Reviewed by the attorneys of Jimenez Mazzitelli Mordes
The Bottom Line
- A pedestrian or cyclist hit by a driver in Florida can pursue the driver’s insurance for medical bills, lost income, and more.
- Florida’s no-fault (PIP) coverage often applies to you even when you were on foot or on a bike — through your own auto policy or a household member’s.
- These crashes cluster on the US-1 corridor, the shaded blocks off Old Cutler Road, and the school zones around Pinecrest — places where sight lines are short and speeds are not.
- The consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.
If I was walking or biking, do I still have a claim?
Yes. You do not have to be behind the wheel to have a personal injury claim. When a driver hits a pedestrian or a cyclist, that driver’s liability insurance is on the hook for the harm they caused — medical bills, lost wages, and the lasting effects of a serious injury. Being on foot or on a bike does not put you outside the system; in many ways it puts you at the center of it, because the injuries tend to be worse.
How does Florida’s no-fault (PIP) coverage apply to me?
Florida is a no-fault state, which means your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage pays a portion of your medical bills and lost income regardless of who caused the crash. What surprises many people is that PIP can follow you when you are struck as a pedestrian or cyclist — through your own auto policy, or sometimes a resident relative’s policy — even though you were not in a car. On top of that, you may have a claim against the at-fault driver for what PIP does not cover. Because the rules interact, it is worth having someone sort out every source of recovery.
“It’s just my word against the driver’s” — is that true?
Usually not. These cases are decided on independent evidence, not on who talks loudest: the driver’s vehicle damage and skid marks, traffic-camera and doorbell footage, 911 audio, witness statements, and — above all — your medical records. That is why the first hours matter. If you are able, photograph the scene and the vehicle; get names and numbers of witnesses; and get medical care right away, before adrenaline wears off and an insurer argues you weren’t really hurt.
Where do these crashes happen in South Miami-Dade?
They cluster where people on foot and on bikes meet fast traffic. Along US-1, the deep-south commute runs signal to signal with busway crossings and constant left turns into plazas. Old Cutler Road — beautiful under its banyan canopy — leaves no shoulder and hides cyclists in dappled shade. And around Pinecrest’s schools, Red Road and SW 136th Street fill twice a weekday with buses, parents, teen drivers, and children on foot and on bikes. Knowing these patterns helps us reconstruct what actually happened.
What should I do after a pedestrian or bicycle crash?
Call 911 and get medical care immediately — for communities west of US-1 and in Pinecrest, the nearest 24-hour ER is Baptist Health Baptist Hospital (8900 N Kendall Drive); for Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay, it is Jackson South Medical Center (9333 SW 152nd Street). Do not give a recorded statement to the driver’s insurer before you understand your rights. Keep every medical record and photo. Then call us — we handle the rest, in English or Spanish.
Hit while walking or biking in South Miami-Dade? Talk to our bilingual team before you accept “there’s nothing we can do.” Learn more on our
South Miami-Dade personal injury lawyer
page, or our
Miami personal injury
hub. The consultation is free. Call (305) 548-8750 — serving Florida, Texas & New York.
