John Roach, Esq. | May 13, 2026 | California Law \ Car Accidents

What to Do After a Pedestrian Accident in San Francisco

Pedestrian accidents in San Francisco happen on Market Street, on Mission Street, at unmarked intersections in the Sunset, in residential crosswalks across Pacific Heights and the Mission, and in parking lots from Daly City to the Marina. Some involve driver inattention. Some involve speeding. Some involve drivers running red lights or failing to yield in clearly marked crosswalks. Whatever the circumstance, the moments and days after a pedestrian accident shape whether the victim recovers fair compensation — or struggles to recover anything at all.

I’ve represented Bay Area pedestrian accident victims since 2009, including cases involving traumatic brain injuries, fractures, and catastrophic outcomes. The clients who recover the most are usually the ones who took the right steps in the first hours and days, then found the right lawyer to take the case from there.

This post walks through the five things that matter most after a San Francisco pedestrian accident — at the scene, in the days following, and when it’s time to retain counsel. If you’ve been hit by a car in San Francisco and want to understand your specific situation, call (415) 851-4557 for a free, confidential consultation. There is no fee unless we recover compensation for you.

1. At the Scene: Photos, Police, and the Information You Must Get

If you can move safely, the actions you take in the first thirty minutes after the impact will affect your case for years. Pedestrian accidents are often serious enough that the victim cannot perform these steps — in those cases, family members or witnesses should help, and the police investigation will fill in the gaps. But to the extent you are physically able, here is what matters most at the scene.

Call 911. Police response is essential to the investigation and creates the official record that documents your accident. Officers will interview the driver, take statements from witnesses, examine the scene, and produce a report that becomes the foundation for any claim or lawsuit. If you are seriously injured, paramedics will also respond — let them transport you for medical care.

Photograph everything. Use your phone to capture as much as you can: the scene from multiple angles, the position of the vehicle that struck you, skid marks on the pavement, traffic signals, crosswalk markings, street signs, lighting conditions, weather, your visible injuries, and any property damage. Photograph from far away to capture context and from up close to capture detail. These photos cannot be recreated later. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses is overwritten within 24 to 72 hours, which makes scene photos taken at the moment all the more valuable.

Get the at-fault driver’s complete identifying information. This is one of the most important things you do at the scene, and it is often where pedestrian accident victims fall short. You need:

  • The driver’s full name as printed on their driver’s license
  • The driver’s full residential address
  • The driver’s phone number
  • The driver’s auto insurance company name and policy number
  • The vehicle’s license plate
  • The vehicle’s make, model, year, and color
  • If the driver is operating a commercial or company vehicle (a delivery van, a rideshare car, a work truck), the company’s name

Photograph the driver’s license, the vehicle registration, and the insurance card directly if the driver allows it. Don’t rely on writing the information down — your hand may be shaking, your phone is more reliable.

The address matters more than people realize. If your case eventually requires filing a lawsuit, the at-fault driver must be personally served with the complaint. Without a valid address — even one the driver later moves from — the service-of-process investigation can take weeks or months and add cost to your case. A current address gathered at the scene is the foundation for locating the defendant later, even if they relocate.

Get witness contact information. Anyone who saw the accident — bystanders on the sidewalk, drivers in nearby vehicles, business employees who came outside — should be asked for their name and phone number. Witnesses move, change phone numbers, and forget details. Capturing them at the scene is the only reliable way to preserve their testimony.

Do not admit fault or apologize. Even casual statements like “I didn’t see them” or “I should have looked twice” become permanent ammunition for the defense. Stick to factual descriptions when speaking with police. Do not discuss fault with the driver or anyone else at the scene.

2. Get Medical Attention — Today, Even If You Feel Fine

The single most important thing you can do for both your health and your case is to seek medical attention the same day as the accident, even if you feel fine.

