San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

If you were hit by a car while walking in San Francisco, you may have a pedestrian accident claim under California law. Pedestrian accident cases often involve severe injuries, disputed fault, right-of-way issues, insurance coverage questions, and deadlines that can become important very quickly. Early investigation can matter because video footage, witness information, and roadway evidence may not be available for long. We help injured pedestrians in San Francisco investigate what happened, determine who may be legally responsible, and pursue compensation against negligent drivers, companies, or public entities. Call or text 415-727-1832 for a free consultation. No fee unless we recover. Serving San Francisco and California.

Do I Have a Pedestrian Accident Case?

You may have a pedestrian accident case if a driver hit you while you were walking and the crash caused injuries, medical treatment, lost time from work, or other harm. Many injured pedestrians are not sure whether they have a claim because the driver blames them, the insurance company disputes fault, or the collision happened in a confusing location such as an intersection, crosswalk, parking lot, or driveway. In San Francisco pedestrian accident cases, the key question is often whether a driver, company, public entity, or another party failed to use reasonable care under the circumstances. You may have a case if:

• a car failed to yield
• a driver was turning, backing up, speeding, distracted, or ran a red light
• a bicyclist ran you over
• you suffered injuries that required medical treatment
• the insurance company is disputing fault
• the crash involved a bus, rideshare vehicle, delivery vehicle, city vehicle, dangerous crossing, or hit-and-run
• your injuries affected your work, mobility, or daily life

Even if you are not sure who had the right of way, you should not assume you do not have a case. A pedestrian claim may still exist even when the driver denies fault or the facts are disputed. We help injured pedestrians in San Francisco evaluate liability, preserve evidence, and determine whether compensation may be available.

Why Hire Anderson Franco Law for a San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Case?

Clients hire Anderson Franco Law for San Francisco pedestrian accident cases because these claims often require fast investigation, strong liability analysis, and immediate evidence preservation.

Pedestrian accident cases in San Francisco are often heavily disputed. The driver may claim the pedestrian stepped outside the crosswalk, crossed against the light, appeared suddenly, or was partly at fault. Meanwhile, critical evidence can disappear quickly. Surveillance footage may be erased, witnesses may become hard to find, and the roadway conditions at the scene may change. At Anderson Franco Law, we move quickly to investigate how the collision happened, preserve available evidence, identify all potentially responsible parties, and build the case around the real harm the client suffered.

We look beyond the police report and the insurance company’s first version of events. In pedestrian cases, we often search for video from nearby businesses, homes, buses, or other sources, canvass the area to identify witnesses, review scene photographs, and use mapping and location tools to better understand the intersection, crosswalk, signal sequence, lane layout, visibility, and traffic flow. That work can matter a great deal in San Francisco pedestrian injury cases, especially when liability is disputed or the defense tries to shift blame to the injured person.

We focus on serious injury cases in California. That means we look carefully at fault, medical evidence, insurance coverage, and the full effect the injuries have had on the client’s life. Whether the case involves a private driver, rideshare vehicle, commercial vehicle, company, or public entity, our goal is the same: build a strong, fact-driven claim and pursue the maximum recovery available under California law.

Pedestrian Accidents in San Francisco

San Francisco pedestrian accident cases often happen in settings that create more complicated liability and insurance issues than a typical crash. Many collisions occur at dense intersections where drivers are turning quickly, watching traffic instead of pedestrians, or trying to beat a light. Others involve poor crosswalk visibility, blocked sight lines, parking-lot impacts, driveway exits, rideshare pickups and drop-offs, or buses and other public vehicles operating in crowded areas. Insurance companies also frequently argue comparative fault in pedestrian cases, claiming the pedestrian crossed outside a crosswalk, entered the street suddenly, was hard to see, or should have avoided the impact.

Because of these issues, San Francisco pedestrian injury claims often require a close review of the exact location, traffic controls, vehicle movement, visibility conditions, witness accounts, and available video or street evidence. We help injured pedestrians investigate how the collision happened, identify all potentially responsible parties, and evaluate whether a driver, company, or public entity may be legally responsible under California law.

Types of Pedestrian Cases We Handle

Pedestrian accident claims can arise in many different ways, and the facts of the collision often shape how liability, insurance coverage, and damages are analyzed. We help injured pedestrians in San Francisco evaluate a wide range of cases, including collisions involving crosswalks, intersections, parking lots, buses, hit-and-runs, and fatal pedestrian crashes. Some cases involve a negligent driver. Others involve a company vehicle, a dangerous roadway condition, or a public entity. Below are examples of the types of pedestrian accident cases we handle.

