Los Angeles leads the nation in pedestrian fatalities — and Glendale ranks among the most dangerous cities in LA County for walkers. If you or a loved one was struck by a vehicle, attorney Anand Desai fights to recover the maximum compensation while you focus on healing.
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When a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle, the injuries are almost always catastrophic. Unlike vehicle occupants who have the protection of airbags, seatbelts, and steel frames, pedestrians absorb the full force of impact with nothing but their own bodies. Broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and internal bleeding are tragically common. The medical bills alone can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars — and that does not account for the lost wages, rehabilitation costs, and pain and suffering that follow.
At Anand Desai Law, we have spent 20+ years representing injured pedestrians throughout Glendale, Los Angeles, and the surrounding communities. Attorney Anand Desai — a former LA County Public Defender with 50+ jury trials — brings courtroom-tested skill to every pedestrian accident case. We understand the tactics insurance companies use to minimize pedestrian claims, and we refuse to let them succeed.
• Deep Local Knowledge — We know Glendale's most dangerous intersections, including Broadway and Brand Boulevard, the stretch of Colorado Street near the Americana, and the Pacific Avenue corridor. We know which city cameras capture footage, which traffic signals have known timing issues, and how to work with the Glendale Police Department to obtain accident reports quickly.
• Multilingual Support — Our firm serves the diverse communities of Glendale and Los Angeles in 11 languages: English, Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Thai, Tagalog, Russian, Armenian, Farsi, and Korean. The Armenian community in Glendale, the Korean community in Koreatown, and the Latino communities throughout LA can all communicate with us in their native language.
• 24/7 Availability — Pedestrian accidents happen at all hours. Whether you are struck by a distracted driver during the morning commute or hit by a drunk driver walking home at night, we are available around the clock. Call us from the hospital, from the scene, or the next morning — we respond immediately.
• No Win, No Fee — We handle every pedestrian accident case on a 100% contingency basis. You pay nothing upfront, nothing out of pocket, and nothing at all unless we recover compensation for you. We front all investigation costs, expert fees, and litigation expenses.
Call us or fill out the form. We’ll review your case, explain your options, and answer all your questions — at no cost.
We gather evidence, work with experts, handle the insurance companies, and build your claim for maximum compensation.
We don’t get paid unless you win. 100% contingency fee — no upfront costs, no hidden charges, no risk to you.
California law provides strong protections for pedestrians, but understanding how these laws work is essential for any accident claim. Under California Vehicle Code Section 21950, drivers must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing within any marked crosswalk or at any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. This means that even where there are no painted lines on the road, pedestrians have the right to cross at an intersection and drivers must stop for them.
However, the law is not one-sided. California Vehicle Code Section 21954 states that pedestrians outside of crosswalks must yield the right-of-way to vehicles. This does not mean pedestrians are automatically at fault if struck outside a crosswalk — California's comparative negligence system means that both parties' actions are evaluated. A pedestrian who is found 20% at fault for jaywalking, for example, can still recover 80% of their damages from a negligent driver.
Additionally, CVC Section 21950(c) specifically prohibits drivers from passing a vehicle that has stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross. This is critically important in Glendale, where multi-lane roads like Brand Boulevard and Central Avenue see heavy pedestrian traffic. Drivers who pass stopped vehicles without checking for crossing pedestrians can be held liable for resulting injuries. Our firm uses these specific code sections to build strong cases for injured pedestrians throughout Glendale and Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County consistently ranks as the most dangerous region in the United States for pedestrian fatalities. According to data from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, more than 250 pedestrians are killed each year in LA County, with thousands more suffering serious injuries. The City of Glendale has its own concentrated problem areas that our firm has tracked through years of representing injured pedestrians.
In Glendale, the intersection of Broadway and Brand Boulevard sees extremely high pedestrian traffic due to the Americana at Brand and the Glendale Galleria. Despite crosswalk signals and marked crossings, the volume of vehicles turning through crosswalks creates constant danger. The Colorado Street corridor between Brand and Central Avenue is another frequent accident location, particularly during evening hours when restaurant and retail traffic peaks.
