Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
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Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Hit by a Car While Walking in Los Angeles?
You were crossing the street, stepping off a bus, or walking to your car. A driver did not see you, or did not stop. Now you are dealing with a hospital, a body that does not work the way it did last week, and an adjuster asking whether you were in the crosswalk. If you are looking for a Los Angeles pedestrian accident lawyer, Ravan Law represents people seriously hurt on foot across Los Angeles County.
A person on foot has no bumper, no airbag, and no seatbelt, which is why these cases so often involve brain injuries, broken hips, and long recoveries. It is also why insurers work so hard on fault: every percentage point they place on you comes off what they pay.
Pedestrian cases often reach past the driver. The signal may have been dark. The vehicle may have been a Metro bus, a city truck, or an Uber on a trip. Each of those changes the insurance, the defendant, and the deadline, and one of those deadlines is six months. These claims have strict rules and a six-month deadline, and we take them on.
Call (424) 465-2500 for a free consultation. No fee unless we win. Information is available in Spanish.
California Right-of-Way Rules for Pedestrians and Drivers
Fault in a pedestrian accident case starts with the Vehicle Code.
Inside a Crosswalk: Vehicle Code 21950
Vehicle Code 21950 requires a driver to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. A driver approaching a pedestrian in a crosswalk must use all due care and slow down as needed to keep that person safe.
An unmarked crosswalk counts. Vehicle Code 275 defines a crosswalk to include the extension of the sidewalk lines across an intersection where streets meet at about right angles, painted or not, unless signs prohibit crossing there.
Section 21950 also puts a duty on the person walking. A pedestrian 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 be an immediate hazard. Insurers quote that sentence often. Whether it fits depends on where the car was, how fast it was going, and what the driver could see.
Other rules protect you at the same corner:
- Turning drivers. A driver turning on a green light, or turning right on red after a stop, must yield to pedestrians lawfully in the adjacent crosswalk (Vehicle Code 21451 and 21453).
- Driveways. A driver must yield to any pedestrian on a sidewalk before driving over it (Vehicle Code 21952).
When a driver’s violation of one of these rules causes the kind of injury the rule was written to prevent, Evidence Code 669 presumes the driver failed to use due care.
Outside a Crosswalk: Vehicle Code 21954
Under Vehicle Code 21954, a pedestrian on the roadway outside a marked crosswalk, or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, must yield to vehicles close enough to be an immediate hazard. Vehicle Code 21955 adds that between two adjacent signal-controlled intersections, a pedestrian must cross in a crosswalk.
Neither rule excuses the driver. Section 21954 says it does not relieve a driver of the duty to use due care for the safety of any pedestrian on a roadway. A speeding or distracted driver can be mostly or entirely at fault for striking a person who crossed mid-block.
The Freedom to Walk Act and Jaywalking
Assembly Bill 2147, commonly called the Freedom to Walk Act, took effect on January 1, 2023. A police officer may not stop a pedestrian for violating sections such as 21954 or 21955 unless a reasonably careful person would realize there was an immediate danger of a collision with a moving vehicle or a device moved by human power, such as a bicycle.
The law changed when an officer can stop you. It did not repeal the crossing rules or change civil fault. The amended sections say so directly: the change does not relieve a pedestrian of the duty to use due care for their own safety, and it does not relieve a driver of the duty to use due care for a pedestrian in the roadway.
So an insurer can still argue that you share fault for crossing mid-block. California follows pure comparative fault, adopted in Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975). Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, not eliminated. If your damages are $500,000 and a jury puts 20% on you, you recover $400,000. We work to keep that percentage where the evidence puts it. See who is at fault in a car accident.
Pedestrian Accident Attorney Los Angeles: Who Can Be Held Liable
In a serious injury case the driver’s policy is often too small to cover the harm, so we look at everyone whose conduct or coverage reaches the collision.
