You were crossing at a corner on the way home, or walking the kids back from a friend's house as the light went, or stepping out of a parking lot at the end of the day. The driver didn't see you. You weren't in a car at all, and now you're the one dealing with insurance.
A pedestrian hit by a vehicle in Nova Scotia can claim Section B accident benefits for treatment and lost income, whether or not they own a car. Call 911 if you're hurt, get assessed the same day, tell an insurer within 30 days, and start a dated record of your symptoms that day.
Being on foot doesn't put you outside the system. It puts you at the centre of it, because you had nothing around you when it happened.
Is a pedestrian covered after being hit by a car in Nova Scotia?
Yes. Every Nova Scotia auto policy includes Section B accident benefits, and they cover a person on foot who is struck by the insured vehicle. They don't depend on who caused the crash, and you don't need to own a car or hold a licence.
Section B pays up to $50,000 for medical and rehabilitation costs within four years of the crash. If your injury keeps you from working, it can also pay 80 percent of your gross weekly income, to a maximum of $250 a week.
Why are November evenings the riskiest time to be on foot in Nova Scotia?
Because the walk home moves into the dark overnight. In Halifax, the sun sets at 6:04 p.m. on Halloween. Two days later, after the clocks go back on Sunday 1 November, it sets at 5:01 p.m. From 4 November to mid-January, it sets before 5 p.m. every day.
Halifax's own figures show the result. Fall is the time of year with the most pedestrian collisions in the municipality, with October, November and December the three highest months in its 2025 road safety report, which covers 2024. Since 2018, December has had more pedestrian crashes than any other month, and four pedestrians died on Halifax roads in 2025, according to an analysis of the municipality's collision data by The Signal.
Out trick-or-treating? If a child is hit by a car
Halloween falls in the riskiest stretch of the year for children on foot. Across Canada, more children under 15 are hurt as pedestrians in October than in any other month, with November close behind, and nearly a quarter are hurt in those two months, according to Transport Canada collision data for 2021 to 2023. This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, the night before the clocks go back, so trick-or-treaters will share the streets with Saturday-night party traffic. If the worst happens, here is what to do.
Call 911 and stay with your child. If your child is hurt at all, police need to know, even if the driver says it was nothing.
Get your child checked the same day. Children often can't describe what hurts, and a fall onto pavement can hide an injury that shows up later. Tell the doctor your child was hit by a vehicle.
Be the one who keeps the record. Write down what your child said, how they slept, any change in mood or behaviour, and every school day missed. The record you keep is what shows how the weeks went. Our article on what families should write down goes further.
Send the claim forms on time. Children are covered by Section B like anyone else hurt by a vehicle. Some deadlines are longer for children, but the Section B notice is still due within 30 days.
Whose insurance does a pedestrian claim through in Nova Scotia?
Section B can come from two places: your own auto policy, or one you're covered under at home as a spouse or dependent relative, and the policy of the vehicle that hit you. Nova Scotia's rules don't set an order between them, so tell both insurers what happened, and write down who you spoke to and when.
If the driver left the scene or had no insurance, report it to police the same day. If no policy applies, a claim can be made through the Facility Association, and a hit and run by an unknown driver goes through a court process that relies on that police report.
If you were working when you were hit, tell your employer and WCB Nova Scotia right away. You'll choose between WCB benefits and suing the driver, and WCB needs your choice within 180 days.
The Nova Scotia MVA Companion Guide sets out who to contact, along with the forms and the deadlines.
Does it matter who was at fault?
Not for Section B. Those benefits pay for your treatment whoever caused the crash.
Fault matters for a separate claim against the driver, for losses beyond what Section B covers. That claim generally has a two-year deadline. For a sprain, strain or whiplash that counts as a minor injury, the amount for pain and suffering is capped at $10,862 in 2026. Our article on the minor injury cap in Nova Scotia explains how it works.
Why do pedestrian injuries need extra care?
Because there's nothing between you and the vehicle. No seatbelt, no airbag, no frame. Even a slow impact can mean a fall onto pavement, a head injury or a knee or hip that takes the full force.
