El Segundo Car Accident Lawyers
If you were injured in a car accident in El Segundo, you could have the right to pursue compensation from every party whose negligence may have caused your harm. Act before evidence disappears and deadlines expire. Arash Law has recovered over $1 billion for injury victims across California. Our team understands how local conditions in El Segundo can shape every stage of a car accident claim here.
El Segundo is one of the most traffic-intensive small cities in Los Angeles County. Its workforce is significantly larger than its actual residential population due to the presence of large corporations such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, The Aerospace Corporation, Mattel, and Chevron. That often results in commuter congestion on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), El Segundo Boulevard, Aviation Boulevard, and Imperial Highway, which is disproportionate to the city’s size.
As a result, a crash can occur at the PCH-Rosecrans intersection during the morning rush, at a corporate campus parking structure exit on El Segundo Boulevard, or on the stretch of Imperial Highway near the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Commercial fleets, employer vicarious liability, rideshare coverage tiers, and government entity rules can all apply simultaneously. El Segundo car accident lawyers can explain how those nuances apply to your case.
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Reviewed by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., California State Bar #249405, admitted 2007, last reviewed August 2026
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Why El Segundo Car Accident Cases Require Local Knowledge
El Segundo is one of the most traffic-intensive small cities in Los Angeles County. Car accident claims that arise here frequently involve layered liability because crashes cluster around the SR-1/LAX corridor, aerospace-industry commuter routes, and government-controlled road segments that neighboring South Bay cities lack.
These factors can significantly shape how accidents occur, how claims arise, and how victims pursue compensation in the city. Here’s why:
Heavy Commuter Traffic During Peak Hours
According to 2025 data from the US Census Bureau, only around 16,379 people actually live in El Segundo. During the day, that population skyrockets. That’s because the city has a workforce of more than 70,000. These numbers mean that a majority of El Segundo’s daytime population travels into the city to work, creating heavy commuter traffic during rush hours. Car crashes may be more likely to occur during these peak times, especially on the freeways leading in and out of the city.
High-Risk Roadways In El Segundo
Several routes through the city carry a greater risk of car accidents than others. Some, for example, connect El Segundo to LAX. Others are the main roads workers take to the office from outside the city:
- The PCH: The portion of the PCH that passes through the city, formerly known locally as Sepulveda Boulevard, runs north-south between Rosecrans Avenue and Imperial Highway. It carries LAX-bound vehicles, airline ground crews, rideshare drivers, and commuters heading to and from the corporate campuses clustered near Nash Street and Douglas Street. At the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue and Imperial Highway, driver error and heavy peak-hour traffic may lead to rear-end collisions and other car accidents. For example, left-turn conflicts may arise as drivers cross oncoming traffic to enter campus parking structures.
- El Segundo Boulevard: El Segundo Boulevard runs east-west across the city from Aviation Boulevard to the PCH, passing through the South Bay’s heaviest concentration of aerospace and defense facilities. During shift changes and lunch hour, traffic near the major corporate campus entrances on Nash Street can cause congestion and create conditions in which intersection crashes, rear-end collisions, and failure-to-yield accidents most often occur.
- Imperial Highway: Imperial Highway runs along the southern perimeter of LAX. It carries a heavy mix of airport cargo vehicles, airline ground support equipment, rideshare drivers, and commuters. LAX is operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a department of the City of Los Angeles. If a crash involves a LAWA-operated vehicle or occurs on a roadway under LAWA’s control, it could trigger a government tort claim requirement against the City of Los Angeles under Gov. Code § 911.2, with a short six-month deadline that starts on the date of the crash. Many injured people miss this deadline before realizing it applies to them.
When a crash occurs on roadways within city limits, such as the PCH, El Segundo Boulevard, and portions of Imperial Highway, it will likely be investigated by the El Segundo Police Department (ESPD). The California Highway Patrol (CHP) may investigate crashes on segments outside but near the city’s borders, such as some portions of the Pacific Coast and Imperial Highways. That matters because the agency that investigates your crash determines where your attorney must begin the evidence-gathering process.
Commercial Fleet Liability And The Employer Connection
El Segundo’s industrial base brings contractors, delivery vendors, and commercial fleet vehicles onto local roads every workday. Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and The Aerospace Corporation maintain major campuses within or immediately adjacent to city limits. The century-old Chevron refinery complex generates heavy-vehicle traffic on adjacent streets.
