Pedestrian Accidents matters in Sacramento
Sacramento's walkable downtown and midtown grid puts people on foot at nearly every corner. The blocks around the State Capitol, the K Street corridor, and J Street draw heavy foot traffic, and the city's light-rail crossings add another layer of risk where pedestrians, trains, and turning cars all meet. A driver rolling a right turn on red or speeding to beat a light can change a person's life in an instant.
Pedestrian collisions tend to cause severe injuries because there is no protection at all. The law gives people on foot strong rights — but you often have to fight to enforce them.
Why pedestrians get hurt in Sacramento
- Drivers failing to yield in marked and unmarked crosswalks downtown
- Turning vehicles in the dense midtown grid near the Capitol and K Street
- Conflicts at light-rail crossings and transit stops
- Distracted and speeding drivers on J Street and other one-way corridors
- Poor lighting or visibility, especially after dark
California crosswalk right-of-way law
Under Vehicle Code section 21950, drivers must yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. Pedestrians also have a duty to use reasonable care, but the core obligation to yield falls on drivers. Under California's pure comparative negligence rule, you can still recover even if you were partly at fault, with your award reduced by your share.
When a public entity may be involved
If a dangerous crossing, broken signal, or a government vehicle contributed to the crash, a claim against a public entity may be possible. Those claims carry a special, much shorter deadline: under Government Code section 911.2, you generally must file a written claim with the public entity within six months of the incident. Missing it can end the claim, so these cases need prompt attention.
Injuries pedestrians commonly suffer
- Traumatic brain and head injuries
- Pelvic and lower-body fractures
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal injuries
- Wrongful death claims for surviving families
What compensation can address
A pedestrian claim can seek economic and non-economic damages. Economic losses cover emergency and long-term medical care, future treatment, lost income, and reduced earning capacity. Non-economic damages account for pain, suffering, and the lasting impact on daily life and independence. We do not promise specific amounts; recovery depends on the facts, the injuries, and the insurance and parties involved.
Deadlines and the Sacramento courthouse
For an ordinary claim against a driver, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to sue under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 — but remember the six-month government-claim deadline under Government Code section 911.2 when a public entity may share fault. Sacramento County pedestrian cases are filed in the Sacramento County Superior Court and heard at the Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse downtown.
How MMG Law Firm helps from Glendale
Based in Glendale, MMG Law Firm represents injured pedestrians across California, including Sacramento. We work cases remotely by phone, email, and a secure client portal, and we appear in Sacramento County court when needed. Attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan offers free consultations in English, Armenian, and Russian, and we handle these cases on contingency — no fee unless we win.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with pedestrian accidents
Pedestrian injuries are usually severe, and the right-of-way analysis is everything. Mihran M. Ghazaryan investigates the crosswalk, signal timing, and roadway conditions, and where a city vehicle or dangerous public road is involved he protects the short six-month government-claim deadline that can otherwise end a case before it starts. He coordinates your care and documents the full extent of your losses.
Types of pedestrian accidents we handle
Crosswalk strikes
Marked or unmarked, California pedestrians retain right-of-way. We identify the sight-line failures and signal timing that tell the real story.
Parking-lot and back-over collisions
Often involve fleet vehicles, rideshare drivers, or delivery contractors. Surveillance footage matters and disappears fast.
Hit-and-run pedestrian claims
Your own UM/UIM policy may reach. Even when the driver is unidentified, recovery is often possible.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every pedestrian accident claim is different, but California law allows injured plaintiffs to seek several categories of damages. We build each one with documentation — medical records, wage statements, expert opinions — so nothing is left on the table.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and the future treatment your providers say you'll need.
Lost wages
Income you lost while recovering — and, where the injury affects your ability to work, diminished future earning capacity.
Pain and suffering
Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and the ways the injury has changed how you live day to day.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other property damaged in the incident.
Out-of-pocket costs
Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, household help, and the other expenses an injury forces on you.
How we work
- 1
Free, no-pressure consultation
We listen first. We answer your questions. There is no fee for the initial conversation — and you decide whether to engage us at the end of it.
- 2
Investigation and evidence preservation
Police reports, scene photos, witness statements, vehicle data, surveillance video, medical records. The earlier we collect, the harder it is for the other side to reshape the story later.
- 3
Treatment, demand, and negotiation
We coordinate with your providers, document the full extent of damages — medical, lost income, pain — and present a demand backed by evidence. We push back firmly when an insurer lowballs.
- 4
Litigation when necessary
Most matters settle. When an insurer refuses to be reasonable, we file. Preparing every case as if it will be tried is what makes the settlement number move.
What to do right away
- Accept emergency medical evaluation on scene, even if you can walk.
- Take photos of the location — crosswalk, signs, signals — and the vehicle's resting position.
- Get witness names; pedestrian witnesses are common but rarely contacted by police.
- Save the clothing you were wearing — it may be evidence.
- Call us before giving any statement.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Deadlines that matter
Most California personal-injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss the window and the court will almost always dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.
Claims against government entities are much shorter — generally a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Crashes involving city vehicles, public buses, or dangerous public-road conditions can fall under this rule.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.