We Fight for Pedestrian Rights
California Pedestrian Accident Attorneys
Protecting Vulnerable Victims
When a vehicle strikes a pedestrian, the injuries are often catastrophic and life-changing. You need immediate medical care, thorough investigation before evidence disappears, and aggressive legal representation that holds negligent drivers accountable. Our California pedestrian accident lawyers move quickly to protect your rights, locate hit-and-run drivers, and secure maximum compensation for your recovery.
No win, no fee. Your consultation is free and confidential.
Do I Have a Case?
Fill in your information for a One-on-One Consultation at no charge.
No Win, No Fee
Available 24/7
Millions Recovered
Free Consultation
Why Pedestrian Accident Victims Need Immediate Legal Help
Pedestrian accidents create urgent legal and medical challenges that require immediate action. Critical evidence like surveillance footage, traffic camera recordings, and witness memories can disappear within days—and in hit-and-run cases, every hour that passes makes it harder to locate the fleeing driver.
Insurance companies often move quickly after pedestrian accidents, but not to help you. Adjusters may contact you in the hospital hoping to get recorded statements while you’re medicated, confused, or in pain. They’ll ask leading questions designed to get you to accept partial blame or minimize the severity of your injuries—statements that can destroy your claim later.
Drivers who strike pedestrians frequently claim you “came out of nowhere,” weren’t in a crosswalk, were looking at your phone, or were somehow at fault despite having the right-of-way. Without immediate investigation and evidence preservation, these false narratives can become the official record that insurance companies use to deny or devalue your claim.
You need a California pedestrian accident attorney who can act fast: sending investigators to the scene, obtaining surveillance footage before it’s deleted, interviewing witnesses while memories are fresh, documenting the crash scene and road conditions, and sending legal notices that preserve evidence. Waiting even a few days to hire an attorney can mean losing proof that determines whether you recover full compensation or get nothing at all.
Real Results
What Our Pedestrian Accident Clients Say
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in California
Most pedestrian accidents are caused by driver negligence, not pedestrian error—despite what insurance companies claim.
Distracted Driving
Drivers texting, using navigation apps, eating, or looking at passengers often fail to see pedestrians in crosswalks, parking lots, or on sidewalks. Even a few seconds of distraction at 30 mph can be deadly for someone on foot.
Failure to Yield at Crosswalks
California law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in marked and unmarked crosswalks, but many drivers roll through, turn without looking, or speed up to beat pedestrians across. These violations cause serious injuries and deaths in intersections statewide.
Speeding and Reckless Driving
Higher speeds mean drivers have less time to react and pedestrians suffer more severe injuries on impact. Drivers who speed through residential areas, school zones, or parking lots dramatically increase the risk of catastrophic pedestrian crashes.
Drunk and Impaired Driving
Alcohol and drugs slow reaction times and impair judgment. Impaired drivers frequently strike pedestrians at night or in areas with heavy foot traffic like entertainment districts and near bars or restaurants.
Poor Visibility and Inadequate Lighting
Drivers often claim they “didn’t see” the pedestrian, but poor street lighting, worn crosswalk markings, or obstructed sight lines don’t excuse negligence. Municipalities can be held liable when inadequate infrastructure contributes to pedestrian accidents.
Types of Pedestrian Accidents We Handle
Our California pedestrian accident attorneys represent victims struck in all types of locations throughout Los Angeles County and beyond.
Crosswalk Accidents
Marked crosswalks should be the safest places for pedestrians, but drivers who fail to yield, run red lights, or make turns without looking cause devastating injuries. We establish right-of-way violations and prove driver negligence through traffic signals, cameras, and witness testimony.
Intersection Accidents
Pedestrians struck while crossing at intersections—whether in marked crosswalks or unmarked crossings at controlled intersections—often face insurance companies claiming they didn’t have the right-of-way. We analyze traffic patterns, signal timing, and sight lines to prove liability.
Parking Lot Accidents
Drivers backing out of spaces, speeding through parking lots, or failing to watch for pedestrians cause serious injuries in retail areas, grocery stores, and shopping centers. Property owners may also be liable if poor lighting or obstructed views contributed to the crash.
