California Car Accident Attorney
- 550+ Google 5-Star Reviews
- $1 Billion won over 15 years
- Won’t settle for low offers, not afraid to fight for max value

Get a Free Case Evaluation
No fees until we win!
All San Diego Case Types

Personal Injury

Brain Injury

Car Accident

Slip & Fall

Truck Accident

Wrongful Death
California Car Accident Attorney
Each day, more than 750 car accidents take place in California, according to the Office of Traffic Safety. Almost 10 of them kill people.
The injuries and fatalities that result can leave families not just in physical and emotional pain, but financial turmoil as they struggle to pay for hospital bills, physical therapy, psychological counseling, and other services to return to normal. Serious injuries to the spine or brain may require wheelchairs, home renovations, in-home care, in-patient treatment, or supervised living.
Are you in this situation? An experienced California personal injury lawyer at Gomez Trial Attorneys can help you. We can fully assess your situation, investigate your crash, and determine which liable parties to pursue for compensation to pay your bills and help you heal. In cases of permanent injury, we can seek compensation to restore you to as much independence as possible. Call us today for a free case evaluation.
How We Maximize Your Settlement
Avoiding Common Pitfalls: Our attorneys guide you through the essential steps, such as ensuring you receive medical attention and effectively documenting every detail of your accident. This proactive approach helps prevent costly mistakes that can reduce your settlement.
Expert Communication: We handle all communications with the insurance companies, ensuring that every important detail is conveyed with precision. This ensures that your case is presented in the strongest possible light.
Contingency Fee Basis: Our services are accessible to you with no upfront costs. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means we only get paid if we win your case, aligning our interests with yours and motivating us to secure the best possible outcome.
Table of Contents
1 We Have Helped Many Others Like You
2 The Most Common Causes of Car Accidents in California
3 Types of California Car Accidents
4 The Injuries a Car Accident in California Can Cause
5 Should You File a California Lawsuit?
6 Were You in a Car Accident? Call Our California Car Accident Lawyers Now
We Have Helped Many Others Like You
In the past decade, we have been able to obtain more than $500,000,000 in verdicts and settlements for our clients, and we have had over 100 verdicts or settlements worth more than $1,000,000 each. Some of our car accident case results include:
- $13,500,000 verdict for a client who suffered a brain injury
- $5,200,000 settlement for a client who suffered a brain injury
- $1,700,000 verdict for a client who suffered an ankle injury
- $1,250,000 settlement for a wrongful death/ DUI case
- $1,000,000 settlement for a rideshare auto accident case
While each case is unique and past results are no guarantee of future outcomes, rest assured that the dedicated personal injury team at Gomez Trial Attorneys are committed to obtaining the best result possible for each and every client.
Injured in an accident? Get a real trial lawyer. Get Gomez.
The Most Common Causes of Car Accidents in California
There are many reasons why a car accident may occur. Though a few of these reasons, such as inclement weather, aren’t anyone’s fault, most accidents are the result of human error or driver negligence. Car accidents tend to be more prevalent in nighttime hours, when there is less visibility, a higher likelihood of alcohol impairment, and a higher likelihood of driver fatigue due to the body’s natural nighttime sleep cycle. Some of the most common causes of car accidents in San Diego and around the nation include:
- Speeding: Speeding was the top cause of car accidents in San Diego in 2016, resulting in 2,245 fatal or injury collisions. Nationally, speeding accounts for more than a quarter of all traffic-related fatalities, according to the National Traffic Safety Administration. Speeding reduces the driver’s ability to control the vehicle, increases the distance that it takes to stop after the driver perceives a hazard, increases the degree of crash severity, and decreases the effectiveness of the vehicle’s protective equipment.
- Alcohol impairment: Alcohol was involved in more than 1,000 fatal or injury traffic accidents in San Diego in 2016, including 45 accidents in which the driver was under the age of 21. The Governor’s Highway Safety Association notes that alcohol impairment is a factor in nearly one-third of all traffic fatalities. In the U.S. in 2017, drunk driving resulted in the deaths of 10,874 people.
- Distracted driving: Every day in the U.S., around 9 people are killed and another 1,000 are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Driving distractions are defined as anything that takes the driver’s eyes from the road, his or her hands from the wheel, or his or her attention from the task of driving. Some distractions, such as texting, do all three. In fact, in the five seconds that a driver traveling at a speed of 55 mph takes to read or respond to a text, he or she has traveled the length of a football field while being visually, manually, and cognitively distracted.
- Fatigued driving: The National Safety Council reports that nearly half of the drivers in the U.S. regularly get behind the wheel while feeling tired, and 20 percent say that they have fallen asleep behind the wheel at some point in the past year. Each year, police report distracted driving as a factor in around 100,000 crashes, resulting in around 71,000 injuries and 1,550 fatalities. Drivers are three times more likely to crash if they’re driving while drowsy.
- Aggressive driving: According to the Insurance Information Institute, aggressive driving may be a factor in more than half of all traffic crashes in the nation each year. Aggressive driving is described as a person committing a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to injure other people or property. Examples of aggressive driving include: following too closely, improper or erratic lane changing, illegal driving on the shoulder, in a ditch, on the median, or the sidewalk, improper passing, failing to yield the right-of-way or to obey traffic control devices, failing to signal, speeding, racing, or making an improper turn.
Types of California Car Accidents
Just as there are many reasons for car accidents to occur, there are many different ways in which a car accident can happen. Here are some of the most common accidents involving more than one vehicle:
- Rollover: Rollover accidents are particularly dangerous to a vehicle’s occupants. While this type of accident accounts for only a small number of the overall accidents in the U.S., they account for nearly 35 percent of deaths from traffic crashes. The majority of individuals who die in a rollover crash are not wearing seat belts and are ejected from the vehicle.
- Rear-end: Often regarded as “minor” accidents, some rear-end collisions are anything but minor. This is the most common type of two-car collision and it occurs when one vehicle is following another too closely. The lead vehicle slows down or comes to a stop while the following vehicle continues moving at speed. In addition to tailgating (following too closely), rear-end crashes are generally caused when the driver of the following car is not paying attention to what is going on with traffic in front of his or her car. The National Transportation Safety Board reports that rear-end collisions cause the deaths of around 1,700 people a year.
