California Injury Blog
A 57-year-old woman suffered a serious head injury in a San Diego car accident after a vehicle struck her at a street intersection. According to a news report in U-T San Diego, the injury collision occurred at the intersection of Wightman Street and Marlborough Avenue the morning of January 26, 2012. Officials say the 30-year-old driver of a GMC pickup truck stopped at a stop sign and then attempted a right turn. The pickup hit the woman, knocking her to the ground. She was transported to a local hospital with severe head injuries. It is not clear if the driver will be cited for this collision.
My thoughts and prayers are with this seriously injured pedestrian. I wish her the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
Pedestrian Accidents in San Diego
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 14 people were killed and 70 were injured in San Diego pedestrian accidents. Countywide, there was 18 fatalities and 494 injuries reported involving pedestrian accidents, during the same year.
Pedestrian’s Right-of-Way
The intersection where this accident appears to have occurred has a four-way stop. It seems that the driver of the pickup truck may not have been paying attention to the woman crossing the road. It is not clear if there was stop sign violation here. Under California law, motorists are also required to yield the right of way to pedestrians in marked and unmarked crosswalks.
California Vehicle Code Section 21950 states: “The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.” The same section also states that the driver of a vehicle approaching a pedestrian within any marked or unmarked crosswalk “shall exercise all due care and shall reduce the speed of a vehicle or take any other action relating to the operating of the vehicle as necessary to safeguard the safety of the pedestrian.”
Fault and Liability
If the driver is determined to have been at fault here, then, he or she can be held liable for the resulting injuries and damages. Injured victims can seek compensation to cover medical expenses, loss of earnings, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation and other related damages. Victims in such cases would be well advised to contact an experienced San Diego personal injury lawyer, who will analyze all aspects of the incident and ensure that the negligent parties are held liable.