East Orange Pedestrian Accident Lawyers
A pedestrian accident can change an ordinary walk through East Orange into a long recovery. If you or someone in your family was hit by a vehicle, an East Orange pedestrian accident lawyer can help you understand your rights and what compensation may be available.
Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP represents pedestrians struck by cars, trucks, and buses throughout East Orange. Our attorneys investigate what happened, deal with the insurance companies, and build a claim for the harm the crash caused.
Our family-owned firm has served the community from Evergreen Place since 1997. We know the streets people walk every day, from Central Avenue and Main Street to the area around Brick Church Station.
Contact us for a free consultation in English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole. You pay no attorney’s fee unless we recover money for you.
How Do Our East Orange Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Help?
Since 1997, our father-and-son firm has built its practice on referrals from neighbors and past clients. That history shapes how we treat every person who calls.
- Partners Richard Goldstein and Michael J. Goldstein lead a team with more than five decades of combined experience.
- Michael is a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney, ready to take a case to trial when an insurer will not be fair.
- Intake is available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, and help is available 24/7.
- We work on a No Recovery, No Fee basis and advance case costs.
Clients have left us 316 Google reviews with a 4.7-star average. Pedestrian cases are a central part of the East Orange personal injury work we do, alongside car accident claims for drivers and passengers.
How Does Where You Were Crossing Affect Your Claim?
New Jersey law gives pedestrians strong protection in crosswalks, and that protection can make a real difference in a claim.
When a driver hits a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk, or an unmarked one at an intersection, a jury may infer that the driver failed to use due care. The state’s model jury instruction on crosswalk cases reflects that rule.
| Where you were walking | What New Jersey generally requires of drivers | What it can mean for your claim |
|---|---|---|
| In a marked crosswalk | Stop and stay stopped while you cross in or near their lane | A permissive inference that the driver was careless |
| At an intersection without painted lines | Yield to you in the unmarked crosswalk | The same permissive inference applies |
| Crossing mid-block | Use due care, even though you must generally yield | The driver can still be at fault if they were speeding or distracted |
| On a sidewalk or in a parking lot | Use due care around people on foot | Ordinary negligence rules apply |
The New Jersey Department of Transportation summarizes these driver and pedestrian duties in plain language. The inference is not automatic proof, but it shifts the conversation in a way insurers take seriously, and we build the rest of the case around it.
Does Every Intersection Have a Crosswalk in New Jersey?
Many people assume they had no rights because there were no white lines on the street. Under New Jersey law, intersections generally include crosswalks whether they are painted or not, which covers a large share of the side-street corners in East Orange’s residential neighborhoods.
Who Pays Your Medical Bills After a Pedestrian Accident?
PIP medical coverage often pays a New Jersey pedestrian’s bills first, regardless of who caused the crash. The state’s auto insurance buyer’s guide explains how PIP works; the question for a pedestrian is which policy provides it.
If You or a Relative You Live With Has Car Insurance
A pedestrian who owns an insured car, or lives with a relative who does, generally turns to that household policy for PIP first. The same household policy may also carry the lawsuit option that affects claims for pain and other non-economic losses, which is something we review at the start.
If No One in Your Household Has a Car
A pedestrian who does not own a car or live with a relative who has applicable auto insurance may have another source of PIP benefits.
Depending on the vehicle involved and the circumstances of the crash, coverage may be available through New Jersey’s Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund or another policy required to provide pedestrian PIP.
We identify the correct source before medical bills begin to pile up.
If You Were Hit by an Uber or Lyft
In Boone v. Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund, decided in July 2026, the Appellate Division held that a rideshare company’s liability policy must include PIP benefits for an uninsured pedestrian struck by one of its drivers.
That ruling closed a gap that had left some pedestrians with no medical coverage at all.
When the Driver Had Little or No Insurance
If the driver who hit you carried only minimum limits or no insurance at all, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on a household policy may help.
Some pedestrians with no household policy can turn to the state’s Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund. Each path has its own requirements, so identifying the right one early keeps the claim from stalling.
Turning Cars, Bus Stops, and Dark Evenings
Many East Orange pedestrian crashes happen in a handful of recurring situations. Each one carries its own rules and its own evidence, and recognizing the pattern early helps us know what to look for.
Drivers Turning Into the Crosswalk
A driver turning right on red, or from a stop or yield sign, must stop and remain stopped for pedestrians crossing in the crosswalk they are turning into.
Drivers making turns at busy corners often watch for oncoming cars instead of the person stepping off the curb, which is why turning-vehicle crashes come up so often.
Crossing Near Bus Stops
Riders getting off a bus often cross in front of or behind it, where other drivers cannot see them well.
When a car passes a stopped bus and strikes a pedestrian, the passing driver’s speed and attention become central questions, and the bus itself may have camera footage worth preserving.
