Under Ca CIV §1714(a), an accident victim is entitled to damages from anyone whose negligence contributed to their injuries. A plaintiff must show that someone else was negligent to collect damages. If a vehicle hit a pedestrian and the police issued the driver a citation or brought criminal charges against the driver, proving negligence may be simple. California follows the doctrine of “negligence per se,” which holds that no other evidence of negligence is necessary if the driver received a traffic citation or criminal charge arising out of the accident.