Hit by a car while walking in San Antonio: your rights and finding a pedestrian accident lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

More than half of San Antonio's pedestrian crashes happen on 0.7% of its streets.1 If you were hit, get the SAPD report and photograph the crossing.2 Drivers must still use care even when a walker makes a mistake.3 You generally have 2 years to sue, and 90 days for written notice to the city.45

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Road map of San Antonio showing Zarzamora Street, Fredericksburg Road and W.W. White Road, High-Injury Network corridors named by the city
52.9% of San Antonio pedestrian crashes are on 0.7% of its streets. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where are people hit by cars in San Antonio?

On a small set of streets, over and over. The city found that 52.9% of pedestrian crashes happened on just 0.7% of its road network.1 Its Keep Crossings SAfe campaign named Zarzamora Street, Fredericksburg Road and W.W. White Road.6

That has a practical use for you. Since December 2025 anyone can look up High-Injury Network streets on the city's online dashboard, sorted by council district.7 If your crash happened on one of them, save a screenshot with the date. It will not prove the driver was careless, but it can show the danger there was known.

The city also cited TxDOT data for the area showing 769 pedestrian crashes in the year before November 2025, with 83 people killed and 168 seriously hurt.8 It has repeated a study that ranked San Antonio seventh deadliest in the nation for pedestrians.9

Can I get money if I was not in a crosswalk in San Antonio?

Sometimes yes. It depends on what each person did. The city's own web page warns that if you are hit while jaywalking, the driver may not be liable and you may not be compensated.10 Do not take that as the final word on your case. Texas law also says drivers must use care to avoid anyone on the road, even when the walker makes a mistake.3

Where you crossedThe Texas rule
With a Walk signalDrivers must stop and let you cross11
Crosswalk with no working signalDrivers must stop for you on their half of the road12
Outside a crosswalkYou must yield to cars, which can affect who is blamed13
Any shared blameYou cannot recover if you are more than 50 percent at fault14

The city's data explains why this fight is common. When someone was in the road without a marked crossing, the crash was serious or fatal over 30% of the time.15 On many of these wide streets, the nearest crossing can be far away. Measure or map the distance to the nearest signal. That detail can matter when the insurer says you should have walked to the corner.

What should I do after being hit by a car in San Antonio?

  1. Get care first. University Hospital is verified as a Level I trauma center for adults and children.16
  2. Have someone go back and photograph the crossing, street lights, faded paint and any bus stop nearby.
  3. Ask for the police report. If you know the SAPD case number, have it ready.17
  4. Get your EMS report from the San Antonio Fire Department. A request needs the date and the address of the incident.18
  5. Keep your shoes and clothes as they are, especially anything reflective.
  6. Look for cameras at nearby stores and VIA stops, and ask soon. Footage is often kept for a short time.

What about a bicycle accident in San Antonio?

A person on a bike has the same rights and duties as a car driver, with some exceptions.19 San Antonio adds its own Safe Passing Ordinance: when road conditions allow, cars must leave 3 feet and commercial or large trucks 6 feet.20 Breaking it is a Class C misdemeanor with a fine up to $200.21 If a driver clipped you while passing, tell the officer the distance as well as you can.

City ordinance also bars riding on sidewalks, apart from police and emergency workers.22 An insurer may try to use that against you if you were on one. A slower rider must also stay near the right side of the road, with exceptions for turns, hazards and narrow lanes.23

From 2014 to 2018 the city recorded 1,528 crashes between vehicles and bicyclists,24 and 121 of those caused at least one severe injury.25

Can I blame San Antonio for a dangerous crossing?

This is hard but sometimes possible, and the clock is short. The charter requires written notice within 90 days after the injury,5 saying when, where and how it happened, how serious it was and the amount of damages.26 If VIA or a utility was involved, that claim goes to them.27 Expect the city to say street design decisions are protected. A lawyer can tell you whether your facts fit an exception.

How many San Antonio crashes hurt people walking or biking?

People walking and biking are under 6% of injury crashes but about 28% of the serious or fatal ones, according to the city's Vision Zero plan.28 Overall, the city's plan found 65% of serious and fatal crashes on 3.8% of its roads.29 You are not imagining that your street feels dangerous.

What should I ask a pedestrian accident lawyer in San Antonio?

  • Have you handled cases on High-Injury Network streets?
  • How do you answer the claim that I was outside a crosswalk?
  • Can you find video before it is erased?
  • If the driver had little insurance, can my own auto policy help even though I was walking?30

Questions

Can a pedestrian sue if hit by a car in San Antonio?

Yes, if the driver was careless, unless you are more than 50 percent at fault.14 Drivers must use care even when a walker makes a mistake.3

How long do I have after being hit by a car in San Antonio?

Generally 2 years to sue.4 Written notice to the City of San Antonio is due within 90 days.5

What streets are most dangerous for walking in San Antonio?

