Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Most Los Angeles pedestrian crashes happen on six-lane arterials built for speed: Figueroa Street, Western Avenue, Vermont Avenue and Sunset Boulevard, plus the on- and off-ramps of the I-10, I-110 and US-101 where drivers are still moving at freeway speed. Long blocks without a signal push people to cross mid-block; left-turning drivers look for cars, not for the person already in the crosswalk; and at night, poor lighting on South LA streets makes a person in dark clothing invisible until it is too late.

The California Office of Traffic Safety counted 1,432 pedestrians killed or injured in Los Angeles in 2023 — 186 of them 65 or older, 86 of them children — out of 8,116 total crash victims, with 2,549 injury hit-and-run crashes; 1,508 victims were in alcohol-involved crashes and 1,104 crashes were speed-related (OTS Crash Rankings, 2023 data).

Hit-and-run is the defining feature of Los Angeles pedestrian cases. Several of the crashes below involved drivers who fled. When the driver is never found, the victim’s own uninsured-motorist coverage — or a household member’s — is often the only source of recovery, and the claim must be reported to police within 24 hours to qualify.

• Teen killed and her sister critically hurt in a hit-and-run on 60th Street in Hyde Park
• One person killed and four injured in a parking-lot crash on Fairfax Avenue near The Grove
• Pedestrian killed by a Metro A Line train on Marmion Way in Highland Park
• Pedestrian killed by a hit-and-run driver at San Pedro Street and 20th Street
• Man in a wheelchair killed in a hit-and-run at Vermont Avenue and 83rd Street

All Los Angeles accident news · Law Blog · Hit while crossing the street in Los Angeles: who pays?

Serious injuries from Los Angeles crashes go to the county’s trauma centers: Los Angeles General Medical Center (formerly LAC+USC) in Boyle Heights, Cedars-Sinai in Beverly Grove, Ronald Reagan UCLA in Westwood, Harbor-UCLA near Torrance and Northridge Hospital in the Valley. Which hospital you were taken to tells us which records to request first.

If a claim has to be filed, it goes to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Central District cases are heard at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill Street, Downtown; a crash in the Valley, the South Bay, the Pomona Valley, Compton or the Westside can be assigned to the Van Nuys, Torrance, Pomona, Compton or Santa Monica courthouse instead. More on where Los Angeles cases get filed

Veh. Code § 21950 requires a driver to yield to a pedestrian crossing in any marked crosswalk or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, to slow down and to “exercise all due care” for the pedestrian’s safety. Every intersection has an unmarked crosswalk by law, even with no paint. The section also says the pedestrian must not suddenly leave the curb into the path of a car — which is what insurers argue in almost every case. The physical evidence usually answers it.

Under Veh. Code § 21954 a pedestrian crossing outside a crosswalk must yield to vehicles — but the same section says the driver still must exercise due care for a pedestrian in the roadway. Crossing mid-block does not end your claim; under pure comparative negligence (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975)) it may reduce it by a percentage, and a speeding or distracted driver carries most of the fault.

Civil Code § 1714 is the general duty of care every driver owes. When the dangerous condition was the City’s — a crosswalk with a burned-out signal, a missing crosswalk on a known high-injury corridor, a bus stop with no safe crossing, a Metro train or bus — a government claim must be presented within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2). Otherwise the deadline is two years (CCP § 335.1).

A driver who hits a person and leaves commits a felony under Veh. Code § 20001. For the victim, the civil remedy is usually uninsured-motorist coverage (Ins. Code § 11580.2) — on your own car insurance even though you were walking, or on a policy of a relative you live with. Report the crash to LAPD within 24 hours; we then subpoena nearby business cameras, Metro bus video and city traffic cameras to identify the car.

A driver going faster than is safe for conditions violates the basic speed law (Veh. Code § 22350) even under the posted limit; handheld phone use violates § 23123.5; DUI violates § 23152 and opens the door to punitive damages (Taylor v. Superior Court (1979)). Since January 1, 2025 the minimum policy is $30,000 per person (SB 1107) — rarely enough for a pedestrian injury, which is why we look for every applicable policy.

