The Newport Beach pedestrian accident lawyers at Bisnar Chase represent people hit by cars, SUVs, rideshare vehicles, and delivery vans while walking in Newport Beach and throughout Orange County. Pedestrians absorb the force of these crashes. The legal questions are who failed to yield, who controlled the street or parking lot, and which insurance policy will pay.
California drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks and in unmarked crosswalks at intersections. You can still have a claim if you were outside a painted crosswalk. Shared fault can reduce the award. It does not automatically end the case.
Our office is at 1301 Dove Street in Newport Beach. Call 949-203-3814 for a free case evaluation. There is no attorney’s fee unless we win.
Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable in vehicle collisions. Any impact can result in serious and catastrophic injuries. When that happens, you need an experienced legal team on your side.
The Best Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Near You
Our successful track record—combined with our experience handling pedestrian accident cases in Newport Beach and across Southern California—puts us in a unique position to produce the best possible outcome in your case.
- We have been in business since 1978.
- We are based locally in Newport Beach and have decades of experience in Orange County courts.
- Our team has a 99% success rate.
- More than $1B won for our clients.
We also offer a ‘No Win, No Fee’ guarantee that protects our clients from initial costs. We only recoup our expenses if we win their case and recover compensation for them.
To schedule your free, no-obligation consultation and case evaluation, call the Newport Beach pedestrian accident lawyers of Bisnar Chase at (949) 203-3814.
Newport Beach Pedestrian Accident Attorneys
Newport Beach Pedestrian Accident Statistics
As of October 2026, the latest numbers for pedestrian accidents in Newport Beach are from 2023.
| Year | Pedestrian victims killed & injured | Rank among similar-size CA cities (Group C) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 37 | 19 / 103 | OTS Newport Beach 2023 |
| 2022 | 31 | 33 / 104 | OTS Newport Beach 2022 |
| 2021 | 39 | 15 / 105 | OTS Newport Beach 2021 |
2023 also shows Newport Beach’s rank among cities:
- Pedestrians under 15: 3 victims (rank 30/103)
- Pedestrians 65+: 3 victims (rank 51/103)
- Speed-related fatal-and-injury collisions: 149 — 1st in Group C
- Hit-and-run fatal-and-injury collisions: 24
- Population used by OTS: about 83,000
In 2023, the California Office of Traffic Safety counted 37 pedestrians killed or injured in Newport Beach. Among mid-size California cities, it ranked 19th out of 103. The same OTS report ranked Newport Beach first in its group for speed-related injury collisions.
Those figures come from SWITRS, the statewide crash file maintained by the California Highway Patrol and published through OTS. They replace older local counts. OTS has not yet posted 2024 city rankings.
Orange County remains one of the highest-volume counties for pedestrian injuries in the state. SafeTREC’s 2025 pedestrian fact sheet, using FARS and SWITRS, recorded 70 pedestrian deaths and 154 serious pedestrian injuries in Orange County in 2023.
Steps to Take After a Pedestrian Accident
If a pedestrian accident has injured you, take these steps to protect your safety and legal rights:
- Police report: File a police report and obtain a copy for your own records. A police report helps pin down the time, date, and circumstances of the collision. In some cases, the responding or investigating officer might note who appeared to be at fault. For example, the officer might note in the report that the motorist failed to yield to the pedestrian in a crosswalk. Such reports could be extremely valuable during the claims process.
- Medical attention: Seek and obtain medical attention. Pedestrians often face the danger of suffering internal injuries such as internal bleeding, which may not immediately be apparent. Do not decline medical attention at the scene. If you have been injured, get the treatment and care you need and follow the doctor’s orders and recommendations.
- Preserving evidence: Try to get as much evidence from the scene as possible, including photos, eyewitness accounts, and information from other parties involved, such as the vehicle license plate number, driver’s license, contacts, and insurance details. Be sure to preserve evidence such as torn or bloody clothing.
- Protecting your rights: Contact an experienced pedestrian accident attorney in Newport Beach who will work every step to ensure your rights and best interests are protected.
Bisnar Chase is a top-rated law firm specializing in pedestrian accidents near you in Newport Beach. Our team has helped thousands of injury victims become whole, securing maximum compensation for their serious injuries. Contact us today for a free consultation.
The Most Common Types of Pedestrian Accidents
The most common types of pedestrian accidents involve collisions between people and vehicles. Pedestrians and drivers both must act responsibly on the roads, but accidents still happen – for a wide range of reasons. These include:
- Distracted Driving: When drivers are texting, eating, or otherwise distracted, they are less likely to see and stop pedestrians.