Sidewalk Accidents
Drivers who lose control, drive onto sidewalks, or strike pedestrians standing near the curb are fully liable for resulting injuries. These crashes often involve impaired driving, medical emergencies, or mechanical failures.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
When drivers flee the scene, we work immediately with law enforcement to locate witnesses, obtain surveillance footage from nearby businesses and homes, and track down the vehicle through partial plate information, paint transfer, or damage descriptions.
School Zone and Residential Accidents
Children and families walking in residential neighborhoods and school zones deserve extra protection. Drivers who speed or ignore school zone restrictions can be held liable for enhanced damages when they strike pedestrians in these protected areas.
Locating Hit-and-Run Drivers and Uninsured Motorist Claims
Hit-and-run pedestrian accidents create urgent investigative challenges, but you still have legal options even if the driver is never found.
Hit-and-run drivers often flee because they’re uninsured, unlicensed, intoxicated, or have outstanding warrants. Whatever the reason, their decision to leave the scene is a crime—and it doesn’t mean you’re left without compensation.
Our first priority is working with law enforcement and conducting our own investigation to identify and locate the fleeing driver. We act immediately to:
Canvass the area for witnesses who saw the vehicle, driver, license plate, or direction of travel. Witnesses often leave the scene before police arrive, so quick action is critical.
Obtain surveillance footage from nearby businesses, traffic cameras, residential doorbell cameras, and dash cams from other vehicles. This footage typically gets deleted or recorded over within 24-72 hours, making speed essential.
Analyze physical evidence like paint transfer on your clothing, vehicle parts left at the scene, tire marks, and impact patterns that can identify the make, model, and color of the vehicle.
Work with accident reconstruction experts who can determine the vehicle’s speed, trajectory, and point of impact—details that help narrow the search and establish fault once the driver is located.
Monitor body shops and auto parts stores where the driver may seek repairs. We can issue legal notices requiring repair facilities to preserve evidence and report vehicles matching the damage description.
When the Driver Can't Be Found: Uninsured Motorist Coverage
If the hit-and-run driver is never identified, you can still recover compensation through uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on your own auto insurance policy or through policies of household family members. California requires insurance companies to offer UM coverage, which specifically covers hit-and-run situations.
Your UM claim can provide compensation for:
- All medical expenses, past and future
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Rehabilitation and ongoing therapy
Insurance companies often try to minimize or deny UM claims, arguing you don’t have enough proof of the accident or that your injuries aren’t as severe as you claim. A California pedestrian accident attorney knows how to build UM claims that insurance companies can’t easily deny, using medical records, witness statements, accident scene evidence, and expert testimony.
We also pursue additional sources of compensation when applicable, including liability claims against property owners if poor lighting or obstructed sight lines contributed to the crash, or claims against municipalities for dangerous road conditions or inadequate crosswalk markings.
Common Pedestrian Injuries and Long-Term Impact
The human body has no protection against a multi-ton vehicle traveling at speed. Pedestrian accidents often result in catastrophic injuries that change lives forever. Pedestrian accident injuries are among the most severe seen in personal injury law. The impact of a vehicle striking an unprotected human body causes trauma that car occupants with airbags and seatbelts rarely experience.
Long-Term Impact and Life Care Planning
Catastrophic pedestrian injuries often require life care planning—comprehensive assessments by medical experts who calculate the cost of future surgeries, rehabilitation, medications, assistive devices, home modifications, and lost earning capacity over the victim’s lifetime.
Insurance companies resist paying for future care, hoping you’ll accept current medical bills only. A California pedestrian accident attorney works with life care planners, economists, and vocational experts to document the true cost of your injuries—often millions of dollars when catastrophic injuries prevent you from ever working again or require decades of specialized care.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
When pedestrians are struck, they’re often thrown onto the hood, windshield, or pavement, causing severe head trauma. Even with immediate treatment, traumatic brain injuries can lead to permanent cognitive impairment, memory loss, personality changes, difficulty concentrating, chronic headaches, and inability to return to work. Severe TBIs may require lifelong care and supervision.
Spinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis
The force of vehicle impact can fracture vertebrae or sever the spinal cord, resulting in partial or complete paralysis. Paraplegics and quadriplegics face astronomical medical costs, home modifications, specialized equipment, and permanent loss of independence. Settlements must account for decades of future care needs.
Multiple Fractures and Crush Injuries
Pedestrians commonly suffer broken legs, arms, hips, pelvises, ribs, and facial bones. Compound fractures may require multiple surgeries, pins, plates, and extensive rehabilitation. Some fractures never heal properly, leading to chronic pain, limited mobility, and permanent disability.
Internal Organ Damage
Blunt force trauma from vehicle impact can cause internal bleeding, ruptured spleens, liver lacerations, kidney damage, and punctured lungs. These life-threatening injuries require emergency surgery and can lead to long-term organ dysfunction and reduced life expectancy.
Amputations and Limb Loss
Severe crush injuries or catastrophic fractures sometimes necessitate amputation. The loss of legs, feet, arms, or hands creates permanent disability, requires expensive prosthetics, demands home and vehicle modifications, and dramatically reduces earning capacity.
Psychological Trauma
Beyond physical injuries, pedestrian accident victims often suffer PTSD, anxiety, depression, and fear of crossing streets or walking near traffic. Psychological injuries are real, compensable damages that require ongoing therapy and significantly impact quality of life.
Meet Your Team
The Pedestrian Accident Attorney Behind Your Case
Pedestrian accident cases often involve catastrophic injuries, hit-and-run investigations, and insurance companies that try to blame vulnerable victims for drivers’ negligence. When you work with our firm, you get a California pedestrian accident lawyer who acts immediately to preserve evidence, locate fleeing drivers when applicable, and fights for compensation that truly covers the life-altering impact of serious injuries.
- Years of dedicated experience representing pedestrian accident victims throughout California
- Immediate investigation and evidence preservation to build the strongest possible case
- Recognized by clients and peers for securing results in complex hit-and-run and catastrophic injury cases
- Personally involved in strategy, negotiations, and major case decisions
From your first call to the final resolution, you work with a pedestrian accident injury attorney who knows your story and is invested in your recovery.
Proven Record
Recent Case Outcomes
Confidential
Confidential
Car Accident
Employment Law
Confidential
Car Accident
Your Legal Rights as a Pedestrian in California
California law gives pedestrians strong protections and right-of-way in most situations. Drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked and unmarked crosswalks at intersections, must stop for pedestrians in crosswalks when turning, and must exercise caution in areas where pedestrians are likely to be present.
When a driver’s negligence causes your pedestrian accident, you have the right to recover compensation for all medical expenses (past and future), lost wages and diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, permanent disability or disfigurement, rehabilitation costs, and the emotional trauma of catastrophic injuries.
You also have protections against driver and insurance company attempts to blame you for the accident. Even if you weren’t in a marked crosswalk, weren’t wearing bright clothing at night, or were looking at your phone, drivers still have a duty to watch for pedestrians and operate safely. California’s comparative negligence law means you can recover compensation even if you were partially at fault—your damages are simply reduced by your percentage of responsibility.
However, California law imposes strict deadlines. You generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, and much shorter deadlines (often six months) apply for claims against government entities responsible for dangerous road conditions or inadequate crosswalk markings.
A California pedestrian accident attorney protects your rights by acting immediately to preserve evidence, handling all communication with insurance companies, and ensuring your claim accounts for the full scope of your injuries including future medical needs and long-term care costs.
Call 911 and Get Medical Help
Your health is the priority. Even if you feel okay, get examined immediately. Internal bleeding, brain injuries, and spinal damage may not show symptoms right away. Medical documentation also establishes the link between the crash and your injuries.
Report the Accident and Document
If you’re physically able, take photos of the vehicle, license plate, crash scene, crosswalk markings, traffic signals, and your visible injuries. Get contact information from the driver and any witnesses. An official police report is critical.
