Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer
If you were injured in a car accident in Los Angeles, a car accident lawyer at Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. can pursue the at-fault driver and their insurer for your medical bills, lost wages, vehicle damage, and pain and suffering. The consultation is free and you pay nothing unless we win.
If you were hurt in a car accident in Los Angeles, a car accident lawyer can take over the insurance fight and pursue the full value of your injuries while you heal. As a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, Moe Abdallah handles that fight for people hurt in LA car wrecks. The medical bills stack up, you miss work, and within days an adjuster calls offering far less than your claim is worth. We dig into the crash, gather the evidence, take on the insurers, and stand between you and the pressure so you never face it alone. If your car accident claim brings in nothing, you owe us nothing.
Where car crashes pile up on Los Angeles streets
Federal crash data points to a short list of Los Angeles streets. In NHTSA FARS records for the City of Los Angeles from 2019 to 2024, Western Avenue was named in about 38 fatal crashes, the most of any surface street. Foothill Boulevard came next with about 33. Then came Figueroa Street with about 30, Vermont Avenue with about 28 and Normandie Avenue with about 25. LADOT's 2024 High Injury Network layer lists Sherman Way, Vanowen Street and Victory Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley among the longest stretches for drivers. On Adams Boulevard between Crenshaw Blvd and Fairfax Ave, LADOT counted 59 severe and fatal collisions from 2009 to 2019, and they caused 10 deaths. The freeways carry their own share. In the same federal records, US-101 had about 83 fatal crashes, I-5 about 82, I-110 about 80, I-10 about 64 and I-405 about 36. Freeways and expressways made up 435 of the city's 1,822 fatal crashes, about 24 percent. Time of day matters too. LAPD's open collision data lists 56,628 reported crashes in 2019, about 155 a day. About 20 percent of them happened between 4:00 and 6:59 p.m. The busiest LAPD areas that year were 77th Street, Southwest, Wilshire and Newton. Tell us the cross street, the direction you were headed and the time. That lets us look for cameras and witnesses near the spot before the footage is gone. For a street-by-street count from the 2025 CHP crash records, see the most dangerous streets in Los Angeles.
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Prefer to talk? Call (323) 716-1992, 24/7.
How to get your LAPD or CHP report after an LA car crash
Who writes your report depends on where you crashed. On surface streets inside the City of Los Angeles, LAPD investigates through four Traffic Divisions. You'll find Central Traffic Division at 251 E. 6th St. West Traffic Division works out of 4849 Venice Blvd. South Traffic Division is based at 4125 S. Crenshaw Blvd. Valley Traffic Division operates from 7870 Nollan Place in Panorama City. On a freeway, the California Highway Patrol takes the report, not LAPD. For car crashes on I-5, I-10, US-101 or I-110 near downtown, the report comes from the CHP Central Los Angeles Area office, 777 W. Washington Blvd. Its West Los Angeles Area office in Culver City covers I-405 and I-10 on the Westside. To get an LAPD report, request it online through LAPD's portal in English or Spanish. Give it 45 days or more, since LAPD has to review and approve the report first. Reports that involve an arrest, a death or a juvenile can't go out online. For those, mail the Traffic Collision Report Request form with a $19.00 check or money order payable to the LAPD. Send it to Records and Identification Division, Document Processing Unit, P.O. Box 30158, Los Angeles, CA 90030. For status, LAPD's recorded line is (213) 486-8130. A CHP report comes only from CHP. You can get one at any CHP office for a fee, mail a CHP 190 form with a copy of your license to the office that wrote it, or use CHP's online Crash Report Search. Send us your report number and we'll handle the rest.
Los Angeles trauma centers that treat car crash injuries
The LA County EMS Agency publishes a 9-1-1 Receiving Hospital Directory that lists which hospitals are trauma centers. Four Level I trauma centers serve the city for the worst car crash injuries. Those four are Los Angeles General Medical Center at 1200 North State Street, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center at 757 Westwood Plaza, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 8700 Beverly Boulevard, and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center at 1000 West Carson Street in Torrance. Downtown, Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center at 1401 South Grand Avenue is a Level II trauma center. In the Valley, Dignity Health-Northridge Hospital Medical Center on Roscoe Boulevard and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills are both Level II. If a child was hurt, Children's Hospital Los Angeles on Sunset Boulevard is a pediatric Level I center. The same directory lists no trauma level for hospitals such as Hollywood Presbyterian, Sherman Oaks Hospital or Kaiser Los Angeles. That doesn't hurt your claim. What matters is that you got checked and that the records tie your neck, back, head or bone injuries to the crash. Ask for your ER notes, imaging and discharge papers. Keep every follow-up visit. Gaps in care are the first thing an adjuster points to when it wants to pay less.