When a car crash involves a vehicle operated by a driver acting within the course and scope of their employment, the employer may share liability under the doctrine of respondeat superior. That may allow you to pursue compensation from far larger insurance policies than those carried by individual drivers. The presence of so many large employers in a small geographic area makes this liability theory more commonly applicable in El Segundo than in most California cities of similar size.
Road Conditions: The 2026 Pavement Rehabilitation Project
El Segundo’s 2026 Pavement Rehabilitation Project identified several street sections with Pavement Condition Index (PCI) scores below 75. That indicates moderate wear and tear, such as surface cracks and minor structural loss. Affected areas include streets in the southwest residential quadrant, 118th Street west of Aviation Boulevard, Virginia Street from Grand Avenue to El Segundo Boulevard, and portions of Loma Vista Street between Holly Avenue, Grand Avenue, and El Segundo Boulevard.
The City completed the FY 2025-26 Pavement Rehabilitation Project in 2026, and the City Council accepted the work as complete in April 2026. However, if a car crash involves a dangerous road condition that remained after the work or was created during construction, injured victims may have a claim against the City of El Segundo under Government Code § 835. Its maintenance records, prior complaint files, and work orders may serve as critical evidence of a dangerous road condition.
Potential Legal Venues For El Segundo Car Accident Claims
Generally, car accident claims go through a private at-fault party’s insurance company or through a government agency’s claims management process. However, these entities may not always agree to offer a settlement that reflects your documented losses. In this case, you may have to file a lawsuit with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. According to its filing court locator, your case may be assigned to one of the following courthouses:
- For Unlimited Civil Cases: Torrance Courthouse (825 Maple Ave., Torrance, CA 90503) or Inglewood Courthouse (6th floor, 1 E Regent St., Inglewood, CA 90301).
- For Limited Civil Cases (Excluding Collection): Stanley Mosk Courthouse (111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012).
- For Limited Civil Cases (Collection): Norwalk Courthouse (12720 Norwalk Blvd., Norwalk, CA 90650).
The appropriate legal venue will depend on whether Local Rule 2.0 requires your case to be filed or heard elsewhere.
Who Can File A Car Accident Claim In El Segundo?
California’s personal injury laws extend the right to file a claim to a broader set of people than many car crash victims realize. Any of the following may be eligible to pursue compensation after a collision in El Segundo:
- Injured drivers whose losses resulted from another driver’s negligence.
- Passengers in any vehicle involved in the crash. A passenger can file a claim against the driver of the other vehicle, the driver of the car they were in, or both, depending on where the fault lies.
- Pedestrians and bicyclists who were injured in the crash.
- Surviving family members when a car accident is fatal. They may bring a wrongful death claim under California Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) § 377.60.
- Spouses and registered domestic partners of seriously injured victims. They may pursue a separate loss of consortium claim for the loss of companionship, intimacy, and support they experienced due to the harm their spouse or partner sustained in the car accident.
- Parents or legal guardians of injured minors. Although children injured in a crash may have an extended time to file a lawsuit (see Filing Deadlines below), they can take legal action on their own behalf before that time.
- Bystanders or close relatives who witnessed the crash. California courts recognize a Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress (NIED) claim under the doctrine established in Dillon v. Legg (1968) when a person is closely related to the victim, was present at the scene, and contemporaneously observed the injury-producing event.
If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, call Arash Law at (888) 488-1391. During a free initial consultation, our car accident lawyers can assess whether you have a valid claim, and you’re not obligated to hire them if you do.
Common Injuries In El Segundo Car Accidents
El Segundo car accident victims commonly sustain whiplash and soft-tissue injuries, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, and psychological trauma. Some injuries are apparent at the scene. Others develop days or weeks later. Prompt medical evaluation after any car crash, regardless of how you feel immediately afterward, is critical because you need to connect your injuries to the accident to pursue a claim.
Common injuries victims sustain in car accidents include:
Whiplash is considered the most common injury caused by car accidents because it can occur when your head suddenly snaps backward, then forward, during an impact. It, along with other soft-tissue injuries affecting the neck and upper back, can cause pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion. Crucially, they frequently appear hours or days after the crash, not at the scene, and they aren’t easily diagnosed via medical imaging, so they can be challenging to pursue compensation for.