Who | Why they may be responsible | Deadline |
The driver | Failure to yield or to use ordinary care (Civil Code 1714) | Generally 2 years |
The vehicle’s owner | Liable for a permitted driver’s negligence, up to $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident for injuries (Vehicle Code 17150, 17151). This is a separate statutory cap, lower than the insurance minimums, and it was not raised when SB 1107 raised the minimum insurance limits. | Generally 2 years |
The driver’s employer | A principal answers for an agent’s negligence on the job (Civil Code 2338) | Generally 2 years |
Uber, Lyft, and their insurers | Coverage depends on what the app was doing at impact | Generally 2 years |
A public bus operator or other public employer | Negligent driving by a public employee on the job (Vehicle Code 17001) | 6-month claim |
A city, the county, or the State | Dangerous condition of a public street or crossing (Government Code 835) | 6-month claim |
Drivers who were working. When the driver of a delivery van, contractor pickup, or company car was on the job, a commercial policy usually carries higher limits than a personal one. App-based delivery is covered in our article on gig economy liability for Amazon, DoorDash, and Uber Eats delivery accidents.
Uber and Lyft drivers. Under Public Utilities Code 5433, coverage depends on the driver’s app status. A driver with the app off has personal insurance only. With the app on and no ride accepted, coverage is $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident, plus a $200,000 excess policy. Once a ride is accepted, there is $1,000,000 in third-party liability coverage when the rideshare driver is at fault. SB 371, effective January 1, 2026, cut passenger UM/UIM coverage to $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident. See our guide for people hit by an Uber or Lyft driver as a pedestrian or cyclist in California and our Uber and Lyft accident page.
Bus operators. Most buses in Los Angeles are run by a public entity: LA Metro, LADOT’s DASH service, Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus, Long Beach Transit, or a school district. Those claims carry the six-month deadline below. A private charter or shuttle company has the two-year deadline, so we confirm who owns the bus first.
Hit-and-Run and Uninsured Drivers: How a Pedestrian Still Gets Paid
Leaving the scene of a collision that injures someone is a crime under Vehicle Code 20001. When the driver is gone, or had no insurance, we check for uninsured motorist (UM) coverage.
An auto policy can cover you while you are walking. Insurance Code 11580.2 defines the “insured” under UM coverage as the named insured, that person’s spouse, and relatives of either who live in the same household, “while occupants of a motor vehicle or otherwise.” You may have a UM claim under:
- Your own auto policy, even though your car was parked at home.
- A policy held by your spouse or by a relative you live with.
When the driver is never identified, Insurance Code 11580.2 requires:
- Physical contact between the vehicle and you.
- A police report within 24 hours, made by you or by someone on your behalf.
- A sworn statement to the insurer within 30 days.
Generally, within two years you must settle the UM claim, sue the uninsured driver, or formally begin arbitration. If the driver carried only the $30,000 minimum, underinsured motorist coverage may pay the difference up to your own limit.
If no household policy covers you, we look to an employer, a vehicle owner, a rideshare policy, or a public entity. See the phantom driver rule in Los Angeles hit-and-runs, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and how compensation works when an uninsured driver hits you in Los Angeles.
Where Pedestrians Are Hit in Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles runs a Vision Zero program through LADOT aimed at eliminating traffic deaths. Each place below has its own mix of defendants.
- Hollywood. Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards mix nightlife traffic, tourists, and rideshare pickups.
- Koreatown. Wilshire Boulevard carries Metro buses and steady foot traffic, and left turns across several lanes are a recurring cause.
- Downtown Los Angeles. One-way grids, heavy foot traffic, buses, and wide-turning trucks.
- Santa Monica. Lincoln Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway mix beach traffic and scooters with drivers coming off the 10. Pacific Coast Highway is a state highway, so a road-condition claim there is against the State.
- The LAX area. Century and Sepulveda Boulevards concentrate rideshare and shuttle traffic. LAX is run by Los Angeles World Airports, a City department.
- Panorama City. Bus riders cross Van Nuys and Roscoe Boulevards all day to reach Metro and DASH stops, and construction on Van Nuys Boulevard can bring lane closures and detours.
LAPD takes the report on city streets in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in contract cities such as West Hollywood, and city police in Santa Monica, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, and Long Beach.
A Dangerous Crossing or a Public Vehicle: The Six-Month Deadline
A public entity is liable for a dangerous condition of its property under Government Code 835 when the condition created a foreseeable risk of the kind of injury that happened, and either a public employee created it or the entity had actual or constructive notice in time to fix it or warn. For a pedestrian, that can mean:
- A dark or malfunctioning signal. Vehicle Code 21800 requires a driver approaching an inoperative signal to stop and proceed only when it is safe. The city may share fault with the driver if it knew the signal was out and had time to respond, which 311 reports and signal logs can show.
