Soap Star Finola Hughes -- Sideswiped Pedestrian, Parked Car

Veteran soap actress Finola Hughes hit a pedestrian and a parked car Thursday night in Hollywood -- but when it was all said and done ... SHE was the one who feared for her safety.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Hughes -- who appeared on "All My Children" and "General Hospital" -- was driving her 2008 Mercedes when she accidentally clipped a parked car and a 23-year-old guy who was getting into it.

We're told Hughes got scared when a witnesses chased her ... so she called police from her car -- and then pulled over to exchange info with the other people involved.

We're also told alcohol was not a factor ... Hughes was not ticketed -- and the pedestrian only suffered minor injuries.