- Side-impact collision: Also known as broadside or T-bone accidents, side-impact collisions account for around a quarter of all passenger vehicle occupant deaths. Side-impact collisions involve the front of one vehicle hitting the side of another. Injuries are often severe for the occupant sitting on the side of the vehicle that was struck. This type of accident generally occurs at an intersection, when one driver fails to yield the right-of-way to another.
- Head-on collision: While head-on collisions only account for around 2 percent of all traffic crashes that occur in the U.S. each year, they account for about 10 percent of all traffic fatalities, making them a particularly deadly type of accident to have. Head-on collisions, also known as frontal impact collisions, involve two vehicles traveling in opposite directions, crashing into one another. Part of what makes a head-on such a dangerous accident to have is the speed at which both vehicles are moving when they collide, as well as the velocity in which they change direction. Head-on collisions often occur on rural, two-lane highways in which a vehicle is required to travel in the oncoming traffic lane to pass another and on winding roads where drivers are unable to see if someone is coming around the curve from the opposite direction. These accidents also are a result of wrong-way drivers or a driver leaving his or her lane of travel due to an accident, crossing a median, and entering the oncoming lane.
- Pileups: While relatively rare, multi-car collisions—also known as pileups—often garner media attention simply because of the number of vehicles involved. These accidents generally occur in high-traffic areas, such as an Interstate, and may be precipitated by an initial one- or two-car accident. There may be inclement weather involved. This type of accident involves extensive investigation to determine who was at fault.
Not all accidents involve more than one car. Single-car crashes, in which a vehicle leaves the roadway for whatever reason, account for about 20 percent of all traffic crashes and result in the deaths of about 8,000 people in the United States each year.
The Injuries a Car Accident in California Can Cause
Nearly every injury imaginable can take place when two cars—each weighing several thousand pounds—collide. Some of these injuries can cause a lifetime of difficulties, including:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Broken bones
- Internal bleeding
- Burn injuries
- Limb amputation
- Emotional distress
In the aftermath of a car crash, knowing the right steps to take can be crucial. Immediately after the accident, your priority should be ensuring the safety of everyone involved and documenting the scene.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Ensure Safety: First, assess the situation. If you and others can move safely, create distance from the wreckage but remain nearby.
- Call for Help: Dial 911 for any medical emergencies. Even if injuries appear minor, it’s important to have medical professionals on the scene.
- Document the Scene: Exchange information with the other driver, if possible. Capture photos or videos of the accident scene and gather witness information if available.
- Avoid Admitting Fault: It’s critical to remain composed and avoid admitting liability at the scene. If tensions rise, distance yourself from potentially hostile interactions.
Seek Medical Attention
If you were injured in an accident, seek medical attention immediately, even if you don’t feel hurt. Many accident injuries present delayed symptoms that can worsen rapidly hours or even days after they occur.
Consult with an Attorney
Before speaking with any insurance companies about your claim, it might be wise to first consult an attorney experienced in car accident cases. A personal injury attorney can explain the liability of others involved in the accident and how much compensation you should seek from an insurance claim. An attorney can also assist you with the claims process and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. They can advise you in complex situations such as dealing with uninsured at-fault parties, multiple liable parties, shared liability, or expenses that exceed policy limits.
Understanding Compensation and Legal Process
If the insurance company fails to offer a fair settlement or your damages exceed the limits of the policy, a lawsuit may be filed. However, what if the other driver has inadequate or no insurance? California mandates that insurance companies offer uninsured motorist coverage, designed to safeguard you if you are harmed by an uninsured or underinsured driver. Unless you have signed a waiver to decline this coverage, you likely have it.
It’s crucial to file these claims swiftly, as you must demonstrate the other driver’s lack of insurance and fault. Seeking assistance from car accident lawyers can be beneficial in navigating uninsured driver claims.
Here are some of the expenses that California allows car accident victims to seek compensation for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, and/or loss of job opportunities
- The cost of at-home care
- The cost of household tasks you can no longer perform due to your injury
- The cost to repair or replace your car or other property damaged in the accident
- Loss of consortium, which involves how your injuries have altered relationships with family members who may now have to take on your care. This is especially pertinent to the normal marital relationship with your spouse.
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Permanent disability
In California, most personal injury cases must be filed within two years of the date of the accident. However, your attorney will keep you informed of any exceptions that may apply to your case.
Filing a Claim
In California, most personal injury cases must be filed within two years of the accident date. However, your attorney will inform you if there are exceptions in your case. Personal injury claims, whether settled with the insurance company or through a jury verdict, are generally time-consuming. Be cautious of quick settlement offers from insurance companies, as these often overlook your long-term prognosis or maximum medical improvement. If a lawsuit is filed, the process may extend further due to factors like injury severity, legal challenges, or case complexity.
By thoroughly understanding these steps and seeking professional advice, you can navigate the aftermath of an accident more effectively and work towards securing the compensation you deserve.
Were You in a Car Accident? Call Our California Car Accident Lawyers Now
For a free, no-obligation consultation and case review, contact us online or call 833-GET GOMEZ (833-438-4663). Our California personal injury lawyers are standing by to hear your story.
We want to learn more about you and how your injuries have affected your life. If we feel you have a good case and you’re comfortable hiring us, we’re ready to start pursuing compensation for you right now.
Injured in an accident? Get a real trial lawyer. Get Gomez
Client Testimonials
Review: 5/5
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Very grateful for the Gomez Firm getting me the best result. They really do value you, I would 100% recommend to anyone. They’ve done such an awesome job & they never make you feel forgotten.”
Review by: Anahie S.
What We Got
$1,250,000
Original Offer
$40,000
“They held my hand the whole time and kept me in the loop on every aspect of my case which was very refreshing to me. They helped me get my settlement offer as fast as possible and I was able to keep my farm.”
Our Process... Easy as 1. 2. 3!

