Walking is part of everyday life throughout Queens, whether someone is heading to a subway station in Jackson Heights, crossing Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills, shopping in Downtown Flushing, or moving between a bus stop and home in Jamaica. Pedestrians share these streets with passenger cars, buses, delivery vehicles, trucks, taxis, rideshare vehicles, cyclists, and other traffic.
When a driver fails to yield, turns without seeing someone in a crosswalk, speeds through an intersection, or makes another unsafe movement, a pedestrian has very little protection from the force of a collision. The injuries can affect a person’s health, ability to work, and daily routine long after the crash itself.
A Queens pedestrian accident lawyer can examine how the collision occurred, identify available evidence, communicate with insurance companies, and evaluate the parties that may be responsible. Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. handles personal injury matters throughout New York City, including pedestrian collisions addressed through the firm’s New York City pedestrian accident practice.
Recent Pedestrian Accident Settlements and Related Case Results
The firm’s publicly available case results do not currently identify a Queens-specific pedestrian settlement with enough information to accurately present it as a Queens pedestrian case. Rather than change the location or circumstances of an actual case for SEO purposes, the following verified motor vehicle and serious injury results are presented exactly according to the firm’s published information.
$900,000 Settlement for a Brooklyn E-Bike Collision
Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. obtained a $900,000 settlement at mediation for a client injured in an e-bike collision in Brooklyn. According to the firm’s published case-result information, the case involved serious injuries, substantial medical documentation, a permanency opinion, and projected future care needs.
$837,500 Settlement for an NYC Transit Bus Injury
The firm reports an $837,500 settlement for a client injured while boarding a New York City Transit bus in Kings County. The matter was resolved during jury selection.
$510,000 Commercial Vehicle Settlement
Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. also reports a $510,000 recovery involving a commercial vehicle collision and significant injuries. The published case information identifies the recovery as the available policy limits.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every matter depends on its individual facts and circumstances.
Pedestrian Accident Statistics and Traffic Safety Trends in Queens
Traffic safety conditions in Queens have improved in some important measures, but pedestrian risk has not disappeared.
According to NYC DOT’s 2025 year-end traffic safety report, Queens recorded 57 traffic deaths in 2025, down from 74 in 2024, a 23 percent decrease. The same report stated that fatalities declined across major travel modes in 2025, including among pedestrians. Citywide pedestrian fatalities fell from 122 in 2024 to 111 in 2025.
These boroughwide improvements do not mean every Queens roadway presents the same conditions. Large arterials, complex intersections, busy transit corridors, commercial loading areas, and streets with significant turning traffic continue to receive attention through NYC DOT safety projects.
Queens Intersections and Corridors With Documented Pedestrian Safety Concerns
The locations below are not being described as the “most dangerous” streets or intersections in Queens unless an official source specifically supports that characterization. Instead, they are corridors where NYC DOT has documented crash histories, pedestrian exposure, street-design concerns, or conditions significant enough to lead to safety improvements.
31st Street in Astoria
The 31st Street corridor in Astoria has received continuing attention from NYC DOT. The agency reported in 2026 that there had been two traffic deaths and 190 injuries along the corridor since 2020.
The street also presents conditions that can affect people walking nearby. Elevated subway infrastructure can limit visibility, and intersections involve turning vehicles, commercial activity, buses, cyclists, and significant pedestrian movement.
As part of the NYC DOT 31st Street safety redesign, the city proposed pedestrian islands, loading-zone changes, visibility improvements, and other measures intended to organize traffic and create safer crossings.
Queens Boulevard From Queens Plaza Toward Central Queens
Queens Boulevard remains one of the most important pedestrian corridors in the borough.
In its pedestrian safety action plan update, NYC DOT reported that the section from Queens Plaza to Jamaica Avenue recorded 10 pedestrian fatalities from 2012 through 2016. During 2017 through 2021, pedestrian deaths on the corridor fell to four, while the rate of pedestrians killed or severely injured declined by 36 percent.
More recent improvements have continued through Sunnyside and the Long Island City side of Queens Boulevard. NYC DOT reported 351 traffic injuries between 2019 and 2023 on the mile-long Skillman Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue section before the final phase of the corridor redesign was completed.
The Queens Boulevard redesign completed by NYC DOT added pedestrian space, protected infrastructure, and changes intended to manage complicated crossing and turning movements.
Queens Boulevard Through Elmhurst and Forest Hills
Farther east, Queens Boulevard passes through areas including Elmhurst, Rego Park, and Forest Hills, where residents routinely cross a wide roadway to reach shops, homes, bus stops, and subway stations.
