Pedestrian Hit on Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood: Your Rights
Lankershim Blvd is one of the most dangerous streets for pedestrians in the San Fernando Valley. It is a wide, multi-lane corridor that carries heavy vehicle traffic through the heart of North Hollywood while also serving as a primary pedestrian route for thousands of residents, commuters, and visitors who walk to the NoHo Metro station, the NoHo Arts District theaters and restaurants, and local businesses every day. If you were hit by a car while walking on or crossing Lankershim, you have legal rights and you need to understand what they are before the insurance company tells you a version of the story that leaves money on the table.
Why Lankershim Blvd Is So Dangerous for Pedestrians
The fundamental problem with Lankershim is that it was designed to move cars, not protect people on foot. The boulevard is wide, with multiple travel lanes in each direction, commercial driveways cutting across sidewalks, and intersections where turning vehicles and pedestrians compete for the same space at the same time.
The stretch between Chandler Blvd and Magnolia Blvd runs through the NoHo Arts District, where pedestrian activity is at its highest. People walk between restaurants, theaters, bars like Tiki No and the Federal Bar, coffee shops, and the Metro station. Many of them are walking at night, when visibility is reduced and drivers are less attentive. This section of Lankershim sees a concentration of pedestrian crashes that reflects the mismatch between the volume of foot traffic and the road's car-centric design.
Intersections where pedestrian crashes are particularly common include Lankershim and Magnolia Blvd, where heavy left-turn traffic from both directions creates conflict with pedestrians in the crosswalk. Lankershim and Chandler Blvd, a major crossing point for Metro commuters. And the area near the 170 Freeway on-ramp, where drivers accelerating toward the freeway may fail to yield to pedestrians crossing at adjacent intersections.
Rideshare vehicles compound the problem. Uber and Lyft drivers frequently stop in travel lanes along Lankershim to pick up and drop off passengers near the NoHo Arts District, forcing other drivers to swerve around them. Pedestrians who step off the curb to reach a stopped rideshare vehicle are exposed to traffic in the adjacent lane.
Your Legal Rights After Being Hit
California law provides strong protections for pedestrians. Under Vehicle Code Section 21950, drivers must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in both marked and unmarked crosswalks. An unmarked crosswalk exists at virtually every intersection, even when there are no painted lines on the road. A driver who fails to yield and strikes a pedestrian has violated this law and is presumed negligent.
Even outside of crosswalks, drivers have a duty under Vehicle Code Section 21954 to exercise due care to avoid hitting pedestrians. If a driver was speeding on Lankershim, looking at their phone, or simply not paying attention, they are liable for the injuries they cause regardless of where you were crossing.
Under California's comparative fault system, you can recover compensation even if you bear some responsibility for the accident. If the insurance company argues you were jaywalking and a jury finds you 25% at fault, you still recover 75% of your total damages. The insurance company wants you to believe that any fault on your part eliminates your claim. That is false.
Injuries Common in Lankershim Pedestrian Crashes
Because pedestrians have no protection from the force of a vehicle impact, the injuries from Lankershim crashes tend to be severe. The speed of traffic on the boulevard, typically 35 to 45 mph between intersections, means that impact forces are substantial even when a driver attempts to brake.
Common injuries include broken legs, ankles, and hips from the initial impact. Traumatic brain injuries from striking the vehicle's hood or windshield, or from hitting the pavement after being thrown. Spinal cord injuries that can result in partial or complete paralysis. Internal organ damage from blunt force trauma. Severe lacerations and facial injuries. Psychological trauma including PTSD, anxiety, and fear of walking near traffic.
These injuries require immediate medical attention. If you have not been fully evaluated, go to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. It is the nearest major hospital to Lankershim Blvd and has the emergency and trauma services to handle serious pedestrian injuries. A same-day medical evaluation creates the foundational record linking your injuries to the crash.
Steps to Protect Your Rights
Report the crash to LAPD. If police were not called to the scene, file a report as soon as possible. LAPD handles all crashes on Lankershim Blvd. The traffic collision report documents the facts of the accident and is a key piece of evidence in your case.
Document everything you can. Photograph the intersection, the vehicle, your injuries, crosswalk markings, traffic signals, and any obstructions to visibility like parked cars or overgrown landscaping. If you were too injured to do this at the scene, return as soon as possible or have someone do it for you.
Identify witnesses. Bystanders, other drivers, and people sitting at nearby restaurants or bus stops may have seen the crash. Their testimony can be critical in establishing what happened, especially if the driver disputes your account.
Do not talk to the driver's insurance company. The adjuster will contact you, sometimes within hours. They will sound concerned. They are not. Their job is to document anything you say that can be used to reduce your claim. Tell them you have an attorney or plan to retain one, and do not discuss the accident further.
Contact an attorney immediately. Surveillance camera footage from businesses along Lankershim Blvd is overwritten within days. Traffic signal timing data must be formally requested from the city. Witness contact information becomes harder to obtain with each passing day. An attorney can secure all of this evidence quickly through preservation letters and formal requests.
What Compensation Is Available
As a pedestrian injured on Lankershim Blvd, you are entitled to pursue full compensation for all damages caused by the driver's negligence. This includes every medical bill from your emergency room visit through your final physical therapy session. All lost wages from the time you missed work due to your injuries. Future medical costs if your injuries require ongoing or long-term care. Pain and suffering for the physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life you have experienced. And in cases involving hit-and-run drivers or drivers who were intoxicated or acting with extreme recklessness, punitive damages may be available.
Pedestrian accident cases filed through the Van Nuys Courthouse West have produced substantial recoveries for victims injured on Lankershim Blvd when the evidence is properly gathered and the case is built by an experienced attorney. The severity of pedestrian injuries typically supports case values that are significantly higher than vehicle-on-vehicle collisions.
Take Action Now
If you were hit on Lankershim Blvd, you deserve to know what your case is worth and what your options are. A North Hollywood pedestrian accident lawyer can investigate the crash, identify all responsible parties, and fight for the compensation you are owed.
Our North Hollywood personal injury team knows Lankershim Blvd and the specific risks pedestrians face on this corridor. We handle these cases on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. The consultation is free. Call us today.
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