The stretch of San Fernando Road through Glendale has been identified by the city's own Vision Zero initiative as a high-injury network. Pacific Avenue, Glenoaks Boulevard near the 134 Freeway on-ramp, and the intersection of Glendale Avenue and Broadway are all documented high-risk locations. In Los Angeles proper, the intersections along Hollywood Boulevard, Western Avenue, Vermont Avenue, and the Figueroa corridor through South LA are among the deadliest pedestrian corridors in the country.
Our firm uses location-specific data to strengthen every pedestrian accident case, demonstrating that the city or municipality had knowledge of dangerous conditions and failed to implement adequate safety measures.
Pedestrian accidents produce some of the most devastating injuries in personal injury law because the human body has no protection against a multi-ton vehicle. The severity of injuries typically depends on the speed of the vehicle at impact — but even low-speed collisions can cause life-altering harm.
Traumatic brain injuries are among the most common and most serious consequences of pedestrian accidents. When a pedestrian is struck, the impact often throws them onto the hood of the vehicle or onto the pavement, causing the brain to collide with the interior of the skull. Concussions, contusions, diffuse axonal injuries, and subdural hematomas can result in permanent cognitive impairment, personality changes, and chronic disability.
Orthopedic injuries are also extremely common. Lower extremity fractures — including tibial plateau fractures, femur fractures, and pelvic fractures — occur when the bumper or grille of the vehicle strikes the pedestrian's legs. These injuries frequently require surgical fixation with plates, screws, and rods, followed by months or years of physical therapy. Many pedestrian accident victims develop chronic pain conditions, permanent limping, and reduced mobility that affects every aspect of their daily lives.
Spinal cord injuries, internal organ damage, and severe lacerations round out the most frequent injury categories. Our firm works with medical experts to fully document the current and future impact of every injury, ensuring that settlement demands and jury presentations capture the true cost of the accident.
Hit-and-run accidents are devastatingly common in pedestrian cases. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, California leads the nation in hit-and-run fatalities, and Los Angeles alone accounts for a disproportionate share of those incidents. When a driver strikes a pedestrian and flees, California Vehicle Code Section 20001 makes it a felony if the pedestrian suffers injury or death.
For the injured pedestrian, a hit-and-run creates an immediate legal challenge: who do you sue if the driver disappears? Our firm pursues multiple avenues of recovery in hit-and-run cases. First, we conduct aggressive investigations to identify the driver. We obtain surveillance footage from nearby businesses, traffic cameras, and doorbell cameras. We work with the Glendale Police Department and LAPD traffic divisions to access accident reconstruction data and any physical evidence left at the scene — paint transfer, vehicle debris, tire marks.
If the driver cannot be identified, California's uninsured motorist coverage becomes the primary source of recovery. Under California Insurance Code Section 11580.2, your own auto insurance policy includes uninsured motorist coverage that applies when you are struck as a pedestrian by an uninsured or unidentified driver. Many people do not realize that their car insurance covers them even when they are walking. Our firm has recovered substantial settlements from our own clients' insurance carriers in hit-and-run pedestrian cases.
We also investigate whether any third party bears responsibility — a bar that over-served the driver, a vehicle owner who loaned their car to an unlicensed driver, or a municipality that failed to install adequate lighting at the accident location.
Insurance companies employ predictable tactics to minimize the value of pedestrian accident claims, and our firm has seen every one of them. The most common strategy is to assign partial fault to the pedestrian. Even when a pedestrian was crossing legally in a marked crosswalk, insurance adjusters may argue that the pedestrian was looking at their phone, wearing dark clothing at night, or entered the crosswalk against the signal. Under California's comparative negligence system (Civil Code Section 1714), any fault assigned to the pedestrian reduces their recovery by that percentage.
Another common tactic is the early lowball settlement offer. Insurance companies know that pedestrian accident victims face enormous medical bills and lost wages, and they exploit that financial pressure by offering a quick settlement that covers only a fraction of the true damages. Once you sign a release, you cannot go back and ask for more — even if your injuries turn out to be far worse than initially diagnosed.
Insurance companies also use recorded statements against pedestrian accident victims. Within days of the accident, an adjuster may call and ask you to provide a recorded statement about what happened. Anything you say can be used to undermine your claim later. You might minimize your pain because you are on medication, or you might misremember a detail about the signal timing. Our firm advises every pedestrian accident client to direct all insurance communications through us.
