JONES LAW GROUPYour Lawyers for Life! Personal Injury Law Firm in St. Petersburg
Reviewed by Bobby Jones, Personal Injury Attorney, Jones Law Group | Published | Updated
There is nothing between a person on foot and a moving car, which is why the same crash that dents a bumper can shatter a pelvis. Clearwater sits inside one of the deadliest metro areas in the country for pedestrians, and the reason is stamped into the roads themselves: eight-lane arterials like US-19, long gaps between crosswalks, and a beach-town rhythm that puts people on foot exactly where drivers least expect them. When a driver hits you, the insurer’s first instinct is to blame the person in the hospital bed. A Clearwater pedestrian accident lawyer answers that with evidence. At Jones Law Group, we have recovered more than $50 million for injured clients across Pinellas County and Tampa Bay, and we take pedestrian cases on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win.
Here is the fact most people never expect: even though you were on foot, car insurance, including PIP, almost certainly applies to your claim.
Pinellas County’s deadliest roads for walkers share a design: wide, fast, multi-lane arterials lined with the shops, bus stops, and apartments people need to reach on foot. US-19 through Clearwater is the textbook case, with crossing distances of eight lanes or more and long stretches between signalized crosswalks. Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard, Drew Street, and the beach approaches along Gulf Boulevard carry the same mix of speed and foot traffic, and the seasonal crush of visitors walking to and from Clearwater Beach adds people who do not know the roads at all. National “Dangerous by Design” analyses have repeatedly ranked the Tampa Bay region near the top of the country for pedestrian deaths.
Why does road design belong on a law firm’s page? Because it rebuts the lazy story insurers tell. When the nearest crosswalk is a half-mile away, a person crossing mid-block is not being reckless, and a driver speeding through a corridor full of bus stops is not blameless. We use crash data from Forward Pinellas to show exactly how the stretch of road where you were hit behaves.
Start with PIP. Florida’s no-fault system covers pedestrians struck by motor vehicles: if you own a car, your own policy pays your first $10,000 in medical bills and lost wages; if you do not, a resident relative’s policy can apply; and if there is no household policy at all, the driver’s PIP covers you. The catch is the same as every PIP claim: you must get initial medical treatment within 14 days.
PIP is nowhere near enough for a pedestrian injury, and the law knows it. Serious injuries let you pursue the at-fault driver’s bodily injury coverage directly for your full damages, including pain and suffering. If the driver fled, which happens in a shameful number of pedestrian crashes, or carried no coverage, your own uninsured motorist coverage can pay the claim. Finding and sequencing every available policy is the first job in these cases, and it is ours.
Under Fla. Stat. § 316.130, drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks and at intersections, and every driver, everywhere on the road, must exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian. That last part matters. Even where a pedestrian crosses outside a crosswalk, the driver still owes a duty of care, and a speeding, texting, or impaired driver breaches it.
So if you were hit mid-block, do not assume you have no case. Fault in Florida is shared by percentages under modified comparative negligence, and a jury can easily find the driver carried most of it. The insurer’s opening position that the pedestrian “came out of nowhere” is a negotiating posture, not a verdict.
Is the insurer already blaming you or your family member? Do not give a recorded statement until you have talked to a lawyer. Call (727) 571-1333 for a free consultation.
These are the pedestrian cases we see most often in Clearwater, each with its own evidence trail.
Drivers turning left or right through a crosswalk while watching car traffic instead of the person in front of them. Signal-timing records and intersection cameras are key, and the footage gets erased quickly.
The US-19 pattern: long distances between crosswalks and high speeds. These are the cases where road-design evidence and driver speed matter most.
Low speed does not mean low injury, especially for children and older adults. Store and lot surveillance video usually exists, briefly.
We work alongside the police investigation while pursuing your uninsured motorist coverage, so your recovery does not depend on the driver being caught.
Drivers owe heightened care near school zones and bus stops, and Florida law does not judge a child’s conduct by adult standards. These cases are handled with the added care they deserve.
