Car Accident Lawyer San Pedro

A car crash in San Pedro can start with something ordinary. Maybe you made a left turn on Gaffey Street, merged where the Harbor Freeway ends at Gaffey Street, or got rear-ended on Pacific Avenue. Then come the hospital, the tow yard and an insurance adjuster who sounds friendly and wants a recorded statement. This page is for people hurt in car crashes in San Pedro and the Harbor area. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. is a Los Angeles firm that takes motor-vehicle injury cases only, for people who were physically hurt or families who lost someone. We do not take property-damage-only claims. Attorney Moe Abdallah handles each case personally and keeps clients updated by call and text. He moves quickly on evidence, because video gets overwritten and memories fade. Below you will find the local streets, the LAPD Harbor report process, the hospital, the insurance rules and the deadlines. Call (323) 716-1992 any hour. The consultation is free, we speak Spanish, and you owe no fee unless we win.

Gaffey, Pacific and Grand: the streets behind San Pedro car crashes

The Harbor Freeway, Interstate 110, ends at Gaffey Street in San Pedro, so freeway traffic spills onto surface streets here. State Route 47, the Vincent Thomas Bridge route, begins at I-110 and has an interchange at Harbor Boulevard. From those two routes, cars head onto local streets such as John S. Gibson Boulevard, Harbor Boulevard, Gaffey Street, Pacific Avenue, Grand Avenue, Centre Street, 1st Street and 7th Street. Three stretches appear on LADOT's Vision Zero High Injury Network in the transportation chapter of the One San Pedro Specific Plan Draft EIR/EIS, based on a 2023 study: Gaffey Street, Pacific Avenue from O'Farrell Street to 2nd Street, and Grand Avenue south of O'Farrell Street. LADOT has updated the network since that study, so we check the current map for your exact block. We do not call any road a crash hotspot beyond what those sources say. The location still tells us a lot about a car case. A left-turn crash at a signal needs signal timing and nearby cameras. A rear-end collision on a ramp needs the other driver's phone use and speed. A sideswipe near a merge needs witnesses. Tell us the cross street, the time of day and which way each car was heading, and we start from there.

Getting the LAPD Harbor collision report and filing the SR-1

LAPD's Harbor Community Police Station, at 2175 John S. Gibson Blvd., San Pedro, CA 90731, covers San Pedro. Its number is 310-726-7700. As a victim or a representative, you can request your traffic collision report online through LAPD's LexisNexis link, but LAPD asks you to wait at least 45 days after the crash first. If the crash involved an arrest, a death or a juvenile, or the report is dated before February 1, 2016, you must request it by mail. Send the request form and a $19 check or money order payable to LAPD to the Records and Identification Division, Document Processing Unit, P.O. Box 30158, Los Angeles, CA 90030. The status line is (213) 486-8130. The police report is one task. The SR-1 is another. A driver must file an SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days of a crash that causes injury, death or more than $1,000 in damage to any one person's property (Vehicle Code section 16000). You can file it yourself or through an insurance agent or an attorney. Moe's office can handle the SR-1 and the report request, so you can focus on treatment.

Your first days after a San Pedro crash and the injuries that follow

Get checked out first. Adrenaline hides pain, and car crash injuries like whiplash, concussion, back strain, broken ribs and fractures can show up or worsen over days. Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro is at 1300 W. 7th St., San Pedro, CA 90732. We have not verified a trauma designation for that campus, and paramedics may take a serious case to another hospital depending on your condition. Tell each provider how the crash happened and mention every symptom. Then follow the treatment plan, because a gap lets an insurer argue you got better on your own. At the scene or soon after, photograph the cars, the intersection, skid marks and your injuries. Collect the other driver's name, plate and insurance card, and get witness numbers. Look for cameras on corner stores and homes along the street, since many systems record over old footage. Keep every bill and a short log of work you missed. Do not post about the crash online. If your car records data, do not let anyone repair or scrap it before we have asked for the download.

Fault, shared blame and what the other adjuster will say

California follows pure comparative negligence. You can recover even if you were partly to blame, but your award is reduced by your percentage of fault (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). Adjusters know this and use it. After a left turn across Gaffey Street or a lane change where I-110 traffic spills onto local streets, expect questions like whether you were speeding, looking at your phone or braking late. The LAPD Harbor report may record who was cited and what each driver said, so we read it closely before you talk fault with anyone. Each answer can shift a few percentage points onto you. You do not have to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, and you should not give one before you have advice. If more than one driver shares fault, Proposition 51 makes each defendant responsible for non-economic damages only in proportion to their own share, while economic damages remain joint (Civil Code section 1431.2). Insurers must accept or deny a claim within 40 days of proof of claim and may not make unreasonably low offers (10 CCR section 2695.7). Even so, first offers often come in low. In one past case an insurer offered $900, and the client ended up with $75,000 total after the at-fault insurer tendered its policy limit and Moe pursued an underinsured motorist claim. Every case is different, and past results do not promise a similar outcome.

Policy limits, uninsured drivers and your own coverage

California's minimum liability limits are $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $15,000 for property damage, on policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025 (Vehicle Code section 16056). A serious crash can cost far more than that in medical care alone. That gap is why your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage matters. California insurers must offer UM and UIM coverage, and it can be deleted or reduced only by a signed written agreement (Insurance Code section 11580.2). If the other driver had no insurance, UM may pay. A hit-and-run driver who is never found is treated as uninsured, but three conditions apply: the fleeing car struck you or your car, someone reported the crash to police within 24 hours, and your insurer got your sworn statement within 30 days (Insurance Code section 11580.2(b)). If the at-fault driver had too little, UIM may cover the difference after their limits are paid. You generally lose the claim unless, within two years, you file suit against the uninsured driver, agree on the amount with your insurer, or demand arbitration by certified mail. Proposition 213 adds one warning. An injured person who was driving uninsured or was convicted of DUI in the crash generally cannot recover pain and suffering damages, though an uninsured owner hit by a driver convicted of DUI still can (Civil Code section 3333.4). Moe has recovered $100,000 in a policy-limit UM case after a driver fled, and $105,000 for an uninsured client with a broken sternum. Past results do not promise a similar outcome.

Deadlines, claims against the city and how Moe handles your case

You generally have two years from the crash to sue a private driver for injuries (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1) and three years for vehicle damage (section 338). Say a City of Los Angeles vehicle, a city bus or a bad road condition on a city street played a part. Then the clock is six months to present a written claim (Government Code section 911.2). File online at claims.lacity.org, mail it to the Office of the City Clerk, 200 N. Spring St., Room 395, Los Angeles, CA 90012, or deliver it to Room 395. The Clerk does not take email or fax. After a written rejection you generally have six months to sue (section 945.6). A late claim may be allowed within one year (section 911.4). The Los Angeles County Superior Court South District has a San Pedro Courthouse at 505 S. Centre St. We confirm whether your injury case is heard there or elsewhere before filing. Moe works on contingency, keeps you updated by call and text and tells you plainly where the claim stands. Our office is at 527 W 7th St, Ste 924, Los Angeles. Call (323) 716-1992 for a free review.

Talk to a San Pedro car accident lawyer

Call (323) 716-1992 for a free, no-obligation case review. You pay nothing unless we win, and we'll handle the insurance companies for you. Learn more about our car accidents representation →

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