Hit by a city car, DASH bus or Metro vehicle in Los Angeles
A crash with a government vehicle runs on a much shorter clock. You must present a written claim to the public agency within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2). If it rejects the claim in writing, you generally have six months from that notice to sue (Gov. Code § 945.6). Miss the six-month claim window and you can only ask for leave to file a late claim. That request has to come within a reasonable time and no later than one year after the crash (Gov. Code § 911.4). For a City of Los Angeles vehicle, a city worker or a city road defect, only the Office of the City Clerk can accept the claim. That covers LADOT DASH buses. File online through the Claim for Damages portal, mail the signed form, or bring it to City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Room 395. Use the Main Street entrance, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Clerk doesn't take claims by email or fax. Call (213) 978-1133 with questions. The City Attorney Claims Division then investigates. For a county vehicle, the County's form says to send it to the Executive Officer, Board of Supervisors, Attention: Claims, at 500 West Temple Street, Room 383. That form dates to 2016, so confirm the address first. For a Metro bus or train, use Metro's Claim for Damages form and mail it to One Gateway Plaza, 99-PL-4. Metro's form says only the registered owner can claim car repairs. A federal vehicle, such as a mail truck, follows separate federal rules. We file the right form with the right office so your claim isn't thrown out on a technicality.
Stanley Mosk Courthouse and the LA proof behind a car case
Most Los Angeles car accident cases settle. When one has to be filed, LA Superior Court Local Rule 2.3 sends unlimited civil motor vehicle injury cases to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 111 North Hill Street in downtown LA, or to the Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster. According to the court's Civil Division, some Stanley Mosk courtrooms take nothing but personal injury cases, car crashes included. Unlimited civil means over $35,000. A car claim of $35,000 or less is limited civil, filed at the Spring Street Courthouse, 312 North Spring Street. Small claims caps out at $12,500 for a person, and you can't bring a lawyer into that courtroom. Whatever the venue, the proof is local. We get the LAPD or CHP report. We ask nearby shops, apartment buildings and any public agency for video before it records over. We pull dashcam clips and look up the other car's insurance. If your car broke down on the freeway after the crash, Metro's free Freeway Service Patrol can tow it to a safe spot off the freeway. You reach it by dialing 5-1-1 and saying "Motorist Aid." Tell us if it helped you. Also file your SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days if anyone was hurt or damage tops $1,000 (Veh. Code § 16000). We can help you file it. Moe's office is at 527 W 7th St in downtown Los Angeles.
The most common causes of Los Angeles car accidents
Los Angeles has some of the most crowded and dangerous roads in the country. Most of the crashes we handle come down to another driver's carelessness: distracted driving from texting, apps, and navigation; speeding and street racing; unsafe lane changes on the 405, 101, and 110; tailgating in stop-and-go traffic; running red lights and stop signs; drowsy driving; and drunk driving. Each cause leaves behind its own evidence: phone records, event-data-recorder ("black box") downloads, traffic-camera and dashcam footage, and witness statements. Much of it vanishes within days. The sooner we start, the more we can save to prove exactly what happened.
Injuries we see, and why they cost more than the first offer
A rear-end tap at a red light can still whip your neck hard enough to cause problems that last for years. We take car crash claims for whiplash and neck strain, herniated discs and other back injuries, concussions and brain injuries from striking the window, wheel or airbag, broken bones, shoulder and knee tears that need surgery, internal injuries, and spinal-cord damage. Insurers often make a quick offer before the full picture is clear: before you finish treatment, before a surgery is scheduled, before anyone knows the long-term toll. Cash that early rarely covers a car crash injury, and a signed release closes the claim for good. We hold off until your doctors know where your recovery is headed, add up every bill now and later, and price the claim on what the wreck will cost you over a lifetime.
What to do after a car accident in Los Angeles
Get medical care right away
Call 911 from the roadside and let paramedics or a doctor look you over, even if you climbed out of the car feeling fine. Whiplash and concussion symptoms often lag, and any gap in care is the opening an adjuster looks for.
Document everything you can
Photos of the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries; the other driver's license, insurance, and plate; and the names and numbers of any witnesses. Get the police report number.
Let us field the other driver's insurer
Turn down any recorded statement or quick check from the other driver's carrier until a lawyer has looked at your crash. A casual line about your sore neck can be quoted back to lower your number. The consultation is free.
How car insurers try to shrink your claim, and how we push back
The at-fault driver's insurer is not on your side. Every dollar it keeps off your claim is a dollar it saves. Expect a friendly call within days of the wreck, a request to record your version of the crash, a medical release that reaches back years, and a low offer while your neck still hurts and your car sits in the body shop. It may claim you were partly at fault, that your injuries were already there, or that you waited too long to treat. We shut those tactics down. We handle every conversation so you never have to, we build the medical and liability evidence into a demand they can't lowball, and we prepare each case as if it will go to trial. Adjusters know a car crash file built that way can end up in front of a jury, and they price it with that in mind.
What your car accident claim can recover
- ✓Medical expenses. ER visits after the wreck, hospital time, surgery, X-rays and MRIs, prescriptions, and physical therapy, for bills already paid and the ones still coming.
- ✓Lost income. Paychecks you lost while you healed, and lower earning power if a neck, back or other injury keeps you from the work you did before.
- ✓Pain & suffering. The pain itself, the stress and anxiety that follow a crash, such as fear of getting back behind the wheel, and the parts of life you can no longer enjoy.
- ✓Property damage. Fixing or replacing your car, plus things inside it that the crash destroyed, like a phone or laptop.
- ✓Future care. Treatment you will still need after the case closes, from rehab and pain management to long-term care for a lasting injury.
- ✓Punitive damages. When the at-fault driver acted with malice, oppression or fraud, proven by clear and convincing evidence (Civ. Code § 3294). Some drunk-driving crashes can qualify. These damages are meant to punish, and they are never automatic.
California injury law, the deadlines that matter
In California, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal-injury lawsuit against a private driver or company (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1), and three years to sue for damage to your car or other property (Code Civ. Proc. § 338(c)(1)). For a child, the injury deadline usually does not start running until age 18 (Code Civ. Proc. § 352). If a California city, county, state agency or other public entity is responsible, the rules are much stricter. You must first present a written claim to that entity within six months of the crash (Gov. Code § 911.2). If it sends written notice rejecting the claim, you then generally have six months from that notice to file suit (Gov. Code § 945.6). The age-18 delay for children does not stretch these government deadlines. Crashes with federal vehicles, such as a mail truck, follow separate federal rules. California also follows pure comparative negligence: you can recover even if you were partly at fault, and your award is reduced by your percentage of fault (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). An adjuster's view of who was at fault is not the final word, and a missed claim or lawsuit deadline can end your case. That is why it pays to talk to a lawyer early.
Why LA car crash victims call Moe Abdallah Law
Moe answers your car case questions himself
Attorney Moe Abdallah handles your car accident case himself. He deals with the other driver's insurer and calls or texts you with each update, so you never chase a case manager for news.
No fee unless we win
Nothing comes out of your pocket to start, and if your car crash claim recovers nothing, you owe no fee. The consultation is always free.
We prepare to win
Each car case is prepared as if a jury will hear it: we pull the crash report and video, bring in the outside experts the wreck calls for, and negotiate hard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nothing upfront. Our fee is a contingency fee, taken only from money we recover on your car accident claim. No recovery, no fee. The consultation is always free.
Usually two years from the date of the crash to file an injury lawsuit under Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, and three years for damage to your car (§ 338(c)(1)). If a California public entity is involved, such as a city bus or county vehicle, you must present a written claim to that entity within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2), and if it rejects the claim in writing you generally have six months from that notice to sue (Gov. Code § 945.6). Call early, before intersection video records over and the cars get repaired.
You can still recover. Under California's pure comparative negligence rule, your share of fault lowers your award but does not wipe it out. Adjusters like to say you braked too hard or changed lanes too fast, and we answer with the report, the photos and any video.
Almost never. First offers come before your treatment is done and are built to close your claim on the cheap. Once you accept, you cannot reopen it. Send us the offer letter first. We'll look at it for free before you sign.
It depends on how bad and how lasting your injuries are, your medical costs and future care, lost income, and how clear liability is. There's no fixed formula, and a free case review is the simplest way to find out.
Most cases settle without a trial. But we prepare every case as if it will go to court, because insurers pay more when they know your lawyer is ready to try the case.
You may still be covered through your own uninsured motorist coverage. For a hit-and-run with an unknown driver, that coverage has strict conditions: the other car must have made physical contact with you or your car, the crash must be reported to police or the CHP within 24 hours, and you must file a sworn statement with your insurer within 30 days (Ins. Code § 11580.2(b)). Call us and we'll go over how your own policy can pay.
Yes, Se Habla Español. You can tell us about your crash in Spanish or English, whichever is easier for you.
If it was a minor fender-bender with no injuries, you can often handle it yourself. But if you were hurt, missed work, or the other side blames you, a lawyer usually puts more money in your pocket even after fees, because we know what the case is worth and how to prove it. Not sure which one you have? Call and we'll give you a free, honest answer about your car case.
No. You are not required to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, and it's used to twist your words and shrink your claim. Say no thanks and skip their questions about the crash and your injuries. Give them our number and we'll take it from there.
Not yet, if you're still in treatment. A signed release ends the car accident claim for good, and an early offer rarely counts the therapy, imaging or lost work still ahead. Send it to us and we'll review it for free before you agree to anything.
Be careful with those. A broad medical authorization lets the insurer dig through your entire medical history looking for a pre-existing condition to blame. Don't sign a blanket form without advice. Send it to us and we'll tell you what's safe to release.
