Bakersfield, CA, October 22 – A man was left with life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck him while he was walking through a crosswalk late Wednesday night, Bakersfield police said. Officers say the crash happened around 11:43 p.m. on October 21, 2026, near 24th Street and Oak Street. He was rushed to a hospital, where he received treatment for his injuries, and police say the investigation into the crash remains ongoing as they continue gathering information.
Bakersfield Pedestrian Critically Injured in Crosswalk Crash at 24th and Oak Streets
Investigators say the man was walking south through the crosswalk when a vehicle heading east on 24th Street struck him, according to police. Police also noted that the intersection is equipped with four-way automated traffic signals, and said those signals appeared to be working normally at the time the crash occurred.
Officers who responded to the scene located the man in the roadway, where he was suffering from critical injuries. Bakersfield police have not released his name, his age, or other identifying details, and officials have not provided an update on his current medical condition since he was transported from the scene.
The driver stayed at the location after the crash and worked with investigators, according to Bakersfield police. No citations or arrests had been announced as of this report, police said. Investigators have not yet said whether additional findings, such as the cause of the crash, will be released as the case progresses.
Several details about the crash remain unconfirmed. Bakersfield police have not said what caused the driver to strike the pedestrian, including whether speed, distraction or another factor was involved. The man’s exact condition, his identity and whether any citations will ultimately be issued also remain unknown as the investigation continues.
What California law requires of drivers around pedestrians
Vehicle Code section 21950 requires a driver to yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing within any marked crosswalk, or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. Subdivision (b) is the one people misread: a pedestrian may walk or run, and doing either does not forfeit the right of way.
Subdivision (c) puts a separate duty on the driver. A driver approaching a pedestrian in any crosswalk must exercise all due care and reduce the speed of the vehicle. That duty applies whether or not the pedestrian had the right of way, and subdivision (d) preserves it: nothing in the section relieves a driver of the duty to use due care for the safety of any pedestrian in the roadway.
The deadline that applies to a claim like this one
Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives two years for an action for injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. The same two years covers an injury claim and a death claim; there is no separate, shorter period because someone died.
Talking to someone about it
Culver Legal represents people injured in collisions across California. A conversation about what happened costs nothing, and we work on a contingency fee, which means there is no fee unless we win. If we do not win, we do not pass the case costs on to you either.
Nothing on this page is legal advice about any particular case, and the facts of a reported collision often change as the investigation continues.
