Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer in Pasadena, CA
A Pasadena drunk driving accident lawyer from Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. builds your civil injury claim apart from the criminal case, pursues every insurance source, and can seek punitive damages against an impaired driver. Attorney Moe Abdallah gives a free review 24/7, and you pay no fee unless he wins.
If a drunk driver hurt you or someone you love in Pasadena, you are facing two separate fights. One is the criminal case, run by prosecutors. The other is your civil claim for medical bills, lost income, pain, and sometimes punitive damages. The prosecutor works for the state, not for you. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. handles drunk driving accident claims for people hurt on the I-210, SR-134, Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue, and the streets around Old Pasadena. Attorney Moe Abdallah answers your call himself, any hour, and moves fast to secure the arrest report, bar and restaurant records, and video. The consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we win. Below, you will see how the criminal case affects your claim, which Pasadena agencies hold the records, how punitive damages work, and what California law says about bars, hosts, and the driver's insurance.
Two cases, one crash: the DUI prosecution and your injury claim
A DUI prosecution and a civil injury claim answer different questions. In the criminal case, the state asks whether the driver broke the law. Driving under the influence is a crime under Vehicle Code section 23152, and driving under the influence while causing bodily injury to another person is a separate crime under section 23153. In your civil case, you ask who pays for what the crash took from you. You do not have to wait for a conviction, and you do not need one to win. A felony conviction can help. Under Evidence Code section 1300, a final judgment convicting someone of a felony can be offered in a civil case to prove the facts the judgment necessarily decided. A misdemeanor plea is weaker. Under Penal Code section 1016, a no contest plea to a misdemeanor cannot be used against the driver as an admission in your civil suit. If the driver is acquitted or never charged, you can still prove negligence with the police report, blood or breath results, witness accounts, and the driver's own words. The two cases run on different clocks, and what you say in one can surface in the other. Talk to us before you speak with anyone from the defense side.
Pasadena police, the CHP, and the DUI records that matter
The agency that responds depends on where the crash happened. The Pasadena Police Department handles collisions on city streets, and you request the report through the department's public records page. Crashes on the I-210, SR-134, and the Arroyo Seco Parkway that ends at Glenarm Street are normally handled by the CHP. A suspected DUI crash file can hold far more than a normal collision report. We request field sobriety test notes, officer observations such as odor or slurred speech, breath or blood test results, body camera video, dispatch logs, and the driver's statements. We also check the driver's history, since prior DUI arrests or a suspended license can shape both the criminal case and your claim. If the criminal case is moving, the court file will show the charges, plea, and sentence. Any restitution the driver pays after a felony conviction is credited against a civil award under Code of Civil Procedure section 340.3. Records go stale quickly. We send requests early and keep every version, because a report can be updated once lab results arrive.
Where the evidence of the night lives
A drunk driving crash starts well before the impact. The driver drank somewhere, left somewhere, and drove somewhere. Old Pasadena, centered at Colorado Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue, is packed with restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs, and drivers heading home reach the I-210, SR-134, or Lake Avenue within minutes. The state's 2023 crash rankings counted 65 victims in alcohol-involved fatal and injury crashes in Pasadena, 79 fatal and injury collisions between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., and 166 DUI arrests. We do not tie those numbers to any one bar or block. For your claim, the question is what proof of that night exists. Look for receipts, card statements, bar and restaurant video, text messages, social posts, and traffic camera footage. Businesses overwrite video within days, and memories of who paid for what fade fast. A preservation letter from our office puts them on notice. If a witness saw the driver drinking or stumbling to the car, we want to meet that witness before the driver's insurance lawyer does.
Punitive damages against an impaired driver
Most injury cases cover your losses: medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. A drunk driving case can add punitive damages, which exist to punish and deter. California allows punitive damages when you prove oppression, fraud, or malice by clear and convincing evidence under Civil Code section 3294. Malice includes despicable conduct carried on with willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others. In Taylor v. Superior Court (1979) 24 Cal.3d 890, the California Supreme Court held that a drunk driver's conscious disregard of safety can support a punitive damages claim. Punitive damages are not automatic. They turn on the facts: how impaired the driver was, whether the driver had prior DUIs, and whether the driver got behind the wheel after a warning. Claims against an employer are harder. An employer is liable for punitive damages over an employee's drunk driving only if it knew the employee was unfit and hired or kept him with conscious disregard of others' safety, or authorized or ratified the conduct. For a company, an officer, director, or managing agent must be involved. Collecting any award still depends on the driver's insurance and assets, so we look at every source.
