Monday evening at about 5:30 p.m., a pedestrian was struck by an SUV on Rosecrans Avenue in Fullerton.
The accident happened on Rosecrans at Emery Ranch Road, near Ralph B. Clark Regional Park. It is not clear yet if the pedestrian was crossing Rosecrans Avenue when hit.
According to Fullerton police Lt. Tom Basham, the pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries, including severe head trauma.
The cause of the accident is still being investigated. The pedestrian's name has not been released. Police have only identified her as a woman in her early 30's.
The SUV driver remained at the scene to talk to the police; he was not arrested.
Assuming the SUV driver was at fault for the accident, it is unlikely the driver will have enough insurance to cover the full value of the pedestrian's injury claim, unless the SUV driver was covered under a commercial insurance policy, or had umbrella coverage,
That is why at McGee, Lerer and Associates, we emphasize to all of our clients the importance of having uninsured motorist coverage with high policy limits. "Uninsured motorist coverage" is the same as "underinsured motorist coverage." Your uninsured motorist coverage will cover you if you are a pedestrian who is hit by a vehicle. In this case, if the SUV driver did not have enough insurance to cover the pedestrian's claim, and the pedestrian had uninsured motorist limits that are higher than the driver's liability limit, then the pedestrian can make a claim under her own policy.
If you have been injured in an accident and have any questions, call the Santa Monica personal injury attorneys at McGee, Lerer & Associates for a free consultation. We're here to help.