Pedestrian accidents produce injuries that are often more severe than they initially appear. Adrenaline and shock mask pain for 24 to 72 hours after a traumatic event. Symptoms of traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding, soft tissue damage, and spinal injury frequently develop hours or days after impact. Walking away from the scene without medical evaluation can be the difference between a treatable injury caught early and a serious complication caught late.

Where to go depends on severity. If you’ve been transported by paramedics, you’ll be evaluated at an emergency room — likely Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, which is the city’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, or another major Bay Area hospital depending on your location. If you’ve declined emergency transport but feel pain or discomfort, urgent care or an emergency room within the same day is the right call. If symptoms emerge over the following days, see your primary care physician, an emergency room, or a specialist as soon as possible.

Whatever route you take, document every visit. The medical record establishes the causal link between the accident and your injuries. A same-day or next-day medical evaluation is far stronger evidence of injury than a visit two weeks later, when the defense will argue that something else must have caused your symptoms.

Tell every doctor about every symptom — including ones that seem minor. Headaches that emerge a day after the accident may signal traumatic brain injury. Tingling or numbness in your arms or legs may signal spinal injury. Anxiety, sleep disruption, or mood changes may signal post-traumatic stress. Symptoms that go undocumented don’t make it into your case.

Medical records and treatment documentation after a San Francisco pedestrian accident — establishing the link between injuries and the incident

3. Focus on Recovery in the First Two Weeks

The two weeks after a pedestrian accident are the period when many victims try to do too much, too soon. Family obligations, work pressure, and the desire to return to normal life all push toward minimizing the impact and “powering through.” This is almost always the wrong approach — for both your health and your case.

The clients who recover the most do not push themselves back into normal life prematurely. They follow every recommended treatment. They keep every follow-up appointment. They take the time off work that their doctors recommend. They allow their bodies to heal.

Practical guidance for the first two weeks:

  • Follow your doctor’s restrictions exactly. If your doctor says no driving for ten days, no driving for ten days. If physical therapy is recommended, attend every session. Treatment gaps and ignored restrictions become evidence that your injuries weren’t significant.
  • Keep a daily journal. Brief notes on pain levels, sleep quality, mobility, mood, and what activities you’ve been able to do (or not do) become powerful evidence later. Memory fades; contemporaneous notes don’t.
  • Photograph your injuries during recovery. Bruising, swelling, scarring, and surgical incisions all change over weeks. Visual documentation of the recovery process strengthens your case substantially.
  • Take time off work if your doctors recommend it. Lost wages are recoverable. Pushing back to work too early often produces re-injury, longer recovery overall, and weaker documentation that you were genuinely impaired.
  • Do not post about the accident on social media. Insurance companies routinely review social media accounts of injury victims. Photos of you smiling at a barbecue, even taken before the accident, are used to argue that you’ve recovered. Posts about resuming activities — hiking, biking, dancing — are used the same way. Stay off social media or lock your accounts to private during your case.

Above all, focus on healing. The legal process can wait a few weeks while your body and mind stabilize. The right lawyer will protect your timeline; you do not need to rush.

4. What to Do When the Insurance Company Calls

The at-fault driver’s insurance company will contact you within days of the accident. They may seem sympathetic. They may offer to “wrap things up quickly.” They may ask for a recorded statement. They may even offer a small initial settlement. Every one of these contacts is calculated.

Here is what to do when they call:

Do not give a recorded statement. You are not legally required to. Statements made within days of the accident — when you’re in pain, on medication, or simply not yet aware of all your symptoms — become permanent evidence used against you at deposition, mediation, and trial. The phrasing of adjusters’ questions is designed to produce answers that minimize the value of your case. Just say no.

Do not sign anything they send you. Insurance companies often send “authorization” forms within days of the accident — sometimes asking for medical records release, sometimes asking for a release of claims, sometimes both. Some forms are routine; some are traps. Until you have a lawyer review whatever they’re sending, sign nothing.

