Santa Monica Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

You stepped off the curb on a green or a walk signal, and a car turned into you. Maybe you were crossing Wilshire, walking from the E Line station on Colorado Avenue, or heading home on Ocean Park Boulevard. Now you are in the ER, and the driver's insurer is calling. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. represents injured pedestrians in Santa Monica, and Moe Abdallah, State Bar No. 348886, personally handles each case. The 2023 Office of Traffic Safety rankings counted 62 pedestrian victims in the city and placed it 3rd of 103 similar-size cities, with rank 1 being the worst. Eleven of those victims were age 65 or older, also ranked 3rd. One distracted or hurried driver can change your life in a second. We gather evidence fast, push back on blame, and take no fee unless we win. Your review is free, and the phone is answered 24/7 at (323) 716-1992.

Why Santa Monica ranks so high for pedestrian injuries

Few California cities this size have more pedestrian victims. In 2023 the OTS counted 62 pedestrian victims in Santa Monica, third highest among 103 cities of similar population, and 11 were seniors, also third highest. Those numbers cover the whole city, and they are counts of people hurt or killed, not a measure of how many people walk here. The city's own Wilshire Safety Study reports that half of all fatal and severe crashes in Santa Monica take place on only ten percent of its streets. Santa Monica names Ocean Park Boulevard at Lincoln Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard at 14th Street as Vision Zero priority intersections, and calls Wilshire Boulevard a top priority. The city based those picks on 11 years of collision data, covering 2006 to 2018. If you were hit on one of those corridors, tell us. It does not prove your case alone, but it shows why the location matters and what the city already knew. Other major streets where people cross include Santa Monica Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, Main Street, and Colorado Avenue.

What a driver owes you at a Santa Monica crosswalk

California law favors the person in the crosswalk. Under Vehicle Code section 21950, a driver must yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing in any marked crosswalk, or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, and must use all due care and slow down or take other action to protect the pedestrian. So an unmarked crosswalk at a Santa Monica intersection still counts, painted lines or not. Outside a crosswalk, section 21954(b) still requires a driver to use due care for any pedestrian on the roadway. The rules cut both ways, though. Section 21950(b) says a pedestrian must use due care too, and section 21954(a) says a pedestrian outside a crosswalk must yield to vehicles that are an immediate hazard. Insurers lean on those lines to claim you stepped out suddenly or crossed mid-block. Since January 1, 2023, the Freedom to Walk Act has limited police stops for crossing mid-block between signals unless there is immediate danger, but it does not cancel either side's duty of care. Fault is rarely all or nothing. California follows pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804, so you can still recover if you were partly at fault, though your award is reduced by your share.

Big Blue Bus stops, the E Line, and the last block on foot

Many pedestrian crashes happen at the edges of a transit trip. Big Blue Bus, run by the City of Santa Monica, serves the city, and the LA Metro E Line ends at the Downtown Santa Monica station at 401 Colorado Avenue, so transit riders finish many trips on foot. A driver racing a signal, a right turn that never checks the crosswalk, or a car backing out of a driveway across a sidewalk can hit you on that final block. If a Big Blue Bus hit you, the case changes. The bus belongs to the city, so you must file a claim with Santa Monica within six months under Government Code section 911.2, and the city's claim form has a section for Big Blue Bus claims. Send it to the City Clerk, City of Santa Monica, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Risk Management handles the claim at (310) 458-8374. After a written rejection you have six months to sue under Government Code section 945.6. Tell us right away if a bus or any city vehicle was involved. The deadline is short, and the paperwork has to be right.

When the street design or a signal is part of the problem

Sometimes the driver is only half the story. A signal that gives walkers too little time, a crosswalk hidden by a parked truck, a wide turn that sweeps across a crossing, or a dark stretch with no lighting can make a crash more likely. A public entity is liable for a dangerous condition of its property only if you prove the elements in Government Code section 835: the condition was dangerous, it caused your injury, the risk was foreseeable, and either an employee created it or the entity had notice in time to fix it. An unmarked crosswalk alone is not enough. The city has documented its priority locations and its Wilshire safety work, with Phase 1 construction beginning May 8, 2023, so we ask what the city knew, when it knew it, and what it did. If the six-month claim deadline passed, a written application for leave to present a late claim may still be made within a reasonable time, but no later than one year after the crash, under Government Code section 911.4. Minors are not exempt from the six-month rule on public claims. Do not wait to learn whether it was the driver or the street.

Your first 48 hours: the ER, the police report, and what to say

Get medical care first. UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, with its Nethercutt Emergency Center at 1250 16th Street, and Providence Saint John's Health Center at 2121 Santa Monica Boulevard both have emergency departments. Pedestrians hit by cars often suffer broken legs and pelvises, head and spinal injuries, and fractures that need surgery. Say where it hurts, even if it seems minor. Then turn to the report. Santa Monica Police Department officers write collision reports for crashes in the city. Ask for the report number at the scene. You can request the report through the city's Public Records Request Center, call the Records Unit at (310) 458-8431, or go in person to the Santa Monica Public Safety Facility. The city must respond within 10 days. If the driver left, your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply, but you need to report within 24 hours and file a sworn statement within 30 days. Photograph the crosswalk, signal heads, skid marks, your injuries, and your clothes and shoes. Get names and numbers of witnesses. Never tell the driver's insurer you are fine, and give no recorded statement until you have talked to a lawyer.

How Moe builds a pedestrian claim and what it can cover

A pedestrian claim rests on proof of the driver's duty and your injuries. We pull the police report, request nearby video before it is overwritten, find witnesses, and check signal timing where it matters. We also work out who owes what: the at-fault driver's policy, your own UM or UIM coverage, and any public entity involved. California's minimum auto policy is $30,000 per person for policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025, and a serious pedestrian injury can blow past that fast. In one past case, an insurer offered $900, and Moe recovered $75,000 total through the at-fault limit and an underinsured motorist claim. Past results do not predict a similar outcome, and each case has its own facts. A pedestrian claim can include medical bills, future care, lost income, and pain and suffering. If a loved one was killed, a wrongful death claim may follow. A lawsuit against a private driver generally must be filed within two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Moe takes your calls, keeps you updated by call and text, and charges no fee unless we win. Se Habla Español.

Talk to a Santa Monica 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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