Glendale Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Getting hit on foot is different from any other crash. There is no steel around you, and the driver often says you stepped out of nowhere. Glendale's own safety data shows the problem. People on foot were involved in 17 percent of the city's crashes in its Vision Zero study, yet they made up 45 percent of the killed-or-seriously-injured crashes. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. represents pedestrians hurt on Brand Boulevard, Colorado Street, Central Avenue and the side streets around them. Moe handles your case himself, answers calls and texts, and moves on evidence before video is erased. The consultation is free, you owe no fee unless we win, and we speak Spanish. Call any hour, because the claim clock starts the day you were hit. Your first call costs nothing.

Glendale's pedestrian numbers, and why seniors and kids stand out

California's Office of Traffic Safety counted 77 pedestrians killed or injured in Glendale in 2022. That ranked the city 13th of 61 cities in its population group, where first is worst. The age breakdown is sharper. Twenty-two of those victims were 65 or older, which ranked Glendale 4th of 61, and 8 were under 15, which ranked 11th. Glendale's Vision Zero analysis of 2012 to 2021 data counted 5,125 crashes, 37 of them fatal and 192 with serious injuries. Thirteen percent of the city's streets carried 71 percent of the crashes, and the city's own presentation points to Brand Boulevard, Colorado Street, Central Avenue and the areas near freeway ramps. Almost all nine sites the city picked for safety fixes are downtown or in southern Glendale. These are not abstract rankings. They describe an older walker moving slowly through a long crossing and a school-age child stepping off a curb between parked cars. If you or a family member was hit, those numbers help show a pattern the city already knows about. Whatever your age, the point is the same. Glendale has a documented history of crashes involving people on foot, and that record lets us answer an insurer who calls yours an unforeseeable accident.

What drivers owe you in a crosswalk, marked or not

Vehicle Code section 21950 says a driver must yield to a pedestrian crossing in any marked crosswalk, or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. A driver approaching a pedestrian in a crosswalk must use all due care and slow down or take other action to keep that person safe. Even outside a crosswalk, section 21954(b) says a driver must still use due care for any pedestrian on the roadway. Walkers have duties too. Section 21950(b) requires you to use due care for your own safety, and insurers lean on that line. They claim you crossed mid-block, wore dark clothes or looked at your phone. California's Freedom to Walk Act, which took effect in 2023, bars police from stopping a pedestrian for crossing mid-block between signals unless a careful person would see an immediate danger of collision, and it keeps both the driver's and the pedestrian's duty of care in place. California's pure comparative negligence rule, from Li v. Yellow Cab Co., means that even if you share some blame, you can still recover. We argue the driver's duty first, then shrink any fault the adjuster tries to hand you.

Bus stops, Beeline riders and the walk to and from transit

Many Glendale pedestrians are bus riders. The city runs Beeline buses and Glendale Dial-A-Ride, which offers curb-to-curb service for residents 65 and older and disabled residents. The Larry Zarian Transportation Center at 400 W. Cerritos Avenue brings Amtrak, Metrolink, Greyhound, LA Metro and Beeline together, so people on foot funnel through the surrounding streets every day. Each trip starts or ends with a walk across traffic. If a Beeline bus hits you, or you are hurt stepping off one, the bus belongs to a public entity. That changes the deadlines. You must present a written claim to the City of Glendale within six months of the injury, using the Claim for Damages form from the City Clerk. Dial-A-Ride riders and caregivers need to know this, because a missed six-month window can end a claim before it begins. A seven-year-old crossing to a bus stop does not get the usual extra time minors get, because that tolling rule does not apply to public-entity claims. Call early and we handle the paperwork. If you use a walker or wheelchair, tell us, because that shapes how a jury sees visibility.

When Glendale's own street design is part of the problem

Sometimes the driver is not the only cause. A broken signal, a hidden crosswalk, a blocked sightline or a poorly lit crossing can combine with a careless driver. Under Government Code section 835, a public entity is liable for a dangerous condition only if we prove the condition existed, it caused your injury, the risk was foreseeable, and either an employee created it or the city had notice in time to fix it. That is harder than a regular driver claim, so evidence of complaints, past crashes and city work orders matters. Glendale's Vision Zero plan helps here. It names nine stretches picked for safety improvements, including San Fernando Road in three segments, Glendale Avenue in two segments, Louise Street from Broadway to Colorado Street, Brand Boulevard between Harvard Street and Elk Avenue, and Los Feliz Boulevard between San Fernando Road and Glendale Avenue. A crash on one of those blocks is worth a closer look for a city claim, though the city choosing a street for safety work does not by itself prove the street was dangerous. The claim goes to the City Clerk at City Hall, 613 E. Broadway. After a written rejection you have only six months to sue under Government Code section 945.6.

The first 48 hours: ER care, the police report and a fleeing driver

Get checked even if you can walk away. Adventist Health Glendale Medical Center on Wilson Terrace and Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center on South Central Avenue both have emergency rooms. The LA County EMS Agency lists them as umbrella facilities and not designated trauma centers, so the most serious injuries may be taken to a trauma center elsewhere. Pedestrians commonly suffer broken legs and pelvises, head injuries and spinal damage, and these need follow-up care that insurers will review line by line. Ask the Glendale Police Department for your report number. The Records Bureau is at 131 N. Isabel Street, phone 818-548-3135. Reports in hit-and-run and fatal cases may be delayed. If the driver left, you have 24 hours to report the crash to police to keep your uninsured motorist claim alive, and 30 days after that to send your insurer a sworn statement. Photograph the crosswalk, signal and any skid marks. Take names of witnesses. If a nearby business has a camera, ask it to save the footage tonight. Video on busy streets like Brand Boulevard can be overwritten in days.

How Moe builds a pedestrian claim and what it can cover

A pedestrian case rests on three things: the driver's failure to yield, proof of what happened, and the full value of your injuries. Moe reconstructs the crossing: signal timing, lighting, sightlines and the driver's speed. He collects medical records and bills, documents your time off work and talks to your doctors about future care. He also looks at every insurance policy that might apply, including the driver's, your own med-pay and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. California's minimum liability limits are only $30,000 per person, which often falls short for a hurt pedestrian. In one past result, the at-fault insurer offered $900. Moe reached $75,000 total once the at-fault limit was paid and an underinsured claim was added. Past results do not predict a similar outcome. The deadline for a lawsuit against a private driver is generally two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Calls are free and answered 24/7, and you pay no fee unless we win. We also keep you posted at every step so you never have to chase a status update. Bring any bills you already have. Moe reviews them with you.

Talk to a Glendale 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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