If you drive, walk, or ride a bike in Santa Ana, you have probably noticed more cones, more detours, and more fresh asphalt this year. That is not random. The city is working through a traffic safety plan that is reshaping several busy corridors, and the construction that comes with it changes the streets you use every day.
Here is what is happening, and what it means if you get hurt in a collision here.
What the City Is Actually Doing
Santa Ana adopted its Vision Zero Plan on June 4, 2024, with the stated goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries in the city by 2040. The city notes that among the 15 highest-population cities in California, Santa Ana ranked fourth for bicyclist injury and fatality collisions and fifth for pedestrian injury and fatality collisions in 2023 data. You can read the plan and its update on the City of Santa Ana Vision Zero page.
The 2026 update to that plan adds seven more street segments to the corridor list, including Flower Street between Warner Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, Edinger Avenue between Flower Street and Standard Avenue, Segerstrom Avenue between Bear Street and Flower Street, MacArthur Boulevard between Fairview Street and Main Street, and Dyer Road from Flower Street to the city boundary.
Two large construction projects are also underway. The Raitt Street Improvements Project runs from St. Gertrude Place to Washington Avenue and pairs 4.6 million dollars in state grant funding with a 7.8 million dollar construction contract, with pedestrian and bicycle safety as a stated focus. The McFadden Avenue Rehabilitation Project covers Flower Street to Grand Avenue under a 1.7 million dollar contract and is aimed at road conditions and pedestrian access. Both were approved by the City Council and reported in the city newsletter.
Why Road Work Matters to an Injury Claim
Active construction changes a street in ways that matter after a collision. Lane configurations shift. Signal timing gets adjusted. Striping gets ground off and repainted. Temporary signs go up and come down. A crosswalk that existed in March may be somewhere else in September.
That creates two problems. The scene you would want someone to look at may be gone within weeks. And an adjuster reviewing the claim months later may be looking at a street view image that no longer matches the road as it existed on the day you were hit.
The fix is the same in both situations. Document the roadway while it still looks the way it did when the crash happened.
What to Do in the First Days After a Santa Ana Crash
- Get medical attention the same day if you can, even if you feel like you are only sore. Gaps between the collision and the first medical visit are one of the most common things insurers point to when disputing injuries.
- Photograph the road, not just the cars. Capture the lane lines, the signs, the cones, the barricades, the signal heads, and any temporary striping. Take wide shots showing where you were relative to the intersection.
- Note the date and time on everything. In a work zone, the layout on a Tuesday morning may not be the layout the following week.
- Get the traffic collision report number from the responding officer, and request the report once it is available from the Santa Ana Police Department.
- Write down witness names and phone numbers yourself. Not every witness who talks to police at the scene ends up in the report.
- Look for cameras. Businesses along McFadden, Flower, and Edinger often have exterior cameras, and that footage is frequently overwritten within days or weeks.
- Be careful with the recorded statement. Adjusters often call within 48 hours, before you know the full extent of your injuries. You are not required to give one to the insurer for the other driver.
Deadlines You Should Know About
In California, the general deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the date of the injury under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. That is usually plenty of time, but it is not the deadline that catches people off guard.
The one that does is the government claim deadline. If a public entity may share responsibility, which can come up when a roadway condition or a work zone is part of the story, Government Code section 911.2 generally requires a written claim to be presented within six months of the incident. Six months goes fast while you are still in treatment. If there is any chance a public agency is involved, that clock is worth asking about early.
Getting Help
You do not have to sort this out while you are still recovering. Our office handles car, pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle collision claims throughout Orange County. We can request the collision report, send preservation letters for video before it is erased, document the roadway conditions, and present the claim to the insurer so you can focus on treatment.
If you were injured in a collision here, you can read more about how we handle these matters on our Santa Ana car accident page and our pedestrian accident page. Consultations are free, and there are no attorney’s fees unless we win.