Ranging from mild concussions to severe trauma, TBIs can cause memory problems, cognitive impairment, personality changes, and long-term complications that affect employment. That can be a particularly serious consequence for engineers and technical professionals at El Segundo’s aerospace campuses.
Injuries to the liver, kidneys, or spleen caused by blunt force trauma may produce few or no obvious symptoms immediately after a crash. However, they can become life-threatening if not identified quickly through appropriate medical evaluation and imaging.
Ligament tears, cartilage damage, and dashboard-impact injuries may require surgical repair and physical therapy.
Airbag deployment or contact with the steering wheel or window glass may cause lacerations, fractures, and dental injuries.
Fires, fuel spills, or contact with hot surfaces during a crash could cause thermal or chemical burns. These often require extensive rehabilitation and may result in permanent scarring or disfigurement.
The restraining force of a seatbelt may result in hand or wrist fractures, rotator cuff tears, shoulder dislocations, or internal bruising during sudden deceleration.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression are recognized as compensable injuries in California.
For severe crash victims in El Segundo, the nearest Level I trauma center is the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. One of the five Level I Trauma Centers in Los Angeles County, it provides specialized care for the most critical injuries. Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center (4101 Torrance Blvd, Torrance) and Torrance Memorial Medical Center (3330 Lomita Blvd, Torrance) also serve the South Bay for emergency and follow-up care.
Injury documentation from healthcare centers such as these can serve as official records of the harm you sustained due to a car accident, which is why it can be crucial for any insurance or legal claim.
What Damages Can You Recover From A Car Accident In El Segundo?
California law allows victims of car accidents to pursue two primary categories of compensatory damages. These are meant to cover any financial and personal losses. In rare circumstances, courts may award punitive damages. Finally, after fatal crashes, wrongful death damages may be available to eligible surviving relatives.
- Past and future medical expenses. Emergency room treatment, hospitalization, surgery, imaging, physical therapy, specialist visits, prescription medication. They can also include future care needs projected by a treating physician or life-care planner.
- Lost wages. Income you were unable to earn during recovery, documented through pay stubs, employment records, and employer verification.
- Reduced earning capacity. For El Segundo workers in aerospace, defense, or technology, where salaries are often well above state averages, a permanent inability to return to full-duty work can result in substantial claims for lost earning capacity. These may require analysis by vocational and economic experts.
- Property damage. The cost to repair or replace your vehicle and any personal property damaged in the crash.
- Out-of-pocket expenses. Transportation to medical appointments, medical equipment, home modification costs, and similar expenditures stemming directly from the crash.
- Pain and suffering. Physical pain experienced during and after the crash, including chronic pain that persists beyond initial recovery.
- Emotional distress. Anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other psychological consequences of serious trauma.
- Loss of enjoyment of life. The inability to participate in activities, hobbies, and relationships that defined your life before the crash.
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement. Lasting physical changes that affect appearance and self-perception.
- Loss of consortium. A separate claim available to the spouse or registered domestic partner of a seriously injured victim for the loss of companionship, intimacy, and support.
California law does not cap non-economic damages in personal injury cases. However, California’s Proposition 213 can prevent certain uninsured vehicle owners or drivers from recovering non-economic damages, including pain and suffering, even when another party caused the crash. An exception may apply when an uninsured vehicle owner is injured by a driver who is convicted of DUI.
When a crash takes a life, surviving family members eligible to file under CCP § 377.60 may recover wrongful death damages under California law, including funeral and burial expenses, lost financial support, and the loss of the decedent’s love, guidance, and companionship (CCP § 377.61)
Finally, in exceptional cases where the at-fault driver acted with malice, oppression, fraud, or conscious disregard for the safety of others (for example, a driver who was intoxicated and street-racing on PCH), a court may award punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages. These are not available in every case, but Arash Law evaluates every claim for this possibility.
How Insurance Coverage Works In El Segundo Car Accident Claims
After a car accident in El Segundo, the at-fault driver’s liability insurance typically covers medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and other losses. Available compensation depends on the applicable policies, liability, and damages.
