Van Nuys Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Van Nuys is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, but it moves like a small city. Sepulveda Boulevard, Van Nuys Boulevard, Victory Boulevard, and Sherman Way carry heavy traffic past bus stops, shops, and the G Line busway stations. If a driver hit you while you were walking here, you are likely hurt, behind on bills, and hearing from an adjuster who sounds friendly. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. represents people hit on foot in Van Nuys, Panorama City, Valley Glen, and Lake Balboa. Attorney Moe Abdallah answers calls himself at any hour, and the first conversation costs nothing. You pay no fee unless he wins. This page covers what drivers owe you at a Van Nuys crosswalk, how insurers try to shift blame onto the walker, which agencies hold your records, how to get the LAPD report, and the short deadlines that apply when a city signal or road is part of the problem.

Sepulveda and Sherman Way: when a marked crosswalk still fails you

On the night of Monday, May 4, 2026, a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run in a marked crosswalk near Sherman Way and Sepulveda Boulevard. CBS Los Angeles reported that the driver was arrested in North Hollywood and booked for murder after LAPD said he was driving at an unsafe speed and under the influence. ABC7 also covered the crash at that busy intersection. We cite it because it proves a point every Van Nuys walker should know: paint on the pavement does not stop a car. California law says a driver must yield to anyone crossing in a marked crosswalk, or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, and must slow down or take other action to keep that person safe (Vehicle Code 21950). A driver who speeds through a crosswalk, turns on a green without looking, or never sees you because of a phone has broken that duty. We have no neighborhood crash counts for Van Nuys, so we will not label any street a hotspot. We can say that Sepulveda, Van Nuys Boulevard, Victory, Oxnard Street, Vanowen Street, and Roscoe Boulevard are all wide arterials that people cross on foot every day. Where you were hit decides which cameras, businesses, and city signals matter, so tell us the exact corner first.

Walking to the G Line, the train, and the bus

Van Nuys has two LA Metro G Line busway stations, at Van Nuys and at Sepulveda. It also has the Van Nuys station for Metrolink's Ventura County Line and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight, plus Metro Local and Rapid bus routes and the LAX FlyAway terminal at Woodley and Saticoy. Every one of those stops sends people across streets on foot, often in the dark, often carrying bags, and often in a hurry to catch a connection. Drivers turning into a lot or across a bike lane may look left for cars and never see a person stepping off a curb. Commuters also get hit while walking from a bus stop to a home on a side street where the sidewalk ends or the lights are dim. If you were hurt on the way to or from transit, tell us which stop and what time. A Metro bus or a city vehicle counts as a public entity, and the filing window for a claim against one is short. A private driver, a delivery van, or a rideshare car may also share the blame. Write down the route you walk, take photos of the crossing in daylight, and keep your transit card or phone trip history. It proves where you were headed and when.

Crossing mid-block and the blame insurers put on you

People in Van Nuys cross between corners all the time to reach a bus on Van Nuys Boulevard or a store on Sherman Way. Adjusters know that, and their first question is whether you were in a crosswalk. California is a pure comparative negligence state. Under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804, you can still recover when you share fault, and your award is reduced by your percentage of blame. Even outside a crosswalk, the driver must use due care for any pedestrian on the roadway (Vehicle Code 21954). Since January 1, 2023, the Freedom to Walk Act has barred police from stopping a pedestrian for crossing mid-block between signal-controlled intersections, or for failing to yield outside a crosswalk, unless a reasonably careful person would see an immediate danger of collision. Both sides still owe a duty of care. Expect the insurer to say you were looking at your phone, wearing dark clothes, or darting out. Our answer is evidence. Nearby video, skid marks, the driver's speed, and the lighting at that spot tell the real story. Do not give a recorded statement, and do not guess about distances or speeds. Send the adjuster to us instead.

When a city signal, a sightline, or a bad crossing helped cause it

Sometimes the driver is not the only problem. A walk signal that gives too little time, a signal that fails, a parked truck or overgrown planting that hides a crossing, or a crosswalk with no lighting can all play a part. Van Nuys is part of the City of Los Angeles, so a claim over a city street or signal there goes to the City. The City can be liable for a dangerous condition of public property if you can prove the elements in Government Code 835. You must show a dangerous condition, a foreseeable risk of this kind of injury, and either that a city employee created the condition or that the city knew about it, or should have, in time to fix it. The clock is short. You must present a written claim to the City within six months of the injury (Government Code 911.2). Claims go to the City Clerk on the official Claim for Damages form, online at claims.lacity.org, in person, or by mail to City Clerk, 200 North Spring Street, Room 395, Los Angeles, CA 90012. If the City rejects the claim in writing, you then have six months from that notice to file suit (Government Code 945.6). If you miss the first deadline, a late-claim application may still be possible within one year, but do not count on it. Call us early.

After the hit: Valley Presbyterian, the LAPD report, and a driver who left

Get care first. Valley Presbyterian Hospital at 15107 Vanowen Street in Van Nuys has an emergency room, and paramedics may also take you elsewhere. Tell every provider you were hit as a pedestrian and describe every ache, since fractures, concussions, and spine injuries can show up late. LAPD's Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6240 Sylmar Avenue covers the area, and LAPD's Valley Traffic Division at 7870 Nollan Place in Panorama City serves the Van Nuys station area. LAPD asks you to wait at least 45 days after a crash before requesting the report online. Reports involving an arrest, a fatality, or a juvenile must be requested by mail. LAPD releases reports to victims, their representatives, and others allowed under Vehicle Code 20012. If the driver fled, the law required them to stop, share their information, and help you (Vehicle Code 20001, 20003). Report the crash to police right away. To use your own uninsured motorist coverage for a hit-and-run, the crash must involve physical contact, be reported to the police within 24 hours, and you must file a sworn statement with your insurer within 30 days (Insurance Code 11580.2). Missing those steps can cost you coverage. Keep your shoes, clothes, and phone as they were.

How Moe handles a Van Nuys pedestrian case

Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. handles motor-vehicle injury cases only, and pedestrian crashes are a regular part of that work. When you call, Attorney Moe Abdallah answers and talks with you about what happened. His office is at 527 W 7th St, Suite 924, Los Angeles, and he is available 24 hours a day. We send preservation letters, look for private video from stores and apartment buildings along the block, ask whether the City has signal or camera records, and pull the LAPD report once it is released. We take on the adjuster so you don't have to. Moe keeps you updated by call and text, and the office offers Se Habla Español. Past results are no promise of a similar outcome, but they show the approach. Moe recovered $75,000 total after an at-fault insurer offered $900, and a $100,000 policy-limit uninsured motorist recovery for a woman rear-ended by a driver who fled, after other firms turned her down. A pedestrian claim can include medical bills, future treatment, lost income, and pain and suffering. There is no fee unless we win, so a free review costs you nothing.

Talk to a Van Nuys 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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