A pedestrian struck by a vehicle may have head, spine, chest, abdominal, pelvic, limb, or internal injury even when the person initially speaks or stands. Symptoms can evolve after the scene.

The first priority is emergency care and prevention of a second impact, not an argument about the crosswalk. Call 911, warn approaching traffic when safe, and avoid unnecessary movement when major injury is possible.

Report the collision and identify everyone

G.S. 20-166.1 requires driver notice to the appropriate law-enforcement agency for a reportable accident and describes investigation and report content. Request the agency, report number, officer names, and instructions for obtaining the report and related public records.

  • Driver, license, vehicle owner, plate, vehicle identification number, insurer, policy, phone, and employer or platform connection
  • Passengers, witnesses, responders, nearby businesses and residents, buses, road workers, and camera locations
  • Exact time, address or intersection, pedestrian origin and destination, vehicle approach, traffic control, and impact point
  • Statements and observations attributed to the person who made them rather than converted into group consensus

Document the crossing and vehicle path

  • Marked or unmarked crosswalk, sidewalk, driveway, shoulder, median, refuge, stop bar, signal faces, and signs
  • Pedestrian direction, phase, pace, clothing, carried items, visibility, obstructions, and route alternatives
  • Vehicle direction, lane, turn, speed, braking, steering, impact area, final position, marks, debris, and damage
  • Lighting, weather, sun angle, road surface, construction, parked vehicles, vegetation, and sight lines

G.S. 20-173 addresses yielding at marked and unmarked intersection crosswalks when signals are not operating and at sidewalk or walkway crossings of driveways and building entrances. Other paths and signal conditions may invoke different rules.

Preserve video and electronic evidence quickly

Request preservation of business, residential, transit, traffic, doorbell, vehicle, and construction video for the full approach and aftermath. Vehicle data, phone records, apps, dispatch, work records, and signal information may also matter. Keep requests precise and avoid unrelated private content.

Build a medical chronology and functional baseline

  • First account, loss of consciousness, memory, symptoms, objective findings, imaging, procedures, diagnoses, and referrals
  • Pre-existing conditions and a factual comparison of treatment and function before and after the collision
  • Medication, therapy, equipment, restrictions, missed or delayed care, complications, prognosis, and future recommendations
  • Mobility, cognition, sleep, self-care, driving, work, school, household, family, recreation, and emotional effects

Notify applicable insurers accurately

The North Carolina Department of Insurance accident checklist recommends calling police for injuries and collecting driver, vehicle, insurance, and witness information. Coverage may include the striking vehicle, owner, employer, household automobile policies, medical payments, uninsured or underinsured motorist, health, disability, workers’ compensation, or another source.

Review the purpose and scope before giving a recorded statement, medical authorization, examination, release, or settlement. A criminal citation or police opinion does not set civil damages or bind every insurer.

Escalate identification work when the driver leaves

For a fleeing driver, preserve vehicle fragments, partial plate, description, escape direction, witnesses, and route video. The hit-and-run guide explains identification and uninsured-motorist steps that can have prompt notice requirements.

Rosensteel Fleishman Car Accident & Injury Lawyers provides information about pedestrian-accident claims in Charlotte. An early review should connect the crossing, vehicle movement, visibility, medical proof, parties, insurance, liens, and deadlines.

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