Glendale Uninsured Motorist Lawyer

You did everything right. You had insurance, you followed the rules, and then a driver with no policy, or a policy that barely covers a hospital stay, or no name at all because they sped away, hit you in Glendale. Now you are told the other side cannot pay. California gives you a second source: the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in your own auto policy. That coverage comes with traps, though: a 24-hour police report for hit-and-run crashes, a two-year clock, and an insurer that becomes your opponent the moment you file. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. is a Los Angeles firm that handles only motor-vehicle injury cases, and UM and UIM claims are part of that work. Here is how the claim works, what Glendale police and hospitals add to it, and where people lose money. Your first call is free, and you pay nothing unless Moe wins.

Uninsured, underinsured, or gone: three different claims

People use one phrase for three situations, and each plays out differently. An uninsured driver has no liability policy at all. An underinsured driver has a policy, but the limits are too low for your injuries. California's minimum for policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025 is only $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident (Vehicle Code 16056), and a broken leg with surgery can pass that amount fast. A hit-and-run driver leaves before anyone learns who they are or whether they carried coverage, and California treats an unidentified driver as uninsured for UM purposes if the rules for such claims are met. In all three cases, you look to your own policy. Every California auto bodily-injury policy must include UM coverage unless you agreed in writing, on the statutory form, to remove or lower it, and UIM comes bundled with it (Insurance Code 11580.2). If you do not remember signing anything like that, check your declarations page before assuming you have no coverage. We read your policy first, because the limits you bought set the ceiling of this claim.

What Glendale's crash numbers say about hit-and-runs

Glendale has local streets and four freeways, and drivers who flee use them. State Office of Traffic Safety data for 2022 recorded 42 hit-and-run fatal and injury collisions in Glendale, ranking the city 45th of 61 comparable cities, where 1 is worst. That is better than most, but it still means 42 crashes in one year where someone was hurt or killed and the driver left. The city's Vision Zero analysis found that 13% of Glendale streets account for 71% of crashes, with many on Brand Boulevard, Colorado Street and Central Avenue and near freeway entrances and exits. Pedestrians were in 17% of crashes but 45% of the killed-or-seriously-injured ones. Those are the places where a driver who hits a person and keeps going does the most harm. OTS also counted 377 DUI arrests in Glendale in 2022. If a drunk driver who hit you has no insurance or too little, your UM or UIM coverage fills that gap. The CHP usually investigates crashes on the SR-134, SR-2, I-5 and I-210, but for a hit-and-run inside Glendale city limits the UM rule names the city police department, so make sure Glendale police get a report too.

Hit-and-run in Glendale: the 24-hour report and 30-day statement

Hit-and-run UM claims have two short deadlines that catch people off guard. First, the injury must come from physical contact between the other vehicle and you or your vehicle, so a car that forced you off the road without touching you can create a fight with your insurer. Second, you must report the accident within 24 hours to the city police, or to the sheriff or CHP in unincorporated areas, and you must file a sworn statement with your insurer within 30 days (Insurance Code 11580.2(b)). In Glendale, call the Glendale Police Department, and ask for the report number. Its Records Bureau is at 131 N. Isabel Street, phone 818-548-3135, and a 2014 city release noted that reports needing a Traffic Bureau criminal investigation, such as hit-and-run or fatal crashes, may be delayed or unavailable online. Fees in that release are old, so ask for current ones. The statute lets someone report on your behalf, so if you were taken to the hospital, ask a friend or family member to call. Tell the officer everything you remember about the car, the plate, and the direction it fled, and check for cameras on nearby Glendale businesses before the footage is recorded over.

Your own insurer is now your opponent

One exception first: if a City of Glendale vehicle or another government vehicle hit you, UM does not apply, because government-owned vehicles are excluded from the UM definition (11580.2(b)). That claim goes to the Glendale City Clerk at 613 E. Broadway, or the agency that owns the vehicle, within six months (Government Code 911.2). In a UM or UIM claim, your insurer stands where the at-fault driver would stand, and it wants to pay as little as possible. There are rules you need to know before you speak to it. Do not settle with the at-fault driver, or take a claim to judgment against them, without your UM insurer's written consent, because that can void your UM coverage (Insurance Code 11580.2(c)(3)). For underinsured claims, the at-fault driver's liability limits are usually paid first, and what you receive is subtracted from your UIM limit (11580.2(p)(3)-(4)), and you must promptly serve your insurer with a copy of any complaint you file against the underinsured driver (11580.2(p)(6)). UM limits from multiple vehicles or policies cannot be stacked (11580.2(q)). Insurers also ask for recorded statements, then read them back looking for any fault on your part. California's pure comparative negligence rule (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804) lowers your claim by your share of blame, so any admission hurts. Send the adjuster to Moe instead of answering alone.

The two-year UM deadline, arbitration, and Proposition 213

A UM claim has its own deadline, and it is not the usual lawsuit clock. Under Insurance Code 11580.2(i)(1), you lose the claim unless, within two years of the accident, you sue the uninsured driver, reach an agreement with your insurer on the amount owed, or formally start arbitration by written notice sent by certified mail, return receipt requested. Once arbitration starts, it generally must finish within five years. Insurers must give written notice of the deadline at least 30 days before it expires, but that notice is not required when you have a lawyer (11580.2(k)), so do not count on a warning. Many UM disputes end in arbitration rather than a jury trial. If we sue the uninsured driver instead, the case goes to the Los Angeles Superior Court; the Glendale Courthouse is at 600 East Broadway, but where a case is filed depends on the case, so we check the court's locator first. Proposition 213 (Civil Code 3333.4) can bar pain and suffering damages if you owned an uninsured vehicle involved in the crash, or were driving without financial responsibility, or were convicted of DUI for that crash. An uninsured owner hit by a convicted drunk driver is excepted. If you were uninsured yourself, still call, because economic damages such as medical bills can remain recoverable.

Glendale injuries, hospitals, and how Moe handles UM claims

UM cases are built on medical proof. Glendale's emergency-care hospitals include Adventist Health Glendale Medical Center on Wilson Terrace and Glendale Memorial Hospital on South Central Avenue, and the LA County EMS Agency lists both as umbrella facilities rather than designated trauma centers. Severe injuries may be treated elsewhere in the county, and the insurer will read those records closely for any gap between the crash and your first treatment. Whichever hospital treats you, save every bill and discharge paper, keep appointments, and tell each provider the other driver had no insurance or fled. Moe reads your policy limits, preserves the police report and camera footage, builds the damages file, and negotiates with your insurer, or takes the case to arbitration or court when needed. In one case, he recovered a $100,000 policy-limit UM settlement for a woman rear-ended by a driver who fled with no police report, after other firms turned her down. In another, a $75,000 total came after an at-fault insurer first offered $900. Past results do not promise a similar outcome. The review is free, available any hour, and 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 uninsured motorist representation →

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