This then leads me back to my statement of, if you can you will, and if you can't you won't.
This is, I think, the most concise and accurate summation possible.
Circumstances are infinately variable, so it seems more than a little foolish to declare any technique or combination of techniques unusable.
That being said, I'll add that I've used high kicks effectively in a street fight. I'll also say that it was a lot easier to do so at 17 than it likely would be today.