Do I Need a Lawyer After a Pedestrian Accident in Reseda?
If a car hit you while you were walking in Reseda, the injuries you are dealing with are almost certainly serious. Pedestrian accidents do not produce minor injuries. The human body has no protection against a vehicle moving at even moderate speed. Broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage, and severe soft tissue injuries are the standard outcome.
Do you need a lawyer? If you were injured, yes.
Why Reseda Pedestrian Accidents Require Legal Help
Reseda's main corridors were designed for vehicle throughput, not pedestrian safety. Reseda Blvd carries heavy north-south traffic at speeds between 35 and 45 mph. Sherman Way and Vanowen St cross it with equally heavy east-west traffic. Pedestrians crossing these roads to reach bus stops, businesses, and residential streets face drivers focused on traffic flow, not on the crosswalk.
The intersections at Reseda Blvd and Sherman Way, Reseda Blvd and Vanowen St, and Sherman Way and other cross streets see regular foot traffic from residents walking to shops, schools, and transit stops. Left-turning and right-turning drivers frequently fail to check for pedestrians before completing their turns. This failure is the single most common cause of pedestrian injuries on these corridors.
The resulting claims involve substantial medical costs from Northridge Hospital, extended time away from work, and long-term pain and suffering. The at-fault driver's insurance company will deploy experienced adjusters to minimize the payout.
What the Insurance Company Will Try
Blame you. They will argue you were jaywalking, distracted by your phone, or stepped into the road suddenly. Even when the driver clearly failed to yield, they will try to assign you fault to reduce the payout.
Minimize your injuries. They will request your full medical history and look for pre-existing conditions to blame. They will question your treatment at Northridge Hospital.
Push an early settlement. Before your injuries have fully developed, they will offer a lump sum to close the case. That offer almost never reflects the true value.
An attorney stops all of this. Communication goes through your lawyer. The insurer knows a represented claimant will not accept a lowball number.
What to Do Right Now
Get medical treatment. Go to Northridge Hospital at 18300 Roscoe Blvd. Get a full evaluation. Pedestrian injuries including concussions and internal bleeding can take hours to produce symptoms.
File a police report. LAPD handles pedestrian accidents on Reseda city streets. Get the report number.
Document everything. Photograph the intersection, crosswalk markings, traffic signals, the vehicle, and your injuries. Get witness names.
Do not give a recorded statement to the driver's insurer.
California Crosswalk Law Protects You
Under CVC 21950, drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks. If you were in a crosswalk on Reseda Blvd when hit, the driver violated this law. Even outside a crosswalk, drivers must exercise due care. California's pure comparative fault system allows recovery even if you share some fault.
What Compensation Can You Recover?
Medical expenses from Northridge Hospital, lost wages, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, and property damage. Serious pedestrian cases regularly produce six-figure settlements when properly presented through the Van Nuys Courthouse West.
The Bottom Line
A pedestrian accident in Reseda is not something to handle alone. A Reseda pedestrian accident lawyer can protect your interests from the start.
Pedestrian Rights and Driver Duties in Reseda
California Vehicle Code Section 21950 requires drivers to yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks, whether marked or unmarked. Drivers approaching a crosswalk must exercise due care and reduce speed or stop to allow pedestrians to cross safely. This duty applies at every intersection in Reseda, including along Reseda Blvd, Sherman Way, Vanowen St, and Victory Blvd.
Even outside of crosswalks, drivers have a duty to exercise due care to avoid hitting pedestrians. If a driver was speeding, distracted by a phone, or failed to keep a proper lookout, they can be held liable for hitting a pedestrian regardless of where the pedestrian was crossing.
Pedestrian accident injuries are almost always severe because there is no barrier between the pedestrian and the vehicle. Fractures, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, internal organ injuries, and fatal injuries are common. Treatment at Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills or Northridge Hospital Medical Center is typically just the beginning. Long-term rehabilitation, assistive devices, home modifications, and ongoing medical care can generate costs that extend years into the future.
California's comparative fault rules apply to pedestrian cases. If the pedestrian was crossing against a signal or outside a crosswalk, the driver's insurance company will argue that the pedestrian was partially at fault. Even with partial fault, the pedestrian can still recover damages, just reduced by their percentage of fault. An attorney experienced in pedestrian cases can minimize unfair fault assignments and maximize your recovery through negotiation or litigation at Van Nuys Courthouse West.
Pedestrian Rights and Driver Duties in Reseda
California Vehicle Code Section 21950 requires drivers to yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks, whether marked or unmarked. Drivers approaching a crosswalk must exercise due care and reduce speed or stop to allow pedestrians to cross safely. This duty applies at every intersection in Reseda, including along Reseda Blvd, Sherman Way, Vanowen St, and Victory Blvd.
Even outside of crosswalks, drivers have a duty to exercise due care to avoid hitting pedestrians. If a driver was speeding, distracted by a phone, or failed to keep a proper lookout, they can be held liable for hitting a pedestrian regardless of where the pedestrian was crossing.
Pedestrian accident injuries are almost always severe because there is no barrier between the pedestrian and the vehicle. Fractures, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, internal organ injuries, and fatal injuries are common. Treatment at Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills or Northridge Hospital Medical Center is typically just the beginning. Long-term rehabilitation, assistive devices, home modifications, and ongoing medical care can generate costs that extend years into the future.
California's comparative fault rules apply to pedestrian cases. If the pedestrian was crossing against a signal or outside a crosswalk, the driver's insurance company will argue that the pedestrian was partially at fault. Even with partial fault, the pedestrian can still recover damages, just reduced by their percentage of fault. An attorney experienced in pedestrian cases can minimize unfair fault assignments and maximize your recovery through negotiation or litigation at Van Nuys Courthouse West.
L&F Brown represents pedestrian accident victims throughout Reseda on contingency. Visit our Reseda personal injury page or call us today.
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