The first offer usually arrives before anyone knows how badly you are hurt, and accepting it closes the claim for good. Our team includes former insurance adjusters who know how carriers value pedestrian accident claims and what they leave out. We handle every call with the insurance company so you never have to.

In pedestrian cases we move fast on video: business cameras overwrite in days, and Metro bus footage is only held for a short time. Finding the car in a hit-and-run is often the whole case.

• Order the police report and your 911 and dispatch records.
• Send preservation letters for video, data and documents before they are erased.
• Help you get your vehicle repaired or valued, and a rental where coverage allows.
• Refer you to doctors and specialists who treat on a lien, so care does not wait for a settlement.
• In some cases, help arrange pre-settlement funding so bills do not force a bad decision.
• Open the claim with every insurer that may owe coverage, including your own UM/UIM policy.

Most Los Angeles pedestrian accident claims resolve by settlement once treatment is finished and a complete demand goes out. A straightforward claim can resolve in a few months. If the insurer will not pay what the case is worth, we file in Los Angeles County Superior Court; litigated cases commonly take one to two years, and the great majority still settle before trial.

Deadlines run from the day of the crash: two years for injury (CCP § 335.1) and only six months to present a government claim if a City of Los Angeles, Metro, County or Caltrans vehicle or road defect is involved (Gov. Code § 911.2).

No attorney fee unless we win. Whether case costs are deducted from a recovery is explained in your written fee agreement. Everything is explained in writing before we start.

Results shown on our About page include a $2,500,000 settlement after an initial offer of $100,000, and Lyft and Uber accident settlements after initial offers of $60,000 and $30,000. Results vary. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Beverly Law was founded in 2008 and has 4.8 stars from 600+ Google reviews. Cases are reviewed by Michael Shemtoub, Esq. (California State Bar #253948, admitted 2007), a former corporate attorney who also worked for a federal judge, named a Super Lawyers Rising Star 2015–2017 and rated 10.0 “Superb” by Avvo.

Pedestrian injuries are usually serious, so these cases often exceed the driver’s policy limit. The value depends on the injuries and recovery, medical bills and future care, lost income, how clear the driver’s fault is and how much insurance exists on every policy — the driver’s, your own UM/UIM and sometimes a household member’s. We give you an honest range once we have the report and the medical records.

Yes. Crossing mid-block may give you a percentage of fault under comparative negligence, but the driver still had to exercise due care (Veh. Code § 21954), and a driver who was speeding, distracted or drunk carries most of the fault. Many of our pedestrian clients were outside a marked crosswalk.

Usually not. Most pedestrian accident claims in Los Angeles settle with the insurance company before a lawsuit is filed, and most filed cases settle before trial. If a lawsuit is needed, it is filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court (the Stanley Mosk Courthouse for the Central District) and we handle every hearing. You would only testify if the case went to a deposition or trial, and we prepare you for both.

Yes. California follows pure comparative negligence (Li v. Yellow Cab Co., 1975). Your recovery is reduced by your share of fault, but it is never cut off — even a person found 60% at fault recovers 40% of their damages. Insurers routinely overstate the victim’s share, which is one reason not to give a recorded statement.

A claim with clear fault and finished treatment can settle in three to six months. Cases with serious injuries, disputed fault or several insurers take longer, and a case that is filed in court commonly takes one to two years. We do not rush a settlement before your doctors know whether you will need future care.

Yes. Beverly Law’s intake team, case managers and attorneys work in Spanish and English every day. Your calls, texts, WhatsApp messages and documents can all be in Spanish, and this page has a Spanish version (the ES button at the top).

Beverly Law is at 4929 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 960, Los Angeles, CA 90010, in Mid-Wilshire. You can come in by appointment, or we can handle everything by phone, video and WhatsApp — many clients never need to visit. Call 1 (877) 427-2752 any time.