Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyers

At the law firm of Rose, Klein & Marius LLP, our Los Angeles car accident lawyers handle personal injury and wrongful death cases for people in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California. Since our founding in 1936, we have built a record for success recovering millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for our clients. Our commitment has been, and always will be, to meet the needs of our clients by striving for the best possible results.

Our auto accident attorneys are focused solely on the needs of people like you. They have been recognized in various ways and are members and leaders of statewide and national organizations. Our firm's attorneys are ranked among the Best Lawyers in Southern California, and year after year our attorneys are selected for inclusion on the Southern California Super Lawyers list.

In addition to personal injury and wrongful death attorneys, our team also includes workers' compensation lawyers in Los Angeles. As a result, we are uniquely prepared to serve the needs of people injured in car accidents while on the job.

Los Angeles Car Accident Resources

1. Why choose Rose, Klein & Marius LLP for your auto accident claim?

2. Car accident statistics in California

3. Do I need a lawyer for a car accident?

4. Can I afford a car accident attorney?

5. Common car accident injuries

6. California Auto Accident Law

7. Proving negligence after collision

8. What to do after a hit-and-run

9. How much does my car accident lawsuit cost?

10. What to do after a car accident

11. Contact a Los Angeles car accident lawyer today

Why hire Rose, Klein & Marius LLP for your car accident claim?

1. Our firm has recovered over $5 billion in verdicts and settlements for clients throughout its history.

2. Our Los Angeles car accident attorneys will do their best to get you the maximum compensation for your needs and damages.

3. Our firm believes in personalized attention, high-quality legal resources and aggressive litigation.

4. Our law firm knows how to negotiate and litigate all types of motor vehicle accidents, from pedestrian collisions to fatal commercial trucking crashes.

5. Our firm's mission is to help car accident survivors in every way possible – including offering our services on a contingency fee basis.

We care about our clients

Our drive to succeed in your field is combined with a commitment to personal attention. You will find that we are attentive to your needs. We are ready to listen to your concerns and ensure that all your queries are addressed. We will do our best to make sure you are not alone.

In addition, we facilitate meetings with us for you. We have 10 fully staffed offices throughout Southern California, including offices in Los Angeles and San Diego. We represent clients in California's Central Valley, including the Bakersfield, Fresno and Visalia-Porterville areas. We want to serve your needs no matter where your car accident occurred.

Car accident statistics in California

Preventing future California car accidents—and saving countless lives—starts with increasing awareness and education about traffic collisions. Keeping up with the latest statistics on car accidents in California can help the community determine what causes these accidents and how to prevent them from happening.

Based on the latest data from the California Office of Traffic Safety (2019), a total of 35,549 fatal and injury crashes were reported in the city of Los Angeles. Of these car accidents, 2,913 were alcohol related, 4,194 were speed related and 4,319 were hit and run accidents. Los Angeles County overall reported 88,814 injury and fatal crashes in 2019.

Statewide, California reports an average of nearly 200,000 injury crashes and 3,500 fatal crashes each year. The number of traffic deaths decreased by 5.1 percent from 2018 to 2019 (3,798 deaths to 3,606 respectively). In 2019, 50 percent of drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes (who were tested) tested positive for drugs. There were also 1,066 alcohol-impaired deaths.

How can a Los Angeles car accident attorney help?

If you are seriously injured, or if a loved one dies in a car wreck, the last thing you want to worry about is fighting with the insurance company over fair compensation. It can be tempting to accept the first offer the insurance company presents. Unfortunately, that offer often falls far short of the amount you'll be compensated to cover medical expenses, ongoing medical care, lost wages, and other expenses.

Let a qualified Los Angeles personal injury attorney from Rose, Klein & Marius LLP help you recover the full financial damages you deserve. Regardless of the type of auto accident involved in your case, you can trust us to fight for your best interests. We'll take care of your legal needs, so you can focus on your recovery and taking care of your family.

We can handle motor vehicle cases including:

1. Truck accident

2. Motorcycle accident

3. SUV rollover

4. Drunk drivers are victims of car accidents

5. Motor vehicle collisions with bicyclists, pedestrians or skateboarders

6. Accidents occur due to poor road design

7. Accidents due to negligence in highway construction

In the unfortunate event you are involved in an accident, we provide information on what to do after a car accident. We want to help clients from the very beginning through the car accident recovery process physically, emotionally and financially. After a serious accident, trust a dedicated Los Angeles car accident lawyer to help you through the next steps. We offer free initial consultations so you can get the answers you need without any cost, risk or obligation.

Can I afford the services of a car accident lawyer?

The short answer to this question is yes. At Rose, Klein & Marius, LLP, our car accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means we collect our fees as a percentage of the settlement or judgment award. You will never have to pay out of pocket for our services. If you don't win your case, you won't pay us a dime in attorney fees, guaranteed.

