San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Do I Have a Case?

MJQ Law represents the victims of pedestrian accidents in San Francisco and across the Bay Area.

Our skilled San Francisco pedestrian accident lawyers take action immediately to secure financial compensation from any careless driver who causes a crash.

We fight to earn victims the support they need to make a full recovery and get back on their feet. We also help families who have lost a loved one in a tragic pedestrian collision seek wrongful death support to protect their futures.

Matthew J. Quinlan

Daniel R. Aguilar

Exactly what we do for our car accident clients in a short, animated video:

Pedestrian Accident
Dangers in the Bay Area

San Francisco is a place that encourages people to walk to work, to tour amazing sites, and to visit local shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, it’s also a city of narrow, fast-moving streets and hills that obstruct sight lines for motorists.

Local drivers don’t seem to take this into consideration when they approach busy intersections like San Bruno Avenue and Woolsey Street. Distracted drivers at these intersections can turn in front of those on foot and barely miss them. They can also miss a light turning from green to red and race through a crosswalk, giving defenseless pedestrians little chance of avoiding a devastating collision.

California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) documented 546 pedestrian accidents involving injury in San Francisco in 2020. That number remained steady into 2021 with 554 accidents recorded. The fatalities that resulted from those accidents also showed no signs of decline. In both years, San Francisco saw 15 tragic pedestrian deaths.

Pedestrians can feel completely alone and abandoned after getting hit. They may face enormous hospital bills and find an at-fault driver’s car insurance company less than helpful. That’s why it’s critical to speak with a San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Lawyer. It’s your chance to learn about your rights and options before an insurance adjuster tries to devalue your claim or tell you there’s no basis for a claim at all.

What Should I Do After a San Francisco Pedestrian Accident

When those on foot take a strike from a car or truck, they can suffer serious injuries and also be left at risk of absorbing other impacts and injuries.

That’s why it’s so important for pedestrian victims to move out of harm’s way if they have the strength to do so. They should get to a sidewalk or median if possible.

Once they are secure, victims should call 911 immediately if they can. There are no guarantee others will be calling for help.

In the case of a pedestrian accident caused by a hit-and-run driver, there may be no one else calling 911 unless someone witnessed the accident.

Once help is on the way, San Francisco pedestrians can begin the process of securing evidence on the scene to make sure the fault of the driver isn’t in doubt.

If victims are feeling strong enough, they should try to collect these details:

Do I Have a Case?

Schedule a free consultation to find out!

What are common injuries you see
in pedestrian accidents?

Compensation Available For San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Victims

Your Bay Area pedestrian accident lawyer also works up a complete list of every hardship you’ve faced since your accident. This list is submitted to the insurance company with your injury claim. It’s a critical step because the insurance company won’t be offering compensation for anything that gets left off the list.

Your lawyer totals all of your current damages and any damages you are expected to suffer in the future. Your lawyer will add up your costs and other factors you may not have realized could add to the pedestrian accident injury settlement check you receive:

Can I Earn Pedestrian Accident Compensation If I Was Struck
by a Hit-And-Run Driver?

We’re sorry to learn that you were injured in a bicycle accident, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to hire a San Francisco bicycle accident lawyer. For example, if you suffered only minor injuries (scrapes and/or soft tissue injuries) and it is clear that the other party was at fault, you may be able to handle your accident claim yourself.

That said, for obvious reasons most bicycle collisions involving cars, SUVs, or Trucks result in serious injuries to bicyclists. If that’s the case, victims will benefit from having a great bike accident attorney. Contact us online to set up a free consultation to discuss whether you need a lawyer. If we can’t help you improve your potential settlement amount, we’ll tell you that and help you determine how to best proceed without a lawyer.

If you did suffer something more than a minor injury, you can likely benefit from having a legal representative. Furthermore, insurance companies love blaming the bicyclist in an accident as a way of not compensating you fairly, so you should be on high alert when you aren’t represented by a lawyer.

We also negotiate and reduce your health insurance claims, which nets you more in a bicycle accident settlement check.

Does your law firm specialize in pedestrian accident cases?

$175,000 Settlement

$50,000 Settlement

$145,000 Settlement

What are some common issues
you see with pedestrian accidents?

