Pedestrian Safety Information in San Francisco
The chance that a pedestrian on a San Francisco street will be killed by a car is statistically predicted to be 1 in 43,000, according to a study conducted by Vision Zero, an outreach program whose goal is to eliminate traffic deaths. In total, approximately 800 San Francisco pedestrians are injured or killed by cars yearly while 50 percent of people killed in traffic incidents in our city are pedestrians.
It may have seemed unlikely that you would be hit by a car or other vehicle, but as you or a loved one may have experienced, being injured because of a driver’s recklessness or negligence can happen randomly and unexpectedly.
Callaway & Wolf are pedestrian accident attorneys in San Francisco who’ve been representing people in the Bay Area for over 25 years. In this time, we’ve recovered millions of dollars for hundreds of personal injury claims against insurance companies, private businesses and the City & County of San Francisco for accidents that have caused injuries for pedestrians. If you or a family member has been injured as a pedestrian in San Francisco, contact Callaway & Wolf today at 415-541-0300 to schedule a free consultation.
Causation of Pedestrian Accidents & Injuries
While San Francisco pedestrian deaths were lower in 2017 than in 2016, any unnecessary death is unacceptable as are pedestrian injuries because of driver’s speeding, running stop signs and lights, distracted driving, texting and cell phone use, and other careless, reckless vehicle operation. According to recent Vision Zero reports, historically the majority of fatal collisions in San Francisco involve pedestrians.
According to Tom Maguire, director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (MTA) Sustainable Streets program, the primary cause of pedestrian fatalities and injuries on the city’s streets is speeding.
In response to these injuries and fatalities primarily caused by traffic violations, city police have amped up “speed enforcement operations” in high traffic collision areas and have increased public outreach education to promote safe driving and encourage pedestrians to be cautious and alert when crossing a street.
While the MTA has been working to improve San Francisco traffic safety by installing additional speed bumps, re-calibrating traffic signal timing, increasing visibility at crosswalks and other measures intended to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities, accidents inevitably still happen. Shockingly, 75 percent of serious pedestrian injuries occur on only 13 percent of the city’s streets, known collectively by law enforcement and city officials as the “High Injury Network.”
While it may seem that the driver who hit you is solely responsible for your injuries, it is also possible that the MTA shares culpability for not designing and maintaining optimally safe streets, including lighting, signage and crosswalk conditions. Even the police may have some responsibility for your injuries if they have neglected to adequately enforce traffic laws.
Regardless of what negligent, reckless, or illegal actions (such as DUI) or conditions cause pedestrian injuries, those responsible should be held accountable.
If you’ve been seriously injured or had a loved one killed crossing a street or walking on one of our urban sidewalks, the pain and disability is not only be physical, but also psychological and financial.
Because of your injuries, you may have accumulated medical, rehabilitation, and prescription medication expenses and lost income because you couldn’t work. The bills may be mounting, causing stress about how you’re going to pay them. Perhaps your quality of life has suffered because you’re no longer able to properly care for yourself or your family or engage in the social or physical activities that once made your life meaningful.
But with many possible reasons why an accident occurred, who should be held responsible may not be as clear as it seems, and requires the analysis of a qualified, experienced legal team to properly investigate and work to get you compensation from the person or entity that caused your accident injuries or the loss of your loved one. Even if you think the driver of the vehicle involved was solely at fault, without background and knowledge about pedestrian accident causes, you might not be able to pursue just and full compensation for your injuries. In cases where a loved one is killed in a pedestrian accident, you may be entitled to recover under the California Wrongful Death law, Code of Civil Procedure Section 377.60.
You should be aware of the “statute of limitations” for when an injured pedestrian can file a personal injury claim or wrongful death lawsuit for the loss of a loved one, which is two years in California, unless a governmental entity, such as Muni, BART, CHP, etc., is involved.
Get the Representation & Compensation You Deserve
Callaway & Wolf are pedestrian accident lawyers the resources, knowledge, skills, and experience to properly investigate the cause of an accident, interview witnesses, negotiate with insurance companies, file lawsuits in civil court, represent you in arbitrations and mediation, and litigate your case before a jury. As your pedestrian accident personal injury law firm, we’ll handle the time-consuming, challenging and complex tasks required to win the monetary compensation you deserve. Of course most cases do not go all the way to a trial, but our reputation as trial lawyers helps us get the best settlements for our clients.
When you need to hire a personal injury attorney because you deserve the maximum compensation legally allowed for your injuries and losses, Callaway and Wolf Law’s attorneys will meet with you in our San Francisco office to listen to what happened and advise you on what monetary recourse may be possible. And if you’re too injured to visit us, we’ll come to you and discuss your case in your home, hospital room or rehabilitation facility.
Time is of the essence to put your worries to rest by letting Callaway and Wolf’s skilled legal team take over. Call the attorneys at Callaway & Wolf today at 415-541-0300 to schedule your personal, compassionate, and respectful consultation with our legal team. Or if you feel more comfortable, fill out our contact form, and someone from our legal team will be in touch promptly.
Boone Callaway is a personal injury & medical malpractice lawyer in San Francisco who has been working with clients in the Bay Area for over 25 years. Mr. Callaway is one of only a few personal injury litigators in San Francisco who is a Super Lawyer, AV Rated and is also a member of ABOTA – American Board of Trial Advocates.