Do not accept the first offer. Initial settlement offers are almost always low — designed to close the case quickly before the full extent of your injuries becomes clear. Once you sign the release that comes with the settlement, your case is closed forever. New injuries discovered later are your problem.

Refer all communication to your lawyer. Once you’ve retained counsel, tell the adjuster: “All future communication should go through my attorney.” Then have your lawyer’s office handle everything. The adjuster will respect this — they communicate with attorneys regularly and know that’s how the case will be handled.

The pressure to engage with insurance adjusters is artificial. Your right to recover compensation lives in California’s two-year statute of limitations, not in any deadline an adjuster invents. Do not let urgency that doesn’t exist push you into decisions you’ll regret.

Preparing for a personal injury lawyer consultation in San Francisco — questions to ask and how to evaluate a trusted advocate

5. How to Choose the Right Personal Injury Lawyer (And How to Avoid the Wrong One)

The single biggest decision affecting the outcome of your pedestrian accident case is which lawyer you hire. The right lawyer can transform a moderate-value case into a substantial recovery. The wrong lawyer can settle a serious case for a fraction of its value, or take a case to trial with inadequate preparation. Choosing the wrong lawyer can permanently jeopardize your claim — sometimes more than the accident itself.

The lawyers whose faces you see on billboards across San Francisco, on television commercials, on bus stop benches, and in aggressive online advertising campaigns are not necessarily the right lawyers for your case. The lawyers running those campaigns are running businesses optimized for volume — bringing in as many cases as possible, settling them as quickly as possible, often for whatever the insurance company offers without significant negotiation. Their business model is high-volume, fast-turnover work. That model serves the firm’s revenue better than it serves the individual client.

The right lawyer for your serious pedestrian accident case is usually not the one with the biggest billboard. The right lawyer is the one referred by friends and family, recommended by other attorneys, or recognized for actual trial experience.

Ask friends and family. If anyone you know has worked with a personal injury lawyer, ask them about their experience. Did the lawyer return phone calls personally? Was the case prepared thoroughly? Did the lawyer recommend treatment or push toward fast settlement? Personal referrals from people you trust are the highest-quality lead.

Ask other attorneys. If you have a relationship with any lawyer in any practice area — your real estate attorney, your business attorney, your divorce lawyer — ask them who they would refer for a personal injury case. Lawyers know the personal injury bar. They know which lawyers are skilled trial attorneys versus volume settlement mills.

Read Google and Yelp reviews carefully. Look for substantive reviews that describe the lawyer’s actual work — not just star ratings. Pay attention to what reviewers say about communication, case preparation, and outcomes. Watch for patterns in negative reviews; one bad review may be an outlier, but recurring complaints about poor communication or rushed settlements are red flags.

What to Look For in the Right Lawyer

When you meet with a potential lawyer for your free consultation, evaluate for these qualities:

  • Direct attorney access. The lawyer who will handle your case should be the lawyer you meet with at the consultation — not a “case manager” or paralegal who will be your point of contact while the actual attorney barely touches the file. When you call the office, the lawyer should return your call personally.
  • Trial experience. Insurance companies offer fair settlements when they believe the lawyer will actually try the case if a fair settlement isn’t offered. A lawyer with no real trial experience has no leverage. Ask how many jury trials the lawyer has personally tried — not the firm, the individual lawyer.
  • Selective case acceptance. A good personal injury lawyer doesn’t take every case that walks through the door. A lawyer who carefully evaluates whether a case is the right fit for their practice is signaling that they treat each case seriously and have the bandwidth to do it justice.
  • Honest assessment. The right lawyer will tell you honestly what your case is worth, what the realistic timeline looks like, and what the risks are — not just what you want to hear. If a lawyer at the initial consultation is promising big numbers without seeing your full medical records or evaluating the specifics of your case, be skeptical.
  • Bilingual representation if needed. If English is not your first language, working with a bilingual attorney — not just one who uses interpreters — eliminates the communication barriers that frequently cost Bay Area injury victims compensation.

