You were crossing at a corner on the way to work, or walking the kids to school before the sun was up, 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 Alberta can claim Section B accident benefits for treatment and lost income, whoever was at fault and whether or not they own a car. Get assessed the same day even if you feel alright, report the collision to police, send your claim form to an insurer within 30 days, and start a dated record of your symptoms.
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 Alberta?
Yes. Every Alberta auto policy includes Section B accident benefits, and they cover a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. They don't depend on who was at fault.
Section B pays up to $50,000 for medical and rehabilitation costs for up to two years after the crash. If your injury keeps you from working, it can also pay 80 percent of your average gross weekly earnings, to a maximum of $600 a week, for up to two years.
You don't need to own a car or hold a licence. Children, seniors, cyclists and people who have never driven can be covered too.
Alberta's new Care-First auto insurance system starts on 1 January 2027. This article covers the rules for crashes before then.
What will Alberta Time mean for your walk this Winter?
More of the dark moves into the morning. In Calgary and Edmonton, the sun will now rise after 8 a.m. every day from 1 November until about 10 March. Under the old clock, that ran from mid-November to about 10 February.
Through most of December and January, it will still be dark at 8:30 a.m., when many children are on their way to school. Around the shortest day, the sun won't rise until about 9:37 a.m. in Calgary and 9:48 a.m. in Edmonton.
The late afternoon gets the hour back, and that matters. In the province's 2019 collision statistics, 3 to 7 p.m. was the peak time for pedestrian collisions, and in December the sun will now set around 5:31 p.m. in Calgary instead of 4:31. This Winter, the morning is the stretch to watch, especially for children walking to school and anyone heading to an early shift.
Fall and Winter are already the riskiest time to be on foot. In those same 2019 statistics, October had more pedestrian injury collisions than any other month, and October to January together made up about 43 percent of the year. In Calgary, pedestrians were involved in 13 fatal collisions in 2024, up from 4 the year before, according to the City of Calgary.
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, 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 form while you look after your child. Children are covered by Section B like anyone else hurt by a vehicle, and the AB-1 form is still due within 30 days of the crash, or 10 business days for a sprain, strain or whiplash.
Whose insurance does a pedestrian claim through in Alberta?
Usually one of two policies, and you may be able to claim under either:
- Your own auto policy, or one you're covered under at home as a spouse, adult interdependent partner or dependent relative, even though no car of yours was involved.
- The policy of the vehicle that hit you.
If you're not sure which applies, tell both insurers what happened, and write down who you spoke to and when.
If the driver left the scene or had no insurance, Alberta's Motor Vehicle Accident Claims program, known as MVAC, is the last resort. For a hit and run, you must notify MVAC within 90 days of the crash, or the claim can be refused. Report it to police the same day.
The Alberta 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 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 $6,306 in 2026. Our article on the minor injury cap in Alberta 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. For a sprain, strain or whiplash, Alberta's treatment protocols let care begin without waiting for insurer approval.
Report the collision to police. In Alberta, a collision where anyone is hurt has to be reported to police, and online reporting doesn't cover injuries. If police didn't come to the scene, call them. In Calgary, that's 911 or the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234. In Edmonton, it's 911 for a serious injury or 780-423-4567 otherwise. Keep the file number you're given.
Send your claim form to an insurer. Section B starts with the AB-1 form, due within 30 days of the crash. For a sprain, strain or whiplash, it's due within 10 business days. If you were working when you were hit, tell your employer too, because a WCB claim may apply. Our article on Alberta 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, 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 date you sent the AB-1 | The insurer and later forms will ask for both |
| 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 Alberta MVA Companion Guide adds the insurer, the forms and the deadlines in Alberta.
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.
- Alberta's rules, in plain words. The Alberta MVA Companion Guide holds the Section B deadlines, forms and insurer routes in Alberta.
- 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 Alberta MVA Companion Guide, with the discount applied at checkout. Bought separately: $63.99.
Get both guidesRead next
- “They Called My Injury Minor!” | What Is the Minor Injury Cap in Alberta?
- Recovering After a Car Accident in Alberta: 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 limits, MVAC rules, police reporting, Care-First and Alberta Time from the Government of Alberta; claim form deadlines from the Superintendent of Insurance; the 2026 minor injury cap from Superintendent of Insurance Bulletin 05-2025; police contacts from the Calgary Police Service and the Edmonton Police Service; sun times from sunrise-sunset.org; child pedestrian figures from Transport Canada's National Collision Database, 2021 to 2023; collision figures from the Government of Alberta's 2019 traffic collision statistics and the City of Calgary. This article is general information for people in Alberta. It is not medical, legal or insurance advice.
