Utica Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

If a driver hit you while you were on foot around Utica, you likely have a claim, and the driver's insurance should cover your initial medical bills under No-Fault. To recover for pain and suffering you must meet the serious-injury threshold. You have three years to sue in Oneida County.

A person on foot has nothing to absorb the impact when a car hits them, so pedestrian crashes around Utica tend to cause serious injuries even at low speeds. They happen at downtown intersections, in parking lots, and where drivers turn without checking the crosswalk. In the Mohawk Valley they also happen on roads with long stretches and few sidewalks. We represent injured pedestrians across Oneida County from our office at 4685 Middle Settlement Road in New Hartford.

Do you have a pedestrian accident case in Utica?

You do if a driver’s negligence caused your injuries, and drivers owe pedestrians a high duty of care, especially in crosswalks. Here is how the money works in New York. The car’s No-Fault insurance pays your first medical bills and some lost wages even though you were on foot, because you were injured by the vehicle. But to recover for pain and suffering, you must meet the “serious injury” threshold under Insurance Law §5102(d), which covers things like fractures, significant disfigurement, and lasting disability. You have three years to sue.

Where these crashes happen around Utica

Pedestrians here are struck by drivers turning at intersections, backing up in lots, and speeding on roads that carry Thruway-bound traffic through the Mohawk Valley. Serious injuries are usually treated at the Mohawk Valley Health System hospital, and those records establish whether you meet the serious-injury threshold. A pedestrian case filed here is heard in the Oneida County courts.

What your Utica pedestrian accident case may be worth

It depends on the severity of your injuries, your medical costs, time missed from work, and whether you clear the serious-injury threshold. Pedestrian injuries are often severe, which can support a larger recovery. We recovered $4 million for a client injured in a car accident. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Learn more on our pedestrian accident practice page.

Why choose Sullivan & Brill

Drivers and insurers often try to blame the pedestrian for “darting out.” Under New York’s modified comparative negligence rule for motor vehicle claims (in effect since May 26, 2026), you can still recover if you were partly at fault, but not if your share of the blame is greater than the driver’s — so we know how to fight that blame-shifting. We represent you as one of our own. Read about our Utica office or contact us for a free review.

Utica pedestrian accident questions

Whose insurance pays if I was walking?

The car that hit you carries No-Fault coverage that pays your initial medical bills and some lost earnings, even though you were on foot. For pain and suffering, you pursue a claim against the at-fault driver.

What is the serious-injury threshold?

It is a New York rule under Insurance Law §5102(d). To recover for pain and suffering from a vehicle, your injury must qualify, for example a fracture, significant disfigurement, or a lasting limitation. Many pedestrian injuries meet it.

The driver says I wasn’t in the crosswalk. Can I still recover?

Often, yes. Since May 26, 2026, New York has used modified comparative negligence for motor vehicle claims: you can recover if your share of fault is not greater than the other side’s, reduced by your percentage. If you were more at fault than the defendants, you are barred from recovering — which is why proving the other driver’s share matters more than ever.

What does it cost to hire you?

Nothing up front. We work on contingency and collect a fee only if we recover for you, and the first consultation is free.