Adrenaline hides a lot at the scene. Many people stand up, say they're fine and walk home, then wake up the next morning unable to move. Our article on why car accident injuries sometimes appear days later explains why, and why the date a symptom first appears matters so much.
What should you do in the first week?
Four things, in this order.
Get assessed, even if you feel alright. Tell the doctor you were hit by a vehicle while walking, and describe every symptom, including the small ones. That first visit is the starting point everything else is measured from.
Make sure police know. Nova Scotia's new Traffic Safety Act took effect on 19 October 2026, but the first step hasn't changed: if you're hurt, call 911. If police didn't come to the scene, call the Halifax Regional Police non-emergency line at 902-490-5020, or your local RCMP detachment outside the city. Collisions can't be reported through the online police reporting system.
Tell an insurer. Give written notice of your Section B claim within 30 days, and proof of claim within 90 days. For a sprain, strain or whiplash treated under the province's protocols, the claim form is due within 10 business days. Our article on Nova Scotia Section B deadlines lists every date.
Start writing things down. Nobody else records the days between appointments. That part is yours.
What are you allowed to do?
You are allowed to make a claim even though you weren't in a vehicle.
You are allowed to see a doctor days later and say the pain arrived after the crash rather than at it.
You are allowed to say you're afraid to cross that street now, and to have that written into your file alongside the physical injuries.
You are allowed to change your route home, or wait for daylight, while you recover.
You are allowed to ask a family member to keep notes for you if writing is hard right now.
What should you record after being hit while walking?
| What to record | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Where you were, which way you were walking and the light and weather | Sets out how it happened while your memory is clear |
| The vehicle, the driver's details and any witnesses | Hard to find again later, easy to note on day one |
| Your police file number and the dates you notified each insurer | The insurers and later forms will ask for them |
| Every symptom and the date it first appeared | Connects each injury to the collision |
| Every appointment, and any you had to cancel | Shows treatment running continuously |
| What you couldn't do that week that you could do before | Turns the injury into something another person can measure |
The National MVA Recovery Guide is built for anyone hurt in a collision, whether you were driving, riding or walking. It gives every symptom a date and every appointment a page.
Keep your recovery in one place
The National MVA Recovery Guide holds your whole recovery. The Nova Scotia MVA Companion Guide adds the insurer, the forms and the deadlines in Nova Scotia.
Why use Hurt Square?
Because a pedestrian's injuries are often more serious, and the details of the day are hard to rebuild later. Hurt Square guides give you one place to keep it all.
- The day it happened, and every day after. The National MVA Recovery Guide has space for the first hours after your accident, daily pain and symptom tracking, every appointment and every expense, for anyone hurt by a vehicle.
- Nova Scotia's rules, in plain words. The Nova Scotia MVA Companion Guide holds the Section B deadlines, forms and insurer routes in Nova Scotia.
- Made for hard days. 192 pages and more than 1,600 fillable fields that work on your phone, tablet or computer, in plain language.
Both guides, $39 until 22 November. The National MVA Recovery Guide and the Nova Scotia MVA Companion Guide, with the discount applied at checkout. Bought separately: $63.99.
Get both guidesRead next
- “It Doesn't Feel Minor to Me!” | Nova Scotia Minor Injury Cap: What It Means for Your Recovery and What to Record
- Recovering After a Car Accident in Nova Scotia: A Complete Guide
- “I Got the Call About My Teen!” | Your Teen Was in a Car Accident: What Families Should Write Down
- “I Felt Fine. Now I Hurt!” | Why Car Accident Injuries Sometimes Appear Days Later
Last verified 25 October 2026. Section B amounts and deadlines from the Automobile Insurance Contract Mandatory Conditions Regulations; the protocol deadline from the Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols Regulations; the 2026 minor injury cap from Superintendent of Insurance Bulletin 2026-01; WCB rules from WCB Nova Scotia; police contacts from Halifax Regional Police; the Traffic Safety Act start date from CTV News; Halifax figures from the municipality's 2025 Road Safety Annual Report and The Signal's analysis of municipal collision data; child pedestrian figures from Transport Canada's National Collision Database, 2021 to 2023; sun times calculated for Halifax. This article is general information for people in Nova Scotia. It is not medical, legal or insurance advice.
