Pedestrian & Bicycle Accidents

Florida laws are designed to protect pedestrians and bicyclists from collisions with motor vehicles. Florida law provides, among other things, that:

• drivers must allow pedestrians and bicyclists on crossroads to cross the road completely before proceeding through the intersection;
• drivers must not attempt to pass or overtake another vehicle stopped at a crossroad when there is a pedestrian or bicyclist within its perimeter;
• drivers must exercise due care to avoid crashes with pedestrians and bicyclists.

Unfortunately, despite these laws specifically enacted to protect pedestrians and bicycle riders, accidents continue to occur at a tremendous human cost.

If you have suffered injuries as a result of a collision with a motor vehicle while you were a pedestrian or you were riding a bicycle, you should know that you most likely qualify for personal injury protection (PIP) coverage, regardless of who was at fault for the accident. PIP pays 80% of your medical expenses and 60% of your lost wages up to either $2,500.00 or $10,000.00 depending on whether you have suffered an emergency medical condition. If you own an insured vehicle, your insurance company must provide PIP even when you were run over by a car as a pedestrian or bicyclist. Moreover, even if you don’t own a car, the insurance of the vehicle that struck you must provide PIP coverage to you in most situations.