Pedestrian Killed by Metro Bus in Downtown LA | CA Injury Law
- Tom Feher, Esq.
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a Metro bus on the 100 block of 6th Street near Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, July 5, 2026, according to KTLA. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded at 10:23 p.m. and pronounced the victim dead at the scene. The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority are investigating, and no further details had been released as of this writing.
Attorney's Take: Tom Feher
When we see a pedestrian killed by a city bus, the legal path looks very different from an ordinary two-car collision, and families rarely know that until the clock has almost run out. Los Angeles Metro is a public entity, and California law puts special rules in front of anyone who wants to hold a public agency accountable. The most important one is a deadline. Under Government Code section 911.2, a written claim has to be presented to the agency within six months of the crash, and Government Code section 945.4 says you generally cannot file a lawsuit until that claim has been presented and rejected. We have seen strong cases lost simply because a grieving family did not know that six-month rule existed.
There is also a standard-of-care point that works in an injured pedestrian’s favor. A bus is what the law calls a common carrier, and California Civil Code section 2100 requires a common carrier to use the utmost care and diligence for the safety of others, a higher bar than the ordinary reasonable-care standard we apply to a typical driver. When a heavy transit vehicle is operating through a dense downtown corridor full of foot traffic, that heightened duty matters. We also look hard at the public entity’s responsibility for its employee’s conduct under Government Code section 815.2, which makes an agency liable for the negligent acts of an employee acting within the scope of employment.
None of this is a comment on the specific people involved in Sunday’s crash, and the investigation is still open. It is general California law that applies whenever a pedestrian is hit by a public bus. If this happened to someone you love, the single most useful thing to understand is that the paperwork deadline is measured in months, not years.
What California Law Says
A fatal pedestrian crash involving a public transit agency touches several California statutes at once:
- Government claim deadline: Government Code section 911.2 requires a written claim to the public entity within six months of the incident. Government Code section 945.4 bars a lawsuit until the claim is presented and acted on.
- Standard personal injury deadline: Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives two years for most injury and wrongful death claims, but the six-month government claim rule controls when a public agency is a defendant.
- Common carrier duty: Civil Code section 2100 holds a carrier such as a bus to the utmost care and diligence for passenger and public safety.
- Public entity liability: Government Code section 815.2 makes an agency responsible for the negligent acts of its employees within the scope of their work.
- Wrongful death standing and damages: Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 sets out who may bring the claim, and section 377.61 covers the damages a family can recover.
- Comparative fault: California is a pure comparative negligence state, and Civil Code section 1431.2 governs how non-economic damages are apportioned among those at fault.
If This Happened to You or a Loved One
Practical steps protect both the family and the case:
- Get medical attention and make sure the official records are complete, because those records become the backbone of the claim.
- Write down the agency report number from the responding LAPD officers and from Metro.
- Preserve evidence early, including photos of the scene, the crosswalk, signal timing, and the vehicle’s position before anything is cleared.
- Identify witnesses and get their contact information while memories are fresh.
- Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer or agency adjuster before you have talked to your own lawyer.
- Because a public agency is involved, contact a California pedestrian accident attorney within days, not weeks, so the six-month claim deadline is not missed.
Our team handles these cases across Southern California, from downtown Los Angeles to the South Bay and Long Beach. You can learn more on our California pedestrian accident lawyer page, our California wrongful death lawyer page, and our main California personal injury page. You pay nothing unless we win. Call Feher Law at (310) 340-1112 for a free, confidential consultation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When a public agency like Los Angeles Metro is involved, you normally have only six months from the date of the crash to file a written government claim under Government Code section 911.2. That is much shorter than the standard two-year personal injury deadline in Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Miss the six-month window and your case can be barred before it starts, so contact a lawyer right away.
Yes. Under California Civil Code section 2100, a bus is a common carrier and must use the utmost care and diligence to protect the people around it. That is a higher duty than the ordinary reasonable-care standard, and it can apply to how the bus is operated near pedestrians.
California follows pure comparative negligence. A recovery is reduced by the pedestrian's share of fault, but it is not eliminated even if the pedestrian was mostly at fault. An early scene investigation matters because the agency's insurer will often argue the pedestrian darted out.
Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 lists who may sue, generally the surviving spouse, domestic partner, and children, and in some cases other dependents. The claim can recover both financial support and the loss of the loved one's love, companionship, and guidance under section 377.61.
Get the agency's report number, preserve any photos or video, and identify witnesses before the scene is cleared. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer. Because the six-month government claim clock is running, talk to a California pedestrian accident attorney within days, not weeks.
Nothing up front. We handle personal injury and wrongful death cases on contingency, which means you pay nothing unless we win. The first consultation is free and confidential.
Last reviewed by Thomas Feher, Esq., July 2026
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This article is for general information and is not legal advice for any specific matter.
