A person on foot has no airbag, no steel cage, no second chance. When a car hits a pedestrian in Broward, the injuries are often life-changing — and the question of who pays is rarely simple. For 40 years, Robert DiStefano has fought these cases for South Florida families. Same-day, confidential case review. No fee unless we recover for you.
South Florida is one of the most dangerous places in the country to be a pedestrian. Wide, fast roads. Long blocks between crosswalks. Heavy tourist traffic and busy nightlife. When a driver hits someone walking, the person on foot takes the full force of it — and the result is too often a broken pelvis, a head injury, or worse. These are not fender-benders. They are some of the most serious cases we handle.
Here is the question that surprises people most: who pays your medical bills when you were not even in a car? In Florida, the answer is often your own auto insurance. If you or a relative you live with owns a vehicle, your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage can pay your early medical bills even though you were walking. If you do not own a car, coverage may come from the vehicle that hit you, or from other policies. Sorting out which coverage applies — and stacking every available source — is the first job in a pedestrian case.
The second job is fault. Drivers and their insurers almost always claim the pedestrian "came out of nowhere" or "stepped off the curb." The truth usually lives in the crosswalk markings, the signal timing, the skid marks, and the witnesses — evidence that disappears fast. Talk to us before you speak to the driver's insurance company — the call is free, and the first days matter most.
Pedestrian claims pull from a different mix of laws than ordinary car crashes — coverage rules, right-of-way rules, hit-and-run penalties, and a filing deadline the 2023 reform made shorter. Here is what controls your case.
Fla. Stat. § 627.736
Florida's Personal Injury Protection (PIP) law lets a pedestrian collect up to $10,000 in early medical bills from their own auto policy — or from a relative's policy in the same household — even though you were walking, not driving. The same 14-day treatment rule applies: see a doctor within 14 days or you can lose the benefit. If you own no car, we look to the striking vehicle and other coverage.
Fla. Stat. § 316.130
Florida law spells out when a driver must yield to a pedestrian and when a pedestrian must yield to traffic. Drivers must give way to people in a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection; pedestrians crossing mid-block must yield. Where you were when you were hit — and what the signal said — often decides fault, which is why we lock down the scene early.
Fla. Stat. § 768.81 amended 2023
Under Florida's modified comparative negligence rule, your recovery drops by your share of blame — and if a jury finds you more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing. Insurers lean on this hard in pedestrian cases, arguing you jaywalked or were distracted. Holding your share of fault down is often the whole fight, and we build the case to win it.
Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a) amended 2023
The 2023 reform (House Bill 837) cut the statute of limitations for most injury claims from four years to two years from the date of the crash. Severe pedestrian injuries take time to understand and document — but wait too long and the court can throw out even a strong case. The clock starts the day you are hit.
This page provides general information about Florida law and is not legal advice. Statutes and case law change; your specific case requires a consultation.
A pedestrian case is intensely local. The crosswalk, the lighting, the speed limit, and the kind of driver on that road all shape who is to blame. Here is where we see people on foot get hurt.
Forty years on these streets means we know which intersections have cameras, which corridors lack lighting, and how a Broward jury sees a driver who didn't slow down for a person on foot.
At many firms, a serious injury case gets handed to a case manager and you rarely speak to a lawyer. That is not how we work. Robert DiStefano has practiced Florida personal injury for more than 40 years, and he is the one who reviews your crash, tracks down every layer of coverage, deals with the insurers, and decides strategy.
You pay nothing up front. We take pedestrian injury cases on contingency — no fee unless we recover for you — and the first case review is free, confidential, and same-day. See related case results →
Call or send the form. We listen, answer your questions, and give you a candid assessment of whether you have a case — same day, at no cost to you.
We trace every policy that can pay — your own PIP, the driver's insurance, and any other source — and we lock down the crosswalk and scene evidence before it's gone.
We prove the driver was at fault, beat back the "you stepped out" argument, and push for everything your injuries are worth — in settlement or at trial.
Hurt in a different kind of crash? We also handle bicycle accident claims and car accident cases across Broward County. Not sure where your situation fits? Reach our Fort Lauderdale office and we'll point you the right way.
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“The best lawyer in South Florida. Thank you DiStefano for all the hard work that you and your team have done to get me amazing results.”
Taravia Google
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“I had a wonderful experience with Robert! He fought hard for me and kept me in the loop the whole time. The whole office is just great!”
Paulavia Google
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“Mr. DiStefano is the best! Kept me up to date with everything, and his paralegal Michelle also kept us informed. Happy with my settlement — I highly recommend him.”
Stacy Leevia Google
Tell us what happened. The review is free, the call is confidential, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you.
(954) 572-8000