in personal injury go to work for you. No fees or costs unless we get results.
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