- Reversing: Vehicles pose a danger to pedestrians when they are backing up, as visibility can often be a problem for the driver.
- Drunk Driving: When a person is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, their vision and reflexes are affected, making a crash more likely.
- Intersection and Crossing Accidents: A pedestrian could be hit by a car while dashing across the street as the light changes. People can also be hit by reckless drivers trying to make a green light.
- Dart-Outs: In some cases, a pedestrian might walk out in front of a motor vehicle, either misjudging its speed or expecting it to stop. Sometimes, a person may step in front of a stopped car as it starts moving again.
- Right Turns: Cars turning right at a traffic light or stop sign may expect the turn to be clear without realizing a pedestrian is about to cross.
- Left Turns: When cars make left turns, they turn across traffic. Making sure the road is clear of oncoming cars can distract them from checking whether a pedestrian is crossing the street.
No matter how your accident happened, you can contact us at Bisnar Chase to find out if you have a case. Our team will analyze the details of your accident and give you expert guidance on your next steps.
Do Pedestrians Always Have the Right of Way in California?
No. Pedestrians do not have an unlimited right of way.
Vehicle Code section 21950 requires a driver to yield to a person crossing in any marked crosswalk or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection and to use due care to avoid a collision. The same statute says a pedestrian may not leave the curb and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is already too close to stop.
An unmarked crosswalk is the legal continuation of the sidewalks across an intersection, even when the city never painted stripes. That matters on older Newport Beach corners and along the Balboa Peninsula. “There were no white lines” is not the same as “the driver had no duty to yield.”
Crossing mid-block can reduce what you recover under pure comparative negligence. It is not an automatic loss. Crossing outside a marked crosswalk is also not the old automatic jaywalking defense after California’s Freedom to Walk Act took effect in 2023.
Where Pedestrians Get Hit Most in Newport Beach
PCH / Coast Highway. Higher speeds, night crossings, and often severe injuries and fatalities are common.
Fashion Island and Newport Center. Ring-road and parking-structure crashes. The moving vehicle’s auto policy still usually applies.
Balboa Peninsula. Short blocks, unmarked corners, and heavy foot traffic.
Beach, ferry, and grocery lots. Still a pedestrian case when a moving car hits a pedestrian on these premises.
Rideshare and delivery drop-offs. App status changes, which policy pays first.
How Long Do I Have to File a Pedestrian Injury Claim?
Private driver: 2 years (CCP § 335.1).
City of Newport Beach, Orange County, Caltrans, or other public entity: government claim within 6 months (Gov. Code § 911.2).
If a public entity is involved, treat six months as the real deadline. Call 949-203-3814.
The Driver Had a Green Light. Does That End My Claim?
No. A turning driver with a green light still must yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk. Video from stores and doorbells often matters more than the first police narrative.
Hit-and-Run and Your Own Car Insurance
Uninsured motorist coverage on an auto policy can apply even though you were walking. Report a hit-and-run the same day. Do not delete rideshare trip records. Have a lawyer confirm whether Proposition 213 limits pain-and-suffering damages.
Pedestrian Accident Injuries
A car or trucking accident involving a pedestrian can cause major injuries. They can even result in wrongful death. The most common injury types include:
- Broken bones.
- Severe trauma and soft tissue injuries.
- Head injuries.
- Spinal cord injuries.
- Amputation.
- Emotional trauma.
- Death.
In most pedestrian accidents, the bumper or hood of the vehicle will typically hit the pedestrian’s legs and hips. This means that broken bones in those areas are quite common in pedestrian accidents. Depending on the speed at which the striking vehicle travels, the pedestrian can be thrown from the point of impact. Head injuries and internal organ damage are common in such cases.
Often in the case of fractures, there are also injuries to blood vessels and tissues. These types of injuries can lead to limb amputations. Some individuals suffer permanent injuries or disabilities because of severe brain injuries or spinal cord trauma. Others lose their livelihoods. Pedestrian accident injuries could also prove fatal.
Some of these injuries can leave victims facing severe and life-long effects and an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer in Newport Beach can assist you in recovering compensation.
How Long Will a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit Take?
How long it takes to get a pedestrian accident case resolved in Newport Beach will depend on the facts of the case. People with less severe injuries will often get the medical treatment and care they need and go on to make a quick recovery.
Such cases can be completed within a few months. This time frame allows for the treatment of injuries and negotiations with insurance firms.