Crosswalk Pedestrian Accidents

Many pedestrian injury claims arise when a driver fails to yield at a marked or unmarked crosswalk. These cases often involve disputed signal timing, turning movements, visibility issues, and driver inattention.

Intersection Pedestrian Accidents

Intersection pedestrian accidents are common in San Francisco and often occur when a driver is making a left turn or right turn and fails to see the pedestrian. These cases may involve right-of-way disputes, traffic signal issues, and comparative-fault allegations.

Parking Lot Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrians can be seriously injured in parking lots when a driver is backing up, cutting through lanes, speeding, or failing to watch for foot traffic. Although these crashes may happen at lower speeds, they can still cause significant injury.

Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accidents

Some pedestrian collisions involve drivers who flee the scene. Hit-and-run cases may require investigation into surveillance footage, witness information, uninsured motorist coverage, and other available sources of recovery.

Muni / Bus Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian accidents involving Muni, buses, or other public transit vehicles can raise additional issues, including public-entity claim requirements and shorter deadlines. These cases should be evaluated quickly.

Child Pedestrian Accidents

When a child is struck by a vehicle, the injuries can be severe and the liability issues can be highly fact-specific. These cases often require careful review of visibility, speed, neighborhood conditions, school-area traffic, and driver attention.

Wrongful Death Pedestrian Claims

Some pedestrian crashes result in fatal injuries. In those cases, surviving family members may have a wrongful death claim or related legal claims under California law.

What Compensation May Be Available?

A pedestrian injury claim may include compensation for past and future medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other damages allowed by California law. The value depends on liability, the severity of the injuries, the medical evidence, the course of treatment, future limitations, and the insurance available.

A strong pedestrian case is not just about showing that a crash happened. It is about proving how the crash happened, documenting the injuries thoroughly, and connecting the collision to the treatment, limitations, and losses that followed.

What If the Pedestrian Was Also Partly at Fault?

A pedestrian may still recover compensation even if the driver or insurance company argues the pedestrian was partly at fault. In many cases, the defense claims the pedestrian crossed outside a crosswalk, entered the roadway too quickly, wore dark clothing, crossed against a signal, or otherwise failed to use reasonable care. Those arguments do not automatically bar recovery. They are comparative-fault arguments, and the facts must still be examined carefully.

That matters because California pedestrian cases are rarely as simple as “the driver was 100% at fault” or “the pedestrian caused the crash.” California law places duties on both drivers and pedestrians, and the legal analysis often depends on how the collision happened, where it happened, what each person was doing, and whether the driver still had time and ability to avoid the impact. In other words, partial fault does not necessarily defeat a pedestrian accident claim. It may reduce the value of recovery, but it does not automatically eliminate the case.

What Evidence Helps a Pedestrian Accident Case?

Evidence can be critical in a San Francisco pedestrian accident case because it helps show how the collision happened, who was at fault, and how seriously the pedestrian was injured. Important evidence often includes the traffic-collision report, scene photographs, surveillance video, dashcam footage, bodycam footage, eyewitness statements, 911 recordings, EMS records, emergency-room records, follow-up medical treatment, and physical evidence such as skid marks, debris, vehicle damage, crosswalk markings, signal timing, and intersection design.

We have handled cases where key evidence came from nearby businesses, witnesses, and the surrounding roadway itself. We have obtained video footage from nearby businesses and other sources, canvassed areas to identify witnesses, and used Google Street View and other location imagery to better understand visibility, crosswalk layout, turning movements, driveway access, and how the impact likely occurred. These steps can make a real difference in establishing fault, especially when the driver disputes what happened.

In serious pedestrian injury cases, the exact roadway layout may matter a great deal. The claim may depend on whether the collision happened in a marked crosswalk, an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, a driveway exit, a parking lot, a multi-lane turn, a right-on-red movement, a backing collision, or a commercial loading area. Video from nearby businesses, homes, buses, or other sources may also disappear quickly if it is not preserved, which is one reason pedestrian accident cases should be investigated promptly.

How Long Do You Have to File a Pedestrian Accident Claim in California?

For most California personal injury cases, Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 provides a two-year limitations period for injury to, or death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another.