Since contingency fees take the cost of a car accident lawyer out of the equation, the real question becomes – can you afford to hire a car accident lawyer? Without a lawyer protecting your rights, you are at risk of a car insurance company taking advantage of you. Insurance companies have significant resources to fight liability for motor vehicle collisions – meaning you could walk away with far less than you deserve.

Common car accident injuries

Our car accident lawyers in Los Angeles focus heavily on car accident law due to the frequency and severity of these accidents. In Los Angeles County in 2021, the most recent year data is available, there were 40,669 fatal and injury crashes. Car accidents commonly cause serious, catastrophic and life-changing injuries to victims living in LA. We understand how these injuries affect people and how to best help them fight for an appropriate compensation award. We can help clients with all types of personal injuries during car accident claims.

1. Traumatic brain injury

2. Spinal cord injury

3. Back and neck injuries

4. Permanent disability

5. Stains and Disfigurements

6. Fractured bones

7. Major lacerations

8. Soft-tissue injuries

9. Burn

10. Serious injury

11. Wrongful death

We also help clients fight for compensation for non-physical injuries. California law allows plaintiffs to claim compensation for their mental, emotional, and physical pain, as well as their economic damages. Our firm may be able to help you fairly for pain and suffering, emotional harm, suffering, grief, suffering and post-traumatic stress disorder after a bad auto accident.

California Car Accident Law

California has complex car accident laws that are important to understand as a victim. Otherwise, you could accidentally make a mistake that leads to less compensation for your losses - or no compensation at all. After a serious accident in Los Angeles, contact an experienced Los Angeles car accident lawyer as soon as possible for information about your specific accident. We can make it easy to navigate the law surrounding your case.

1. Statute of Limitations. One of the important laws to know is the statute of limitations or the deadline for filing a claim. In California, all accident victims have two years from the date of their car accident to file an injury claim and three years to file a property damage claim. Courts generally do not grant exceptions to this rule. The clock may not start ticking until the date of discovery if it is after the date of collision.

2. Fault based car insurance. California follows fault-based car insurance laws. All drivers must carry adequate vehicle insurance: bodily injury coverage ($15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident) and property damage liability ($5,000). After an accident, injured parties will file a claim with the at-fault party's insurance provider to recover damages. Injured victims may also have the right to bring a lawsuit instead of an insurance claim, depending on the circumstances.

3. Law of Liability. The state of California does not partially bar a victim from financial recovery for an auto accident. Instead, pure comparative negligence rules would reduce the victim's recovery award by his percentage of fault. Even if the victim is 99% responsible for the destruction, he can still recover 1% of the compensation award. An attorney at our firm can help you mount a comparative negligence defense.

One of the reasons clients hire Rose, Klein & Marius LLP is our deep and effective knowledge of California car accident law. We stay up to date on the latest changes in the law - and we push for positive change through our litigation. We are often at the forefront of California law; We were the first firm in the state to file asbestos lawsuits against product manufacturers, for example. Our goal is not only to help victims recover, but to positively impact car accident law in general through our legal representation.

Evidence of negligence in a Los Angeles car accident

When the term "negligence" is used in personal injury law, it refers to a plaintiff's legal doctrine. Most car accident claims and other types of personal injury lawsuits are based on this legal theory. When someone is negligent, they fall short of the recognized duty of care. It is an obligation to use the same level of care that a reasonable person would in the same or similar circumstances. In the context of car accident claims, duty of care generally refers to a driver's duty to obey traffic laws, drive prudently, and prevent a car accident.

Proving negligence in a car accident case requires clear and convincing evidence that the driver or other defendant breached his duty of care. Breach of duty refers to a breach of the level of care required by the circumstances. Next, the victim (or his attorney) must show that the defendant's breach of duty was a proximate or principal cause of the car accident. In other words, the collision would not have occurred had the defendant not been negligent.

Establishing the elements of a car accident claim in California requires proof of negligence. Evidence can take the form of police accident reports, photographs and video footage, signed eyewitness statements, testimony from car accident experts, accident reconstruction, medical records, cell phone records, employment records of a commercial driver, and more. An attorney can help you gather all the evidence available to prove the defendant's negligence in your car accident case.

Evidence of negligence in a Los Angeles car accident

How does comparative negligence affect car accident claims?

Comparative negligence is a defense that can be used against an accident victim to reduce the value of his settlement or judgment award. It argues that the victim caused the accident - at least in part - and therefore the defendant should be liable for a small percentage of the damages.

If the defense of comparative negligence is used against you in a car accident, it may reduce the compensation you receive from the other driver. If you are found 10 percent at fault, for example, your recovery award will be reduced by a matching percentage.