Not for a crash you didn't cause. Under California law, your insurer's rating plan can't bump your premium over a crash you weren't at fault in (Ins. Code § 491). If your insurer disagrees with a police report that found you not at fault, it has to investigate before deciding otherwise. If you're worried about it, ask us and we'll explain how it applies to you.
Yes. Right after a collision your body floods with adrenaline, so whiplash, back pain or a concussion may not show until days later. Insurers often point to a delay in treatment to deny a car claim, so get seen soon and save every record. Then call us.
It can be both. You file against the at-fault driver's liability coverage for your injuries and damage. If your own policy includes MedPay, it can help with early medical bills. Your underinsured motorist coverage can apply when the at-fault driver's liability limits are lower than your own underinsured limits, after their policy pays out in full, and it is reduced by what they paid (Ins. Code § 11580.2(p)). We sort out which policies apply so nothing gets left on the table.
Yes. California follows pure comparative negligence, so not wearing a seatbelt may reduce your recovery but it doesn't bar it. To cut your award, the other side has to prove that a working belt was available, that a careful person would have used it, and that your injuries would have been avoided or less severe with it (CACI No. 712). Don't assume you have no case. Let us look at the facts.
It depends on your injuries. A soft-tissue car case can wrap up in a few months, but a serious injury takes longer because we don't settle until your doctors know your prognosis. A fast close usually leaves money on the table. Moe updates you by call or text so you know where your case stands.
Be cautious with that. Injuries often surface days later, and cash on the spot rarely covers real medical costs and lost wages. Once you take it, you lose your bargaining power and may have no record of the crash. Talk to us before you agree to anything.
Request it online through LAPD's report portal, in English or Spanish, and wait at least 45 days after the crash so the report can be approved. If the crash involved an arrest, a death or a juvenile, you have to ask by mail. Send the Traffic Collision Report Request form and a $19.00 check or money order to LAPD Records and Identification Division, P.O. Box 30158, Los Angeles, CA 90030. If CHP handled your freeway crash, get the report from CHP instead.
Only the Office of the Los Angeles City Clerk can accept it. File online through the Claim for Damages portal, mail the signed form, or deliver it to City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Room 395. Email and fax don't count. You must present the claim within six months of the crash (Gov. Code § 911.2). If the city rejects it in writing, you generally have six months from that notice to sue (Gov. Code § 945.6).
Under LA Superior Court Local Rule 2.3, unlimited civil car injury cases, meaning over $35,000, go to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 111 North Hill Street or to the Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster. A car case worth $35,000 or less is filed at the Spring Street Courthouse instead. Small claims tops out at $12,500 and bars lawyers from the courtroom. Most car cases settle before trial, but we prepare each one to be filed.
Other ways we help
Car Accidents lawyer by area
We represent car accidents victims across Los Angeles County:
Los Angeles crash data: Freeway vs. surface street crash statistics, Los Angeles
Los Angeles crash data: Teen driver crash statistics, Los Angeles
Authoritative resources: California Courts, self-help for injury claims · Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1, 2-year deadline · California DMV · California Office of Traffic Safety, crash data
Sources & local resources
- Request a Traffic Report · Los Angeles Police Department
- Traffic Group · Los Angeles Police Department
- (590) Central Los Angeles · California Highway Patrol
- Claim for Damage · Office of the Los Angeles City Clerk
- Local Rules, Chapter 2 (Rules 2.2 and 2.3, filing locations) · Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
- FARS raw data files, 2019-2024 national CSV (2024 file shown; same path pattern for each year) · NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation
- High Injury Network (2024) · City of Los Angeles GeoHub (LADOT)
- 9-1-1 Receiving Hospital Directory, Reference No. 501 (rev. 10-01-26) · LA County EMS Agency, Department of Health Services
Talk to Moe Abdallah directly
When you call Moe Abdallah Law, you work directly with your attorney and get straight answers, not a call center. Moe takes on the insurance companies and fights for the maximum, and he keeps you updated at every step. The consultation is free and you pay nothing unless he wins.
Real recoveries for real Angelenos
Real recoveries from an attorney who takes your case personally and fights for the maximum.
Rear-ended by a driver who fled, and other firms turned her down. Moe opened an uninsured-motorist claim, proved she could not have been at fault, and secured the full policy limit.
Broke his sternum and had no insurance of his own, and his prior attorney ignored him. Moe took his calls day and night and recovered a settlement that covered his hospital bills and future treatment.
Cut off on the freeway and left with back and neck pain over four months of treatment. Moe secured the full policy limit for his pain and suffering, and his totaled car was reimbursed.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.
Talk to a lawyer today, free
Tell us what happened. We respond fast, usually within the hour, and there's no fee unless we win. Available 24/7 · Se Habla Español.
Call (323) 716-1992