Walking across the street should be a routine, safe part of your day. But when a driver hits you, it can leave you shaken and unsure of what to do next. The following steps may help you protect your health and document what happened.
Prioritize safety and medical care
If you can move without increasing your pain, you may be able to reach a sidewalk or another protected area. A 911 call can bring medical help to the scene, and a bystander can make the call if you cannot. If you suspect a head, neck or spinal injury, staying still might be safer unless traffic poses a greater danger.
Even when you believe you only have bruises, paramedics may identify concussions, fractures or internal injuries that adrenaline has masked. Their notes can also provide the first medical record of your symptoms and how the collision affected you.
Report the collision to police
The same 911 call can also alert Hayward police to the scene, where officers can prepare a traffic collision report. That document may record the driver’s identity, insurance information and statements, along with skid marks or other details you could not gather because of your injuries.
While you wait, you can collect the driver’s name, license number, plate number and insurance carrier. Witness names and phone numbers can also prove useful because people often leave the area before police can speak with them.
California requires the driver to report an injury collision separately to the Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days. That filing helps the agency verify financial responsibility but does not replace a police report or insurance claim. Once the report is complete, you can request a copy from the Hayward Police Department.
Document the crosswalk scene
If your injuries allow, photographs might capture the crosswalk markings, walk signal, vehicle position, debris and lighting. Because road crews can repaint lines, repair signals or clear the roadway, images taken that day may preserve conditions that later change.
California follows pure comparative negligence, which allows a jury to assign each person a percentage of responsibility and reduce your damages by your share. If the driver states that you entered the road without warning, photographs and witness accounts may help a jury evaluate that claim.
Use caution with insurers
The driver’s insurance company may contact you within days and ask for details about the collision or your injuries. Because the adjuster evaluates your claim on the insurer’s behalf, an early statement can affect how the company later views fault and the extent of your losses.
You generally have no contractual duty to give a recorded statement, although your own policy may require you to cooperate with your carrier. Even a brief comment such as “I feel fine” might conflict with symptoms that become clear after a medical examination.
An attorney can communicate with the adjuster and review requests for medical records or other information. They may also organize evidence of your treatment and financial losses before you decide whether a proposed settlement accounts for the effects of the collision.