Pedestrian injuries sit at the severe end of the spectrum: traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, pelvic and leg fractures from the initial impact, and secondary injuries from hitting the pavement. Injured Clearwater pedestrians are often treated at Morton Plant Hospital near downtown, while the county’s most severe trauma goes to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg, the only Level II trauma center in Pinellas County. Those records document your damages, and we know how to obtain and present them from each facility.
No lawyer can promise a number. Value turns on the severity and permanence of your injuries, the fault evidence, and the insurance available. Florida splits damages into two categories. Economic damages cover medical bills, future care, lost wages, and lost earning capacity, which are often substantial after a pedestrian crash because recovery is long. Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, mental anguish, scarring, and loss of enjoyment of life, frequently the largest part of a serious pedestrian claim.
The insurer’s main lever is comparative fault, arguing you were outside a crosswalk, wearing dark clothing, or looking at your phone, to shave percentages off the payout. Every percentage point is money, which is why we contest fault with physical evidence, video, and reconstruction rather than letting the driver’s story stand. For more on valuation, see our guide on how much a Florida injury settlement is worth and our two-year deadline guide.
Hospital bills arriving faster than answers? We can usually tell you in one free call which insurance applies and what your next step is. Call (727) 571-1333.
Jones Law Group is led by attorney Bobby Jones, a U.S. Air Force veteran and Stetson Law graduate with more than 20 years of personal injury practice in Tampa Bay. We have recovered over $50 million for injured clients and hold a 4.9 rating on Google. Pedestrian cases are won by out-preparing the blame-the-victim defense, and we build them that way from the first week, ready to file at the Pinellas County courthouse in downtown Clearwater if the insurer will not be fair. We work on contingency, so we only get paid when you do. See everything we handle on our Clearwater personal injury lawyer page.
Often yes. Florida drivers must exercise due care to avoid hitting any pedestrian, anywhere on the road, under Florida Statute § 316.130. Crossing outside a crosswalk may assign you a share of fault, but under Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule you can still recover as long as you are not more than 50% responsible.
You are still covered. A pedestrian hit by a car can claim PIP through a resident relative’s auto policy, or through the at-fault driver’s PIP if there is no household policy. For serious injuries, the driver’s bodily injury coverage and potentially your household’s uninsured motorist coverage apply on top of that.
You may still recover. Uninsured motorist coverage on your own or a household member’s auto policy can pay a hit-and-run pedestrian claim, and PIP can cover initial medical bills. Report the crash to police immediately and get medical treatment within 14 days to protect both claims.
Because Florida PIP benefits, which cover pedestrians hit by cars, only pay if you receive initial medical treatment within 14 days of the crash. Prompt treatment also documents your injuries before the insurer can argue they came from something else.
You generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit, under Florida Statute § 95.11 as amended by HB 837 in 2023. Camera footage and witness memories fade far faster than that, so the practical deadline for building a strong case is much shorter.
Jones Law Group works on a contingency fee: no up-front cost, no hourly bill, and a fee only if we recover money for you. The initial consultation is free.
A driver hit you. You should not have to fight the insurance company too. Tell us what happened in a free consultation, with no obligation and no fee unless we win.
Jones Law GroupDisclaimer: This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The $50 million figure reflects total amounts recovered for clients over time, not a promise about any individual case. If you have a specific legal question, contact a licensed Florida attorney.
Speak with us before time runs out! In Florida, you have a limited window to file a personal injury case, so speak to an Attorney today.
Call our personal injury law office directly at (727) 512-9847
Jones Law Group is a dedicated personal injury lawyer in St. Petersburg, FL, serving the Tampa Bay area since 2006. Our experienced attorneys specialize in car accidents, slip and fall cases, employment law disputes, construction law issues, and overtime wage claims, fighting for maximum compensation on a contingency fee basis. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your case.
Call our personal injury law office at (727) 512-9847
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