A car accident in San Diego resulted in severe injuries for a female pedestrian. U-T San Diego reports that the injury collision happened near the intersection of Coronado Avenue and Green Bay Street in the Nestor area. Police say a vehicle, which pulled out of a driveway, struck the victim. The woman sustained a broken leg and hip as well as abdominal injuries. Officials are still investigating the cause of this major injury collision.

I sympathize with the injured victim of this crash. I pray that she recovers quickly and completely from whatever injuries she has sustained.

Pedestrian Accidents

There were 18 deaths and 494 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in San Diego County, according to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). In the city of San Diego, 14 people were killed and 70 were injured in pedestrian accidents in 2009.

Laws and Liability Issues

If the details of this news report are accurate, it appears that the driver of the vehicle was dropping off his children and exiting a driveway when he hit the pedestrian. Under California Vehicle Code Section 21804 (a), motorists exiting a public or private driveway are required to yield the right-of-way to all traffic including pedestrians. It is not clear why the driver in this case failed to yield the right of way to the pedestrian. I trust officials are looking into whether he was distracted, inattentive or otherwise negligent at the time.

If it is determined the motorist here had failed to yield the right of way to the pedestrian or was negligent at the time, he can be held civilly liable for the injuries and damages caused. It would be in victims' best interests to seek the counsel of a skilled San Diego personal injury lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and ensure that the negligent parties are held liable.