Don't Give Statements to Insurance
Report the accident to your insurance if required, but avoid giving detailed statements to the driver’s insurance company or signing anything before speaking with a California pedestrian accident attorney. What you say can be used to deny your claim.
Statute of Limitations and the Importance of Timely Action
In California, you generally have two years from the date of the pedestrian accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, some situations have much shorter deadlines:
- Claims against government entities (for dangerous crosswalks, inadequate street lighting, poor road design) require filing a formal government claim within six months of the accident.
- Wrongful death claims typically allow two years from the date of death.
- Hit-and-run cases may have additional reporting and claim filing requirements with your own insurance carrier.
Evidence in pedestrian accidents disappears quickly. Surveillance footage gets deleted or recorded over within days, witnesses forget details, and crash scene conditions change. Waiting to hire an attorney means losing proof that can make or break your case.
That’s why it’s critical to speak with a California pedestrian accident lawyer immediately after your crash—ideally from the hospital if your injuries allow. Early action preserves evidence, protects you from making statements that hurt your claim, and ensures thorough investigation before critical proof is lost forever.
Frequently Asked Questions About Truck Accidents
Yes. While crosswalks provide clear right-of-way, drivers still have a duty to watch for pedestrians and drive carefully in all areas where people may be walking. Many pedestrian accidents happen in parking lots, driveways, or mid-block—and victims can still recover compensation if driver negligence caused the crash.
Our California pedestrian accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing up front, and our fee comes from your settlement or verdict. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing. This allows you to get experienced representation without worrying about legal bills while you're recovering from serious injuries.
We launch an immediate investigation to locate the hit-and-run driver through surveillance footage, witness interviews, and physical evidence. Even if the driver is never found, you can recover compensation through uninsured motorist coverage on your own auto insurance policy or through household family members' policies.
Timelines vary based on the severity of injuries, how long treatment takes, whether the driver is identified in hit-and-run cases, and whether the case settles or goes to trial. Most pedestrian cases resolve within 6 months to 2 years, though catastrophic injury cases may take longer to ensure all future medical needs are documented.
Yes. California uses comparative negligence, which means your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault but not eliminated. If you were 20% at fault and suffered $100,000 in damages, you'd recover $80,000. A pedestrian accident attorney fights to minimize any unfair blame assigned to you.
"I didn't see the pedestrian" is not a legal defense. Drivers have a duty to watch for people on foot and operate vehicles safely. We prove visibility through accident reconstruction, sight-line analysis, lighting conditions, and witness testimony to counter false claims that you "came out of nowhere."
Never accept a settlement without consulting a California pedestrian accident lawyer. Early offers are almost always far below what your claim is worth, especially when injuries are severe and may require future surgeries, therapy, or long-term care. Once you settle, you can't reopen the claim later.
You may be entitled to compensation for emergency treatment and ongoing medical care, future surgeries and rehabilitation, lost wages and reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, permanent disability or scarring, emotional distress and PTSD, and in hit-and-run cases, punitive damages if the driver is located and found to have fled intentionally.
Serving Clients Beyond Los Angeles
Our main office is in Glendale, and we represent car accident victims throughout California, including San Diego and surrounding communities. If you live in San Diego but were hurt anywhere in the state, a California car accident attorney from our firm can handle your claim remotely or in person—whatever is easiest for you.
We also assist clients with car accident cases connected to Nevada. Whether you were injured while visiting California or involved in a crash in Nevada, our team can explain how the laws apply and what your options are. No matter where you’re located, you can start with a free case review and get clear guidance on your next steps.
San Diego
We represent pedestrian accident victims throughout San Diego County and Southern California. Whether you prefer to meet in person at our San Diego office or connect remotely, you’ll receive the same dedicated expertise in California pedestrian accident law and immediate investigative action.
Las Vegas
Our Las Vegas office serves Nevada residents injured in pedestrian accidents—whether the crash occurred in Nevada or California. We’re licensed in both states and understand the jurisdictional differences that affect your claim, including hit-and-run protocols and uninsured motorist coverage rules.