The coverage you file a claim against can vary depending on whether the other driver was operating a private vehicle, such as another car, or a commercial one, such as a truck or rideshare vehicle:
- Auto Liability Insurance: Typically carried by people operating personal vehicles, such as drivers of other cars. As of January 1, 2025, California Ins. Code § 11580.1(b) requires every driver to carry at least $30,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $60,000 per accident, and $15,000 in property damage liability. However, for serious crashes, these minimums may be exhausted before a victim’s total losses are fully compensated.
- Commercial Vehicle Policies: Crashes involving fleet vehicles from El Segundo’s aerospace or industrial employers, or delivery vendors serving those campuses, may trigger commercial liability policies of $1 million to $5 million or more. Since these limits are significantly above individual driver minimums, El Segundo truck accident lawyers typically have to handle disputes from invidence of alcohol or drug impairment at the time of the crash can be introduced through blood-alcohol results, field sobriety observations, witness testimony, and driving behavior.surance carriers.
- Rideshare Coverage: Policy limits will vary depending on what the rideshare driver was doing at the time of the crash. The most coverage (up to $1 million) is usually available when they are on the way to pick up or drop off a passenger when they hit your car.
When The At-Fault Driver’s Coverage Is Insufficient
Several additional recovery paths exist when the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured. You may be able to seek benefits from optional auto policy coverages or from other potentially liable parties:
- Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage: Your own UM/UIM coverage may pay up to its limit once the at-fault driver’s coverage is exhausted or if the at-fault driver has no insurance at all. UM/UIM covers medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, the same categories available against an insured at-fault driver. Note that although state law requires insurers to offer it, you can waive it in writing when taking out a policy, so be sure to check whether you already have it.
- Medical Payments (MedPay): If you carry Medical Payments coverage on your own policy, it can reimburse emergency expenses regardless of fault while the liability claim is pending.
- Third-Party Liability: In scenarios where the primary at-fault party is uninsured or underinsured, and your own policy cannot cover your losses, a lawyer can help you identify whether there are other potentially liable parties you can pursue compensation from. When multiple coverage sources apply, the combined available compensation can far exceed what any single policy would provide, making a thorough insurance investigation essential from the start of your claim.
Insurer Tactics To Expect
Insurance adjusters on El Segundo commercial and individual claims use a few common strategies to reduce their payout, such as:
- Pre-existing condition attribution. Adjusters claim your current symptoms are from a prior injury or medical condition, not the crash. Careful medical documentation can help you link the collision to your injury.
- Comparative fault shifting. Adjusters argue you share blame. For instance, in a rear-end collision, they may say that you braked suddenly and didn’t give the rear driver time to adjust. Accident reconstruction analyses, ESPD or CHP reports, and camera footage from nearby properties can help address claims such as these.
- Early lowball offers. Insurers frequently offer fast settlements before you understand your full damages. No offer should be accepted without knowing your total medical costs, lost earnings, and future care needs, so consider going over the ones you receive with an attorney.
Proving Fault For A Car Accident In El Segundo
In California, the burden of proof is on the victims. That means that, to have a valid car accident claim, you must show that the other party caused the accident, your injuries, and your losses. This task requires demonstrating that four key elements of negligence were present in the incident.
The Four-Element Negligence Framework
Under Civ. Code § 1714, every person owes a duty of ordinary care to others on the road. A successful car accident claim in El Segundo requires proving all four elements of negligence:
- Duty: The defendant owed you a legal duty of care under Civ. Code § 1714.
- Breach: The defendant failed to meet that standard. For instance, they may have been speeding on the PCH, running a red light at the intersection of El Segundo Boulevard and Aviation Boulevard, driving while impaired, or failing to yield to oncoming traffic as they exited a corporate campus driveway.
- Causation: The defendant’s breach was a substantial factor in causing your specific injuries.
- Damages: You suffered actual, compensable harm, such as medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Common Causes Of El Segundo Car Accidents
The following causes of car accidents may constitute a breach of duty under California law:
- Distracted Driving: In El Segundo’s corporate corridor, cell phone use near campus parking structure entrances and on the PCH during rush hours is a common contributing factor. Surveillance or dashboard camera footage, cell phone records, and witness statements can serve as key evidence of distracted driving.