The city's campaign names Zarzamora Street, Fredericksburg Road and W.W. White Road,6 and its dashboard shows the rest.7

How far must a car stay from a cyclist in San Antonio?

3 feet for cars and 6 feet for commercial or large trucks when road conditions allow.20

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San Antonio

Hit while walking or biking

Texas

Sources

  1. City of San Antonio, 2024 Vision Zero Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “with 52.9% of pedestrian crashes occurring on only 0.7% of the network”
  2. City of San Antonio, Police Open Records Requests, checked 2026-11-08. “You may submit police records requests through San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), including crash reports.”
  3. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.008, checked 2026-11-08. “the operator of a vehicle shall: (1) exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian on a roadway;”
  4. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  5. San Antonio City Charter, Article XII, Sec. 150 (Municode), checked 2026-11-08. “notice in writing of such death, injury or destruction within ninety days after the injury has been sustained”
  6. City of San Antonio news release, November 17, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “three of the city’s High-Injury Network (HIN) corridors: Zarzamora Street, Fredericksburg Road and W.W. White Road”
  7. City of San Antonio news release, December 4, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “launched its new High-Injury Network (HIN) Dashboard”
  8. City of San Antonio news release, November 17, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “there were 769 traffic crashes involving pedestrians, resulting in 83 fatalities and 168 serious injuries”
  9. City of San Antonio news release, November 17, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “ranked San Antonio as the seventh deadliest city in the nation for pedestrians”
  10. City of San Antonio, Bike Laws & Ordinances, checked 2026-11-08. “If you are hit while jaywalking, the driver may not be liable”
  11. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.002(b), checked 2026-11-08. “A pedestrian or sidewalk user facing a "Walk" signal may proceed across a roadway in the direction of the signal, and the operator of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian or sidewalk user.”
  12. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.003(a), checked 2026-11-08. “The operator of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing a roadway in a crosswalk if: (1) no traffic control signal is in place or in operation; and (2) the pedestrian is: (A) on the half of the roadway in which the vehicle is traveling”
  13. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.005(a), checked 2026-11-08. “A pedestrian shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle on the highway if crossing a roadway at a place: (1) other than in a marked crosswalk or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection”
  14. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
  15. City of San Antonio, 2024 Vision Zero Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “resulting in serious or fatal injuries over 30% of the time”
  16. University Health, Trauma Care, checked 2026-11-08. “verified by the American College of Surgeons as both a Level I trauma center and a Level I pediatric trauma center”
  17. City of San Antonio, Police Open Records Requests, checked 2026-11-08. “please provide the SAPD case number if known”
  18. San Antonio Fire Department, EMS Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “typically available within a week after the incident”
  19. Tex. Transp. Code § 551.101(a), checked 2026-11-08. “A person operating a bicycle has the rights and duties applicable to a driver operating a vehicle under this subtitle”
  20. City of San Antonio, Bike Laws & Ordinances, checked 2026-11-08. “Safe passing distance is defined as 3 feet for cars and 6 feet for commercial or large trucks”
  21. City of San Antonio, Bike Laws & Ordinances, checked 2026-11-08. “punishable as a Class C misdemeanor and fine not to exceed $200”
  22. City of San Antonio, Bike Laws & Ordinances, checked 2026-11-08. “City Ordinance Sec. 19-286 does not allow bicycles to be ridden on sidewalks”
  23. Tex. Transp. Code § 551.103(a), checked 2026-11-08. “a person operating a bicycle on a roadway who is moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway, unless:”
  24. City of San Antonio, Vision Zero Severe Bicyclist Injury Areas report, checked 2026-11-08. “From 2014 to 2018, San Antonio recorded 1,528 motor vehicle-to bicyclist crashes citywide”
  25. City of San Antonio, Vision Zero Severe Bicyclist Injury Areas report, checked 2026-11-08. “16 (approximately 13%) consisted of a bicyclist fatality”
  26. San Antonio City Charter, Article XII, Sec. 150 (Municode), checked 2026-11-08. “stating in such written notice when, where and how the death, injury or destruction occurred”
  27. City of San Antonio, Notice of Claim form, checked 2026-11-08. “No, you would need to file a claim with the corresponding entity.”
  28. City of San Antonio, 2024 Vision Zero Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “Vulnerable road users make up under 6% of all injury crashes, but account for about 28% of serious or fatal crashes.”
  29. City of San Antonio, 2024 Vision Zero Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “65% of serious injury and fatal crashes took place on only 3.8% of San Antonio's existing roadway network”
  30. Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101(b)-(c), checked 2026-11-08. “unless the insurer provides uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage in the policy or supplemental to the policy. (c) The coverage required by this subchapter does not apply if any insured named in the insurance policy rejects the coverage in writing.”

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