Pedestrian Accidents
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on November 29, 2017
On October 4th, Governor Jerry Brown officially signed Assembly Bill 390, which allows pedestrians to use a crosswalk when the countdown symbol is displayed, effective January 1, 2018. Previously, this was actually illegal – if you started walking across the street while the countdown was happening, it was technically jaywalking, and you could have potentially been cited for it. This issue brings up an important question: what exactly counts as jaywalking, and how serious is it as a crime? It’s funny to bring up jaywalking and think of it as illegal, but by jaywalking, you are breaking the law. What…
Continue reading Is Jaywalking a Serious Offense In San Francisco?
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on October 18, 2017
On October 4th, David Grinberg was struck and killed by a motorist near Golden Gate Park’s Panhandle at 5:22 p.m. – the third pedestrian death in as many weeks. While San Francisco is said to be one of the most pedestrian-friendly cities in the United States (2nd only to New York City in walkability), the latest string of pedestrian fatalities helps prove that the opposite may be true: The City is one of the most dangerous places in the country for pedestrians. Just how dangerous? From 2010-2016, there were 5,846 pedestrian collisions in San Francisco, leaving 130 dead and over…
Continue reading Study: The Most Dangerous Intersections for Pedestrians in San Francisco
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on April 13, 2017
A recent report revealed that one category, which California sits atop of, isn’t the type you want to be famous for; the Governors Highway Safety Association found that California, Florida, New York and Texas accounted for 42 percent of pedestrian fatalities nationwide. Even with an 11 percent decrease in the number of fatal pedestrian accidents in the first half of 2016 when compared with the same period in 2015 in California ranked #1 for fatal pedestrian accidents. This statistic reflects a scary trend nationwide. Fatal pedestrian accidents have reached highs that haven’t been seen in decades. From 2015 to 2016,…
Continue reading Fatal Pedestrian Accidents Are On The Rise
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on July 11, 2016
Readers may have heard that in California, motorists must always yield to pedestrians. This implies that drivers are at fault whenever they hit somebody crossing the street. But is that really the law? In fact it is not. In general, the law requires motorists to yield whenever they encounter a pedestrian using a marked or unmarked crosswalk, but pedestrians also have a duty not to enter after it is safe to do so, or to put themselves in a position of peril. At a controlled intersection, a pedestrian must obey the walk and wait advisories. An uncontrolled intersection, a pedestrian…
Continue reading California law and pedestrian accidents
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on June 23, 2016
Even in communities like San Francisco where WalkSF and its vision 2020 campaign seek to make streets and sidewalks safer for pedestrians, people on foot remain vulnerable when crossing the street, even when they are using the crosswalk and following traffic laws. When an inattentive or out-of-control motorist is behind the wheel, a pedestrian may have as little as one to two seconds to get to safety. And sometimes, even able-bodied pedestrians are unable to avoid serious injury. If you are living with a physical disability, even that slim chance might not be available. Such a tragedy was recently reported…
Continue reading Paratransit van kills disabled woman crossing the street
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on May 28, 2016
Walking on the shoulder of the road is not ideal, but sometimes it is necessary. Many roads lack sidewalks, making the shoulder the safest option available for getting to your destination on foot. This means walking just a few feet from traffic. All it takes is a few moments of negligence on the part of a single driver for a disaster to happen. In a tragic example, a San Carlos man was killed last month when a motorist struck him on the shoulder of the road and fled the scene. The driver, also of San Carlos, is currently facing charges…
Continue reading Bay Area man walking on the shoulder killed by drunk driver
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on October 5, 2015
The right to have sidewalks free of obstruction is something we take for granted. When sidewalks are impassable due to debris or unsafe pavement the government has an obligation to fix the situation. In California the obligation to keep public sidewalks and streets clear of dead or dying branches, limbs or entire trees is often a shared responsibility between property owners and municipal agencies. The failure to fulfill these responsibilities directly led to the tragic death of a young Marin County high school student in June. According to the Marin Independent Journal, the victim was jogging on the sidewalk when…
Continue reading Dead Tree Obstructing Sidewalk Blamed In Pedestrian Tragedy
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on July 20, 2015
Even when pedestrians are not crossing the street, they are still at risk for being struck by wayward auto drivers. Within the last three years, our attorneys here at Walkup Melodia have handled three major injury accident cases where drivers either lost control, became confused about their surroundings, or absentmindedly put their car into drive instead of reverse when near the sidewalk. Because those drivers failed to keep their automobile safely off of the sidewalk, terrible injuries resulted to pedestrians who were minding their own business. The most recent example of this occurred in Vallejo when one person was killed…
Continue reading Bay Area driver goes onto sidewalk, killing 1 and injuring 5
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on April 10, 2015
Legendary musician David Crosby accidently struck a pedestrian with his car recently. The victim’s injuries were said not to be life-threatening, but he suffered multiple bone fractures, according to CNN. There are few details about the crash. Crosby was driving in Santa Ynez, California, near his home. He was on a road with a posted speed limit of 55 mph, driving around 50 mph, the California Highway Patrol reports. Crosby came upon the victim jogging on the road and somehow struck him. He later told police that his vision was affected by the sun. Police said that Crosby cooperated with…
Continue reading David Crosby hits jogger with his car in California
Posted in Pedestrian Accidents on March 25, 2015
Sadly, there is another case of a young pedestrian getting hit by an SUV in San Francisco to report. As the city seeks ways to improve safety for walkers and bike riders, a 5-year-old girl was critically injured by the vehicle as she crossed the street with her mother. The girl and her mother were walking near Stonestown Mall the afternoon of March 18. They were in the crosswalk, attempting to cross 20th Avenue, when an 86-year-old woman struck them, police say. Both pedestrians were rushed to the hospital. The San Francisco Chronicle described the 5-year-old’s injuries as life-threatening as…
Continue reading 5-year-old was critically injured after being hit by an SUV
