Encino Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

You step off the curb on Ventura Boulevard, cross a parking lot driveway, or walk home from a bus stop on Balboa Boulevard, and a car hits you. No steel protects a pedestrian. Broken bones, head injuries and months of recovery follow, and then the other side's insurer calls. It will ask for a recorded statement, hint that you were looking at your phone, and offer a number that does not come close. A pedestrian accident lawyer takes that call off your plate. Attorney Moe Abdallah handles motor vehicle injury cases only, including crashes that hit people on foot. He gathers video, works with LAPD, and builds the claim around your real losses. Call (323) 716-1992 any hour. The review is free, and you pay no fee unless he wins. This page explains how the law treats walkers in Encino, who may share the blame, and which deadlines to watch.

Walking Ventura Boulevard, Encino's main commercial street

Ventura Boulevard is the commercial spine of Encino. People walk it to reach restaurants, offices, banks and shops, and they cross it at signals, at intersections and sometimes mid-block when the next light is far away. Cross streets such as Balboa Boulevard, White Oak Avenue, Louise Avenue, Hayvenhurst Avenue and Densmore Avenue add intersections where turning cars meet walkers. Sepulveda Boulevard, Burbank Boulevard and Victory Boulevard carry more traffic through the area. We do not have a verified pedestrian crash count for Encino streets, and we will not call any block a hot spot without one. The City of Los Angeles publishes its Vision Zero data and High Injury Network, and we check those maps when a crash happens on a mapped street. FOX 11 did report that a two-vehicle crash at Ventura Boulevard and Densmore Avenue on Sept. 12, 2026 killed one woman and injured six others. That crash did not involve a pedestrian. We mention it only as a reminder that serious crashes happen at ordinary Encino intersections. What matters for your claim is the specific spot where you were hit. Which signal phase was on, where the crosswalk lines were, and what a driver could see all decide fault. We document the corner with photos and ask nearby shops for video before it is erased.

Right of way: Vehicle Code 21950, 21954 and the Freedom to Walk Act

A driver must yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing in any marked crosswalk, or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. A driver approaching a walker in a crosswalk must use all due care and slow down or take other action to keep the walker safe (Vehicle Code section 21950). That rule covers a corner on Ventura Boulevard with no painted lines, because an intersection can have an unmarked crosswalk even with no paint. What if you were outside a crosswalk? A pedestrian crossing elsewhere must yield to vehicles that pose an immediate hazard. But that does not excuse the driver. Every driver still owes due care to any pedestrian on the roadway (Vehicle Code section 21954). Since 2023, California's Freedom to Walk law also limits police stops for crossing mid-block or for failing to yield outside a crosswalk, unless a reasonable person would see an immediate danger. It keeps both the walker's and the driver's duty of care in place. Walkers also owe care for their own safety, and insurers lean on that. They say you were jaywalking, you wore dark clothes, or you were on your phone. Under California's pure comparative negligence rule, those claims reduce your award instead of ending it (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). Moe fights the percentages with video, scene photos and witnesses.

Driveways, parking lots and turning cars along the boulevard

Some pedestrian crashes on a commercial strip like Ventura Boulevard begin with a car that is moving slowly and a driver who is looking somewhere else. Think of a car pulling out of a shopping center onto Ventura Boulevard, a driver turning right on red while watching traffic from the left, or a car backing out of a space. Walkers get struck at low speed and still suffer broken legs, pelvic fractures and head injuries. These cases often turn on what the driver could see. A parked delivery truck, a tall hedge or a row of cars may have blocked the view. If so, the driver should have crept forward and looked, and a property owner or business may share the blame. We look at whether a lot's design, signage or lighting contributed. Turning drivers must use due care too. Insurers know these cases are strong for the walker, so they hunt for any fault. They ask whether you were looking at your phone and whether you hesitated mid-crossing. Preserve your clothing, shoes and phone. Do not delete messages or photos. Tell your doctor about every ache, including ones that seem small, because soft tissue injuries and concussions can show up later.

The walk to and from the Metro Line 150 bus stop

Many people on foot in Encino are on their way to or from a bus. LA Metro Line 150 runs along Ventura Boulevard, and some trips continue as Line 240 to Universal/Studio City Station. A rider who crosses to reach a stop is a pedestrian in the eyes of the law the moment they step into the street. Crashes near stops involve cars passing a stopped bus, drivers turning into the stop area, and walkers who cross in front of or behind a bus where drivers cannot see them. If you were hit while walking to a bus, tell us the stop, the direction of travel and the time. If a bus or stop had a camera, that footage can show the crash from a new angle. Metro runs its own claims process for crashes with its vehicles, and we can sort out which process applies. If a bus driver hit you, other rules apply. Public transit operators are common carriers, and that status raises the duty of care owed to passengers. A pedestrian is not a passenger, but the driver still owes due care to everyone on the road. We send preservation requests for video and driver records promptly, because footage is not kept forever. Walkers who use rideshare or taxi drop-offs get hit near curbs too. If an app-based driver was involved, a company policy may apply.

Head, leg and pelvic injuries, and where you get care

Walkers hit by cars suffer injuries that show up on every scan. Common ones include broken legs and ankles, pelvic and hip fractures, spinal injuries, shoulder damage and traumatic brain injuries from striking the pavement. Even a low-speed impact can leave a concussion, and symptoms like headaches, memory gaps and trouble sleeping can take days to appear. If paramedics take you, they pick the hospital based on your condition. Encino Hospital Medical Center, at 16237 Ventura Blvd., has an emergency room, and Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center and Northridge Hospital Medical Center are nearby. This page does not state trauma levels for those two, so ask the care team which facility fits your injuries. Whatever the hospital, give a full account of how you were hurt so the chart ties each injury to the crash. Follow every referral. Orthopedic care, physical therapy and neurology visits build the record that proves your damages. Keep bills, pharmacy receipts, mileage and a short daily note on pain and what you cannot do. Moe counts more than hospital bills. He adds future care, lost income, and the way the injury changes your daily life. Past results do not predict a similar outcome, but he has recovered $105,000 for a client with a broken sternum, covering hospital bills and future treatment.

LAPD reports, City claims and who else may share the blame

LAPD takes pedestrian crash reports in Encino. Call the West Valley Community Police Station at 818-374-7611, and request your Traffic Collision Report online through LAPD, allowing at least 45 days. If the report involves an arrest, a fatality or a juvenile, request it by mail with a $19.00 check or money order payable to LAPD, sent to the Document Processing Unit, P.O. Box 30158. If the driver fled, report within 24 hours so your own uninsured motorist coverage can respond. You generally have two years to sue a private driver (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). If a public entity may share the blame, such as a City vehicle or a dangerous condition on City property, you must present a written claim within six months (Government Code section 911.2). For the City of Los Angeles, that means the City Clerk, using claims.lacity.org or mail to 200 North Spring Street, Room 395. After a written rejection, you have six months to sue (section 945.6). A dangerous-condition claim must meet the elements of Government Code section 835. Under LA Superior Court Local Rule 2.3 (2022 text), unlimited civil injury cases are filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, or the Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster, not at the closer Van Nuys courthouse. The court's filing locator confirms the right one for your case. Moe's office is downtown at 527 W 7th St, Ste 924. He handles your case personally, is available 24/7, and charges no fee unless he wins.

Talk to a Encino pedestrian accident lawyer

Call (323) 716-1992 for a free, no-obligation case review. You pay nothing unless we win, and we'll handle the insurance companies for you. Learn more about our pedestrian accidents representation →

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