NYC DOT continues to treat portions of Queens Boulevard as part of its safety improvement program. Current work includes expanded pedestrian refuge areas, reconstructed medians, relocated bus stops, and other measures intended to improve crossings on sections including Roosevelt Avenue to 73rd Street and 73rd Street to Eliot Avenue. These projects are listed in NYC DOT’s current Queens transportation projects.
The corridor illustrates why roadway width matters in a pedestrian case. Crossing distance, turning lanes, signal timing, bus activity, and the location of medians can all affect how a collision occurs.
Kissena Boulevard From Horace Harding Expressway to Parsons Boulevard
The Kissena Boulevard corridor near Queens College and other Flushing-area destinations is another location where NYC DOT has documented pedestrian safety concerns.
DOT’s 2026 analysis found 167 crash victims on the corridor between 2021 and 2025. Ten people were killed or severely injured, including three pedestrians, and the data included one pedestrian fatality at the westbound Horace Harding Expressway. More than 60 percent of pedestrian injuries during the study period occurred while the pedestrian was crossing with the signal.
The corridor also includes bus traffic, schools, Queens College, deliveries, wide intersections, and locations with long pedestrian crossings.
NYC DOT’s current Kissena Boulevard safety project information describes plans for traffic calming, pedestrian safety improvements, signal changes, and better curb access for commercial deliveries.
Parsons Boulevard Between Jamaica Avenue and Archer Avenue
Downtown Jamaica brings together pedestrians, buses, subway riders, Long Island Rail Road passengers, stores, offices, and local vehicle traffic.
When pedestrian improvements were completed on Parsons Boulevard between Jamaica and Archer avenues, the city described the location as a corridor with a high number of crashes resulting in fatalities and serious injuries.
The Parsons Boulevard pedestrian safety project expanded sidewalk space, shortened the distance pedestrians must cross, and added a pedestrian island.
For someone injured in this type of environment, traffic direction, bus movements, turning patterns, signal timing, and surrounding pedestrian activity may all be relevant to determining how the collision happened.
Jamaica Avenue in Eastern Queens
Jamaica Avenue is another major Queens corridor where pedestrian exposure overlaps with commercial traffic, buses, turning vehicles, and wide intersections.
NYC DOT identifies the portion between Francis Lewis Boulevard and 224th Street as a Vision Zero Priority Corridor because of its rate of pedestrian fatalities and severe injuries.
According to NYC DOT’s Jamaica Avenue project information, improvements have included median changes, accessible pedestrian ramps, pavement-marking changes, and a restriction on a dangerous left turn.
These conditions are especially relevant to neighborhoods in eastern Queens, including areas around Jamaica and Queens Village.
Northern Boulevard Around Western Queens
Northern Boulevard carries significant traffic through several western Queens neighborhoods and connects residential, commercial, industrial, and transit-heavy areas.
NYC DOT is currently implementing or proposing safety improvements on sections of Northern Boulevard and nearby streets. For example, the agency’s project between 51st Street and Broadway includes a continuous center median intended to prevent dangerous turns across multiple moving lanes and reduce pedestrian crossing distances.
The project is documented through NYC DOT’s current Queens street safety projects.
Wide roadways and multi-lane turns can become particularly important when investigating whether a motorist had enough time and visibility to see a pedestrian.
Pedestrian Accidents Across Queens Neighborhoods
Pedestrian conditions vary considerably across Queens.
In Astoria, residential streets meet major routes such as 31st Street, Astoria Boulevard, Broadway, and Northern Boulevard. Subway infrastructure, buses, trucks, commercial deliveries, and turning traffic can create several types of conflict within a relatively small area.
Long Island City combines residential growth with Queens Plaza, Jackson Avenue, Queens Boulevard, construction traffic, delivery activity, cyclists, and commuters moving between multiple transit options.
In Jackson Heights, heavy pedestrian traffic surrounds Roosevelt Avenue, 74th Street, Broadway, schools, restaurants, stores, buses, and subway entrances. Nearby Elmhurst has similar conditions around Broadway, Queens Boulevard, Grand Avenue, and major transit stops.
Corona combines residential blocks with busy commercial streets and major routes such as Roosevelt Avenue and Junction Boulevard.
In Flushing, Main Street, Kissena Boulevard, Northern Boulevard, buses, commercial loading, and dense pedestrian traffic create a different street environment. Downtown Flushing can involve frequent interactions among pedestrians, buses, delivery vehicles, taxis, rideshare traffic, and turning motorists.
Jamaica has another major concentration of pedestrian and transit activity around Jamaica Avenue, Archer Avenue, Hillside Avenue, Parsons Boulevard, Sutphin Boulevard, subway stations, buses, and the LIRR.
