The driver says I stepped out in front of them. Do I still have a case?

Usually yes. Pennsylvania is explicit at 75 Pa. C.S. § 3542(e) that the crosswalk right-of-way rules do not relieve a driver of the duty to exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian on the roadway. Even where a pedestrian shares some fault for where or when they crossed, a driver who was speeding, distracted, or never braked carries the larger share. Event data recorder speed, the absence of pre-impact braking, and sight-line measurements typically reshape the initial account substantially.

Do cyclists have to ride in the bike lane or on the shoulder in Pennsylvania?

No. Under 75 Pa. C.S. § 3501 a rider has the rights and duties of the driver of a vehicle, and 75 Pa. C.S. § 3505 requires riding as near to the right as practicable only when traveling below the normal speed of traffic — with express exceptions for overtaking, preparing to turn left, and avoiding hazards including parked and moving vehicles, surface hazards, and substandard-width lanes. The statute also states that a rider is not required to use a shoulder. Taking the lane where it is too narrow to share safely is lawful.

What is Pennsylvania's four-foot passing law?

75 Pa. C.S. § 3303(a)(3) requires a driver overtaking a bicycle traveling in the same direction to pass at a careful and prudent reduced speed and at a distance of not less than four feet, and the Code permits crossing the center line to do it when safe. Because four feet is a specific measurable distance, it converts a vague dispute about carefulness into a concrete standard in sideswipe, buzz, and mirror-strike cases.

I wasn't wearing a helmet. Does that ruin my bicycle claim?

For an adult, no. Pennsylvania requires helmets only for riders under 12 under 75 Pa. C.S. § 3510, so there is no violation to hold against you. Carriers still raise it, framing it as a causation argument about the extent of head injury, and it is irrelevant entirely where your injuries were not to the head. It does not affect the driver's liability for causing the crash.

Can I recover if I was crossing outside a crosswalk?

Often yes, at a reduced amount. Crossing outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk requires yielding to vehicles under 75 Pa. C.S. § 3543, so it can support a share of comparative fault. Under 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102 your recovery is reduced by your percentage and barred only if your share exceeds the defendants' combined share. Insurers routinely assign a percentage far higher than the facts justify, especially where the driver was speeding or distracted.

The driver fled. What happens now?

The claim moves to uninsured motorist coverage, which is designed for hit-and-run and unidentified drivers. Because you were not in a vehicle, the coverage usually comes from your own auto policy, a resident relative's policy in your household, or a stacked layer across multiple vehicles. At the same time I run the identification investigation — camera canvass, debris and part-number analysis, and body-shop inquiries. Camera footage is typically overwritten within one to four weeks, so this work has to start immediately.

I don't own a car. Is there any insurance for me?

Possibly, and it is worth checking carefully. Beyond the driver's liability policy and any commercial or delivery policy behind it, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage under a resident relative's policy in your household can apply to you as a struck pedestrian or cyclist even though you own no vehicle. First-party medical benefits may also be available to pay treatment while the liability claim develops. This is the single most commonly missed source of recovery in these cases.

I tripped on a broken sidewalk or hit a pothole on my bike. Who is responsible?

It depends on who controlled the surface. Many Pennsylvania municipalities shift sidewalk maintenance to the abutting property owner by ordinance, which produces a private, uncapped defendant; the analysis then follows ordinary premises liability principles. Where a government entity is responsible for the sidewalk, crosswalk, signal, or roadway, the claim must fit a statutory immunity exception, written notice is generally required within six months under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5522, and damages are capped at $500,000 in the aggregate against a local agency under 42 Pa. C.S. § 8553(b) and at $250,000 per plaintiff against the Commonwealth under 42 Pa. C.S. § 8528(b).

How long do I have to file a pedestrian or bicycle accident claim?

Generally two years from the date of the crash under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5524, with a minor's claim tolled until age 18. If a municipality, authority, or the Commonwealth may be responsible for a defect that contributed, the practical deadline is the six-month written notice requirement of 42 Pa. C.S. § 5522. Uninsured and underinsured motorist claims also carry their own contractual notice requirements, so waiting is never safe.

What does it cost to hire you?

Nothing up front. I handle pedestrian and bicycle cases on a contingency fee and advance the litigation costs, including reconstruction, human-factors, medical, and life-care experts. There is no fee unless I recover for you, and the first consultation is free and confidential.

Where would my Union County pedestrian or bicycle crash case be filed?

Suit is ordinarily filed in the Union County Court of Common Pleas in Lewisburg, where venue is proper under Pa. R.C.P. 1006 if the crash or incident happened in Union County or a defendant regularly conducts business there. Cases valued below the arbitration threshold are first heard by a board of arbitrators before any appeal to a judge and jury. Sean Quinlan litigates in county courts across Pennsylvania from the firm's Camp Hill office.

Which Union County roads produce the most serious pedestrian or bicycle crashs?

The heaviest crash volume in Union County tracks I-80, Route 15, and Route 45, along with the local arterials feeding Lewisburg. Corridor matters: a high-speed limited-access crash, an intersection collision on a signalized arterial, and a rural two-lane roadway each generate different evidence — different reporting agencies, different camera availability, and different roadway-design questions. We investigate a Union County case around where it actually happened.