- Blocked sight lines or a work zone that hid a person in the crosswalk or left no safe path.
These cases have limits. Under Government Code 830.4, a street is not a dangerous condition merely because the entity did not install a traffic signal, a stop sign, or certain lane markings. Government Code 830.8 gives similar protection for missing warning signs, with an exception for hidden hazards. A claim has to rest on more than “there should have been a light here.”
The six-month claim. Before any lawsuit against a public entity, a written claim must be presented to that entity within six months of the injury under Government Code 911.2. The entity generally has 45 days to act. After a written rejection, a lawsuit generally must be filed within six months of that notice. The two-year statute does not extend any of this, and the same deadline applies when a public employee was driving. Claims against the City of Los Angeles go to the City Clerk. Claims against the State, including Caltrans, go to the Department of General Services Government Claims Program for claims over $12,500. Claims of $12,500 or less go to the Caltrans district claims office.
Attorney Ted H. Ravan went into injury law after his grandfather was in a near-fatal incident involving a city-operated bus. That is why our firm takes government cases. See our government claims page and these guides:
- Filing a claim against the City of Los Angeles
- How to file a claim against LA Metro after an injury
- Claims against Caltrans and the State of California after a highway crash
A fall on a broken public sidewalk carries the same deadline. See who is liable for a city sidewalk injury in Los Angeles.
Pedestrian Accident Injuries and What They Cost Over a Lifetime
A pedestrian is usually struck more than once: by the bumper, the hood or windshield, then the pavement.
- Traumatic brain injury, including concussions that look mild on the first scan.
- Leg, pelvic, and hip fractures, often needing more than one surgery.
- Spinal cord injury, internal injuries, scarring, and amputation.
We build these cases on physicians’ projections, a life-care plan for future surgery, therapy, and in-home help, and an analysis of lost earning capacity. An early offer rarely accounts for any of it. Read more about Los Angeles catastrophic injury claims.
When a pedestrian is killed, Code of Civil Procedure 377.60 allows certain family members, including a spouse, domestic partner, and children, to bring a wrongful death claim. Read more about Los Angeles wrongful death claims.
Evidence That Decides a Pedestrian Accident Claim
The evidence that shows where you were, what the signal displayed, and how fast the driver was going does not last.
- Video. Business cameras, apartment cameras, bus cameras, and dashcams. Many systems overwrite within days, so we send preservation letters first.
- Signal records. Timing and maintenance records show what the signal displayed and whether the city had been told it was out.
- The vehicle. Hood and windshield damage shows speed and where you were struck. Stored speed and braking data generally requires the owner’s consent or a court order (Vehicle Code 9951).
- The scene and your clothing. Lighting and sight lines, photographed at the same time of day. Keep the shoes and clothes you wore.
What Compensation Can a Pedestrian Accident Claim Recover?
Economic damages: emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, future medical care, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and in-home care.
Non-economic damages: physical pain, emotional distress, scarring, and the loss of the activities and independence that made up your life. See economic and non-economic damages.
Punitive damages require clear and convincing evidence of malice, oppression, or fraud under Civil Code 3294, and Government Code 818 bars them against a public entity.
There is no reliable average for a pedestrian settlement. The number depends on the severity and permanence of the injury, the cost of future care, the fault evidence, and the insurance available. Finding that insurance is a large part of what a Los Angeles pedestrian accident lawyer does: a driver with a minimum policy is a very different case from the same driver on the clock for an employer.
Children and Older Pedestrians
Children. Insurers argue that the child ran into the street. California does not measure a child against an adult: a child is held to the care a reasonably careful child of the same age, intelligence, knowledge, and experience would use (CACI No. 402). Three rules matter to parents:
- Deadlines. A child’s two-year deadline against a private party is generally tolled until age 18 under Code of Civil Procedure 352. The six-month government claim is not paused. If a school bus, a city vehicle, or a public crossing was involved, the claim is still due within six months, although late-claim relief may be available for a minor under Government Code 911.4 and 911.6.
