Los Angeles auto accident attorney
If you’ve been hit in Los Angeles, proving the crash usually isn’t the hard part. The hard part is what the other driver’s insurer decides your injury is worth, and how early they try to decide it.
Joseph Johnson spent ten years on their side, defending insurance companies against exactly these claims. We know what they’re going to try.
The first two weeks
Within a few days, the other driver’s insurer will call and ask for a recorded statement. They’ll be friendly, and it’ll sound routine. But it’s taken before you know how hurt you are, and it gets used against you later. You don’t have to give it. Talk to us first.
They’ll also move fast to settle the damage to your car. That part is usually simple, and it’s separate. Settling the car doesn’t settle your injury claim.
A lot of injuries don’t show up for days. If you told the officer you were fine and the next day you’re unable to turn your head, you haven’t ruined your case. But be seen by a doctor or go to urgent care for evaluation and documentation of your injuries.
Mistakes people make before they call us
- Apologizing at the scene
- In the first ten minutes nobody knows who’s at fault, and saying sorry can be treated as admitting it.
- Not calling the police
- Get a report and the officers’ names and badge numbers, even if the damage looks minor. Injuries aren’t always obvious yet, and the report is much harder to get later.
- Assuming the claim is the medical bills
- The claim is also the treatment you’ll still need, your lost wages and earning capacity, what you can’t do anymore, and your pain, suffering, and inconvenience. Insurers pay the bills and fight about the rest.
Auto cases we take
Rear-end collisions
The most common case we see. Fault usually sits with the driver behind, but the insurer will still argue you couldn’t have been hurt at that speed.
Intersection and T-bone collisions
Running a light or stop sign, or failing to yield. There’s less car protecting you from the side, so injuries are usually worse. Camera footage, witnesses, and physical evidence are often important here.
Head-on collisions
Wrong-way drivers, drifting across lanes, unsafe passing. The most serious crashes, often with more than one party responsible.
Multi-vehicle pileups
Three or more cars, usually on a freeway. Often, several different parties can be responsible, and every insurer points at someone else.
Sideswipes and unsafe lane changes
Hard to prove without a witness, so dashcam footage and the damage pattern matter more than usual.
Drunk and impaired driving
The civil claim is separate from any criminal case, and driving that recklessly can mean punitive damages.
Distracted driving
Phone records and witnesses turn “they were on their phone” into proof.
Hit and run
If the driver is never found, the claim usually goes through your own uninsured motorist coverage. Most people don’t know they have it.
Uninsured and underinsured drivers
The other driver has no insurance, or not nearly enough, so the claim goes to your own insurer. The company you’ve paid for years becomes the other side.
Rideshare and commercial vehicles
Uber, Lyft, delivery vans, commercial trucks. The driver is usually working, so there’s a commercial policy with much higher limits, and the company may share the blame.
“…the other person’s insurance, unsurprisingly, claimed I was at fault. Joseph took the reins of the situation and handled everything swiftly and efficiently.”
This testimonial or endorsement does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.
What we do on an auto case
Get the evidence while it still exists. Camera footage near an intersection is usually erased within a couple of weeks unless someone asks for it in writing.
Find every policy that applies, including your own uninsured motorist coverage and any commercial policy.
Take the adjuster off your phone. Once you hire us, they deal with us.