Your case could take longer if you have suffered severe or catastrophic injuries. If the insurance company does not offer you a fair settlement, it may become necessary to take the case to a trial. This could add more time to your case. When an insurance company is playing hardball, it is important to pursue all options to get the justice and compensation you deserve by hiring a top-rated pedestrian accident lawyer.
How Much Is My Pedestrian Accident Case Worth?
The value of a pedestrian accident case often depends on the nature and extent of the victim’s injuries and the losses he or she has incurred, both economic and non-economic. Here are some of the elements that go into determining what your case will be worth:
- Medical expenses—current and future costs.
- Time away from work.
- Loss of future earning potential or livelihood.
- Cost of rehab treatments such as physical therapy.
- Pain and suffering.
- Mental anguish.
Other factors that could affect the value of your claim include the facts of your case, fault, liability, and prior medical history. An experienced Newport Beach pedestrian accident lawyer can help you assess your losses, such as incurred costs and lost wages, and non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, which can be more challenging to determine.
Comparative fault
California uses pure comparative negligence. If damages are $100,000 and the pedestrian is found 25% at fault, recovery is $75,000. Crossing outside a crosswalk or looking at a phone can reduce the number. It does not automatically zero the claim.
Who else may be liable?
The driver is the usual defendant. Other parties can share fault: a rideshare or delivery company, the driver’s employer, a commercial truck owner, a parking lot operator, or a public entity that maintained a dark crossing or a short-walk signal.
Wrongful death
If a pedestrian dies, qualifying family members may bring a wrongful death claim for funeral costs, lost financial support, and loss of companionship. Those cases still run on the two-year/six-month clocks. Call quickly if a government vehicle or roadway defect may be involved.
Newport Beach Pedestrian Accident FAQs
Can I recover money if I was jaywalking in Newport Beach?
Often yes. Crossing outside a marked crosswalk can reduce what you recover. It does not automatically end the claim. A speeding, distracted, or turning driver can still carry most of the fault. The Freedom to Walk Act undercuts the old “jaywalking means no case” argument.
What if I was on my phone or crossing at night?
That can support shared fault. It does not bar the case. Drivers must still watch for people, use their headlights, and yield at marked and unmarked crosswalks. Night PCH and dark peninsula streets are common examples.
Who besides the driver can be liable?
A rideshare or delivery company, the driver’s employer, a commercial vehicle owner, a parking-lot operator, or a public entity that maintained a dark crossing, blocked sightline, or short walk signal could also be liable.
An Uber, Lyft, or delivery van hit me. Who pays?
App status decides which policy is first: off app, en route, or already carrying a rider or order. Save the trip record. Do not delete the app history.
Can I file a claim against the City of Newport Beach?
Yes, if a city vehicle, signal, lighting, or crosswalk condition may have contributed to the incident. Present a written government claim within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2). That is not the two-year private-driver deadline.
Do I need a police report to have a case?
No. A report helps. Photos, medical records, witnesses, and a camera-preservation request can still prove the crash.
Should I give a recorded statement to the driver’s insurer?
Not before you talk to a lawyer. “Please contact my attorney” is enough. Call 949-203-3814.
What if a family member was killed in a pedestrian crash?
Qualifying family members may file a wrongful death claim for funeral costs, lost support, and loss of companionship. The two-year and six-month clocks still apply.
Top Newport Beach Pedestrian Accident Attorneys Near You
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian crash, it would be in your best interests to contact an experienced Newport Beach pedestrian accident attorney.
Bisnar Chase has called Newport Beach home for 45 years. Over that time, our firm has developed a successful track record of dealing with insurance companies and helping injured victims and their families recover maximum compensation. Our firm has a 99% success rate, collecting more than $900 million for our clients.
As experienced Newport Beach pedestrian accident lawyers, we pride ourselves on offering superior representation to clients. Bisnar Chase also offers a ‘No Win, No Fee’ guarantee and free consultation services to ensure our skills are available to everyone who needs them.
Call us at (949) 203-3814, visit our Newport Beach law offices, or send us an email or live chat through our website. We are passionate about what we do and we’re ready to help. Contact us now; we look forward to hearing from you.
Brian Chase
Articles, blogs, and content have been reviewed by legal in-house staff. Brian Chase is the managing partner of Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys, LLP. He is the lead trial lawyer and oversees cases handling dangerous and defective products that injure consumers. Brian is a top-rated injury attorney with numerous legal honors and awards for his work relating to auto defects and dangerous products. His firm has recovered over $1B for its clients. Brian is a frequent speaker for CAOC, Dordick Trial College, and OCTLA, covering personal injury trial techniques.
