Williams & Gasparian Law represents pedestrians hit by cars, trucks, buses, and rideshare vehicles across Los Angeles County as well as the rest of California.
Drivers often say the pedestrian came out of nowhere. Signal timing data, intersection cameras, and witness accounts usually tell a different story. We gather that evidence early, before the video is overwritten.
How Pedestrian Crashes Happen
Most pedestrian crashes happen at intersections or in the road near them, and most involve a driver who was not looking for people.
- Failure to yield at a crosswalk. Marked or unmarked. Every intersection has a crosswalk under California law whether or not it is painted.
- Turning drivers. A driver turning right on red or left across traffic looks for cars, not for people.
- Speeding in residential and school zones. Speed decides whether a pedestrian walks away or does not.
- Distracted drivers. Phones, screens, and passengers.
- Impaired drivers. Especially at night, when pedestrian deaths are most common.
- Backing out. Driveways, parking lots, and loading zones.
- Bad lighting or signal timing. A public agency can be responsible for an intersection that gives pedestrians too little time to cross.
What You May Be Able to Recover
California law lets an injured pedestrian claim two kinds of losses.
Economic losses
- Emergency care, surgery, and hospital bills
- Rehabilitation and future treatment
- Wages you lost while you could not work
- Reduced ability to earn if the injury is lasting
- Personal property destroyed in the crash, such as a phone or glasses
Non-economic losses
- Physical pain
- Emotional distress
- Loss of the activities you used to enjoy
- Scarring, disfigurement, or permanent disability
Pedestrian injuries are often the most serious we see. Future care and lost earning capacity can be the largest parts of the claim. We do not quote case values on this site.
California Rules That Affect Pedestrian Cases
- Right of way in crosswalks
- Vehicle Code section 21950 requires drivers to yield to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, to slow down, and to take whatever care is needed for the pedestrian's safety.
- Outside a crosswalk
- Vehicle Code section 21954 says a pedestrian crossing outside a crosswalk must yield to vehicles, but it also says drivers must still use due care. Being outside the crosswalk can reduce a recovery. It does not bar one.
- Jaywalking tickets
- Since January 1, 2023, under the Freedom to Walk Act, police may stop or cite a pedestrian for crossing outside a crosswalk or against a signal only when a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of a collision.
- Deadlines
- Two years from the crash to file an injury lawsuit. If a city bus, a government vehicle, or a badly designed intersection was involved, a written claim to that agency is due within six months.
- Shared fault
- California follows pure comparative negligence. Insurers often assign the pedestrian a share of blame. Your recovery is reduced by that share, and part of our job is to show the share is smaller than claimed.
- Hit and run
- If the driver fled, uninsured motorist coverage on your own auto policy, or a household member's, may cover you as a pedestrian. We also canvass for video and witnesses to identify the driver.
What Happens After You Call
Five stages, from the first phone call to the day the case closes.
A free consultation
You tell us what happened. We tell you whether you have a case and what we would do first. No charge, no obligation to hire us.
Investigation
We gather the police or incident report, photos, witness statements, medical records, and video. When a case calls for it we bring in accident reconstructionists or treating physicians.
Dealing with the insurance companies
Once you hire us, insurers deal with us instead of you. We handle the calls, the letters, and the requests for recorded statements. You focus on treatment.
Negotiation or a lawsuit
When your treatment has gone far enough to know what your losses are, we send a demand. If the insurer will not pay a fair amount, we file a lawsuit and prepare the case as if it will be tried.
Resolution
Most cases settle. Some go to trial. Either way, we explain every offer to you in plain terms, and the decision to accept or reject it is yours.
Questions People Ask Us
Yes. Drivers must use due care wherever pedestrians are, and every intersection has an unmarked crosswalk even with no paint. If you were mid-block, the insurer will argue you share fault, which reduces the recovery by your percentage. It does not end the claim.
Two years from the crash for a claim against a driver. Six months for a claim against a public agency, which comes up more often in pedestrian cases than people expect, because of buses, signal timing, and street design.
We look for intersection cameras, business video, and witnesses to identify the vehicle. If the driver is never found, your own uninsured motorist coverage, or that of a relative you live with, may apply.
Yes. Claims against a public agency require a written claim within six months, and the agency has time to respond before a lawsuit can be filed. Missing that step can end the claim, so call quickly.
That is a comparative fault argument, and the insurer will make it. The driver still had to see you and stop. We look at the speed, the sight lines, and the timing to show what the driver could have done.
We work on a contingency fee. You pay no fee up front, and our fee is a percentage of what we recover for you. If we recover nothing, you owe no attorney fee. You owe nothing for case costs either.
Talk to a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Glendale
If you or a family member was hit while walking anywhere in California, call us or send the form. We will review what happened at no charge.