But if a public entity may be responsible, the claim-presentation rule in Government Code section 911.2 can require action within six months. Missing that deadline can create major problems.

Because pedestrian accident cases can involve both private drivers and public-entity issues, waiting can be costly.

Related Accident Cases We Handle

Some pedestrian accident cases overlap with other types of injury claims depending on how the crash happened. For example, if a pedestrian was hit by a delivery truck, construction vehicle, garbage truck, or other commercial vehicle, the case may involve issues that also arise in a truck accident claim, including company liability, multiple insurance policies, and evidence such as driver logs, vehicle records, or employer communications. If the injured person was working at the time of the collision, the case may also involve a workers’ compensation claim in addition to a third-party personal injury case. In other situations, the facts may overlap with a bicycle accident or motorcycle accident case, especially where visibility, lane position, roadway use, or right-of-way issues are disputed.

These related case types matter because the legal issues, available evidence, and possible sources of compensation may change depending on the vehicles and people involved. Our firm also handles San Francisco truck accident cases, bicycle accident cases, motorcycle accident cases, and workers’ compensation matters. That broader experience helps us evaluate whether a pedestrian injury case is only a pedestrian claim or whether it may also involve a commercial vehicle case, a work-related claim, or another related injury case that should be investigated from the start.

What To Do After a Pedestrian Accident

Get medical care first. Serious pedestrian injuries are sometimes underestimated in the first hours after a collision.

Then, when possible, preserve the case. That usually means getting the police-report number, identifying witnesses, preserving photographs, keeping damaged clothing and shoes, documenting the exact location, and avoiding assumptions about fault before the evidence is reviewed. If the driver fled the scene, uninsured or underinsured motorist issues may also need to be evaluated under available insurance. California’s Department of Insurance explains that uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is for accidents when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough insurance, and that carriers must offer that coverage, although an insured may decline it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pedestrian Accidents

Can I still have a case if I was not in a crosswalk?

Yes, potentially. California Vehicle Code section 21954 says pedestrians outside marked or unmarked crosswalks generally must yield to vehicles that are an immediate hazard, but the same statute also says that drivers still owe a duty of due care for pedestrian safety. Whether a viable case exists depends on the facts, including speed, visibility, roadway design, driver conduct, and whether the pedestrian was actually visible in time to avoid the collision.

What if the driver says I crossed against the light?

That does not automatically end the case. Vehicle Code section 21453 says a pedestrian facing a steady circular red or red-arrow signal generally shall not enter the roadway unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian control signal, but the same statute also says the driver still has a duty to use due care for pedestrian safety in the roadway.

What if the driver ran a red light while I was crossing?

That can be important evidence. Vehicle Code section 21453 requires drivers facing a steady red signal to stop before the crosswalk or intersection, and a driver turning right on red must yield to pedestrians lawfully in the adjacent crosswalk.

What if the collision happened at a San Francisco intersection?

The same California traffic rules still apply, but urban intersections often create added evidentiary issues, including camera footage, signal timing, Muni or other transit involvement, multiple witnesses, and roadway-design questions. If a city or public entity may be involved, the six-month claim-presentation rule may matter.

How long do I have to file suit?

Usually two years for ordinary personal injury cases under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, but potentially six months to present a claim if a public entity may be responsible under Government Code section 911.2.

What if the driver does not have insurance or fled?

Insurance issues still need to be checked. The California Department of Insurance explains that uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is designed for accidents where the at-fault driver has no insurance or insufficient insurance, and that this coverage must be offered with liability coverage unless declined.

Do Pedestrians Always Have the Right of Way in California?

No. Drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks and unmarked crosswalks at intersections, but pedestrians also must use reasonable care and cannot step into immediate danger. Even when a pedestrian is outside a crosswalk, drivers still have a duty to use due care to avoid hitting them.

In most cases, the issue is not a simple yes-or-no question about right of way. The real issue is how the crash happened and whether the driver or insurer is trying to place too much blame on the pedestrian.

Speak With a San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

If you were hit while walking in San Francisco Bay Area, the case may involve more than a simple insurance claim. Crosswalk rules, signal rules, turn rules, speed, visibility, serious injuries, public-entity deadlines, and comparative-fault arguments can all shape the outcome. California law imposes duties on both drivers and pedestrians, but it also preserves the driver’s duty of due care throughout these situations.

Contact Anderson Franco Law to discuss your San Francisco pedestrian accident case.