Arkady Itkin - San Francisco Wrongful Termination and Personal Injury Lawyer
 
In one of our cases involving a pedestrian in Oakland, who was hit by a Caltrans vehicle when she was crossing a street in a residential area, the Department of Transportation accusing our client of staging the accident and jumping in front of the vehicle on purpose. The only reason that they make this outrageous accusation is because approximately one year before the accident, our client had suicidal thoughts which she reported to her doctor and as due to which she voluntarily subumitted herself to a crisis facility that helps people who are thinking about comitting suicide. 

The driver of the Caltrans vehicle, who hit our client,  admitted that she herself has no reason to believe that the victim staged the accident or jumped on purpose. Caltrans has no witnesses or any other evidence to support their claim that the accident was staged. I am anxious to see how this case will turn out. I have a feeling that this case will actually go to trial, as Caltrans appears to be known for insisting on their version of the events no matter what new evidence is presented to them. I am also disappointed to see that a government agency, which is supposed to be trying to do "the right thing" continues to deny liability in a situation where they should be compensation my client for her injuries and damages, instead of continuing to fight this case.
 
 

Having studied the more and the less serious injury accidents in San Francisco that involve pedestrians, I noticed that there are two common (but not often discussed) situations in which a driver is more likely to hit a pedestrian when making a right turn:

1. Turning right while making sure that the road is clear for upcoming traffic. Have you ever caught yourself turning rolling forward and right at an intersection while looking to your left to make sure that the road is clear for upcoming traffic? This is a very dangerous move, as the pedestrian who might have started crossing the street just assumes that you will stop without even making sure that you see him. This might end up in a low-speed but nevertheless a serious injury accident. 

2. Not looking far enough to your right when making a right turn. It is especially important to look all the way to the right to make sure that you see all the pedestrian who are crossing the street and who are just about to cross the street on the the more crowded streets of downtown San Francisco. No looking all the way to your right, where the pedestrians actually begin crossing the street, increases the risk of hitting a pedestrian at a point where the vehicle almost completed the right turn, impacting the pedestrian with its side. 

Keep the above two warnings in mind when you turn right on a red light, and these turns will be much safer - for pedestrians and for you.