Conditions change again in Forest Hills, where Queens Boulevard is an important pedestrian route, and in neighborhoods such as Ridgewood, Bayside, and Queens Village, where residential streets intersect with commercial roads, buses, schools, and larger arterial routes.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Queens
Many pedestrian collisions begin with an ordinary traffic movement that goes wrong.
A driver may make a left or right turn without yielding to someone already crossing. A motorist may focus on approaching traffic and fail to notice a pedestrian coming from the opposite side. Other crashes may involve speeding, distracted driving, red-light violations, stop-sign violations, unsafe backing, impaired driving, or limited visibility.
Queens also presents several local traffic situations that may contribute to pedestrian collisions.
Wide arterial roads can create longer crossings. Large intersections may involve several directions of moving and turning traffic. Buses frequently stop near intersections and commercial corridors. Delivery vans and trucks may enter loading areas or double-park while making deliveries. Rideshare vehicles may pick up or drop off passengers near stores, apartment buildings, restaurants, and transit stations.
When a collision involves a commercial truck or delivery vehicle, questions about vehicle ownership and employment may also become relevant. Michael’s Queens truck accident practice addresses related issues involving commercial vehicles.
Common Pedestrian Accident Scenarios in Queens
Some pedestrian crashes occur inside marked crosswalks when a turning driver fails to yield. Others happen while a vehicle is backing from a driveway, parking area, loading zone, or curbside space.
School zones create another setting where drivers and pedestrians frequently interact. Children and parents may be crossing streets during periods of concentrated traffic, school buses, double-parked vehicles, and passenger drop-offs.
Rideshare traffic can create additional issues near transit hubs and nightlife or commercial areas. If an Uber or Lyft vehicle is involved, the driver’s app status and applicable insurance coverage may become part of the investigation.
The firm’s Uber and Lyft accident practice addresses these insurance and liability questions in the broader motor vehicle context.
Common Pedestrian Injuries
A pedestrian has little physical protection when struck by a motor vehicle. Depending on the speed, direction of impact, and other circumstances, injuries may include:
- Broken bones
- Knee, leg, or hip injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck or spinal injuries
- Internal injuries
- Cuts and road rash
- Permanent physical limitations
- Fatal injuries
The presence or absence of a particular injury should not be assumed from the crash itself. Medical records, diagnostic testing, treatment history, rehabilitation, and evidence showing how an injury affects everyday activities may all become relevant.
Who May Be Responsible for a Pedestrian Accident?
Responsibility depends on how the crash occurred and what the evidence shows.
The potentially responsible party may be a passenger vehicle driver, taxi driver, rideshare driver, delivery driver, or truck driver. Depending on the situation, vehicle owners or employers may also become relevant.
A government entity may be involved in some matters involving publicly operated vehicles or roadway-related issues, although those claims may raise different legal and procedural questions.
The goal of an investigation is not to assume who is responsible. It is to examine the collision, vehicle movements, traffic controls, witness accounts, available video, ownership information, and other evidence before reaching conclusions about liability.
What to Do After Being Hit by a Vehicle in Queens
The moments after a pedestrian collision can be confusing, especially when someone is injured. When possible, several practical steps may help preserve important information.
- Call 911 and request medical help.
- Obtain medical treatment for your injuries.
- Get the driver’s name, insurance information, and vehicle information when possible.
- Photograph the intersection, crosswalk, traffic signals, vehicle, and visible injuries if it is safe to do so.
- Obtain contact details for witnesses.
- Request the police collision report when it becomes available.
- Keep medical records, bills, discharge instructions, and documentation of missed work.
- Avoid giving unnecessary statements about fault or the extent of your injuries before you understand what an insurer is requesting.
If nearby businesses, apartment buildings, buses, or vehicles may have recorded the collision, video can become particularly important because some footage may not be preserved indefinitely.
Evidence That May Help a Pedestrian Accident Claim
Evidence can become especially important when a driver and pedestrian disagree about how the crash occurred.
Depending on the circumstances, relevant information may include the NYPD collision report, photographs, witness statements, surveillance footage, dash-camera recordings, medical records, vehicle information, insurance records, rideshare data, delivery records, or employment information.
The intersection itself can also matter. Crosswalk placement, sight lines, traffic controls, signal phases, turning restrictions, roadway width, lighting, and nearby construction may help explain what the driver or pedestrian could see before the collision.
Potential Compensation After a Pedestrian Accident
The losses arising from a pedestrian accident differ from one person to another.
Depending on the facts and applicable law, a claim may involve medical expenses, lost income, future medical treatment, rehabilitation, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, or losses associated with a permanent injury.
A serious pedestrian collision may also affect a person’s ability to work, care for family members, travel independently, or return to activities that were part of everyday life before the crash.
No particular category or amount of compensation is guaranteed. The available damages depend on the evidence, insurance coverage, injuries, applicable law, and other facts of the case.
