If a driver hit you while you were crossing the White Horse Pike in Oaklyn, New Jersey, that driver may owe you money. The Pike is a state highway, and people cross it every day to reach bus stops and stores on the other side. New Jersey law allows a pedestrian injured in a car accident to bring a personal injury claim against the driver at fault. A claim such as that can cover medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our Oaklyn pedestrian accident lawyers handle claims for people hurt on foot in Camden County. We know how far apart the safe crossings sit along this stretch of highway. This discussion explains why that spacing matters to anyone walking here.
The White Horse Pike Is a State Highway and a Town Line in Oaklyn
Oaklyn covers only 0.63 square miles of land, and a state highway runs the width of it. The White Horse Pike crosses the borough as two undivided lanes. Its commercial strip runs from about the 100 block to the 700 block, with Borough Hall at 500 White Horse Pike near the middle.
The road belongs to the state, not the borough. Upkeep of this stretch of U.S. Route 30 falls to the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Through this part of Camden County, the Pike also forms the actual line between Oaklyn and Haddon Township.
Therefore, a crossing here is not a neighborhood errand. It is a walk across a regional route that carries traffic far past both towns.
Why Do People Cross the Pike Between the Traffic Lights in Oaklyn?
Because the places people walk to do not line up with the places the road lets them cross. The strip holds a long row of storefronts and only a few signals to cross between them.
Someone standing mid-block faces a real choice. Walking to a light can mean several minutes out of the way, then the same walk back on the far side. Crossing where they stand takes seconds.
Many people take the shorter option. Through traffic here does not slow the way it would on a local street. A pedestrian was struck and hospitalized in the 700 block of White Horse Pike in 2016.
How Do Bus Trips Put People in the Road in Oaklyn?
A bus trip here often includes a crossing on foot. Buses run in both directions on the Pike, so the trip home usually starts across the road from where the trip out ended.
NJ Transit serves Oaklyn with three bus routes. One of them, Route 403, uses the Pike as its through road toward Camden. Riders wait at the curb of a highway that carries regional through traffic.
Buses also change how traffic moves around them. A bus that stops at the curb and pulls back out interrupts the line of vehicles behind it. That same bus can block the view between a driver and a person stepping off the curb.
Why Are Evening Crossings Riskier on the Pike in Oaklyn?
Drivers see less after dark, and foot traffic on the strip does not stop when the sun goes down. NHTSA data shows 77% of pedestrian traffic deaths in 2023 happened in the dark. Daylight accounted for 19%, and dusk and dawn for 2% each.
Summer evenings keep people on this corridor. Restaurants and takeout counters draw walk-up customers well after dinner. A quick stop at one of the strip’s storefronts puts a customer back at the curb within minutes.
On-street parking and driveway openings sit between that curb and the travel lane. A driver’s view of a person at the edge of the road can close up fast.
Does Crossing Away From a Traffic Light Ruin Your Claim in Oaklyn?
No, not by itself. Your share of the blame is what matters. Under New Jersey’s comparative negligence rule, a pedestrian who is half at fault or less can still be paid.
A jury can still assign part of the fault to the person on foot, and the award drops by that share.
Insurance companies lean on this point anyway. Expect an adjuster to say the pedestrian came out of nowhere. The better question is what the driver could see, and how much time that driver had to stop.
A separate New Jersey rule decides whether pain and suffering stays part of the claim. The answer depends on your own auto policy, not the driver’s. Each policy here carries either full rights to sue or a narrower version that opens only for serious injuries the state lists.
What Should You Do After Being Hit While Crossing in Oaklyn?
Get medical care first, then protect what the scene can prove. A crash site on a highway clears within the hour.
Photographs carry more weight than most people expect. Take pictures of the spot where you were hit, the nearest signal, and the parked cars or driveways between you and the driver. Note the time and how much light was left.
Get contact information from anyone who stopped to help. Cameras at nearby businesses sometimes cover the sidewalk, and those systems can record over the footage within days.
At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our Oaklyn pedestrian accident lawyers work these cases from the road outward. We look at where the crossings are placed, what the driver could see, and what the insurer is likely to argue.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pedestrian Crashes on the White Horse Pike in Oaklyn
- Whose Insurance Pays After a Pedestrian Is Hit by a Car in Oaklyn?
Most of these claims are paid by the liability coverage on the policy of the driver who caused the crash. If that coverage does not cover the loss, the injured person’s own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may make up part of the difference.
- What Is the Usual Timeline for a Pedestrian Claim in Oaklyn?
There is no fixed schedule, because the case moves at the speed of your medical recovery. Most claims stay open until treatment gives a clear picture of the harm, which often takes months. An insurer that fights fault can stretch that out past a year.
- Can a Government Agency Ever Be Part of a Pedestrian Claim in Oaklyn?
It can. If the design of a road or a crossing helped cause the crash, the claim may need to include the state agency that maintains the highway. Claims against a government agency in New Jersey carry a much shorter notice deadline, generally 90 days, so it is worth calling a lawyer quickly.
If You Were Hit by a Car, Talk to Our Oaklyn Pedestrian Accident Lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer Today
Being hit while crossing a highway changes your life in seconds, and the insurance calls start before you are back on your feet. Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer takes pedestrian cases across Camden County. Our Oaklyn pedestrian accident lawyers can answer your questions and carry the claim while you heal. Call 215-985-0138 or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Located in Philadelphia, as well as Cherry Hill and Marlton, NJ, we assist clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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