A serious car accident can flip your whole world upside down before you even know what hit you. One minute you’re driving to work, and the next, you’re staring at a pile of medical bills, missing paychecks, and insurance people hounding you for statements. If someone else’s carelessness puts you in this situation, you shouldn’t be the one paying the price.
Our Los Angeles car accident attorneys at HHJ Trial Attorneys are here to protect your rights, preserving critical evidence, and fighting for the full compensation you deserve. We handle the legal process from start to finish so you can focus on getting better.
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When you’re hurt in a crash, you need more than a lawyer who knows the law. You need a team that gets how much your life just changed and actually knows how to win. At HHJ Trial Attorneys, we have secured over $30 million in compensatory damages for car accident victims across Southern California. We’ve got Super Lawyers awards and have been featured in major news outlets for a reason: we get results.
Right from your first call, we take over, gathering Evidence, talking to your doctors, pushing back against insurance companies, and, if needed, arguing your case in front of a jury. And you don’t pay us a dime unless we win.
Los Angeles is one of the most collision-prone cities in the United States. According to recent SWITRS data, the City of Los Angeles saw almost 29,000 reported crashes in 2024. That averages out to nearly 79 crashes a day. And among those, over 300 people died in traffic collisions that year alone. In LA County, there were more than 58,000 injury crashes, making it one of the most dangerous areas to drive in the whole United States.
What really stands out is this: in 2023, traffic deaths in LA actually topped the number of homicides, even though the city’s Vision Zero plan was set out to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2025. If you’re among those hurt on LA’s roads, you’re far from alone. And you still have legal options.
Los Angeles wasn’t built for the number of cars currently on its roads, and certain stretches of the city make that obvious every single day. If you’ve driven here for any length of time, you already have a mental list of the spots you try to avoid during rush hour, and the crash data backs up your instincts.
Driver negligence is behind most crashes on LA’s roads. While road conditions and infrastructure play a role, most serious collisions trace back to the choices drivers make behind the wheel. Here are the most common causes we see in car accident cases throughout Los Angeles:
Texting, scrolling, adjusting GPS, eating, or any distraction that takes a driver’s eyes off the road for even a few seconds can lead to catastrophic consequences. LA County reported over 2,000 injuries linked to distracted driving in 2024 alone. When a driver isn’t paying attention at freeway speeds or busy intersections, the results can be devastating.
Speeding remains one of the leading contributors to fatal accidents in Los Angeles. When a vehicle travels above the posted limit, reaction time shrinks and stopping distances increase, meaning any resulting crash hits harder. Speeding-related fatalities in LA County peaked at 322 in 2021, and while they’ve trended downward, they remain a significant cause of serious injury collisions across the region.
Alcohol and drug impairment dramatically reduce judgment, coordination, and reaction time. In 2024, Los Angeles led the entire state of California with 231 serious or fatal alcohol-related crashes, a troubling distinction. DUI collisions are not accidents in the traditional sense; they are preventable tragedies driven by negligent decision-making, and the responsible party can and should be held accountable.
LA traffic is notoriously frustrating, and some drivers respond with dangerous behavior. Tailgating, abrupt lane changes, excessive speeding, and confrontations between drivers are common triggers for high-speed collisions. Road rage incidents can escalate quickly, turning a minor delay into a life-altering crash.
Running red lights, ignoring stop signs, and failing to yield at intersections and crosswalks are consistent factors in some of the most severe crash types, particularly T-bone and pedestrian-involved collisions. Many of LA’s busiest and most dangerous intersections see repeated violations that put everyone at risk, drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.
Following too closely gives drivers almost no time to react when the vehicle ahead slows suddenly. On high-volume corridors like the I-405 and I-10, where traffic can shift from 65 mph to a standstill in seconds, tailgating is a direct recipe for rear-end chain-reaction crashes. It’s one of the most frequent causes of multi-vehicle pileups on LA freeways.
Car crashes in Los Angeles range from minor fender-benders to catastrophic collisions involving commercial trucks, motorcycles, and pedestrians. The severity of injuries and their long-term impact on your life directly affect the value of your personal injury claim. Some injuries don’t even show symptoms until hours or days after the crash, which is why seeking prompt medical attention is always critical. Common injuries in Los Angeles car accident cases include:
Even injuries that seem minor at the scene, such as soreness, stiffness, and headaches, can develop into serious, chronic conditions. Adrenaline commonly masks pain in the immediate aftermath of a crash. Document everything and let a doctor determine the full extent of your injuries before accepting any settlement offer from an insurer.
At HHJ Trial Attorneys, our personal injury team has experience across the full spectrum of motor vehicle accidents in Los Angeles. Because every crash is different, we approach each case individually, investigating how the collision occurred, identifying all liable parties, and building the strongest possible claim on your behalf. To find out whether we can help with your specific situation, call or text us at (619) 465-8733. Some of the most common car accident case types we handle include:
From the moment you contact us after an accident, our Los Angeles car accident attorney team manages every aspect of your case. We gather evidence, work with medical professionals, negotiate with insurance companies, and pursue the compensation you deserve so you can focus on your recovery and moving forward.
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The actions you take in the minutes and hours following a crash can significantly affect both your physical recovery and your ability to pursue compensation. Here’s what you need to do after a car accident in Los Angeles:
Liability after a Los Angeles car accident isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. Multiple parties can share responsibility depending on how the crash occurred, and identifying every liable party is essential because it directly impacts the compensation available to you.