Right-of-Way

In California, regardless if a crosswalk is marked or unmarked, all intersections of streets wider than 25 feet are considered legal crosswalks, unless there are signs that specifically state that pedestrian crossing is not allowed.  Drivers and bicyclist must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks by stopping behind the crosswalk line (CVC 21950).  Often times, impatient drivers and bicyclist, not wanting to wait for pedestrians to cross, will increase their speed in an effort to beat pedestrians through the crosswalk.  This not only creates a dangerous situation for pedestrians, but also is illegal as drivers are required to reduce the speed of their vehicle while approaching a pedestrian within a crosswalk.

Jaywalking

Jaywalking is often cited as a main factor that leads to pedestrian collision injuries.  It places the fault on the pedestrian as opposed to the driver. Jaywalking refers to any kind of illegal street crossing performed by a pedestrian.  Jaywalking consists of the following types of crossings:

  • Walking against a pedestrian walk signal
  • Walking outside of the designated crosswalk
  • Crossing a street where there is no crosswalk

If you were injured while jaywalking, you should know that this is not the end of your personal injury case.  We have helped many pedestrians who were jaywalking limit their responsibility in accidents by investigating the conduct of the driver i.e., was the driver speeding, when did they first notice the pedestrian, and how long did they have to avoid the accident.  CA law states that even though a pedestrian crosses outside of a crosswalk, a driver still has the duty to exercise due care for the safety of that pedestrian (CVC 21954).

Why do Pedestrian Collisions Happen?

According to WalkSF, speeding is the leading cause of serious injury and death in pedestrian collisions.  They found that 90% of pedestrians are killed when hit by a vehicle traveling 55mph.  At 40 mph, 50% are killed and at 25 mph, 10%. Rounding out the top five causes, include:

  • Running red lights
  • Failure to yield at crosswalks
  • Making unsafe turns
  • Running stop signs

Location and time of day also factor into the likelihood of being involved in a pedestrian accident.  Pedestrians entering into an intersection are most vulnerable to inattentive or intoxicated drivers who don’t see traffic signals or stop signs until it is too late.  Pedestrians traveling during peak commute times, either in the morning or after work, are also at a higher risk of being involved in an accident.

What is the Vision Zero Initiative I have heard about?

On average, about 30 people die and another 200 are severely injured on the streets of San Francisco every year due to traffic accidents.  

Many of these people are pedestrians.  In an effort to reduce and eventually eliminate traffic deaths in San Francisco, the City has adopted Vision Zero, which aims to reduce deaths on San Francisco streets to ZERO by 2024.  

This is an ambitious effort indeed, but it’s a great goal and something everyone must strive for if we are ever to see the goal realized. Here are the latest stats on Vision Zero.

I was hurt as a pedestrian, but I wasn’t hit by a vehicle. Can you help me?

Yes.  

There is a common understanding that when someone is in a “pedestrian accident” they mean that they were hit by a car, but not all pedestrian accidents involve being hit by a car.  Many pedestrian accidents we see involve people on foot that fall into holes, are hit by objects, or slip and fell.  We handle all these types of cases, in addition to more traditional pedestrian vs. car cases.  That said, these other types of pedestrian accidents can be challenging because there is not always an obvious pocket from which to recover, as is the case with auto insurance.  We are experts at finding these pockets of money to recover from in pedestrian accidents and clients are often referred to us by other lawyers due to our reputation for handling these less common types of pedestrian accidents.

Other Frequently Asked Questions After a San Francisco Pedestrian Accident

Yes. San Francisco drivers must watch for pedestrians and slow down for them in all locations, not just crosswalks. Pedestrians struck while crossing outside of a crosswalk can still seek injury compensation.

Yes. Families must file a wrongful death claim over a fatal pedestrian accident. The claim would seek money to pay for a burial and to cover leftover medical bills. The care and financial support the victim could no longer provide would also earn support.

Two years. There is a two-year statute of limitations on filing a pedestrian accident injury claim. Victims shouldn’t wait though. Act quickly while evidence is still fresh and witnesses are still easily located.

Contact a San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Lawyer as Soon as Possible

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a pedestrian collision caused by a negligent driver, don’t trust your recovery to an insurance company. Allow The Law Offices of Matthew J. Quinlan to deal with the most frustrating parts of injury claims and insurance hassles so you can focus on getting better.

Contact our offices for a free case consultation that comes with no obligation to you or your family. Let us work to get the most out of your San Francisco pedestrian accident settlement. We want to ensure you have the money to pay for the best medical care available so that you’re back on your feet as soon as possible.

And if you decide to hire us to maximize the compensation you receive, you won’t have to worry about payment right now. MJQ Law doesn’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then we are paid out of the settlement money you receive.

Did You Know?