- Speeding: California’s Basic Speed Law (Veh. Code § 22350) prohibits driving at a speed greater than is reasonable given current conditions. OTS identifies excessive speeding as a critical factor in more serious and deadly crashes in the city. According to its 2023 rankings, around 21 speed-related fatal and injury collisions occurred in El Segundo, the 10th-worst among the 103 similarly sized cities it was grouped with. Though this figure does not solely account for car crashes, it shows just how often speeding plays a role in the city’s road accidents.
- Moving Violations: Illegal turns, red-light running, and improper lane changes at city intersections and the I-405 on-ramp merge zones near El Segundo Boulevard can easily lead to car crashes.
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI): Alcohol and drugs can dull the senses. That can impair a driver’s judgment, decision-making, and reaction time, reducing their ability to adjust to road hazards. A driver does not need a DUI conviction for impaired driving to establish civil liability. Evidence of alcohol or drug impairment at the time of the crash can be introduced through blood-alcohol results, field sobriety observations, witness testimony, and driving behavior.
- Vehicle Defects and Product Liability: A mechanical failure, such as a defective braking system, a faulty airbag, or a tire blowout, can cause an accident, contribute to it, or worsen the resulting injuries.
- Poor Road Conditions: Poorly maintained roads, insufficient traffic infrastructure, or defective signals can all cause or contribute to accidents. For example:
- A pothole can fill with water when it rains, causing a driver to hydroplane and crash into a car in another lane.
- Car accidents can occur at night due to poor visibility on roads with insufficient street lighting.
- A malfunctioning traffic signal can cause the lights facing two ways at an intersection to turn green at the same time, resulting in a T-bone crash.
Who Can Be Held Liable
Multiple parties can be held liable for a car accident in El Segundo, including at-fault drivers, their employers under respondeat superior, vehicle owners, manufacturers, and government entities that control local roads:
- At-fault Drivers: They are the primary defendant in most cases.
- Employers under Respondeat Superior: They may share liability if the at-fault driver was performing job duties at the time of the crash. El Segundo’s commercial environment, with contractors and delivery vendors serving Boeing, Raytheon, and The Aerospace Corporation campuses daily, makes employer liability theories particularly relevant here.
- Vehicle Owners: Under Veh. Code § 17150, the owner of a motor vehicle may be liable for death, injury, or property damage caused by the negligent operation of that vehicle.
- Manufacturers: When a defective car part causes or contributes to an accident and to your injuries, a car parts manufacturer may be held strictly liable under California’s product liability doctrine, established in Greenman v. Yuba Power Products (1963). Strict liability requires proof that the product was defective and caused the harm, not that the manufacturer was careless.
- Public Entities: You may have a government claim if poor road conditions or a government vehicle caused or contributed to your car accident. Potential defendants include:
- The City of El Segundo. It is responsible for maintaining city streets and traffic signals. To file a legal claim against the City of El Segundo, you need to obtain a copy of the claim form online or in person, then submit the completed form to the Office of the City Clerk at City Hall along Main Street.
- Caltrans. It is responsible for state highways.
- The City of Los Angeles. LAWA controls airport property and certain airport roadways. If its actions played a role in your car crash, your claim would go to the City of LA rather than LAWA itself.
Government claims carry shorter, separate deadlines. See the Filing Deadlines section below.
California’s Pure Comparative Fault Rule
California follows pure comparative fault under Li v. Yellow Cab Co., 13 Cal. 3d 804 (1975). Under it, multiple parties, including the injured victim, can share fault for the accident. What that means for you is that you can still pursue compensation, even if the evidence shows that you’re up to 99% at fault for your car accident.
However, that percentage of fault reduces your potential recovery. For example, suppose you were involved in a collision at the intersection of the PCH and Rosecrans Avenue. If a jury finds you 25% at fault, you may still recover 75% of your total damages.
Insurance adjusters may try to overstate your share of fault to reduce their payout. Arash Law investigates every crash to establish the accurate, evidence-supported allocation, not the one the adjuster proposes.
What To Expect: The El Segundo Car Accident Claims Process
Several steps go into building a claim, filing it, and pursuing compensation. The claims process for a car accident typically ends when you agree to a settlement offer from the at-fault party’s insurer. Sometimes, however, that insurer may refuse to offer an amount that covers your documented losses. In those cases, litigation may be necessary.