California law sets strict deadlines for filing a car accident lawsuit, and missing them typically means losing your right to pursue compensation entirely, regardless of how strong your case is. Understanding these timelines from the start is critical.
Under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1, you generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. If your claim involves damage only to property, your vehicle, for example, that deadline extends to three years under Section 338. Once either deadline passes, courts will almost always refuse to hear your case.
Several important exceptions can shorten or extend these timelines:
If a city, county, or state agency bears any responsibility for the crash, whether through a government vehicle or a dangerous public roadway, you typically must file a formal administrative claim within six months of the accident. This is a much shorter window, and missing it can bar your lawsuit entirely.
If an injury was not immediately apparent, the two-year clock may begin on the date you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, the harm rather than the date of the crash itself.
When the accident victim is under 18, the statute of limitations is generally paused until their 18th birthday, giving them two years from that point to file.
If the defendant leaves California after a cause of action accrues, the time of their absence generally does not count toward the statute of limitations deadline.
Furthermore, after a crash, victims have 10 days to report the collision to the California DMV. If your accident resulted in more than $1000 in property damage, death, or injuries (even if they were minor), you are legally required to alert the DMV using an SR-1 form available on the DMV website. If you don’t report the accident, your license may be suspended. Police reports are not a replacement for the DMV SR-1.
Yes. California follows a pure comparative negligence rule, which means you can recover compensation even if you were partially, or even mostly, at fault for the crash. The California Supreme Court established this standard in Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal. 3d 804, overturning the older contributory negligence system that would have barred recovery entirely for any degree of fault.
Under this rule, your compensation is reduced proportionally by your percentage of fault. If a jury determines your total damages are $250,000 but finds you 25 percent at fault, you can still recover $187,500. California’s pure comparative fault system even allows recovery when you are found 99 percent at fault, though in practice, the goal is always to minimize your assigned fault percentage and maximize your recovery. An experienced Los Angeles car accident attorney can investigate the accident thoroughly and challenge any attempt by insurance companies to inflate your share of responsibility.
Recovering from a serious car accident involves far more than just vehicle repairs. Many victims face months of medical treatment, lost income, lasting physical pain, and emotional trauma that affects every part of their daily life. California law allows injured victims to pursue three categories of compensation:
Economic damages cover the tangible, documentable financial losses caused by the accident. Our attorneys work with medical experts, financial specialists, and vocational consultants to ensure these figures account for both current and future needs, including:
Not every loss shows up on a bill. Car accidents affect victims in ways that are harder to quantify but no less real. California law allows recovery for these non-economic damages, which often include:
Non-economic damages are frequently the most hotly contested by insurers. Having experienced trial attorneys who know how to present compelling Evidence, from expert medical testimony to personal accounts, is critical to recovering what you truly deserve.
In cases involving particularly reckless or intentional misconduct, a drunk driver, a hit-and-run, or extreme road rage, the court may award punitive damages on top of compensatory damages. These are designed not to compensate the victim but to punish the defendant and deter similar conduct. When the facts support it, HHJ Trial Attorneys pursue punitive damages aggressively.
There is no universal settlement amount for car accident cases. Every claim is evaluated individually based on the specific facts, and that’s actually in your best interest, because serious cases deserve serious compensation. Several factors influence what your claim is ultimately worth:
The only way to get a realistic sense of what your case is worth is to speak with an attorney who can review the specific facts. What we can tell you is that victims who have legal representation consistently recover significantly more than those who negotiate with insurers on their own.
A serious car accident can leave you overwhelmed, physically, emotionally, and financially. At HHJ Trial Attorneys, we step in and take on the legal burden so you can concentrate on healing. Here’s what we do for our clients from the moment they contact us:
Case | Settlement |
$40000 | |
$16000 | |
$60000 | |
$47000 |
You should always call 911 after a crash that involves injuries, significant property damage, or an uncooperative driver. The official police report becomes a vital piece of Evidence when establishing fault. For minor fender-benders with no injuries and cooperative parties, you may not be legally required to call the police. Still, it’s generally advisable to document the crash with law enforcement whenever possible.
It depends on the severity of your injuries, the complexity of liability, and whether the insurer is willing to negotiate fairly. Some cases resolve in a few months; others that go to trial take longer. We’ll walk you through a realistic timeline once we’ve reviewed the specifics of your crash.
Get a free, confidential consultation today.
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Located in the heart of Encino, our office at 16200 Ventura Blvd, Suite 315, Encino, CA 91436 places HHJ Trial Attorneys in one of Los Angeles’ most established business and professional districts. Situated along Ventura Boulevard and surrounded by prominent offices, retail centers, and local businesses, our location offers convenient access for accident victims seeking experienced legal representation. Whether you were injured in a rear-end collision, freeway accident, distracted driving crash, or rideshare accident, our office is easily accessible from the US-101 Ventura Freeway and major thoroughfares throughout the San Fernando Valley. Just minutes from Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Woodland Hills, and the Los Angeles Superior Court system, our Los Angeles car accident attorneys are committed to providing responsive legal guidance, aggressive advocacy, and personalized support to injury victims across Los Angeles County.
From our offices across Southern California, HHJ Trial Attorneys represents clients throughout San Diego County and statewide in a wide range of personal injury cases. Whether you were injured in San Diego, Carlsbad, Escondido, Los Angeles, or Temecula, our award-winning trial lawyers provide clear communication, compassionate guidance, and results-driven representation from start to finish.
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