January 12, 2026
If a car hit you while walking in Jacksonville, call us now. At Martino & McCabe, we’ve spent over 30 years getting injured pedestrians the compensation they deserve. We handle your entire claim while you focus on recovery. Free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.
Why Pedestrian Accidents Are So Dangerous in Jacksonville
A pedestrian has no protection when a vehicle strikes them. Even low-speed crashes cause catastrophic injuries or death. Jacksonville’s rapid growth hasn’t kept pace with pedestrian safety. Atlantic Boulevard, Beach Boulevard, and Southside Boulevard are particularly dangerous. Missing sidewalks, poor lighting, and distracted drivers create constant hazards throughout Duval County.
Nicholas E. Martino holds a Masters of Law in Trial Advocacy from Temple University. Michael J. McCabe is a licensed Professional Engineer. When we evaluate your case, we bring both legal expertise and technical engineering knowledge that most firms simply don’t have. That combination matters when proving fault and maximizing compensation.
What To Do After Being Hit by a Car
Call 911 immediately. Adrenaline masks serious injuries. Internal bleeding, brain trauma, and spinal damage often show no external symptoms. Get to an emergency room right away. UF Health Jacksonville, Baptist Medical Center, and Memorial Hospital can handle severe pedestrian injuries.
Document everything you can. If you’re able, photograph the vehicle, license plate, accident scene, traffic signals, crosswalk markings, and your injuries. Get the driver’s insurance information. Find witnesses and get their contact details before they leave.
Don’t talk to insurance companies. Adjusters will call you fast, sometimes while you’re still hospitalized. They’re trained to get you to say things that hurt your claim. Tell them to contact your attorney.
See every doctor and follow their treatment plan. Missing appointments or gaps in treatment give insurers ammunition to deny your claim. Keep all medical records and bills.
Call a pedestrian accident lawyer Jacksonville before you do anything else. Evidence disappears fast. Surveillance footage gets erased. Witnesses forget what they saw. We need to start investigating immediately.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Jacksonville
Distracted Driving
Drivers staring at phones instead of watching the road cause crashes every day in Jacksonville. Downtown, San Marco, and the Beaches have heavy foot traffic. One distracted driver can kill someone.
Drunk Driving
Jacksonville sees dozens of pedestrian accidents every month. Many involve drunk drivers, especially late at night near Beach Boulevard and Five Points. Alcohol destroys reaction time and judgment.
Speeding
Residential areas in Arlington, Mandarin, and Southside have speed limit signs for a reason. When drivers ignore them, pedestrians die. A car going 40 mph will likely kill a pedestrian. At 23 mph, most survive. That’s why speeding is negligence.
Failure to Yield at Crosswalks
Florida law says drivers must stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. They don’t. Busy Jacksonville intersections see crosswalk violations constantly. Drivers making right turns on red are the worst offenders. Many don’t even know that unmarked crosswalks at intersections have the same legal protection as painted ones.
Poor Road Design
Missing sidewalks, broken traffic signals, bad lighting, dangerous intersection design. McCabe’s engineering background helps us prove when infrastructure failures caused your accident. If the city or state failed to maintain safe roads, they can be held liable.
Other Driver Negligence
Following too close, not using turn signals, opening car doors without looking, running stop signs. Each one is negligence. Each one supports your claim.
Injuries We See in Pedestrian Accident Cases
Traumatic Brain Injuries – Concussions, cognitive problems, personality changes, permanent disability. Brain injury symptoms often appear days later. Get checked immediately.
Spinal Cord Injuries – Paralysis changes everything. You’ll need lifetime medical care, home modifications, specialized equipment, and full-time assistance.
Broken Bones – Leg fractures, hip fractures, pelvic fractures, broken ribs, facial fractures. Surgery, pins, plates, rods, months of physical therapy.
Internal Injuries – Organ damage, internal bleeding, ruptured spleens, liver damage, kidney injuries. These can kill you if not treated immediately at a trauma center.
Soft Tissue Damage – Deep cuts, muscle tears, ligament damage, road rash. Surgical repair, permanent scarring, chronic pain.
