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Oakland Chinatown sees more pedestrian injuries per block than almost any other neighborhood in the city. Thousands of people walk these streets every day: seniors heading to the farmers market at 8th and Webster, residents crossing to Lincoln Square Park at 250 10th Street, commuters on foot from the Lake Merritt BART station at 800 Madison Street. The streets they use, including Webster, Harrison, and the I-880 underpasses at Jackson and Madison, appear repeatedly on Oakland’s High Injury Network, a designation reserved for the 6% of city streets responsible for 63% of severe and fatal crashes.
If you or a family member were hurt in Chinatown, the fault may not rest with one driver alone. And the first question you should ask is whether you have the right attorney.
Injured in Chinatown? Call Monica Burneikis at (510) 328-3238. Available 24/7. Free consultation. No fee unless you recover. Office at 66 Franklin St is a 2-minute drive from the center of Chinatown.
Chinatown is not generic Oakland territory. It is one of the most extensively documented pedestrian danger zones in the Bay Area, with a population made up of more than 40% seniors, many of whom walk daily on streets the city has acknowledged are dangerous but been slow to fix.
The pedestrian scramble signal at 8th and Webster was installed only after years of community pressure from the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. A Complete Streets plan covering Webster from 6th to 14th Streets is still in design and funding phases as of 2026. A federal planning grant of $2 million was awarded for the I-880 underpass improvements in 2025. None of this infrastructure is in place yet.
That history matters for your case. When a public entity knows about a hazard, delays action, and someone gets hurt, there may be municipal liability alongside driver negligence. Building that kind of claim requires more than a settlement-focused firm. It requires an attorney who will take the case as far as it needs to go.
Monica Burneikis is a solo practitioner at 66 Franklin Street, roughly two minutes from the center of Chinatown. She has recovered more than $40 million for personal injury clients and has been recognized by Best of Oakland Magazine and Best of Alameda Magazine (2023). She handles every case herself; you will not be handed off to a paralegal.
Monica consults in English, Spanish, and ASL. If you or someone in your family communicates better in Spanish or uses sign language, that is not a barrier. Many Chinatown residents assume language is an obstacle to getting legal help. It is not.
The intersections that generate the most pedestrian injuries in Chinatown are 8th and Webster, 9th and Webster, 10th and Webster, and several points along Harrison Street. Even after the scramble signal was installed at 8th and Webster (which reduced dangerous close calls by roughly 50%), collisions have continued. Seniors struck at these intersections often face longer recovery timelines, higher medical costs, and lasting effects on their mobility and independence. All of these factors affect the value of a claim.
I-880 runs along Chinatown’s southern edge, with on-ramps and off-ramps feeding directly onto 5th, 6th, 7th, and Oak streets. Vehicles exiting at speed move into streets that pedestrians use to reach Jack London Square, the waterfront, and bus connections. The underpasses at Webster, Jackson, Madison, and Oak have been documented as collision hotspots. Nearly 50 people were injured on 5th and 6th streets alone between 2020 and 2023, according to UC Berkeley traffic data.
Hit-and-run incidents involving elderly pedestrians have occurred repeatedly in Chinatown and were specifically documented by the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. When the driver flees, recovery is still possible. Uninsured motorist coverage, public entity liability, and other avenues may apply. The case does not end because a driver ran.
The tight commercial blocks around 8th and Webster operate with daily delivery vehicle traffic and routine double-parking. Limited sidewalk space pushes pedestrians into the street. When a commercial vehicle injures someone, both the driver and the employer may be liable.
Much of Chinatown’s housing stock dates to before 1980. Older mid-rise buildings managed by absentee landlords, uneven pavement near market entrances, and deferred maintenance in common areas are well-documented throughout the neighborhood. Properties managed by large housing organizations, including EBALDC and SAHA, are not immune from premises liability claims. If you fell on neglected property, a premises liability case may be possible.
Yes. Hit-and-run accidents do not automatically end your ability to recover. Your own auto insurance may include uninsured motorist coverage, which applies even if you were a pedestrian. There may also be surveillance footage from nearby businesses or BART infrastructure that helps identify the vehicle. In some cases, public entity liability is also relevant, particularly when a poorly designed or maintained intersection contributed to the accident. The first step is talking to an attorney before assuming recovery is impossible.
You may have a claim against the City of Oakland or another public entity. The I-880 underpasses on Webster, Jackson, and Madison streets are among the most documented hazard zones in the city. When a public agency has prior notice of a dangerous condition and fails to fix it, injury victims can pursue a public entity liability claim. These cases have specific deadlines and procedural requirements that differ from standard personal injury claims. California Government Code Section 911.2 requires filing a government tort claim within six months of the injury. Acting quickly matters.
No. Monica Burneikis consults in English, Spanish, and ASL. Many Chinatown residents are immigrants who assume language is a barrier to getting legal help, or who worry that not speaking English well will hurt their case. It will not. Your rights as an injury victim in California do not depend on English fluency. The consultation is free, and we will make sure you understand what your options are before you make any decision.
Nothing upfront. Burneikis Law works on a contingency fee basis: you pay no attorney fees unless you recover compensation. There is no consultation fee. If the case does not result in recovery, you owe nothing for Monica’s time. This structure means you can pursue a legitimate claim regardless of your current financial situation.
Where WE're Located
Burneikis Law is at 66 Franklin Street, Third Floor, Oakland, CA 94607, about two minutes by car from the center of Chinatown at 8th and Webster.
By car: Head west on 8th Street toward Broadway. Turn right (north) on Broadway and continue one block to Franklin Street. Turn left on Franklin Street. The office is at 66 Franklin, on the right.
On foot: The walk from 8th and Webster takes approximately 8 to 10 minutes. From the Lake Merritt BART station at 800 Madison Street, the office is roughly a 15-minute walk west along 8th Street through downtown Oakland.
Need a phone or video consultation? That option is available for clients with limited mobility or transportation challenges. Call (510) 328-3238 to arrange.
Chinatown is bounded by Broadway to the west, I-880 to the south, Fallon Street and Laney College to the east, and 12th to 14th Street to the north. Its commercial core at 8th and Webster is one of the densest blocks in East Oakland, with daily farmers markets, a high concentration of grocery stores and restaurants, and heavy bus and delivery traffic.
More than 40% of Chinatown’s residents are 60 or older. Many are long-term renters in pre-1980 buildings, including SAHA-managed properties like Doh On Yuen on 9th Street and EBALDC-managed housing throughout the neighborhood. A new 97-unit senior development adjacent to Lake Merritt BART is expected to open in 2026. Lincoln Square Park at 250 10th Street serves as the neighborhood’s social center for seniors, hosting daily tai chi, cultural programming, and recreation. Residents walk to it from throughout Chinatown, crossing streets that appear repeatedly on Oakland’s High Injury Network.
The Alameda County Superior Court at 1225 Fallon Street and Highland Hospital at 1411 East 31st Street are the primary court and trauma hospital for Chinatown injury cases, respectively.
The city’s documented awareness of Chinatown’s pedestrian hazards, combined with years of delayed action, is not incidental context. It is directly relevant to any personal injury case where public infrastructure played a role.
Contact Us
Burneikis Law represents clients throughout downtown Oakland and the neighborhoods surrounding Chinatown:
Serving Oakland Chinatown and surrounding neighborhoods. Call (510) 328-3238, available 24/7, or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation. No fee unless you recover.
FREE Case EvaluationHow To Reach Us:
Address:
66 Franklin Street
3rd Floor
Oakland, California 94607
Phone Number:
(510) 328-3238
Hours:
24 Hours a Day
