75 Pedestrian Crashes in 5 Years: Why Moosic Street, Keyser Avenue, and Cedar Avenue Are Scranton’s Most Dangerous Corridors

If you walk to work, cross the street to catch a bus, or simply walk through your neighborhood, the crash data in Scranton should concern you. Over a five-year period, the city recorded roughly 75 collisions involving people on foot, concentrated along the same corridors and at the same intersections, year after year. The problem is not random. It is structural.

Moosic Street, Keyser Avenue, and Cedar Avenue have each developed reputations as high-risk corridors for people walking. Why do these streets keep producing injuries—and what legal rights do those struck by a vehicle in Scranton have when a driver fails to yield? Understanding both questions matters if you or someone you love has been hurt in one of these crashes.

If you were injured in a pedestrian accident in Scranton, please get in touch with our pedestrian accident lawyers for a free consultation.

The Pedestrian Crash Problem on Scranton’s High-Risk Corridors

Lackawanna County recorded 220 traffic fatalities across 207 fatal crashes between 2013 and 2023, according to an Action 16 analysis of PennDOT data. People on foot died in 48 of those crashes. As the county’s largest city, Scranton accounts for a disproportionate share—in 2023 alone, 86 people were struck and injured while walking, meaning virtually every such crash in the city that year produced an injury.

According to PennDOT’s 2023 statewide fatality report, crashes involving people on foot represented just 2.9% of all reported collisions in Pennsylvania but accounted for 15.4% of fatalities—a ratio that reflects how catastrophic vehicle-pedestrian impacts are relative to standard crashes. Non-motorized fatalities statewide rose to 222 in 2023, up from 199 in 2022.

Three corridors in the city consistently concentrate that risk:

• Moosic Street – A mixed-use artery through dense commercial and residential areas, this corridor sees frequent angle collisions and crossing conflicts at unsignalized mid-block locations. On-street parking, driveways, and variable vehicle speeds create multiple hazard points.
• Keyser Avenue – Heavy commercial truck traffic, stop-and-go congestion, and limited crossing infrastructure combine to make this one of the county’s most hazardous corridors, logging an estimated 60 or more reportable crashes annually.
• Cedar Avenue – A residential character masks a consistent pattern of speeding and failure-to-yield incidents. Poor crosswalk visibility at several intersections and after-dark foot traffic from nearby neighborhoods create exposure that the road’s infrastructure does not adequately address.

What Pennsylvania Law Requires of Drivers Near Pedestrians in Scranton

Under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3542, drivers must yield to pedestrians in both marked and unmarked crosswalks. Unmarked crosswalks are legally recognized at virtually every intersection where sidewalks meet a street, no painted lines required. A driver who fails to yield at either type of crossing may be held liable for resulting injuries.
Failure to yield is a summary offense and establishes the baseline for civil liability. Pennsylvania’s modified comparative negligence standard allows an injured person to recover damages as long as they bear less than 51 percent of the fault, which means a driver who ran a red light, failed to yield, or was distracted at the time of impact can be held liable even if the pedestrian shares some responsibility for the crash.

On corridors like Moosic Street, Keyser Avenue, and Cedar Avenue, where infrastructure deficiencies compound driver error, establishing full liability often requires examining police reports, traffic engineering data, and witness accounts alongside the driver’s conduct.

Crashes Involving Uninsured Drivers

Your own auto insurance policy may provide uninsured motorist (UM) coverage that applies even if you were on foot at the time of the crash. Pennsylvania law also permits injured parties to seek compensation through first-party medical benefits. An attorney can identify every available coverage source.

Why Pedestrian Crashes on These Corridors Produce Serious Injuries

A person struck by a vehicle traveling 30 miles per hour faces a dramatically higher risk of fatal injury than one hit at 20 mph. On Moosic Street, Keyser Avenue, and Cedar Avenue, several recurring conditions amplify that danger:

• High traffic volumes at peak hours reduce driver attention to crossings
• Commercial trucks with extended stopping distances and limited sight lines
• Inadequate lighting at key intersections, increasing after-dark exposure
• Absence of crossing countdown signals at high-volume intersections
• Driveways and parking lots that require vehicles to cross active sidewalk zones

When infrastructure failures combine with driver negligence, injuries can include traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, fractured bones, and internal bleeding. Compensation in these claims can address medical expenses, lost wages, rehabilitation costs, and non-economic damages including pain and suffering.

Steps to Take After a Pedestrian Accident on Moosic Street, Keyser Avenue, or Cedar Avenue

The actions you take in the hours and days after a crash on these corridors can significantly affect the strength of your claim.

• Get medical attention immediately, even if you feel able to walk away. Vehicle impacts frequently cause internal injuries that produce no immediate symptoms. Your first medical record establishes the starting point for documenting everything that follows.
• Request a copy of the police report from the Scranton Police Department. On high-volume corridors like Keyser Avenue, crashes are sometimes recorded in ways that affect how fault is later assessed. Reviewing that report with an attorney early matters.
• Photograph the crash location before conditions change. On corridors like Cedar Avenue, where crosswalk markings are faded or absent at several intersections, documenting what was and was not visible at the time of the crash is critical evidence that can disappear within days.
• On Moosic Street’s commercial stretch, businesses and storefronts may have exterior cameras that captured the collision. Identify those locations quickly. Surveillance footage is typically overwritten within 24 to 72 hours.
• Collect contact information from any witnesses before they leave the area.
• Do not give a recorded statement to an insurance adjuster before speaking with an attorney. On corridors with known crosswalk deficiencies, insurers will frequently argue that a pedestrian was crossing mid-block or outside a protected zone. Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence standard means fault is apportioned, and what you say in the hours after a crash can affect that calculation.

Contact Our Scranton Pedestrian Accident Lawyers at Munley Law for a Free Consultation

If you were injured walking on Moosic Street, Keyser Avenue, Cedar Avenue, or anywhere else in Scranton, the injury attorneys at Munley Law can evaluate your claim at no cost. We understand Lackawanna County’s roads, its crash history, and the legal standards that apply when drivers fail to protect people on foot.

Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the crash under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524. Missing this deadline bars recovery in most circumstances. Contact an attorney promptly to preserve evidence and protect your claim.

For more information, contact our experienced Scranton personal injury attorneys. We proudly serve clients throughout Scranton, Lackawanna County, and surrounding communities, including Dunmore, Taylor, Moosic, and Old Forge. You pay nothing unless we win your case.

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
227 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503
Phone: (570) 865-4699
munley.com