Immediately After The Crash
As the Filing Deadlines section notes, legal windows for taking legal action often begin on the date your claim arises, which will likely be the day of the car accident. Similarly, some steps you can take to protect your legal options can be done immediately after a collision, including:
- Calling 911. Emergency medical services treat injuries that need immediate attention. ESPD or CHP officers who respond to the scene take statements from drivers and witnesses, document the scene, and prepare an accident report that can serve as an official record of the crash.
- Photographing everything possible. Photos of vehicle positions, road conditions, skid marks, signal positions, and any visible injuries can visually support your claim.
- Gathering witness information. A lawyer can use the names and phone numbers of anyone who witnessed the crash to obtain testimony later. Unbiased accounts of the car accident can be helpful when the facts of the accident are under dispute.
- Seeking medical evaluation immediately. A doctor’s records can link any injuries to the crash.
- Reporting the accident. You may have to notify different entities depending on your situation:
- If law enforcement officers did not respond to the scene, but the accident caused an injury or death, you must file a report within 24 hours.
- If the crash caused an injury, death, or property damage worth more than $1,000, you must submit an SR-1 form to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within 10 days.
- Depending on the details of your contract, you may have to report the accident to your own insurer within a specific time frame, even if you didn’t cause the crash. This step may be required for you to seek benefits from your own policy later on.
- Consulting a lawyer. Many El Segundo car accident lawyers offer free initial consultations where you can learn whether you have a case, what your legal options are, and what your next steps should be.
Before Filing A Car Accident Claim
Evidence gathering continues after you leave the scene. On your end, you can collect all records related to your losses, such as injury documentation, pay stubs, and auto body shop repair estimates. An attorney can help you send preservation requests for more time-sensitive evidence, such as surveillance camera footage, before security systems overwrite it. Once a party has received written notice and has a legal duty to preserve relevant evidence, destruction of that evidence may be treated as spoliation. It can result in court sanctions or adverse jury instructions against the party that destroyed it.
You or your lawyer then begins building a demand package that details the facts of the case, provides evidence of the crash, outlines all your documented losses, and establishes the amount of compensation you’re seeking. This package goes to the at-fault party’s insurer. Claims submission procedures will differ for public entities.
The Claim And Litigation Timeline
Most El Segundo car accident claims follow this sequence:
- After it receives your claim, the insurer conducts its own investigation into the car accident.
- The other party’s claims adjusters identify which coverage applies, assess fault, and decide whether to offer a settlement.
- Settlement negotiations begin if you do not accept the initial offer, and they continue until both sides agree on a specific amount. Many claims settle at this stage.
- If a settlement cannot be reached, your attorney can help you file suit in the Los Angeles Superior Court. Unlimited civil personal injury cases from El Segundo are typically assigned to the Torrance or Inglewood Courthouse, though the correct venue can still vary depending on the facts.
- If settling still isn’t possible after you file a lawsuit, your case may go to trial, and a judge or jury decides on the outcome.
Filing Deadlines For El Segundo Car Accident Cases
California law sets strict deadlines for taking legal action after an El Segundo car accident. These time limits typically begin on the date your claim accrues, or arises (such as the day of the crash). Missing the one that applies to your case could end your right to pursue compensation in court:
- Personal Injury Lawsuit (CCP 335.1): You have two years to sue. The same deadline applies to wrongful death cases, but the clock starts on the date of the death. Exceptions may “toll” or pause this deadline:
- Delayed Discovery of Injuries: In some cases, the filing deadline may start later if you did not know, and reasonably could not have known, that you were injured because of someone else’s wrongdoing. However, finding out later that your injuries are more serious than you first thought does not automatically give you more time to file.
- Injured Minors: The two-year filing window for personal injury lawsuits is tolled until the injured minor’s 18th birthday (CCP § 352), thereby extending the filing deadline to the minor’s 20th birthday. Parents or legal guardians can sue on their behalf before this time.
- Property Damage Lawsuit (CCP 338): You have three years to file a lawsuit.
