I was a pedestrian accident victim after being hit by a car while I was in a crosswalk.

When you are a pedestrian crossing the street in the crosswalk, you have the right of way in crossing that street. The cars around you are supposed to yield to you and let you cross the street, especially if you started when it was safe for you to do so. What that means is that if you start to cross the street and the light changes halfway, the cars are supposed to wait for you to finish crossing before they start to go.