Irvine Car Accident Leaves Pedestrian Injured

A woman sustained serious injuries in an Orange County car accident after she was hit by a vehicle while walking across the road in Irvine, The Orange County Register reports. The female pedestrian, who has not yet been identified, was crossing at the intersection of Irvine Center Drive and Harvard Avenue on November 3, 2009 when she was struck by a Lexus ES350 sedan going west on Irvine Center Drive. Police are still investigating the incident. If you witnessed the Irvine personal injury accident, please call Irvine police at 949-724-7024.

I wish this injured victim the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. I hope she did not sustain major injuries. Please keep this victim and her family in your prayers.

Irvine Car Accident Statistics

There were 19 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Irvine in the year 2007, according to California Highway Patrol's traffic accident statistics. Countywide, 41 deaths and 726 injuries were reported as a result of pedestrian accidents in 2007. Also, during that period in Orange County as a whole, 178 fatalities and 14,185 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents.

There are many questions that are still unanswered as far as this injury crash is concerned. Why did the driver of the Lexus not see the pedestrian on the roadway? Was the woman walking in a crosswalk? Was the driver of the Lexus intoxicated, distracted, speeding or otherwise negligent?

California Car Accident Laws

California law requires drivers to yield right-of-way to pedestrians in crosswalks or at intersections. According to California Vehicle Code section 21950: "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."

The injured victim would be well-advised to contact a reputable personal injury attorney in Orange County, who can help determine whether the driver's negligence or a dangerous roadway may have caused the collision. If the driver was at fault, then he or she could be held liable for the woman's injuries. If there was a dangerous condition at that intersection the city or governmental agency responsible for maintaining that roadway could also be held liable. In California, such claims should however, be filed within six months of the accident or injury.

We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to "not a fault" persons named in this article and their family members.