- Government Claim (GOV 911.2): You have six months to present the claim to the correct public entity. This step is a required prerequisite to filing a lawsuit. If you miss it, you may be granted permission to file a late claim, but this is not guaranteed. After you present the claim, filing suit becomes possible in a couple of scenarios, with different deadlines applying to each (GOV § 945.6):
- If the claim is rejected, you generally have six months from the date the denial is personally delivered or mailed to file suit.
- If the entity fails to act within 45 days, the claim is deemed rejected by operation of law (GOV § 912.4). If no written rejection notice is ever provided, you generally have two years from the date of injury to sue.
Identifying the deadline that applies to your case early matters for another reason: evidence preservation. Surveillance footage, witness recollections, and vehicle conditions can all deteriorate rapidly after a car crash. Consulting a lawyer can help you learn about your legal options early and start building your case as soon as possible.
Results Arash Law Has Achieved For Car Accident Clients
The personal injury law firm of Arash Law has recovered over $1 billion for clients across California. Many of those recoveries were for car accident cases. Though the following case results did not specifically arise in El Segundo, they illustrate just how beneficial legal representation can be after a crash, especially if an accident involves severe injuries and disputed fault:
An impaired driver crossed yellow lines on a two-way highway, causing them to collide head-on with our client’s car. Our client, who was driving with his wife and son at the time, lost his wife in the accident. We successfully addressed the defense attorneys’ attempts to dispute their client’s liability and the available coverage for this case.
An inattentive driver struck our client, rendering them paraplegic. We obtained $5.25 million (the maximum policy limit) for personal injury, plus additional workers’ compensation benefits, given that our client was working at the time of the crash.
The at-fault driver attempted to make a left turn in heavy fog, resulting in a collision with our client, a farm worker. Our client sustained several injuries as a result, including multiple fractures and other forms of orthopedic trauma. We obtained this result for them despite the defense refusing to offer a fair settlement for more than a year.
The case results above are representative of past outcomes and do not guarantee future results. Every case is unique and depends on its own facts and circumstances.
Talk To Arash Law About Your El Segundo Car Crash
You do not need to navigate insurance negotiations, government claim deadlines, and corporate liability disputes on your own. Arash Law is ready to evaluate your El Segundo car accident claim at no cost and with no obligation to hire us afterward.
If you cannot come to us, we will come to you. Our team can meet you at your home in El Segundo, at a location near Main Street or Grand Avenue, or at a South Bay location convenient to your medical care.
Call (888) 488-1391. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Why El Segundo Crash Victims Choose Arash Law
El Segundo’s traffic environment requires attorneys who understand the specific factors that can complicate claims arising in this city, from potential City of LA liability after crashes involving LAWA and respondeat superior claims against aerospace employers to the need to assess coverage tiers after a PCH rideshare crash and the possibility of multi-party disputes after a rush hour collision on El Segundo Boulevard. Here is what Arash Law brings to your case:
We send preservation demand letters to the ESPD, the CHP, the City of El Segundo’s Public Works department, corporate campus security offices, and private businesses within the first days of your case, before surveillance footage is overwritten and witnesses become unavailable.
We evaluate the at-fault driver’s policy, your UM/UIM coverage, any applicable commercial fleet or rideshare policy, and every potential government entity liability. No coverage source goes unexamined.
We know which intersections produce which claim patterns, which employers run fleet vehicles on which corridors, and which government agencies hold maintenance and signal records for which roads in this city.
We connect clients with specialists who can document the full scope of their injuries and provide projections for future care to support a complete assessment of their damages.
We time settlement to your medical picture, not the insurer’s schedule. Premature settlement undercompensates clients for future care, lost earning capacity, and ongoing pain and suffering.
We prepare every case as if it is going to court from day one. This strategy aims to improve your position during settlement negotiations. If settlement negotiations fail, we’ll then be prepared to file suit in the Torrance or Inglewood Courthouse and present the case at trial, if necessary.
For El Segundo residents dealing with a broader range of injury matters, our El Segundo injury firm is ready to review each case during a free initial consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Car Accidents In El Segundo
The aftermath of a traffic crash in El Segundo can be overwhelming to deal with, especially if it’s more than just a simple car-versus-car collision. If a rideshare vehicle or uninsured driver hits your car, for example, you’ll likely have to deal with more complex insurance policies and stricter filing requirements just to pursue compensation. Below are answers to some of the most common questions that arise due to issues like these.