Call Us
We will determine your case and submit

We get to work
You will get regular update from us

Win
Collect your compensation

550+ 5 Star Reviews
-
“John helped me find doctors, he referred me to his neurologist, his physical therapist, I mean, anything I needed he was right there, every step of the way. I couldn’t have asked for a better result from all of this, I would absolutely recommend Gomez Trial Attorneys.”
-
“During the time I was working with Gomez Trial Attorneys, they treated me very, very well. 100% of the time, they believed me, and they were very compassionate. They felt sorry for what happened and they understood the therapy process.”
-
“They held my hand the whole time and kept me in the loop every aspect of my case which was very refreshing to me. They helped me get my settlement offer as fast as possible and I was able to keep my farm”
-
“The Gomez experience was the best experience it could be for me really, only positive things to say. They really were there every step if the way. Thanks to Gomez Trial Attorneys my dad is able to support my family as a single father”
-
“He opened the door for me to join his firm to help other brain Injury survivors and I never met another firm who is like this who was so understanding and caring who took the extra step and walked the extra mile with their clients and this is the best”
-
“I am very satisfied with the outcome with Gomez and I would definitely recommend Gomez to anybody, we tell people all the time, Get Gomez! They are really thorough with everything and they make you feel real comfortable.”
-
“Just helped us through, guided us through, I kept notes all those years, we had questions all the time and they would always keep us informed of what was going on. They just unlayered it, layer by layer, I’ve never seen anything like them. Thank God for them.”