What happens in the first two weeks of a Union County pedestrian or bicycle crash claim?

The first two weeks decide most cases. In a Union County matter, we secure intersection and business camera footage, confirm signal timing, and establish that limited tort does not restrict your claim because you were not occupying a private passenger motor vehicle. We also handle the insurer's contact so you are not giving a recorded statement while you are still being treated.

How long do I have to file a pedestrian or bicycle crash claim in Union County?

Most Pennsylvania injury claims carry a two-year limitations period under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5524, and that deadline is the same in Union County as anywhere in the Commonwealth. Shorter deadlines apply when a government entity is involved: written notice within six months under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5522 for claims against a Union County municipality, borough, or PennDOT. Call before you assume you still have time.

Does being partly at fault stop my Union County claim?

No, unless your share of the fault exceeds that of everyone you are suing. Pennsylvania follows modified comparative negligence under 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102: you can recover as long as you are not more than 50% responsible, and your award is reduced by your percentage. A Union County jury decides those percentages, and insurers routinely assign more fault than the evidence supports as an opening position.

Do I have to travel to meet a lawyer about a Union County case?

No. We handle intake by phone and video for Union County clients and travel to you when meeting in person matters. The consultation is free, the case is handled on a contingency fee, and there is no fee unless we recover money for you. Call (717) 724-7503.

Local Representation

Union County, PA Personal Injury Lawyer

Name: Quinlan Law Group
Address: 3425 Simpson Ferry Rd #100, Camp Hill, PA, 17011, US
Telephone: (717) 724-7503
Price range: Contingency Fee — No Fee Unless We Win

Victims of collisions on Route 15, Route 45, or I-80 benefit from our deep understanding of Union County’s heavy freight traffic and the unique hazards presented by the Susquehanna River landscape and Lewisburg’s dense borough traffic.

We represent clients across Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, New Berlin, White Deer, and Kelly Township, with all local civil litigation finalized at the Union County Courthouse located at South Second and St. Louis Streets in Lewisburg.

Reviewed by Sean Quinlan, Esq. — attorney licensed in Pennsylvania (PA Attorney ID 86858)

Union County content on this page is written and reviewed by Sean Quinlan, who handles injury and wrongful-death claims across Pennsylvania. About the attorney · Verify PA license

Union County centers on Lewisburg, a college town along the Susquehanna River where Bucknell University traffic, borough congestion, and heavy freight moving through on Route 15 and I-80 create a surprisingly complex mix of crash risks for a county this size. Families in Mifflinburg, New Berlin, and White Deer see the effects of that traffic pass right through their communities on the way to somewhere else. When a crash happens here, the responsible insurer often treats it as routine, without recognizing how a dense borough grid, a large student population, and a major interstate corridor interact to produce the specific kind of wreck you were in. I dig into that context before I ever build a demand.

Where crashes happen in Union County

Route 15 runs the length of the county along the Susquehanna River, carrying both local commuters and long-haul freight, with several at-grade intersections near Lewisburg that see repeated t-bone and left-turn collisions. I-80 crosses the southern part of the county and funnels heavy truck traffic toward interchanges that back up during peak hours, a recipe for rear-end crashes when drivers misjudge the slowdown. Route 45 threads through Mifflinburg's borough streets, where narrow lanes and on-street parking leave little margin for error. Lewisburg's own downtown grid, packed with Bucknell students walking, biking, and driving during the academic year, adds a pedestrian and cyclist risk that shows up disproportionately in the county's crash reports compared to its rural neighbors.

Filing suit: venue and jurisdiction for Union County claims

Union County shares its 17th Judicial District with neighboring Snyder County, and while the courthouse and prothonotary's office sit at the Union County Courthouse in Lewisburg, the district's president judge and several common pleas judges also handle matters filed on the Snyder County side. That shared structure can affect scheduling and where certain judges sit on a given week, so venue strategy should account for both counties' dockets rather than assuming Lewisburg alone tells the whole story. The two-year deadline under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5524 applies just as it would anywhere else in Pennsylvania, and Pa.R.C.P. 1006 controls whether Union or an adjoining county is the proper place to bring suit given where the parties reside and the collision occurred.

Emergency care and medical records in Union County

Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg handles emergency care for much of the county, and for more serious trauma, patients are often transferred toward larger facilities in the Williamsport or Danville area. Because Bucknell's academic-year population means a meaningful share of crash victims are out-of-state students or their visiting families, records requests sometimes have to reach providers outside Pennsylvania entirely, particularly for follow-up care received after a student returned home. We handle that cross-jurisdictional records work directly so a client isn't left chasing down their own hospital chart from three states away.

Talk with a lawyer about your Union County case

If Route 15, I-80, or a Lewisburg intersection near campus left you or your family member hurt, you need a lawyer who understands both the shared 17th Judicial District and the particular traffic mix of a college river town. Let's talk before the insurance company decides your claim is routine.

Where your case is filed

Court of Common Pleas of Union County

Union County Courthouse
103 South Second Street
Lewisburg, PA 17837
17th Judicial District
570-524-8641

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Cities & county seat

Municipalities we serve in Union County

Lewisburg (county seat)

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Union County Practice Areas

Statewide practice-area guides

Broader Pennsylvania guides on each type of case we handle in Union County.

Neighboring counties we serve

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