Queens Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

Queens recorded 631 serious injuries from traffic crashes in the first nine months of 2025 alone, a 34% increase from 471 in the same period of 2022. Pedestrian fatalities cluster on Queens Boulevard ('Boulevard of Death,' 186 fatalities since 1990, mostly pedestrians), Northern Boulevard, Hillside Avenue, and at major bus-stop intersections across Jamaica, Flushing, and Astoria.

Queens County Supreme Court at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica handles civil cases with unlimited jurisdiction. Appeals go to the Appellate Division, Second Department. For pedestrian crashes involving NYC vehicles, MTA buses, NYC Sanitation, NYPD, FDNY, school district vehicles, or other public-authority vehicles, a Notice of Claim must be served on the NYC Comptroller within 90 days under General Municipal Law 50-e.

Yes. Insurance Law 5103 covers pedestrians struck by motor vehicles. PIP benefits up to $50,000 cover medical expenses and lost wages regardless of fault. PIP comes from the policy of the vehicle that struck the pedestrian. If the vehicle was uninsured or unidentified (hit-and-run), the Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation (MVAIC) provides coverage with a 90-day notice requirement. To sue the driver for pain and suffering, the pedestrian must clear Insurance Law 5102(d).

Queens Boulevard concentrates the borough's pedestrian fatalities, with 186 deaths since 1990 and a documented redesign program. Northern Boulevard recorded 284 traffic accidents in 2021 with substantial pedestrian-strike volume. Hillside Avenue and Jamaica Avenue carry heavy MTA bus and delivery traffic past dense pedestrian crossings in Jamaica. Roosevelt Avenue under the elevated 7 train concentrates pedestrian conflicts. Astoria Boulevard, Steinway Street, and 31st Street cluster pedestrian crashes in Astoria. Queens Boulevard at Woodhaven Boulevard records 70+ crashes annually.

Three years from the accident date for personal injury under CPLR 214(5). Two years from date of death for wrongful death under EPTL 5-4.1. PIP application within 30 days. For government-vehicle cases, 90-day Notice of Claim under GML 50-e and 1 year and 90 days to commence suit. Hit-and-run claims through MVAIC require notice within 90 days.

Primarily the at-fault driver. Liability often extends to the driver's employer (commercial truck, MTA bus, NYC Sanitation, taxi, rideshare, food-delivery, Amazon DSP, UPS, FedEx). Vehicle owner under VTL 388. NYC if a defective traffic signal, missing crosswalk, or faded paint contributed (subject to prior-written-notice rules under NYC Administrative Code 7-201). The bar or restaurant under Dram Shop Act 11-101 if the driver was visibly intoxicated.

Past and future medical expenses, lost wages and loss of future earning capacity, pain and suffering, permanent impairment, loss of consortium, and in fatal cases pecuniary loss to the statutory distributees under EPTL 5-4.3. Pedestrian injuries from NYC speeds are routinely catastrophic: TBI, multiple fractures, internal injuries, amputations. Queens pedestrian settlements and verdicts in serious cases regularly reach seven and eight figures.

Get medical care immediately. Elmhurst Hospital, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Flushing Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, Mount Sinai Queens, and Long Island Jewish Medical Center treat pedestrian-strike trauma. Get the police report number from NYPD. File the no-fault PIP application within 30 days with the insurer of the vehicle that struck you. If hit-and-run, file MVAIC notice within 90 days. Do not give a recorded statement to the driver's insurer.