What Happens If I Get Into A Car Accident Near LAX?
A car accident near LAX may proceed like any other El Segundo car accident claim. However, the claim can become more complicated if the crash occurs on property controlled by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) or involves an LAWA vehicle, an airport shuttle, a rideshare driver, a commercial vehicle, or a government-related party.
Those circumstances can affect which agency investigates the crash, which insurance policies apply, who may be liable, and whether California’s shorter government claim deadline applies.
What If The At-Fault Driver Had No Insurance?
If the driver who caused your crash was uninsured, your own Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage (if you have it) could be the primary source of compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, up to your policy limit. The state’s Insurance Code sets short, strict deadlines and statutory requirements for filing UM claims, so consider asking an attorney what you need to do next. If you did not purchase UM/UIM coverage, a lawyer can also investigate whether other parties, such as an employer, a vehicle owner, or a government entity, share liability and carry applicable policies.
Can I Still Recover Compensation If I Was Partly At Fault?
Yes. If you were up to 99% at fault for a car accident, you can still pursue compensation from the other party. However, your percentage of fault can reduce your potential recovery. For example, if a jury finds you 20% at fault for a rear-end collision because you braked too late at a red light on the PCH, you may still recover 80% of your total damages.
However, as discussed above, insurance adjusters may overstate your contribution to the accident to reduce the amount they owe. El Segundo car accident lawyers can present evidence to advocate for a fairer assessment of fault.
Do I Need A Police Report To File A Claim?
No. A police report is not required to file a claim, but it can help you build your case. Police reports are often considered hearsay because the accounts they’re based on may be provided by biased third parties. They are also statutorily prohibited from being used as admissible evidence in court (California Vehicle Code § 20013).
However, police reports can help serve as official documentation of the crash and can help confirm specific facts, such as the time, date, parties, and witnesses involved. That said, having a copy can be useful if you have it, but you won’t be held back from filing a claim if you don’t have one.
Will My Case Go To Trial?
It likely won’t. Most El Segundo car accident claims resolve through settlement negotiations before trial. Additionally, filing a lawsuit does not mean your case will automatically go to court. Settlement discussions can continue after you sue, and litigation often produces more complete evidence through discovery. A trial may become necessary if the parties cannot reach a settlement through negotiations or mediation, including after a lawsuit has been filed.
How Long Will My Case Take To Resolve?
In El Segundo, car accident cases involving straightforward liability and soft-tissue injuries may resolve in a matter of months. However, more complicated cases can take a few months or more than a year to resolve. The timeline can vary significantly due to factors such as:
- The severity of the injuries involved.
- The complexity of the liability dispute, if the other party raises one.
- Whether you need to file a lawsuit.
- Whether your case goes to trial.
How Much Does A Car Accident Lawyer Cost In El Segundo?
It depends on the complexity of your case. If the other party and their insurer accept liability and offer a fair settlement, an attorney may not charge as much as they would in a case where they need to prepare your case for trial. However, a car accident lawyer in El Segundo may not have to cost you anything up front, regardless of how complicated your situation is.
Many El Segundo car accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. That means you do not pay the attorney’s fees unless you receive a settlement or court award. The lawyer and their firm usually advance other case costs, such as filing fees, so you don’t have to pay anything just to have them start working on your case. If your case doesn’t resolve favorably, you may have to reimburse them for those costs. However, you don’t pay the lawyers themselves unless they win.
Ready To Protect Your Rights? Contact Arash Law Today
Car accidents can happen anywhere in El Segundo, from the PCH commuter corridor and a corporate campus driveway on El Segundo Boulevard to the stretch of Imperial Highway near LAX. These crashes can produce injuries and financial losses that change lives. However, the deadlines that govern your right to compensation often start running from the day of the crash. If you don’t know where to start, consider calling our El Segundo car accident lawyers.
Arash Law is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to evaluate your El Segundo car accident claim at no cost and no obligation. Make Them Pay, Call AK.
You can contact us at (888) 488-1391 or reach out online. Arash Law handles every El Segundo car accident case on contingency, with no attorney’s fees unless we recover.