California is a pure comparative negligence state, meaning that a victim can be held up to 99 percent responsible for a car accident and still recover the remaining 1 percent in monetary damages. It is important to work with an attorney who can argue the comparative negligence defense to maximize your financial recovery.

Can you recover after a hit-and-run?

A hit-and-run accident is one in which the at-fault party is not around to fulfill its legal duty of care, including financial responsibility for the accident. In the case of a hit-and-run, you may not know how to proceed with a damage claim since you do not know the identity of the at-fault driver. California's at-fault car insurance laws do not apply if the identity of the at-fault party is unknown. Fortunately, your own auto insurer can offer a solution instead.

One of the first steps to take after a hit-and-run accident is to call the police. The police may investigate the scene of the accident and may be able to track down the driver at fault. In this case, you can proceed with your crash claim like any other car accident case, bringing a claim against the at-fault driver's insurer. If the police can't identify the driver, you can seek financial compensation through your auto insurer instead. Call your insurance agent to report the crash as soon as possible. Your agent will tell you whether you have underinsured or underinsured motorist insurance to cover your loss.

In California, carrying uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance is not mandatory. To decline this coverage, however, you must do so manually when purchasing your policy. If you have this insurance, your insurer will pay for your property damage repairs and medical bills. Comprehensive and collision insurance can also pay for your hit-and-run accident damages. A Los Angeles auto accident attorney at our firm can help you negotiate with your insurance provider for a fair and reasonable recovery award after a serious hit-and-run car accident.

Another way to obtain financial recovery after a hit-and-run auto accident is to hold someone other than the driver responsible for your damages. A lawyer can tell you whether another party contributed to your accident, such as a company for its hired driver, the City of Los Angeles for a dangerous road, or a vehicle manufacturer for a defective auto part. One of our attorneys can analyze your hit-and-run crash and inform you of all available outlets for financial compensation.

Compensation for Car Accident Victims in California

If you can make a claim for compensation, we will help you understand what type and amount to list in your initial demand letter against the at-fault party. Every car accident case is unique, with different injuries and damages suffered by survivors. Finding an appropriate amount can increase the likelihood of a successful insurance settlement. A Los Angeles auto accident lawyer at Rose, Klein & Marias LLP can review your case and calculate a fair amount to claim. Then, we can help you fight to get this amount or more from an insurance company or other defendant in LA County.

1. Existing medical debt

2. Future hospital bills and healthcare costs

3. Temporary or permanent disability accommodation

4. Past and future lost wages

5. Vehicle repair or replacement

6. Physical pain and suffering

7. Emotional distress

8. Mental anguish

9. Lost the joy of life

10. Wrongful Death Damages

11. Punitive Damages

If you have suffered catastrophic injuries in a car accident in Los Angeles or the death of a loved one, your case may be worth a significant amount. Don't convince an insurance company to settle your case for less than its true potential value. Hire an attorney from our firm to help you fight for the recovery you need to move forward with comfort and confidence. We can provide a reasonable cost estimate for your case during a free initial consultation at one of our local Southern California law firms.

What should you do after a car accident?

If you have been involved in a car accident in Los Angeles, try to take some steps immediately to protect yourself and your legal rights. The car insurance company handling your claim will look for reasons to deny or reduce your benefits, such as pleading guilty or delaying medical care. What you do (and don't do) after an accident can affect your ability to recover financial compensation for your losses. If you can, take the following steps:

1. Pull over to the scene of the accident. Never stop at the scene of an accident.

2. Check yourself and anyone else involved in the accident to find out if there are any injuries.

3. Report the car accident and any injuries to the police by calling 911 right away.

4. Exchange contact and insurance information with other drivers.

5. Don't blame the other driver or the police for the car accident.

6. Enter a description of the other vehicle, as well as its VIN and license plate numbers

7. Contact a doctor to treat your injury without delay.

Contact your car insurance company to report the accident as soon as possible.

8. Report a car accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days if someone is injured or property damage exceeds $750.

11. Consult a car accident lawyer before accepting an insurance settlement.

After you notify your insurance company about a car accident, it may contact the other driver's insurer to initiate your claim. You will be contacted by an insurance claims adjuster shortly after your crash. Be careful when talking to an adjuster, as he or she may not have your best interests at heart. Before signing anything offered to you by an insurer, contact an attorney to discuss your recovery options. You may be entitled to more financial compensation than what is being paid.

Free consultation with a car accident lawyer in Los Angeles

At Rose, Klein & Marius LLP, we want to help car accident survivors and loved ones who have lost their lives in car collisions through the injury claims process in Los Angeles. We handle all auto accident cases on a contingency basis. You will only be charged a fee if we are successful in getting you compensation.

You may have grounds to bring a claim against one or more parties for your recent automobile accident. Contact our Los Angeles car accident attorneys today to set up a free consultation to discuss your case with an experienced attorney.

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- Alice G.

Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyers