Pedestrian Accident in Los Angeles — High Injury Network, CVC § 21950 Yield Duty, and City Infrastructure Claims

pedestrian accident Accidents in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has one of California’s highest pedestrian fatality rates. LADOT’s High Injury Network and Vision Zero program establish the City’s institutional awareness of dangerous intersection conditions — evidence that is directly relevant to Government Code § 835 dangerous condition claims when infrastructure contributed to your accident.

California Vehicle Code § 21950 requires every driver to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks — marked or unmarked. Violation is negligence per se. In Los Angeles, LADOT’s High Injury Network data documents the City’s institutional knowledge of dangerous pedestrian corridors. When a pedestrian is struck at an intersection on the High Injury Network and infrastructure factors contributed — signal timing, absent crosswalk markings, inadequate lighting — that City data supports a Government Code § 835 dangerous condition claim against the City alongside the driver negligence claim.

Government Claims Act filing is required within six months when the City of Los Angeles may be responsible for a dangerous road condition. City claims are filed at claims.lacity.org. Prior 311 service requests and accident history at the intersection are obtainable through the City’s open data portal at data.lacity.org — prior crash records at the same intersection establish the City’s constructive notice.

California Law That Applies to Your Case

California pure comparative fault applies to pedestrian accidents. CVC § 21950 establishes the yield duty. Outside crosswalks, CVC § 21954 requires pedestrians to yield but imposes an independent due care duty on drivers. UM/UIM coverage under Insurance Code § 11580.2 extends to pedestrians struck by uninsured drivers regardless of vehicle occupancy.

Government Code § 835 allows claims against public entities for dangerous conditions of public property with actual or constructive notice. The Government Claims Act six-month filing prerequisite under Government Code § 911.2 runs simultaneously with the two-year civil limitations period under CCP § 335.1.

Courts and Procedures in Los Angeles

Pedestrian accident cases in the Central District are filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles. Government infrastructure cases require a City of LA or LADOT administrative claim at claims.lacity.org within six months. For accidents involving Metro bus, rail, or transit operations, claims are filed through metro.net.

The LADOT High Injury Network map is publicly available at ladotlivablestreets.org and documents specific intersections and corridors identified as high-risk. This data is usable as evidence of the City’s actual institutional knowledge of pedestrian risk at specific locations.

What to Do After a pedestrian accident in Los Angeles

1. Call 911 immediately. LAPD responds to injury pedestrian accidents and prepares the Traffic Collision Report.
2. Photograph the intersection — crosswalk markings, signal state, lighting, vehicle positions, and all injuries.
3. Check whether the intersection is on LADOT’s High Injury Network (ladotlivablestreets.org). If yes, begin preserving evidence of City infrastructure defects.
4. Send a surveillance footage preservation demand to the property owners of nearby businesses — footage from adjacent businesses often captures pedestrian collisions at intersections.
5. File Government Claims Act claim within six months if any City infrastructure contributed.
6. Check your UM/UIM coverage. Pedestrian UM coverage under Insurance Code § 11580.2 applies if the driver was uninsured or fled.
7. Obtain prior 311 records for the intersection address from data.lacity.org to document prior complaints about signal, crosswalk, or lighting deficiencies.