Psychological Trauma – PTSD, anxiety, depression, fear of crossing streets. Mental health treatment is expensive and necessary.
What Compensation Can You Recover?
Florida law lets you recover full compensation for everything the negligent driver cost you.
Medical Expenses
Every dollar you spend on treatment. Emergency care, hospital stays, surgeries, imaging, doctor visits, physical therapy, medications, medical equipment, home healthcare. Also future medical needs. Many injuries require ongoing treatment or lifetime care.
Lost Income
Every paycheck you miss during recovery. Every raise you won’t get. If your injuries prevent you from doing your old job, you can claim the difference between what you used to earn and what you can earn now.
Pain and Suffering
The physical pain from your injuries deserves compensation. Chronic pain that won’t go away affects everything you do. In serious cases, pain and suffering damages exceed medical bills.
Emotional Distress
The psychological damage from being hit by a car is real. Nightmares, anxiety, fear. Mental health treatment records support these claims.
Loss of Quality of Life
If you can’t play sports, travel, garden, or play with your kids anymore, that matters. You deserve compensation for losing activities you love.
Permanent Disability
Paralysis, amputation, severe mobility problems. Scarring and disfigurement. These deserve substantial compensation because they affect your entire future.
Why Hire Martino & McCabe for Your Pedestrian Accident Case
Insurance companies have teams working to pay you as little as possible. Most victims accept settlements worth a fraction of what their cases are actually worth.
We Investigate Immediately
We go to the accident scene right away. We photograph everything, find surveillance cameras, locate witnesses. We hire accident reconstruction experts when needed. We preserve evidence before it disappears.
We Know What Your Case Is Worth
Most victims have no idea. We work with medical experts, economists, and vocational specialists to calculate your real damages. That includes future medical care and lost earning capacity for the rest of your life. Insurance companies can’t lowball you when we show them the numbers.
We Negotiate Hard
We don’t settle cheap. We build detailed demand packages backed by expert opinions. When insurers won’t offer fair settlements, we file lawsuits and go to trial. They know this.
We Handle Everything
We deal with insurance companies so you don’t make mistakes. We collect medical records, negotiate bills, handle liens. We make sure deadlines don’t pass. We find all available coverage including the driver’s policy, umbrella policies, and your own uninsured motorist coverage.
We’re Ready for Trial
Insurers only pay fair settlements when they’re afraid of losing at trial. Martino’s trial credentials and our track record make them take us seriously. We prepare every case like it’s going to trial. That maximizes settlements and wins cases in court when we need to.
Over 30 years of experience. More than 500 successful cases. We know how to win.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a claim in Florida?
Two years from the accident date. Claims against government entities have shorter deadlines, sometimes just three months. Call us now to protect your rights.
What if I was partially at fault?
You can still recover compensation. Florida reduces your damages by your percentage of fault. If you were 30% at fault, you get 70% of the total. Don’t assume you have no case.
How much does a lawyer cost?
Nothing unless we win. We work on contingency. Our fee comes from your settlement or verdict, typically 33-40%. No upfront costs. No hourly bills.
What if the driver had no insurance?
Your own auto insurance might cover you through uninsured motorist coverage. You can also sue the driver personally. We’ll find every possible source of compensation.
Should I take the insurance company’s offer?
No. Not before talking to us. First offers are always low. Once you sign a release, you can’t go back for more money later.
Call Our Jacksonville Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Now
If a car hit you in Jacksonville, call Martino & McCabe today. Free consultation. Insurance companies start investigating immediately. Evidence disappears fast. Every day you wait hurts your case.
We serve Duval County, Clay County, St. Johns County. Riverside, the Beaches, Mandarin, Arlington, everywhere in Northeast Florida. You pay nothing unless we win.
Call now. We’ll fight for every dollar you deserve while you heal.
Michael J. McCabe, is a partner and owner of Martino & McCabe and practices in the areas of personally injury, auto accidents, and premises liability. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Florida State University. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2005 while continuing to work as a Professional Engineer.
