Pasadena Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

You were on foot, and a car won. In Pasadena that happens more than it should. California's Office of Traffic Safety ranked the city 5th of 62 comparable cities for pedestrian victims in 2023, and 1st for pedestrians aged 65 and older. If you or someone in your family was hit in a crosswalk on Colorado Boulevard or walking home near Lake Avenue, the insurer's first move is usually to say you should have been more careful. California law does not let them stop there. Drivers owe pedestrians a duty of care, and you can recover even if you share some blame. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. takes pedestrian cases for people hurt in Pasadena. Moe calls you himself, goes after video and witnesses quickly, and keeps you updated by call and text. The review is free, and you pay nothing unless he wins.

What Pasadena's pedestrian numbers mean for you

The state's 2023 rankings, which compare Pasadena with 61 other cities of similar size, put it 7th for total fatal and injury victims with 978. For pedestrians, it ranked 5th with 75 victims, and 1st for pedestrians aged 65 and older, with 19. Those figures count people hurt or killed, and they do not decide fault in any single crash. They still matter to your claim. They show that people on foot get hurt here often, and a careful Pasadena driver has every reason to watch for them. The city has also adopted a goal of zero traffic deaths by 2035, and its road safety plan was funded by a $200,000 federal grant under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. A city that sets that goal has already studied where people get hurt. That study, and the records behind it, can matter when a dangerous street layout is part of what injured you. If you are over 65, insurers sometimes argue your injuries come from age, not the crash. We answer that with medical records, not guesses. A healthy 70-year-old who gets knocked down was hurt by the crash, not by age.

Who had the right of way in a Pasadena crosswalk

A driver must yield to a pedestrian in any marked crosswalk, and in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection (Vehicle Code section 21950(a)). The driver must also use due care and slow down as needed (section 21950(c)). Every corner can be a crosswalk, even without paint. Outside a crosswalk, a pedestrian must yield to cars that pose an immediate hazard, but the driver still must use due care for anyone in the road (section 21954). A law that took effect in 2023 also bars police from stopping you for crossing mid-block between signal-controlled intersections unless a reasonably careful person would see an immediate danger of collision. None of this cancels your own duty of care. Insurers use that duty to argue you were looking at your phone, wearing dark clothing or stepped out too fast. California follows pure comparative negligence, so any share of blame you carry reduces your award and does not erase it. We gather the signal timing, the driver's speed and the sightlines to hold the percentage down. Your clothing, your route and your phone records matter less than people fear, if we get the driver's evidence first.

Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue and the streets where people get hit

The city's safety analysis of 2020 through 2024 found that 13 percent of Pasadena roads account for 80 percent of fatal and serious-injury collisions. Lake Avenue, Washington Boulevard, Orange Grove Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard are on that list, and Sunset Avenue, East Colorado Boulevard and Allen Avenue were named as community-generated corridors among the plan's priority safety projects. The data covers every type of crash, so we do not claim that each of those streets is more dangerous for walkers than for drivers. We do know they are streets where cars, buses and people share space, with Colorado Boulevard running through Old Pasadena. Turning cars are a steady threat at wide intersections, because the driver watches oncoming traffic while you step off the curb. Evening and early-morning light make people on foot harder to see. When we investigate, we measure how far the driver could see, how long the walk signal ran and whether trees, signs or parked cars blocked the view. Those facts settle fault arguments more often than you would expect. We photograph the corner at the same time of day and the same light as your crash.

Walking to the Metro A Line and Pasadena Transit

Many Pasadena pedestrians are riders on their way to or from a stop. Pasadena Transit, which Transdev runs under contract, has 11 lines that each connect with at least one Metro A Line station. The A Line has six Pasadena stations: Fillmore, Del Mar, Memorial Park, Lake, Allen and Sierra Madre Villa. That means a lot of people crossing streets near stations and bus stops, often in a hurry or with children and bags. If a bus hit you, the claim usually runs against the operator and its driver. If the transit operator is a public agency, you must present a written claim within six months. The operator and the contractor can be different entities, so we identify who actually employed the driver and who owned the vehicle. Ask the agency not to overwrite onboard and platform video. We send that request in writing, because transit systems keep footage for a limited time. Do not assume the first agency you call is the right defendant, and do not let a phone call with a claims person replace a written claim.

Claims against the City of Pasadena and other public agencies

Sometimes the problem is the road, not just the driver. A broken signal, a faded crosswalk, a blocked sightline or a missing curb ramp can contribute to a crash. A public entity is liable for a dangerous condition of its property only if you prove the condition was dangerous, it caused your injury, the risk was foreseeable, and the entity either created it or knew about it in time to fix it (Government Code section 835). The deadlines are strict. You must present a written claim within six months of the injury (section 911.2). If the agency rejects the claim in writing, you then have six months to sue (section 945.6). The City of Pasadena handles claims through the City Attorney's Liability and Claims office. We could not verify its filing method, address or phone from the city's website, so confirm those or let us file. An unmarked crosswalk alone is not a dangerous condition, so these claims need real evidence. Photograph the spot before the city repairs it and write down the date, time and exact location. Ask neighbors whether the same problem hurt anyone before you.

Huntington Hospital, the police report and a driver who fled

Pedestrian injuries are severe because there is nothing between you and the car. Broken pelvises and legs, head injuries and spinal damage are common. Huntington Hospital at 100 W. California Boulevard says it has the only Level II trauma center in the San Gabriel Valley and the largest emergency department there. Go in, even if you feel steady, and keep every record. A delay between the crash and your first visit is what adjusters seize on. Pasadena Police takes reports for city-street crashes, and you request a copy through its public records page. The CHP handles freeway crashes. If the driver fled, you have 24 hours to report, and 30 days to file a sworn statement with your own insurer, to keep uninsured motorist coverage alive. Two years is the general deadline to sue a private driver (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). Moe takes pedestrian cases on contingency, so you pay nothing unless he wins. Past results are no promise of a similar outcome. He moves on video quickly and keeps you updated by call and text. Call any hour, and the first review is free.

Talk to a Pasadena 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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