We handle negotiations with GEICO, State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, Farmers, and every other carrier. When an insurer refuses to offer fair value, we file suit and take the case to trial. Attorney Anand Desai's record of 50+ jury trials means insurance companies know he is willing and able to present your case to a jury.
California law allows injured pedestrians to recover both economic and non-economic damages. Unlike some states, California does not cap non-economic damages in personal injury cases, which means there is no artificial limit on what a jury can award for pain and suffering.
Economic damages include all quantifiable financial losses: past and future medical expenses, lost wages and lost earning capacity, rehabilitation and therapy costs, prescription medications, medical equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, prosthetics), home modifications if the injury requires them, and any other out-of-pocket costs directly caused by the accident. For pedestrians who suffer permanent disability, future economic damages can stretch over decades and reach into the millions.
Non-economic damages compensate for the intangible harms: physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement and scarring, loss of consortium (the impact on your relationship with your spouse), and mental anguish. These damages are often the largest component of a pedestrian accident award because pedestrian injuries tend to be severe and life-altering.
In cases where the driver's conduct was particularly egregious — drunk driving, street racing, texting while driving, or intentional conduct — California law also allows punitive damages under Civil Code Section 3294. Punitive damages are designed to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct. They are awarded in addition to compensatory damages and can significantly increase the total recovery.
Our firm works with economists, life care planners, and vocational rehabilitation experts to calculate the full lifetime cost of every pedestrian injury, ensuring that no category of damages is overlooked. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, but our track record reflects our commitment to maximizing recovery for every client.
Your immediate priority is medical attention. Call 911 or have someone call for you. Even if you feel okay, get examined — adrenaline masks pain, and internal injuries may not present symptoms for hours or days. If you can, document the scene: photograph the vehicle, license plate, your injuries, and the intersection or crosswalk. Get the driver's name, insurance information, and contact details for any witnesses. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company. Contact a pedestrian accident attorney before speaking with the driver's insurer. Under California law, you have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (CCP §335.1), but evidence degrades quickly — surveillance footage gets overwritten, witnesses forget details, and skid marks fade.
Yes. California follows a comparative negligence system under Civil Code Section 1714, which means your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but not eliminated. If a jury determines you were 30% at fault for crossing outside a crosswalk and the driver was 70% at fault for speeding or texting, you can still recover 70% of your total damages. It is important to understand that jaywalking does not automatically make you primarily at fault. Drivers have an ongoing duty under CVC §21954 to exercise due care to avoid colliding with pedestrians on the roadway, regardless of whether the pedestrian is in a crosswalk. Our firm regularly recovers substantial compensation for pedestrians who were technically outside of crosswalks.
Hit-and-run pedestrian accidents are unfortunately common in Los Angeles. California Vehicle Code Section 20001 makes it a felony for a driver to flee after an accident involving injury. Our firm immediately investigates to identify the driver through surveillance footage, traffic cameras, witness statements, and physical evidence. If the driver cannot be found, you may still recover compensation through your own auto insurance policy's uninsured motorist coverage (Insurance Code §11580.2). This coverage applies even when you were a pedestrian — not in your vehicle — at the time of the accident. We also investigate whether third parties share liability, such as a bar that over-served the driver or a vehicle owner who lent their car to an unlicensed individual.
The value of a pedestrian accident case depends on the severity of your injuries, the extent of your medical treatment, your lost income, the impact on your daily life, and the degree of the driver's negligence. Pedestrian accidents tend to produce more severe injuries than typical vehicle collisions because the pedestrian has no physical protection. Cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, or permanent disability are typically valued significantly higher than soft tissue injury cases. California does not cap non-economic damages in personal injury cases, so pain and suffering awards can be substantial. Our firm evaluates every case individually, consulting with medical experts and economists to determine the full value of your claim. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1, you generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, there are important exceptions. If the pedestrian is a minor, the statute of limitations is tolled until they turn 18, giving them until age 20 to file. If the responsible party is a government entity — for example, if a city-owned vehicle struck you or a dangerous road condition contributed to the accident — you must file a government tort claim within six months under the California Government Claims Act (Government Code §910 et seq.). Missing these deadlines can permanently bar your claim, so contact an attorney as soon as possible after your accident.
