Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in California

Short answer: If a driver hits you while you are walking in California, get medical care, report the crash, and keep photos, names, and records. Then talk with a California personal injury lawyer about deadlines, fault, and insurance options. LA Law Group, APLC is based in Chatsworth and serves clients throughout California.

What to do after a pedestrian crash

Small steps early on can protect your claim later.

1. Get medical care. Follow your provider’s advice and keep every record and bill. Some injuries show up after the first hours.
2. Call 911 and ask for a report number. Note the responding agency, officer name, and any incident or report number.
3. Document the scene when you can. Photograph vehicles, the plate, the crosswalk or roadway, signals, lighting, and your injuries. Save names and phone numbers for witnesses.
4. Be careful with insurers. Do not give a recorded statement or sign a release until you understand what rights you are giving up.
5. Keep a simple log. Note symptoms, missed work, and out-of-pocket costs.

Evidence that often matters

Keep what you can gather safely:

• Photos and short videos of the scene, vehicles, signals, and injuries
• The police or agency report number and a copy of the report when available
• Witness names and contact details
• Medical records, bills, and a list of providers
• Clothing or shoes from the crash day, stored as they were
• Your own notes on time, location, weather, and what you remember

Nearby cameras can overwrite quickly. A lawyer can send preservation requests when that makes sense for your facts.

Hit-and-run steps

If the driver leaves:

1. Call 911 and get medical care.
2. Write down the plate, make, model, color, and direction of travel if you saw them.
3. Ask nearby businesses whether cameras may have captured the crash.
4. Report the crash to your own insurer when appropriate, and ask about uninsured motorist coverage if the other driver is unknown or uninsured.
5. Talk with a lawyer about next steps. Do not chase the vehicle.

California Vehicle Code section 20001 requires a driver involved in a crash that injures a person to stop at the scene and fulfill the requirements of Vehicle Code sections 20003 and 20004, which include giving identifying information and rendering reasonable assistance. This is general information, not advice about your case.

California rules that can affect a pedestrian claim

• Filing deadlines. Many private injury claims must be filed within a set time. For many cases that period is two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Some claims, including claims against public entities, can have shorter deadlines. Under Government Code section 911.2, many injury claims against a public entity must be presented within six months after the claim accrues.
• Crosswalk right-of-way. Under Vehicle Code section 21950, a driver must yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in that chapter, and must use due care and slow down or take other action as needed to protect the pedestrian. The same section says pedestrians must also use due care for their own safety and may not suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard. That pedestrian duty does not relieve a driver of the duty to use due care.
• Shared fault. California uses comparative fault. Being partly at fault does not always end a claim, but it can reduce the compensation you may be able to seek.
• Insurance and medical bills. Health insurers and medical providers may seek repayment from a recovery. Ask how those claims could affect what you receive.

For more on crossing rules in plain language, see our guide to California pedestrian crosswalk laws. This page is general information, not advice about your case. Every situation is different.

How LA Law Group can help

LA Law Group, APLC helps people hurt in pedestrian crashes and other personal injury matters. We can review what happened, explain your options in plain language, and explain how the claims process works. You can read more on our personal injury practice area page.

We communicate in English, Spanish, and Farsi. Call (866) 625-2529 or use the contact page.

Your initial consultation is free. It is worth asking how fees and case costs work and getting the terms in writing.

Talk with LA Law Group

LA Law Group, APLC is based in Chatsworth and serves clients throughout California, with Aryan Amid, Esq., the firm’s founding attorney. To discuss a pedestrian injury, call (866) 625-2529 or visit our contact page.

This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney Advertising.