Bars, social hosts, and the driver's insurance
You may wonder whether you can sue the bar that served the driver. California's rule is narrow. Under Civil Code section 1714 and Business and Professions Code section 25602, sellers and social hosts generally are not liable for injuries caused by an adult they served. Two main exceptions exist. A licensed seller, or anyone else who sells alcohol, can be sued for selling or furnishing alcohol to an obviously intoxicated minor when that is the proximate cause of the injury under Business and Professions Code section 25602.1. And an adult who knowingly furnishes alcohol at home to someone under 21 can be liable under Civil Code section 1714(d). Most claims run against the driver and any employer or owner who shares legal responsibility. California's minimum auto liability limits are $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for bodily injury, which often falls short for a serious injury. So we check your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage too. If the driver was working, a business policy may apply. If the driver was carrying a passenger for hire, the legal blood alcohol limit is 0.04%, not 0.08%, under Vehicle Code sections 23152 and 23153.
Huntington Hospital, deadlines, and how Moe handles your case
Serious drunk driving injuries often start at Huntington Hospital, which says it has the only Level II trauma center in the San Gabriel Valley. High-speed head-on and rollover crashes can cause head injuries, spinal damage, internal bleeding, and multiple fractures. Keep every record. Those bills and notes become the heart of your claim, so tell every provider how the crash happened. Your lawsuit deadline is generally two years from the crash under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, and two years from death in a wrongful death case. A felony conviction can open a later window of one year after judgment under section 340.3, but do not plan around it. If a government vehicle or public road defect was involved, you must present a written claim to the public entity within six months under Government Code section 911.2. The Pasadena Courthouse at 300 East Walnut Street is a Los Angeles Superior Court location, and we check the filing locator for the right court. Moe handles your case himself, updates you by call and text, and you pay nothing unless he wins. Se Habla Español.
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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 drunk-driving crashes representation →
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The civil case is separate from the DUI prosecution. A felony conviction can be used as evidence of facts it established, but you can prove negligence without any conviction, using the police report, test results, and witnesses. The proof standard in your civil case is lower than in the criminal one.
Possibly. California allows punitive damages when you prove malice, oppression, or fraud by clear and convincing evidence, and Taylor v. Superior Court (1979) held that a drunk driver's conscious disregard of safety can support them. They turn on the facts and are never automatic.
Usually not. California law generally shields sellers and social hosts from liability for an adult's drinking. The main exceptions involve serving an obviously intoxicated minor or giving alcohol to a person under 21 at home. We go through the facts to see whether an exception fits.
Generally two years from the crash for injury, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a public entity is involved, you must present a written claim within six months. A felony conviction may extend one deadline, but call us early and do not count on it.
For crashes on city streets, request the report from the Pasadena Police Department through its public records page. For the I-210, SR-134, or SR-110, the CHP usually writes it. DUI files can also include test results and video that we request separately.
Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may apply. California's minimum limits are $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident, which can fall short of a serious injury. An uninsured owner can still seek non-economic damages if the other driver was convicted of DUI under Civil Code section 3333.4.
Yes. California follows pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab Co., so your award is reduced by your share of fault, not erased. Insurers try to inflate that share, even when the other driver was drunk. We push back with evidence.
The consultation is free, and Moe works on contingency, so you pay no fee unless he wins. He is available 24/7. Past results do not predict a similar outcome, but Moe has recovered policy limits on several cases.
Other cases we handle in Pasadena
See everything we handle in Pasadena →
Drunk Driving Accident lawyers in other cities we serve
Sources & local resources
- Pasadena Courthouse · Superior Court of Los Angeles County
- Pasadena 2023 OTS Crash Ranking · California Office of Traffic Safety
- About Huntington Health · Huntington Health
- Cal. Vehicle Code section 23153 · California Legislative Information
- Cal. Civil Code section 3294 · California Legislative Information
- Cal. Code of Civil Procedure section 340.3 · California Legislative Information
- Cal. Business and Professions Code section 25602 · California Legislative Information
- Old Pasadena · Wikipedia
- Pasadena sets zero traffic fatalities goal by 2035
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.
5.0 stars across every review
I would definitely recommend this firm to anyone looking for reliable legal guidance.
Moe Abdallah is the best attorney around , very professional, attentive, respectful, highly knowledgeable, caring for his clients like family and most importantly gets the job done! Forever thankful I found Moe to help me in my case Got me
I am incredibly grateful to Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. for their outstanding representation following my recent accident. Dealing with injuries, medical bills, and insurance companies was overwhelming, but Moe completely took the burden off my
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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