Under California Vehicle Code Section 21950, every intersection has a legal crosswalk — even without painted markings. An unmarked crosswalk exists at every intersection where two roads meet, extending across the roadway between the prolongation of the lateral curb lines. Drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing within these unmarked crosswalks. If you were struck while crossing at an intersection without painted crosswalk lines, the driver may still be fully liable for failing to yield. Additionally, if the municipality failed to install crosswalk markings at a high-traffic intersection where pedestrian use was foreseeable, the city itself may share liability under a dangerous condition theory. Our firm investigates both driver negligence and municipal liability.
Yes, but the process is different from suing a private party. Under the California Government Claims Act (Government Code §910 et seq.), you must first file an administrative claim with the City of Glendale within six months of the accident. The city then has 45 days to respond. If the claim is denied or ignored, you can file a lawsuit. Government liability typically arises from dangerous conditions of public property — such as missing crosswalk signals, broken traffic lights, inadequate street lighting, crumbling sidewalks, or obstructed sight lines at intersections. You must prove that the city knew or should have known about the dangerous condition and failed to correct it. Our firm has experience filing government tort claims against Glendale, Los Angeles, Burbank, Pasadena, and other local municipalities.
When a child is injured in a pedestrian accident, California law provides robust protections. Children are held to a lower standard of care than adults — a driver cannot argue that a young child was negligent for darting into the street because children are not expected to exercise the same judgment as adults. Under CVC §22352, drivers must travel at 25 mph or less in school zones and residential areas precisely because children are present. Damages for child pedestrian victims include all medical expenses, future medical care, pain and suffering, emotional trauma, scarring and disfigurement, and the impact on the child's future educational and developmental trajectory. Any settlement involving a minor must be approved by a judge under California Probate Code §3500, and the funds are typically held in a blocked account until the child turns 18.
You have the legal right to handle your claim without an attorney, but pedestrian accident cases are among the most complex personal injury matters. Insurance companies employ teams of adjusters, investigators, and defense attorneys whose job is to minimize your payout. They know that unrepresented claimants are statistically more likely to accept lowball offers. An experienced pedestrian accident attorney levels the playing field by investigating the accident scene, obtaining surveillance footage before it is deleted, calculating the full value of your current and future damages, negotiating with insurance carriers, and taking the case to trial if necessary. Our firm works on contingency — you pay nothing upfront and owe nothing unless we recover compensation. The consultation is free, so there is no financial risk in speaking with us.
A driver claiming they did not see a pedestrian is not a valid legal defense — it is actually evidence of negligence. California Vehicle Code Section 22350 requires drivers to operate at a speed that allows them to see and react to hazards, including pedestrians. Drivers have a duty to keep a proper lookout and maintain awareness of their surroundings. If a driver failed to see a pedestrian crossing in a crosswalk or walking along the road, that failure itself demonstrates that the driver was not paying adequate attention. Distracted driving — including cell phone use, which violates CVC §23123.5 — is the leading cause of drivers failing to see pedestrians. Our firm subpoenas cell phone records and uses accident reconstruction experts to prove that the driver's inattention caused the collision.
Anand Desai is a dedicated personal injury attorney serving Glendale and the greater Los Angeles area. A graduate of Loyola Law School with an undergraduate degree from USC, Anand has been a member of the California State Bar (#249768) since 2007, bringing 20+ years of legal experience to every case he handles.
Anand specializes in personal injury law, with particular expertise in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, and catastrophic injury cases. His deep understanding of California personal injury law, combined with his tenacious negotiation skills, has helped him secure millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for his clients.
What truly sets Anand apart is his commitment to his community. His firm is one of the only law offices in Glendale that offers services in 11 languages, including Spanish, Armenian, Hindi, Gujarati, Korean, Tagalog, Farsi, Punjabi, Thai, Russian, and English — reflecting the rich diversity of the communities he serves.
“I fight for every client like they’re family. When you hire me, you’re not just getting a lawyer — you’re getting someone who genuinely cares about your recovery and your future.”
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