A pedestrian can have the signal, be clearly visible in a crosswalk, and still be struck by a driver who fails to yield. At busy Simi Valley intersections, motorists often focus on finding a gap in traffic, completing a turn, or making it through a changing light. A pedestrian may be directly in front of them and still go unnoticed until it is too late.
Failure-to-yield accidents can cause devastating injuries because pedestrians have nothing to absorb the impact of a moving vehicle. They can also become surprisingly contentious insurance claims. A driver may insist the pedestrian entered unexpectedly, while an insurer may look for any reason to assign part of the fault to the person who was hit.
An experienced Simi Valley pedestrian accident lawyer can investigate what happened before the impact, determine who had the right of way, and challenge an insurer’s attempt to shift responsibility.
Why Simi Valley Intersections Put Pedestrians at Risk
Intersections require drivers to process several things at once. A motorist may be watching oncoming vehicles, traffic signals, cars entering from side streets, and pedestrians approaching from either direction.
That divided attention becomes particularly dangerous during turns.
A driver making a right turn may look left for approaching traffic while failing to check the crosswalk immediately ahead. A driver waiting to turn left may focus so heavily on finding an opening between oncoming cars that they accelerate through the turn without noticing someone already crossing.
Busy roads such as Los Angeles Avenue, Cochran Street, Madera Road, Tapo Canyon Road, and First Street can bring substantial vehicle and pedestrian traffic together. A moment of inattention at one of these intersections can have serious consequences.
Drivers Have a Duty to Watch for Pedestrians
California drivers are required to exercise reasonable care around pedestrians and yield when the law requires it. A motorist cannot simply focus on other vehicles and assume a crosswalk will be empty.
Drivers should approach intersections at a safe speed, watch both sides of the roadway, and make sure a crosswalk is clear before completing a turn. They also need to account for children, older pedestrians, and people who may require additional time to cross.
A driver who fails to take these precautions may be negligent when a collision occurs.
A pedestrian accident attorney in Simi Valley can examine whether the driver had enough time and visibility to recognize the pedestrian and avoid the crash.
Right-Turn Pedestrian Accidents
Right turns are particularly dangerous because the driver’s attention is often directed away from the pedestrian.
Consider a driver stopped at an intersection who wants to turn right. The motorist looks left, sees an opening in traffic, and begins moving forward while still watching approaching vehicles. Meanwhile, a pedestrian has entered the crosswalk from the driver’s right.
The collision may occur at relatively low speed, but even a slow-moving vehicle can knock someone to the pavement and cause fractures, head injuries, or significant knee and hip trauma.
These accidents frequently raise questions about where the driver was looking and whether they came to a proper stop before turning.
Left Turns Can Be Even More Dangerous
Left-turn accidents often involve greater speed. A driver waiting in the middle of an intersection may accelerate quickly when a gap appears in oncoming traffic. If a pedestrian is crossing the street the driver is turning onto, the motorist may not notice them until the vehicle is already moving through the crosswalk.
The resulting impact can be severe.
Evidence showing traffic signal timing, the pedestrian’s position, vehicle speed, and the driver’s line of sight can become central to establishing liability. A Simi Valley pedestrian accident lawyer can seek video and other evidence that shows what happened rather than relying entirely on conflicting statements from the people involved.
What If the Pedestrian Was Partially at Fault?
Insurance companies sometimes treat any mistake by a pedestrian as a reason to deny the entire claim. California law does not work that way.
California follows pure comparative negligence. When more than one person contributes to an accident, fault can be divided among them.
A pedestrian may have crossed outside a marked crosswalk, entered late in a signal cycle, or otherwise contributed to the circumstances. That does not necessarily excuse a speeding or distracted driver who had an opportunity to avoid the collision.
Instead, the evidence is used to determine each party’s share of responsibility. Compensation may then be reduced according to the injured person’s percentage of fault.
A Simi Valley pedestrian injury lawyer can challenge an insurer that tries to assign an unreasonable amount of blame to the pedestrian simply to reduce what it has to pay.
Evidence That Can Prove a Driver Failed to Yield
Failure-to-yield cases often come down to seconds. Video can therefore be some of the most useful evidence available.
Traffic cameras, dashcams, security systems at nearby businesses, and residential cameras may show when the pedestrian entered the crosswalk and how the vehicle approached. Witnesses may remember whether the pedestrian had the walk signal or whether the driver accelerated through the turn.
Photographs can document crosswalk markings, traffic controls, obstructions, lighting, and visibility. Vehicle damage may also help establish the direction and point of impact.
When distraction is suspected, additional investigation may reveal whether the driver was using a phone around the time of the collision.
Preserving this evidence early matters because surveillance footage can be overwritten and witnesses can become difficult to locate.
Injuries Can Extend Far Beyond the Initial Impact
Pedestrians frequently experience more than one impact during a collision. The vehicle may strike the legs or hips first, throwing the person’s upper body onto the hood or windshield before they fall to the pavement.
That sequence can cause fractures, traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, torn ligaments, internal injuries, and significant soft-tissue damage.
Treatment may continue long after the initial hospital visit. Surgery, physical therapy, rehabilitation, medication, and specialist care can become part of everyday life. Serious injuries may also prevent someone from returning to work or performing the same job they held before the accident.
What Compensation May Be Available?
A pedestrian injured by a negligent driver may be able to pursue compensation for medical expenses, future treatment, lost income, reduced earning capacity, and other financial losses.
Compensation can also address physical pain, emotional distress, disability, scarring, and the loss of activities that were part of the person’s normal life before the collision.
The value of a pedestrian accident claim depends on the individual facts rather than a standard formula. Before accepting a settlement, it is important to understand whether future medical and financial consequences have been considered.
Talk to a Simi Valley Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
A driver who fails to check a crosswalk before turning can cause an injury that affects someone for years. When that happens, the insurance company’s first assessment of the accident should not be the final word on fault or compensation.
Bojat Law Group represents pedestrians injured by negligent drivers in Simi Valley and throughout Southern California. Our team investigates intersection accidents, preserves available evidence, handles insurance communications, and pursues compensation based on the full impact of our clients’ injuries.
If you were struck at an intersection or crosswalk, a Simi Valley pedestrian accident lawyer at Bojat Law Group can review your case and explain your options.
Call (818) 877-4878 for a free, confidential consultation. There are no attorney’s fees unless compensation is recovered for you.
