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Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Melbourne
A pedestrian hit by a vehicle in Victoria is covered by the TAC in the same way as anyone in a car. The claim covers medical treatment, rehabilitation and income support while you recover, and it holds up whether or not you were on a crossing and whether or not the driver was ever identified.
Pedestrians are the group most likely to assume they have no claim, usually because they have no insurance details, no photographs and nobody's name. Far less of that matters than people expect. Our pedestrian accident lawyers will tell you in one conversation what you can claim and what we need from you.
Victoria's TAC scheme covers pedestrians hit by a vehicle that was never identified, and pedestrians who were not using a crossing.
Who can claim after a pedestrian accident
You can make a TAC claim if you were hit by a vehicle while walking in Victoria, including where you were:
- On a marked crossing or at a signalised intersection
- Crossing mid block or against a signal
- Struck by a driver who did not stop
- Hit in a car park, driveway or by a reversing vehicle
- Struck by a tram in a street running section
- A child hit near a school or home
Pedestrian accident compensation
- Medical treatment, hospital and surgical costs
- Rehabilitation, physiotherapy and psychological support
- Income support while you cannot work
- A lump sum for permanent impairment, from 11% whole person impairment
- Pain and suffering and loss of earnings, where a driver caused a serious injury
- The lump sum turns on one figure. Independent doctors assess how much permanent function you have lost, as a percentage, once your injuries have stabilised. Below 11% nothing is payable, and above it the amount is fixed by law and rises with the percentage. Find out what each band is worth.
How a TAC claim runs is the same for everyone. Where the vehicle was never identified, the lodging stage is where most of the work goes.
When the driver is never identified
You can still claim. The scheme covers people injured by unidentified vehicles, and you do not need a registration number or a name.
Report the accident to police as soon as you are able. If you were not in a state to do that at the time, it can usually still be reported afterwards. The TAC will generally want a police report for a claim involving an unidentified vehicle and you will also have to put the TAC on notice sooner rather than later as failure to do so may affect your common law entitlements if you have any.
Why what you tell the doctor matters
Pedestrians often have no other record of what happened. No exchange of details, no insurance claim, sometimes no witnesses.
That makes your medical record important. What you say to ambulance officers, hospital staff and your GP goes into notes that are read again when your impairment is assessed a year or more later. Say you were hit by a vehicle, rather than that you fell.
Crossing away from a marked crossing
Crossing mid block, crossing against a signal, or stepping out between parked cars does not affect your entitlement to medical treatment, rehabilitation or income support.
It can affect a common law claim. If you contributed to the accident, compensation is reduced to reflect your share rather than refused.
Claiming for a child
If your child has been hit, the last thing on your mind is a legal claim. When you are ready, there are two things worth knowing.
The twelve month lodgement period does not apply to children in the same way, so a claim may still be possible years after the accident.
And there is good reason not to rush. Impairment cannot be assessed accurately until growth and development are further along, so an assessment carried out too early can undervalue an injury permanently. A child's claim is often meant to stay open.
What to bring to your first consultation
- The police report number, if you have one
- Any TAC claim number or correspondence
- Medical reports and the names of your treating doctors
- Anything you wrote down about the vehicle, the time or the street
- Payslips or evidence of lost income
- Details of any witnesses
If all you have is what you remember, that is enough to start.
Pedestrians on Victorian roads
In the twelve months to December 2025, 52 of the 291 people who lost their lives on Victorian roads were pedestrians, or 17.9 per cent.
Serious injuries are the larger group. Of the 5,617 people seriously injured on Victorian roads in the 2023-24 financial year, 18 per cent were pedestrians or cyclists, and almost two thirds of all serious injuries happened in metropolitan Melbourne.
Older pedestrians are over-represented. Across the last five years, 36 per cent of pedestrians who lost their lives were aged 70 or over.
Sources: TAC Road Safety Statistics Report, December 2025. TAC road user statistics. Road Trauma in Victoria Statistical Summary 2024.
FAQs
I did not go to hospital by ambulance.
That does not weaken your claim. What matters is that you saw a doctor and the accident is recorded as the cause.
The police report says I was at fault.
That is a view about the road rules. It is not a decision about your TAC claim, and the TAC does not require you to be blameless.
Do I need a police report?
Generally yes, and it matters more in pedestrian cases because details are often not exchanged at the scene.
I was visiting from interstate.
The scheme covers accidents that happen in Victoria, regardless of where you live.
Your lawyers
Pedestrian claims are decided by the details. Whether the vehicle was ever identified, what went into the police report, and how the accident was described to the first doctor who saw you. Each of those is easy to get wrong early and hard to fix later.
Your claim is run by Irini Piperoglou or Antonia Gianasmidis, who will sit down with you, listen to what you remember, and work with the evidence there is.
34 Church Street, Abbotsford, in Melbourne's inner east. We can come to you if travelling is difficult.
No Win No Fee, which includes finding out whether you have a claim at all. How our no win no fee guarantee works
“After my car accident, I was completely overwhelmed, but Irini and Antonia were there for me every step of the way. They didn’t just handle the legal stuff, they showed genuine care and empathy, making sure I never felt alone in the process. They took all the stress off my shoulders, allowing me to focus on my recovery. Thanks to their hard work, I received the compensation I needed to recover. I can’t thank them enough for their support and for always keeping me informed and at ease during such a tough time”
– Kalliope L.
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If you have been injured as a pedestrian in Victoria, we can tell you in one conversation whether you have a claim and what to do next.
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