Williams & Gasparian Law represents people injured in crashes across Los Angeles County as well as the rest of California.
We handle the claim from start to finish: the property damage, the medical bills, the lost income, and the negotiations with every insurer involved. If the insurer will not pay what the case is worth, we file a lawsuit.
Why Car Crashes Happen in Los Angeles
The cause matters because it decides who is responsible.
- Distracted driving. Phones, dashboard screens, food, and passengers pull eyes off the road.
- Speeding. Higher speed turns a minor collision into a serious injury, on surface streets as much as on freeways.
- Red light or stop sign violations. Intersection crashes are often side impacts, which cause some of the worst injuries.
- Drunk or drugged driving. An impaired driver may face a criminal case, but your injury claim is separate from it.
- Unsafe lane changes or tailgating. Freeway merges, sudden lane changes with no signal, and following too closely.
- Drowsy driving. Long shifts or long drives, with the same effect on reaction time as alcohol.
- Vehicle defects. Brake, tire, or steering failures can make a manufacturer or repair shop responsible.
- Road conditions. Potholes, missing signs, or bad signal timing may make a city or county responsible.
What You May Be Able to Recover
California law lets an injured person claim two kinds of losses.
Economic losses
- Medical bills so far, and the cost of treatment you will need later
- Wages you lost while you could not work
- Reduced ability to earn if the injury is lasting
- Repair or replacement of your vehicle
- Out-of-pocket costs such as rides to appointments or help at home
Non-economic losses
- Physical pain
- Emotional distress, including anxiety about driving
- Loss of the activities you used to enjoy
- Scarring or disfigurement
In limited situations, such as a crash caused by a drunk driver, a court can also award punitive damages, which are meant to punish rather than to compensate. We do not quote case values on this site. Every case depends on the injuries, the evidence, and the insurance available.
California Rules That Affect Car Accident Cases
- Deadline to file a lawsuit
- Two years, counted from the day of the crash, for an injury claim under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. A claim for vehicle damage alone has a three-year deadline. If you miss the deadline, the court will almost always dismiss the case.
- Crashes involving a government vehicle or a road defect
- If a city bus, a police car, or a badly maintained road caused the crash, you must file a written claim with the public agency within six months under Government Code section 911.2 before you can sue.
- Shared fault
- California follows pure comparative negligence. If you were partly to blame, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but not eliminated. A person found twenty percent at fault still recovers eighty percent of their losses.
- Minimum insurance
- Since January 1, 2025, drivers in California must carry at least $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident in bodily injury coverage. Many drivers carry only that minimum, which is why your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage matters.
- Uninsured or hit-and-run drivers
- If the other driver had no insurance or left the scene, a claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage may be available. We review your policy to find every source of recovery.
- Reporting the crash
- California requires a report to the DMV within ten days if anyone was injured or killed, or if property damage exceeds $1,000. We can help with the form.
- Recorded statements
- You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer. Adjusters ask for one early because it can be used to reduce your claim later.
What Happens After You Call
Five stages, from the first phone call to the day the case closes.
A free consultation
You tell us what happened. We tell you whether you have a case and what we would do first. No charge, no obligation to hire us.
Investigation
We gather the police or incident report, photos, witness statements, medical records, and video. When a case calls for it we bring in accident reconstructionists or treating physicians.
Dealing with the insurance companies
Once you hire us, insurers deal with us instead of you. We handle the calls, the letters, and the requests for recorded statements. You focus on treatment.
Negotiation or a lawsuit
When your treatment has gone far enough to know what your losses are, we send a demand. If the insurer will not pay a fair amount, we file a lawsuit and prepare the case as if it will be tried.
Resolution
Most cases settle. Some go to trial. Either way, we explain every offer to you in plain terms, and the decision to accept or reject it is yours.
Questions People Ask Us
If no one was hurt and the only issue is a dented bumper, you may be able to handle the property damage claim yourself. Once there are injuries, missed work, or a disagreement about who caused the crash, a lawyer changes what the insurer is willing to pay. The consultation is free, so ask.
Two years from the crash for an injury claim. If a government agency is involved, a written claim is due within six months. Waiting also makes evidence harder to find, so it is better to call early.
We work on a contingency fee. You pay no fee up front, and our fee is a percentage of what we recover for you. If we recover nothing, you owe no attorney fee. You owe nothing for case costs either.
Possibly. If your own policy includes uninsured motorist coverage, your insurer may step into the other driver's place. There may also be other responsible parties, such as the owner of the vehicle. We look at every policy that could apply.
You do not have to, and we recommend that you let us do it. Adjusters are trained to ask questions that reduce the claim. Once you hire us, they are required to go through our office.
You can still recover under California's comparative fault rule. Your compensation is reduced by your share of the blame. Insurers tend to assign you more blame than the facts support, so we gather the evidence that shows what actually happened.
Talk to a Car Accident Lawyer in Glendale
If you were hurt in a crash anywhere in Los Angeles County or elsewhere in California, call us or send the form. We will review what happened at no charge.
