Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer

Road traffic is all but inescapable in Los Angeles, making severe accidents a near-daily occurrence. From hectic freeways to iconic intersections like Hollywood and Vine, the threat of a car accident is never too far away. Even if you don’t regularly drive, you can end up tangled in a wreck as a cyclist, pedestrian, or unlucky bystander.

The costs of a crash can be astronomical, and the at-fault party doesn’t always want to pay for the consequences of their careless actions. That’s where a Los Angeles car accident lawyer can come in. When you work with an experienced team like Hillstone Law Accident & Injury Attorneys, you gain the resources you need to fight for compensation to cover your medical bills and other costs.

Don’t trust insurance companies to do the right thing, and never assume that the offer you get will fully pay for all of your losses. Call the Los Angeles car accident attorneys who can step into action and fight for every dollar you need to get back on your feet.

Schedule a free case review and no-obligation consultation with our proven Los Angeles car accident law firm today, and fight out how much your case could be worth. Book your free case evaluation now when you call (310) 904-4444  or contact us online.

How Can a Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney Help Me?

There are a number of things you can do after a car accident to maximize your chances of receiving an injury settlement. The biggest one is always: get an attorney.

Working with a knowledgeable, motivated, and experienced local car accident law firm can make a huge difference in your case. They’ll help you go after the at-fault party for all of the damages you have suffered. Not only that, but their assistance throughout the process takes a lot of stress and effort off your plate, letting you and your family focus on recovering.

At Hillstone Law Accident & Injury Attorneys, our Los Angeles car accident lawyers will provide invaluable assistance during your case with the following services:

• Investigating your car accident circumstances, determining what traffic laws were violated, and how other forms of negligence could have contributed to the wreck’s cause
• Strategizing using the strongest legal basis possible for the at-fault party’s liability, building a case that’s capable of standing up in court so that the opposition is pressured to settle
• Researching relevant state, federal, and local laws, in addition to court rulings for cases that bear similarities to your own
• Accurately valuing your damages, past and future, potentially using input from medical professionals, billing experts, economists, and others to ensure that your losses are fully accounted for and demanded, in full, from at-fault parties
• Handling major steps in claims and litigation, helping you reduce your workload and lower the amount of time spent on paperwork while also ensuring that everything submitted is complete and accurate
• Answering your questions while providing guidance through every stage of your case
• Keeping you informed and up-to-date so that you remain in the loop and in control of the major decisions regarding your case’s strategy
• Connecting you to resources to help you get by while you wait on your case’s outcome, such as helping you find reputable medical services providers or rental vehicles while you recover
• Preparing your case for a lawsuit or jury trial if a settlement cannot be reached
• Appealing your case, when possible, if a favorable outcome is not obtained through litigation

Common Types of Damages Awarded After a Los Angeles Car Accident

The compensation you can claim for your car accident is proportional to the amount of losses — called “damages” — that you have suffered because of your collision.

Common categories of car accident damages that will be covered in an injury settlement include the following.

Medical Bills

Covers all expenses made necessary because of the accident, including those in the past as well as those expected in the future. A comprehensive injury settlement will reimburse the injury victim for the costs of their medical treatments, hospitalization, medications, procedures, tests, imaging, and all other expenses. It should also anticipate the costs of future care, such as follow-up appointments or the need for medical support through the remainder of the crash victim’s lifetime.

Lost Wages

Includes all losses or reductions in income that result from the crash victim’s medical condition. These losses can stem from missed or reduced work hours, either because the victim was too injured to work or because they had an appointment to receive medical care at the time.

A lost wages claim can also compensate the crash victim for any permanent reductions in earning capacity, such as if their injury made them unable to return to their previous job duties. In these cases, a claim can also help pay for the costs of retraining or education required for the injury victim to enter a new career.

Personal Property Damages

A complete injury claim will request compensation for any and all expenses made necessary by the accident, including for anything that was damaged, destroyed, or lost.

If the crash victim’s vehicle was damaged in the accident, then repair costs are likely to be substantial. The vehicle may even be considered beyond repair, resulting in a total loss (“totaled” vehicle) and a need for a replacement.

Other property may have also been damaged or lost in the wreck, including electronic devices, jewelry, articles of clothing, and other personal belongings.

Other Out-of-Pocket Costs

Any costs made necessary by the accident and corresponding medical care can be recovered through an injury claim. The costs of receiving transport to appointments or making medically necessary modifications to the home are common examples.

Pain and Suffering

Your personal feelings and well-being may not have an obvious monetary value attached to it, but your loss of ability to enjoy life as you normally would does have a cost. As such, courts and insurance policies recognize that you deserve compensation when you are forced to suffer from unpleasant experiences because of someone else’s negligence.

Replacement of Domestic Services

In cases where the injury victim rendered important services to their household and their family that cannot be easily replaced, an injury claim can sometimes include compensation to cover the costs of hiring help to perform domestic tasks like cooking, cleaning, laundry, and other essential duties.

Wrongful Death

In cases where an accident led to fatal injuries, the surviving family members (or representatives of the victim’s estate) can pursue damages for all of the victim’s direct losses (e.g., the costs of their medical care prior to their death). In addition, the survivors may be eligible to receive compensation specifically for their own personal losses, including the loss of the loved one’s income contributions to the household, the loss of their companionship, and the pain and suffering stemming from their death.

Punitive Damages

In cases that proceed to a jury trial, the injury victim can request additional damages when the at-fault party’s actions were intentionally harmful or extremely reckless. These damages serve as a warning to others, deterring them from committing the same dangerous acts in the future.

How Do I Know What My Car Accident Injury Case Is Worth?

To be blunt: there’s no way to accurately predict how much money you will be able to recover from your accident case. However, there are a number of factors that can make a settlement easier to obtain while also increasing its potential monetary value.

In order to evaluate the extent of damages you have suffered, your attorney will look into the following case factors:

• The costs of patient billing and out-of-pocket expenses. Injury victims have the right to claim any expenses related to the accident that they have been billed for or have already paid out-of-pocket. They should demand to be reimbursed, in full, for all of these costs.
• The severity, breadth, and life-threatening potential of your injuries. Aside from the direct, documented costs of treating your injury, you can claim compensation for anticipated future costs as well as your own pain and suffering. Injuries that cause more bodily limitations or risk to vital systems, such as lung punctures or major nerve trauma, tend to require more intensive patient care, more procedures, and more input from experienced physicians. In addition, they tend to inflict more pain and limit the victim’s ability to engage in normal activities. Accordingly, the worse the injuries, the higher the likely financial, physical, mental, and emotional costs.
• The effects of the accident on the victim’s career and daily life. Injuries that disrupt the life of the victim have a higher perceived cost since they have a bigger effect on the ability of the victim to earn money and enjoy life as they did prior to the accident.
• The conclusiveness of the evidence that the named party is at fault. Insurance companies and other parties are more likely to settle and more likely to pay the requested amount when there is clear and irrefutable evidence of the named party’s negligence and their role in causing the victim’s injuries.
• Whether certain laws or punitive damages directly apply to the case. In some cases that proceed to trial, damages may be awarded automatically to the victim because the negligent party clearly violated a specific law. For example, instructed removal of a guard from a power press machine can make the employer directly liable for certain on-the-job injuries. In other cases, extra damages may be awarded if the jury finds that the at-fault party committed an especially careless, malicious, or heinous act.
• Whether the at-fault party is facing other civil or criminal litigation. In cases where the named party has other ongoing legal concerns, they may be more willing to settle in order to resolve your claim. They may also be more likely to be found liable by a jury when there is evidence of negligence or criminal wrongdoing that affected other victims in similar ways.
• Your willingness to wait on the outcome of the case. Patience is often rewarded in injury cases in the form of a larger settlement offer. When the opposition senses that the other party wants to resolve the case quickly, they will frequently present a “lowball” offer in the hopes that the victim will accept it — leaving behind untold amounts of unpaid damages. In other words, your ability to wait on a possible larger settlement or a jury award can directly affect the amount of compensation you are likely to recover.

What Can I Do to Improve My Chances of Getting a Car Accident Settlement or Court Award?

Nobody expects a wreck, but you do have control over how you respond to one. The steps you take after your car accident will have a huge effect on your ability to claim compensation from any at-fault drivers or other liable parties.

To help increase your chances of obtaining the money you need, make sure to take the following steps:

• Report the accident. No matter what, be sure to call in the accident or, at the very least, file a report after the fact within the next three days. Calling the police to the scene is your best bet to have the accident thoroughly documented so that fault can accurately be determined.
• Seek medical care ASAP. Ideally, you will call for an ambulance at the scene. If EMS recommends transport to a nearby facility, accept it. In all other cases, go to the hospital or a licensed physician at your next available moment.
• Consent to all tests, and describe your symptoms accurately. When receiving care, don’t skip out on any imaging or tests that could help your provider fully diagnose your condition. Also, make sure to report every single symptom you experience, no matter how small.
• Report the accident quickly to insurers. You should file notice of a possible claim as soon as you are able. However, avoid describing your diagnosis or answering any specific questions about your condition. You are merely filing notice of a claim, not describing damages. Wait until your condition and costs are understood before demanding appropriate compensation.
• Save all your paperwork. Injury victims should save all medical documentation, especially discharge papers, receipts, and other documents describing billing amounts for the care they have received. They should also save any and all receipts after their crash that could involve expenses related to their injuries.
• Reach out to a Los Angeles car accident lawyer. As soon as you know you are hurt, reach out to our attorneys. We will help you defend your legal rights, investigate your accident, and explore all available avenues for retrieving the highest amount of compensation possible. In addition, we will help you avoid common (and costly) mistakes that can hurt your case.
• Don’t talk to anyone but your attorney. Unfortunately, any information you provide to others or to the public can potentially hurt your case. This includes seemingly innocent statements like “I was tired while driving before the wreck” or “I was able to walk away fine, at first.” Statements like these can allow the opposition to dispute the nature and cause of your injuries and poke holes in the legal strength of your case.
• Avoid posting on social media. In the same vein as the last point of advice, you should strongly consider halting any social media updates after your wreck. This information is public knowledge, and it could potentially be used against you. For example, posting about attending activities like a child’s sporting event could give the opposition ammo that your life wasn’t as disrupted by your injuries as you said it was.
• Follow doctor’s orders. Listen to your doctor! If they tell you not to do something, don’t do it. That includes instructions to take off from work and recover. Also, take all prescribed medication, and attend all follow-up appointments as instructed. Neglecting doctor’s orders could give others the opportunity to claim that you hindered your own medical recovery.
• Be willing to wait. We know it can be frustrating to wait on the outcome of your case, but the at-fault party will be eager to entice you into a quick (and less expensive, for them) resolution. Work with your attorney, and let them know about any concerns you have. They can help you understand where your case is at, how long you can expect until the next step arrives, and what you can do in the meantime to support yourself and your family while you wait on a possible settlement.

The Most Common Types of Car Accidents in Los Angeles (With Statistics)

As we mentioned above, Los Angeles is no stranger to car accidents. The city’s extensive road network and the frequent need to travel through or across busy intersections make serious accidents practically a daily occurrence.

There were 22,026 crashes that caused an injury or death in the city of Los Angeles from 2022 – 2023, according to The University of California Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS).

Of these accidents, 11,065 (50%) involved complaints of pain; 3,218 (14%) involved severe or incapacitating injuries; 7,082 (32%) involved “other visible” injuries; and 661 (3%) involved fatalities.

Common Scenarios for L.A. Crashes Causing Serious Injury or Fatalities

Looking just at the 2022 – 2023 accidents that caused serious injuries or fatalities (3,879 total crashes), the following vehicle-to-vehicle collision configurations were the most common scenarios seen:

Source: UC Berkeley TIMS SWITRS tool

Vehicle-on-Pedestrian Accidents — 1,130 (29%)

Without a doubt, the most deadly type of crash occurs when a vehicle impacts the vulnerable body of a pedestrian. Sadly, these accidents happen all the time in LA, owing in large part to the dangers of crossing streets, especially when crossings take place outside of sanctioned crossing areas. Even when crossing areas are used, however, careless or malicious drivers can ignore instructions to yield — often with fatal results.

A traffic-centered city infrastructure and a large number of lanes on major thoroughfares make pedestrian accidents a very serious problem in our city. In fact, 2023 was the worst year ever for pedestrian accidents in LA, with nearly 50% of all road accident fatalities involving a vehicle-to-pedestrian collision.

Broadside (T-Bone) Accidents — 1,043 (27%)

Nearly a third of serious or fatal crashes involved a “t-bone” collision, where the front end of one vehicle collides into the side of another. These accidents tend to happen at higher speeds in intersections, especially when one party runs through a stop sign or red light. Further, they involve impact forces directly into the vehicle cabin, making vehicle safety features like airbags and crumple zones less effective.

Rear-End Collisions — 410 (11%)

Rear-end accidents are typically thought of as minor, but they definitely have the chance to cause major injuries and deaths, especially when they happen at high speeds. The overwhelming majority of these are caused by negligent, distracted, or intoxicated drivers, who aren’t paying enough attention to respond in time to traffic slowing or stopping.

Collision With Fixed or Moving Objects — 391 (10%)

Accidents can often start when one vehicle collides with a fixed object — like a construction barrel or parked car — or a moving object, such as local wildlife. These accidents can affect just one vehicle, or they can quickly turn into a pileup with dangerous cascade effects.

Head-On Crashes — 390 (10%)

Head-on crashes are possibly the deadliest crash configuration since both vehicles contribute opposing velocities, multiplying the impact force many times over. Fortunately, these accidents are less common in LA, likely because crossing medians on major roads is usually quite difficult. Unfortunately, these accidents still happen, often on streets without divisions between traffic or when vehicles overrun medians and cross into oncoming lanes.

Sideswipe — 325 (8%)

These accidents usually happen when traffic is moving and one vehicle makes side-to-side contact with another. They can occur during unsafe lane changes or when the vehicle is unable to safely maintain its lane — often in relation to intoxication or distracted driving.

Typical Time of Day and Week for L.A. Accidents

Source: UC Berkeley TIMS SWITRS tool

Car accidents in Los Angeles are unpredictable, but they still follow a pattern.