Darkness and Winter Weather
Shorter days in fall and winter put many commuters on foot in the dark, and snowbanks can push pedestrians into the street. Drivers are still required to adjust their speed and attention to those conditions, and a driver who did not can be held responsible even if visibility was poor.
When the Driver Says You Stepped Out Suddenly
A frequent defense in a pedestrian case is that the person on foot darted into traffic. New Jersey law does bar pedestrians from suddenly leaving a curb into the path of a car too close to stop, so insurers raise this argument often, even when the facts do not support it.
We answer it with evidence rather than opinion, and we start gathering it before the driver’s insurer has finished its own version of events. The proof that tends to matter most includes:
- Camera footage from storefronts, homes, NJ Transit facilities, and passing vehicles.
- Signal timing records showing whether you had a walk signal.
- The driver’s speed and braking, taken from the vehicle’s event data recorder when it is available.
- Where you were found and the damage to the vehicle, which can show where the impact happened.
- Phone records when distraction is suspected.
Even when a pedestrian shares some blame, recovery is not necessarily lost. Under New Jersey’s comparative negligence statute, damages are reduced by the injured person’s share of fault and barred only if that share is greater than the driver’s.
What Are the Most Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries?
Nothing stands between a pedestrian and the vehicle, so pedestrian injuries are often severe. Leg and hip fractures, head injuries from striking the windshield or pavement, and shoulder and spine injuries are common, and recovery can stretch over many months.
Why Long Recoveries Change the Claim
A serious pedestrian injury can end a job that requires standing or walking, which is especially hard for people who also depend on walking to get to work.
We document not only the medical bills but also the loss of independence, the need for rides and help at home, and the effect on earning ability.
What Happens When a Pedestrian Accident Causes a Death?
We are truly sorry if you are here because someone you love was killed while walking. New Jersey allows families to bring wrongful death and survival claims, which can address lost financial support, the guidance a loved one provided, and the costs the family faced.
We handle those cases gently and on the family’s timeline, while still protecting the deadlines that apply.
Getting Care Started
Our established network of treating doctors helps clients begin evaluation and treatment promptly, which supports both recovery and the medical record a claim depends on. Early treatment also gives your doctors a clear baseline to measure your recovery against.
What Does an East Orange Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Handle for You?
Recovering from a pedestrian injury can feel like a full-time job. While you focus on getting better, our team typically handles:
- Opening the correct PIP claim and keeping medical providers paid.
- Requesting the East Orange Police Department crash report and following up on witnesses.
- Sending preservation letters for video and vehicle data before it disappears.
- Dealing with every insurance adjuster so you are not giving recorded statements.
- Building the full damages picture and negotiating, or filing suit if a fair offer does not come.
These tasks are where unrepresented pedestrians most often lose ground, usually without realizing it until an offer arrives. Having one team carry all of them also means you have one place to call with questions.
If a driver hit you while you were walking, reach out to us and we will review what happened at no cost.
FAQs for an East Orange Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Can I still recover if I was not in a crosswalk when I was hit?
A New Jersey pedestrian hit outside a crosswalk can often still recover, because drivers must always use due care for pedestrians on the road. The pedestrian’s own share of fault may reduce the recovery, and it bars recovery only if it is greater than the driver’s share.
What if a bus hit me while I was walking in East Orange?
A pedestrian hit by a bus in New Jersey may have a claim against the bus operator, and public transit operators can trigger a written notice deadline of 90 days under the Tort Claims Act.
Our East Orange bus accident team handles those claims and the notice requirements that come with them.
Can a child hit by a car in East Orange bring a claim?
A child struck by a car in New Jersey can bring a claim through a parent or guardian, and the two-year filing period generally does not begin until the child turns 18.
Medical bills paid by a parent may be part of a separate claim, and settlements for minors typically need court approval.
What if I was hit in a store parking lot?
A pedestrian hit in a New Jersey parking lot can generally pursue the driver under ordinary negligence rules, even though crosswalk statutes may not apply on private property. In some cases, a property owner’s lot design, lighting, or signage can also be part of the claim.
How long do I have to file a pedestrian accident lawsuit in New Jersey?
Most pedestrian accident lawsuits in New Jersey must be filed within two years of the crash. Claims involving public entities, such as a municipal vehicle or a public bus, require written notice much sooner, generally within 90 days.
Speak With an East Orange Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today
Richard Goldstein, Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
You were doing what thousands of people in East Orange do every day: walking to work, to school, or to the bus. The driver’s mistake should not become your financial burden, and New Jersey law gives you ways to hold that driver responsible.
Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP offers free consultations in person, by video, or by phone. Send us a message and a member of our family firm will help you understand where your claim stands and what your options look like.
Results depend on the specific facts of each case, and past outcomes do not predict future results.