- Who brings the case. A minor appears in court through a guardian ad litem, usually a parent (Code of Civil Procedure 372).
- Court approval. A settlement of a minor’s disputed claim is valid only after a superior court approves it (Probate Code 3500).
Older pedestrians. An older adult may need more time to cross a wide boulevard than the signal gives. Under Vehicle Code 21456, a person who started on the walk signal and is partway across when it changes is to continue to the sidewalk or a safety zone. Aggravation of a pre-existing condition is compensable when it is documented.
A person who uses a wheelchair because of a disability is a pedestrian under Vehicle Code 467, and Vehicle Code 21963 gives the right-of-way to a blind pedestrian with a white cane or guide dog.
California Pedestrian Accident Deadlines
Claim | Deadline | Authority |
Personal injury lawsuit | Generally 2 years from the date of injury | Code of Civil Procedure 335.1 |
Wrongful death lawsuit | Generally 2 years from the date of death | Code of Civil Procedure 335.1 |
Claim against a public entity | 6 months from the date of injury, before any lawsuit | Government Code 911.2 |
Hit-and-run uninsured motorist claim | Police report within 24 hours; sworn statement within 30 days | Insurance Code 11580.2 |
Injured minor | Generally tolled until age 18 (does not pause the six-month government claim) | Code of Civil Procedure 352 |
The shortest deadline that applies controls. See our guide to California personal injury time limits.
What to Do After Being Hit by a Car as a Pedestrian
If you are able, or a family member can help:
- Call 911 and wait for an officer. If the driver left, the 24-hour report is a condition of hit-and-run coverage.
- Go to the emergency room the same day. Head and internal injuries often do not show at the scene.
- Get the driver’s name, plate, and insurer, and ask whether the driver was working or driving for an app.
- Photograph the crosswalk, the signals, the vehicle, and your injuries, get witness names, and look for cameras.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the driver’s insurer. You are not required to.
- Check for auto insurance in your household and write down the date. If a bus, a city vehicle, or a broken signal was involved, the six-month clock started that day.
How We Handle Your Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Claim
From our office on San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles, we answer your questions and keep you updated at every stage.
- Free consultation. We tell you whether there is a claim and which deadline comes first.
- Preservation. Letters for video, vehicle data, bus footage, and signal records.
- Fault investigation. The signal phase, the driver’s speed and line of sight, and where you were.
- Insurance review. The driver’s policy, the owner’s, an employer’s, a rideshare policy, and UM coverage in your household.
- Government claim, if needed, presented inside the six-month window.
- Demand and negotiation, once your doctors can project future care.
- Litigation where needed. We file suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court and prepare your case for trial.
Ted H. Ravan, a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, studied political science at UC San Diego and earned his law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he gave more than 100 volunteer hours to the campus free legal clinic. Read more about attorney Ted H. Ravan.
Motor Vehicle and Bus Accident Results
Recovery | Case type |
$3,500,000 | Motor vehicle accident with a county vehicle |
$500,000 | Motor vehicle accident |
$275,000 | Bus accident |
$200,000 | Motor vehicle accident |
In his first year of practice, attorney Ted H. Ravan obtained more than $1 million for his clients. Clients rate our firm 4.9 on Google across 65 reviews. Every settlement depends on the injury, the evidence, the available insurance, and the facts of the claim.
Every result depended on the facts of that case, and results will differ based on different facts. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of your matter.
See also our car accident page and our personal injury practice.
Speak With a Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today
If you or someone in your family was hit by a vehicle while walking in Los Angeles, the first weeks decide what evidence survives. A claim involving a bus, a city vehicle, or a dangerous crossing must be presented within six months under Government Code 911.2, and that clock started on the day you were hit.
Call Ravan Law at (424) 465-2500 for a free consultation with a Los Angeles pedestrian accident attorney. You work with us directly, and we keep you updated at every stage. No fee unless we win.
6310 San Vicente Blvd., Suite 401, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Attorney Advertising. Ted H. Ravan, Esq., Ravan Law, Los Angeles, CA. This content is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts.
Every result depended on the facts of that case, and results will differ based on different facts. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of your matter.