Find a Trusted Advocate, Not Just a Lawyer

The right lawyer for your case is your advocate — someone whose interests align with yours, who will fight your case rather than process it. Trial lawyers who treat cases individually rather than as files in a queue are the ones who consistently produce the best outcomes for their clients.

The relationship matters too. Personal injury cases often last 12 to 24 months, sometimes longer. Over that time, you’ll work closely with your lawyer through medical treatment, deposition, mediation, and potentially trial. Choose a lawyer you trust, who explains things in plain language, who returns your calls, and who treats you with respect throughout the process.

Take the time to meet with two or three lawyers before deciding. Most personal injury attorneys offer free initial consultations. Use that time to evaluate whether each lawyer is the right fit. Choosing the right lawyer is the most important decision you’ll make in your case — and rushing it serves no one but the insurance company on the other side.

Frequently Asked Questions: After a San Francisco Pedestrian Accident

What is the most important thing to do at the scene of a San Francisco pedestrian accident?

Call 911, photograph everything, and get the at-fault driver’s complete identifying information — including their full residential address. Police response creates the official record that documents your accident. Photos preserve scene evidence that cannot be recreated later. The driver’s address is essential for service of process if your case eventually requires filing a lawsuit, even if the driver moves later. Get witness contact information if anyone saw the incident.

Should I see a doctor after a pedestrian accident even if I feel okay?

Yes — the same day if at all possible. Adrenaline and shock mask pain for 24 to 72 hours after a traumatic event. Symptoms of traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding, soft tissue damage, and spinal injury frequently develop hours or days after impact. A same-day medical evaluation establishes the causal link between the accident and your injuries — far stronger evidence than a visit two weeks later. It also protects your health by catching serious injuries early.

Do I have to give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurance company?

No. You are not legally required to give a recorded statement. Statements made within days of the accident — when you’re in pain, on medication, or not yet aware of all your symptoms — become permanent evidence used against you at deposition, mediation, and trial. Adjusters are trained to ask questions that produce answers minimizing your case’s value. Decline politely and refer all communication to your attorney once you have one.

How do I find the right personal injury lawyer for my pedestrian accident case?

Ask friends, family, and other attorneys for referrals. Read Google and Yelp reviews carefully, looking for substantive reviews about the lawyer’s actual work and communication style. The lawyers running aggressive billboard, TV, and online advertising campaigns are not necessarily the right fit for serious cases — their business models often prioritize volume and fast settlements over individualized representation. Look for direct attorney access, real trial experience, selective case acceptance, and honest assessment.

Why is the at-fault driver’s address so important?

If your case requires filing a lawsuit, the driver must be personally served with the complaint. Without a valid address, the service-of-process investigation can take weeks or months and add significant cost to your case. A current address gathered at the scene is the foundation for locating the defendant later, even if they relocate. This is one of the most overlooked but most important pieces of information to collect at the scene.

Can I post about my San Francisco pedestrian accident on social media?

It’s strongly discouraged. Insurance companies routinely review social media accounts of injury victims. Photos of you smiling at a barbecue, even taken before the accident, are used to argue you’ve recovered. Posts about resuming activities — hiking, biking, dancing — are used the same way. The safest course is to stay off social media or lock your accounts to private throughout your case. Tell family and close friends to avoid posting photos of you as well.

Free Consultation: An Honest Assessment of Your Case

If you or a loved one was hit by a car in San Francisco, the Bay Area, or anywhere in California, call (415) 851-4557 for a free, no-obligation consultation. I’ll give you an honest read on your case — including the realistic timeline, the documentation you’ll need, and an evaluation of whether you should hire a personal injury lawyer at all.

Bilingual consultations in English and Spanish are available at no additional cost.

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Results mentioned are from prior cases handled by the firm and do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is different.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for advice specific to your situation.