Unfortunately I have to report that this past Sunday a pedestrian suffered serious injuries in Chinatown when he was struck by a car in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
At 9:35 a.m. near the intersection of Kearny and Washington streets, a vehicle was backing up when it struck the 33-year-old pedestrian. The pedestrian was crossing the street in the middle of the block and clearly not expecting a car to travel in reverse down the street. Apparently the driver was not looking before backing up his car. The injured pedestrian was taken to a hospital to be treated for his serious personal injuries, which are considered life-threatening.
As a San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Lawyer, I’ve seen more than my share of pedestrian crosswalk injuries; however, I still wish to note that people who are crossing mid block are not necessarily at fault when they are struck by a car. There are many reasons for crossing mid block, some of them reasonable and careful attention must be given to the specific facts and circumstances surrounding each pedestrian accident.
Pedestrians are especially vulnerable to reckless drivers. People walking in crosswalks, standing on sidewalks or jogging roadside in San Francisco are struck all too frequently. The key factor in each of these collisions is that the motorist must maintain a proper lookout for hazards. A motorist is operating a vehicle which can cause serious personal injuries or death. A pedestrian must walk safely and obey the law, however it’s clear that the pedestrian is not going to hurt anyone other than themselves if they make a mistake.
About the author: Claude Wyle is an aggressive advocate for pedestrians injured in accidents. Claude has decades of experience representing those harmed by the wrongful conduct of others, and, as a Bay Area pedestrian accident lawyer, has fought to protect the rights of pedestrians throughout his legal career.
Claude A. Wyle is a partner of Choulos Choulos, and Wyle, a San Francisco based law firm dedicated to representing clients who have been injured by the wrongful conduct of individuals, corporations, public entities, and businesses. Mr. Wyle also frequently sits as a Judge Pro Tem for the city and county of San Francisco.
4 Comments
Megan
I find it appalling that you're using a family's tragedy to market yourself and get more business. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Claude Wyle
Megan,
Though you do not like the post, thanks for taking the time to respond. The goal of this blog is to report on accidents around the Bay Area and offer small bits of wisdom that I have attained in my 30 years of practicing law so that, hopefully, others do not find themselves in similar situations. Out of respect for the privacy of the injured and their families, I leave out names of those involved in incidents, and while, yes, I am here to try and help those who may need me in similar situations, I hope that one day SF streets are so safe that there are no stories on which to report.
While we may not see eye to eye on this topic, I again thank you for your comment.
Best,
Claude Wyle
Megan
I am part of the family. None of us appreciate the attention you are giving to the situation and you are using our pain to promote yourself and your business. It's unfortunate that you use the guise of "trying to help others" to advertise for yourself. On behalf of my family and probably the countless others you have done this to, you should be ashamed.
Claude Wyle
Dear Megan:
First of all, please know that I sincerely wish you and your family well and your loved one a quick and total recovery from this accident. I never mean to offend those injured or the families of those injured, and I regret that you have been offended.
My focus is to put these type of accidents in the news, not to bury them, and also to help if I can by adding some insight gained through many years of helping people like your injured loved one. There may be a bit of self promotion in that I say up front that the family of an injured person may want to seek the help of an attorney, and we do offer our knowledge and help if you wish to call. People often aren't aware of their legal rights, so I stand by that advice, and I would be honored to help if you would call.
Please know that most people who have been involved in accidents are not offended by our reporting or commenting on the accident, especially if no names are included, and we have helped many people who have called us in response to our blog. Sometimes we are retained on a case and sometimes we just help by giving free information, explaining options, or just having someone run the facts by us in confidence.
The fundamental purpose of my blog is informational, and improved safety and injury prevention through greater awareness are the long term goals. I am not running television ads with dancing cash registers or sending investigators to the hospital or demeaning the incident in any way, at least not intentionally. I doubt, given your very strong response to my blog, that you will ever see things my way in this regard, but I would be happy to help your family or to at least explain your options if you would call. However, you probably still feel very strongly that I have done a shameful thing. If so, I respectfully disagree and wish you and your family the very very best of luck.
Sincerely,
Claude Wyle
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