Notably, accidents are most likely later in the evening and on weekends, when drivers are more likely to be fatigued or under the influence of drugs/alcohol.

The most dangerous times for collisions were late at night and early in the morning following Friday and Saturday night revelry.

Common Traffic Violations Leading to Accidents in Los Angeles

Source: UC Berkeley TIMS SWITRS tool

Many times — but not all the time — accidents are caused by illegal and dangerous activities conducted by negligent drivers. Some of the most prevalent citations issued to drivers following accidents that led to serious injuries or deaths in L.A. from 2022 – 2023 included:

• Speeding: 19%
• Pedestrian violation (e.g., jaywalking): 17%
• Failure to yield to vehicle right-of-way: 15%
• Illegal/improper turn: 10%
• Not obeying traffic signals (e.g., red light, stop sign): 8%
• Hazardous parking: 8%
• Driving under the influence: 8%
• Not yielding to pedestrian right-of-way: 7%
• Wrong side of road: 4%

How Can I Determine Who Was at Fault for My Crash?

Proving causation and, thereby, fault is one of the most critical aspects of succeeding in your personal injury case.

In most cases, fault will be determined by proving that one or more parties were negligent. Negligence, as a legal doctrine, basically says that the party had a duty of care but violated that duty, directly leading to an injury that affected the victim.

To prove negligence, your attorney will look for the following types of evidence:

• Police citations for careless or illegal maneuvers
• Accident scene evidence, including tire marks, debris, and signs of impact
• Eyewitness statements
• Dashcam and security cam footage
• Police investigation findings
• Findings from accident reconstruction experts and other private investigators
• Medical diagnostics results and findings from care teams
• Communications records from the at-fault party and other parties involved
• Examination of the wrecked vehicle(s)
• Documentation of statutes and prior case outcomes
• Any other information available that can indicate cause or solidify a case for negligence

Your attorney will perform vigorous research at the onset of your case, looking for these and other forms of evidence in order to build the strongest possible case. They will interview subject matter experts and pore over all available documentation, including researching past cases that share similar traits to yours in order to inform the best possible legal strategy.

All of this information is used to build a strong position for you as the injury victim. Presenting all of this information to the opposition can often be enough to compel them to settle for an appropriate amount. However, in the event that they refuse to settle, this evidence and documentation will be used to prepare your case for a possible jury trial. During the trial, your attorney team will use the materials to clearly demonstrate causation, fault, and the true costs of restoring the financial value of all damages you have suffered.

Obtaining a Police Report After Your Crash in Los Angeles

You can request a police report documenting your car accident in Los Angeles online.

To submit a request, you must wait at least 45 days for the report to be finalized, reviewed, and processed. You can then visit the link above to request your report online. When requesting your police report, make sure you have at least one of the following:

• The report number (will be provided by the officer responding to the scene)
• The last name of one of the drivers and the date of the accident
• The last name of one of the drivers and the address or street where the accident took place

You can also submit a request to the Los Angeles Police Department by mail. Print and complete the Traffic Collision Request Form and submit it, along with a $15 check (no cash) to the following address:

Los Angeles Police Department

Records and Identification Division

Document Processing Unit

P.O. Box 30158

Los Angeles, CA 90030

Requesting Changes to Your Police Report

If you notice any mistakes or inaccuracies regarding your report, you should make a request to the officer who completed it as soon as possible. The department may be willing to quickly correct any mistakes of objective fact contained on the report, such as if a name was misspelled or the day of the accident was recorded incorrectly.

However, it can be more difficult to convince an officer to make a correction when you are disputing a subjective opinion, such as whether someone rolled through a stop sign before the accident without sufficiently stopping. In these cases, it is best to be polite, patient, and prepared with evidence backing your assertion.

In cases where an inaccurate police report is not corrected, do not panic. You can still win a civil case even when an officer incorrectly draws a conclusion or makes mistakes in the facts of the case. It will be up to you to convince other parties that the report was inaccurate, but it is possible to do so with the help of an attorney along with ample documentation.

Reach Out to a Los Angeles Car Accident Law Firm That Cares About Your Future

A single accident can be enough to turn your life completely upside down. We know that these times can be stressful, especially when your financial future is so uncertain.

At the same time, you can enter into your case confidently by securing the help of an experienced Los Angeles car accident attorney team at your side. Hillstone Law Accident & Injury Attorneys have decades of collective experience handling car accident cases — and winning millions of dollars on behalf of our clients.

When you’re ready to put up a tough fight, we’re ready to be there at your side. Call our firm today to discuss your case and learn about the options you have for seeking a settlement compensating you for all of the losses you have suffered.

Know that the quicker you act, the better your chances of winning a settlement. Get in touch with our firm today to schedule a free consultation when you call us at (310) 904-4444 or contact us online.