Being hit by a vehicle while walking can leave you dealing with much more than the initial injury. There may be medical bills, time away from work, damaged clothing or belongings, and questions about who was responsible for the crash.
In Philadelphia, pedestrian accidents are a serious concern. Pennsylvania recorded 174 pedestrian fatalities and 2,990 pedestrian injuries in 2024, and Philadelphia makes a part of that statistic. The same report found that 2,426 pedestrian injuries occurred while the person was crossing a roadway.
If you have been hit while walking, evidence can help show what happened and how the accident affected you. Some evidence disappears quickly, so knowing what to preserve can be important from the beginning.
1. Get Medical Records and Document Your Injuries
Your health should come first after a pedestrian accident. If you are hurt, seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if an injury does not seem serious at first.
Keep records of your emergency room visit, doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, physical therapy, scans, and other treatment. These records can help establish what injuries you suffered and how your condition developed after the crash.
It can also help to keep your own notes about symptoms. Record when pain started, how it affects your daily activities, and whether you have trouble walking, sleeping, working, or doing things you normally would. Photographs can provide another useful record. Take pictures of visible injuries as they heal, particularly if bruising, swelling, cuts, or other marks change over time.
2. Preserve Photos, Video, and Witness Information
The accident scene may contain some of the strongest evidence available, but it can also change quickly. Vehicles are moved, road conditions change, and surveillance recordings may eventually be overwritten.
If you are physically able, or someone with you can do it safely, take photographs of the intersection, crosswalk, traffic signals, road signs, vehicle damage, and anything else that may help explain what happened. Look around for businesses, apartment buildings, parking lots, or homes with security cameras that may have captured the collision. Traffic cameras may also be relevant depending on the location.
Witnesses can be equally important. Get names and contact information from anyone who saw the accident, if possible. However, if your injuries make it impossible for you to do anything at the scene, the best thing is to contact a pedestrian accident lawyer in Philadelphia as soon as you’re stable. They can help collect evidence while it is still fresh and track down witnesses. Witness accounts may help clarify where you were walking, what the driver did, whether the light had changed, and what happened immediately before impact.
3. Keep the Police Report and Other Crash Information
A police report can provide an early record of the accident. It may contain information about the location, vehicles involved, witnesses, road conditions, and statements made after the crash.
Request a copy and check it carefully. If something appears incorrect or important information is missing, make a note of it rather than assuming the report tells the entire story. Philadelphia allows people to request copies of crash reports and other public safety records through the city’s Department of Records.
You should also keep the driver’s information, insurance details, photographs, medical records, and any correspondence from insurance companies together in one place. Having these records organized makes it easier to track what has happened since the accident.
4. Preserve Clothing and Other Physical Evidence
What you were wearing when the accident happened may seem unimportant, but damaged clothing can sometimes help show how the collision occurred or how severe the impact was.
Do not throw away shoes, clothing, a backpack, bicycle, phone, or other personal property that was damaged in the accident. Keep the items in their post-accident condition if it is safe to do so. Also save photographs of the damage before making repairs or replacing anything. If a phone screen broke, glasses were damaged, or another item was destroyed, keep the item and any receipts showing its original value or replacement cost.
The pedestrian accident practice described by Kwartler Manus also identifies surveillance footage, witness statements, police reports, and other early evidence as important parts of investigating these cases.
5. Keep Records of How the Accident Affected Your Life
The evidence in a pedestrian accident claim is not limited to proving how the collision happened. You may also need records showing how the injury affected your finances and daily life.
Keep copies of medical bills, prescription costs, therapy expenses, and transportation costs related to treatment. If you missed work, save pay stubs, employer records, or other documents that show your lost income. If you are now unable to do activities you once enjoyed, keep a journal of how your injury has changed your daily routine. These details can help show the broader effect of the accident.
Attorneys who handle pedestrian claims in Philadelphia, such as Kwartler Manus, for example, are worth considering when you need help piecing together the evidence you have collected. Proving a claim and seeking compensation requires connecting the evidence to the accident and the injuries that followed, rather than looking at each piece in isolation. Looking at these details together can provide a fuller picture of what happened and how the accident has affected you.
Wrapping Up
After a pedestrian accident, you may have little control over what other people do with evidence. A business may overwrite camera footage. A damaged vehicle may be repaired. A witness may become difficult to locate.
That is why it helps to start collecting and preserving information early. Get medical care, keep the police report, photograph the scene and injuries, save physical evidence, identify witnesses, and keep records of your financial losses.
The stronger and more complete the record, the easier it becomes to understand what happened and document the consequences of the accident.