New York No-Fault Insurance and Pedestrian Claims
New York’s motor vehicle insurance system can apply to pedestrians as well as vehicle occupants.
The New York State Department of Financial Services auto insurance guidance explains that pedestrians injured by motor vehicles in New York are generally protected by No-Fault, also known as Personal Injury Protection. This coverage may apply to certain medical expenses, lost earnings, and other qualifying economic losses regardless of who caused the collision.
For a pedestrian, the No-Fault claim is generally submitted to the insurer of the vehicle that struck the pedestrian. New York DFS explains this process in its guidance on filing a No-Fault claim. Different insurance issues can arise when the vehicle is uninsured or cannot be identified after a hit-and-run.
New York also changed its comparative negligence rules for certain motor vehicle personal injury actions in 2026. According to the New York Department of Financial Services explanation of the 2026 motor vehicle insurance reforms, CPLR § 1411(b) now provides that, in personal injury actions subject to Insurance Law Article 51, a claimant can be barred from recovery when the claimant’s culpable conduct is greater than the culpable conduct, or combined culpable conduct, of the parties from whom recovery is sought. The amendment applies to actions and proceedings commenced on or after May 26, 2026.
How these provisions apply to a particular pedestrian collision depends on the circumstances and should be evaluated using the evidence in that case.
How Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. Can Help
A pedestrian accident investigation can involve much more than determining whether the driver received a traffic ticket.
Available video, witness accounts, medical evidence, vehicle ownership, insurance coverage, employment relationships, traffic controls, and the long-term effect of an injury may all matter.
Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. can investigate these issues, communicate with insurance companies, identify potentially responsible parties, and evaluate damages supported by the available evidence. His broader New York City personal injury practice includes motor vehicle and other injury claims arising throughout the city.
Queens is only one part of that citywide representation. Pedestrian matters may also arise in Manhattan pedestrian accident cases, Bronx pedestrian accident cases, Brooklyn pedestrian accident cases, and Staten Island pedestrian accident cases, each with different street environments, traffic patterns, and local circumstances.
Queens Pedestrian Accident FAQs
What should I do if a car hits me while I am walking in Queens?
Call 911, obtain medical attention, and preserve as much information as reasonably possible about the vehicle, driver, witnesses, intersection, and surrounding cameras. If you cannot collect evidence because you are receiving emergency treatment, other evidence may still be available through police records, witnesses, nearby businesses, or surveillance systems.
Can I have a pedestrian accident claim if I was outside the crosswalk?
Being outside a crosswalk can be relevant when fault is evaluated, but it does not answer every question about how the crash occurred. Driver speed, visibility, turning movements, traffic signals, and the conduct of the people involved may also matter.
For motor vehicle actions subject to New York’s current comparative negligence provisions, the allocation of fault can have significant consequences. The individual circumstances should therefore be reviewed rather than assuming the crossing location alone determines the result.
What happens if the driver leaves the scene?
A hit-and-run can make identifying insurance coverage and preserving evidence more complicated. The collision should be reported to police, and information such as vehicle descriptions, witness statements, nearby video, and photographs may become important.
New York insurance rules also provide potential coverage mechanisms for some pedestrians injured by unidentified or uninsured vehicles, depending on the circumstances.
Does New York No-Fault insurance cover pedestrians?
Generally, yes. New York DFS states that pedestrians injured by motor vehicles in New York State are protected by No-Fault coverage. The applicable insurer is usually the insurer covering the vehicle that struck the pedestrian.
What if an Uber or Lyft driver hits a pedestrian in Queens?
A rideshare pedestrian claim may involve questions about the driver’s app status, available insurance coverage, vehicle ownership, and how the collision happened. Those issues usually need to be investigated before determining which insurance policies may apply.
What if a delivery truck or commercial vehicle hits a pedestrian?
Commercial vehicle cases may involve the driver as well as questions about vehicle ownership, employment, delivery activity, and applicable insurance coverage. Records held by the employer or vehicle owner may also become relevant.
What evidence is especially useful after a Queens pedestrian accident?
The most useful evidence depends on the crash, but it may include the police report, photographs, medical records, witnesses, surveillance footage, dash-camera video, vehicle information, traffic-control evidence, and documents showing lost income or continuing medical treatment.
Contact Michael J. Redenburg, Esq.
If you were struck by a vehicle while walking in Queens, questions about medical treatment, insurance coverage, evidence, and fault can arise quickly.
A Queens pedestrian accident lawyer can review how the collision occurred and explain the legal issues that may apply. Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. can evaluate the available evidence and discuss potential next steps based on the circumstances of the accident.
Call (212) 240-9465 or use the firm’s online contact form to request a consultation.