Can I Sue a Pedestrian in Tampa for Causing My Crash?
You’re driving down the road when a pedestrian suddenly dashes into your path. After swerving to avoid hitting them, you veer off the road and crash into a tree at high speed. Now you’re recovering from a traumatic brain injury and several fractures. If this sounds familiar, you might be wondering whether you can sue the pedestrian for causing your car accident in Tampa. This is a conversation you may want to have with an experienced Tampa car accident lawyer.
If Someone Caused Your Crash, You Can Sue Them
Generally speaking, you can sue anyone for causing your injuries on the road. This might be another motorist, or it could be a pedestrian. In order to file a personal injury lawsuit in Florida, you must establish that the pedestrian caused you to suffer serious injuries as a direct result of their negligence. If you did not suffer serious injuries, a lawsuit is impossible.
An obvious example of pedestrian negligence is jaywalking. If someone tried to cross the road outside of a crosswalk, they are technically breaking the law in Florida. If you were forced to swerve off the road because of a jaywalker, this negligence caused your accident.
That being said, pedestrians may cause crashes and injuries in various other ways. For example, a driver might have exited their vehicle after parking in the middle of the road, causing you to swerve and hit another vehicle.
On March 30th, 2026, AOL reported that a man pushing a wheelchair had been killed while trying to cross a “poorly lit” section of a road outside of a crosswalk. If the person in the wheelchair had died instead, their family might attempt to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the man pushing the wheelchair. After all, the wheelchair-bound individual was totally at the mercy of the man pushing behind her.
How Will a Pedestrian Pay for My Damages?
The most obvious question in this scenario is how a pedestrian will cover your damages. In certain situations, the pedestrian may turn to their insurance policy after being sued. This might be an auto policy, as this coverage may apply even if the negligent party was not behind the wheel of a car. Alternatively, the at-fault pedestrian may turn to their home insurance policy.
If the pedestrian lacks insurance or their policies do not cover this type of situation, you could always attempt to go after their personal assets. This might be real estate, stocks, or anything else of value.
Can a Tampa Auto Accident Lawyer Help Me?
Whenever a pedestrian is involved, the assumption is that they are the victim. However, this is not always true. If a pedestrian caused your crash by jaywalking or darting into the road irresponsibly, you may be fully entitled to hold them accountable with a personal injury lawsuit in Tampa. To learn more about your legal options in this scenario, contact Anderson & Anderson today.
Sources:
fox13news.com/news/land-o-lakes-man-killed-two-injured-crash-fhp
aol.com/news/man-pushing-woman-wheelchair-killed-173739137.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANJl_uCiLP2n8_XZp0N60a1qcZOCsauOfckBcznvEtSp2nQNput3KpP6FppVgYGlymDgDb_n79XEQLS6OuchXcwQhdymfI6-O5J4dLDbnRi0Vx9rGTJMkhknnVyN-2Y8gMx8w6N6NphVocGheC3ZTqlIzeaFNV4kxIlVQMbR80Y6
