Table of Contents

EL CAJON’S 2023 CRASH NUMBERS

OTS compares each California city with others of similar size. El Cajon, with about 105,000 residents, is in Group B, the cities of 100,001 to 250,000 people. That group had 62 cities in 2023. A rank of 1 is the worst.

| What OTS counted in El Cajon, 2023 | Number | Rank out of 62 | |—|—|—| | People killed or injured, all crashes | 572 | 11 | | People killed or injured in crashes involving a pedestrian | 49 | 7 | | Pedestrians 65 and older | 7 | 11 | | Pedestrians under 15 | 5 | 12 | | People killed or injured in crashes involving a motorcycle | 34 | 9 | | Victims in crashes with a drinking driver under 21 | 10 | 5 | | Hit-and-run crashes with an injury or death | 43 | 19 | | Speed-related crashes with an injury or death | 70 | 20 |

A rank is not a head count. OTS combines each city’s crash counts with its population and the miles driven there, so the rank compares risk, not raw totals.

The figures also leave out some crashes. Under the OTS method, a crash the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reports on a road it shares with the city does not count against El Cajon. The CHP patrols the freeways. If your crash was on I-8 or State Route 67, ask for the CHP report, not an El Cajon Police report.

TWO PLACES WHERE EL CAJON CRASHES CLUSTER

Main Street through downtown. The City of El Cajon’s draft Active Transportation Plan (February 2022) reviewed five years of state crash records, 2014 through 2018. It found 276 crashes involving pedestrians. Seventy-eight were severe or fatal. Four Main Street intersections had three or more pedestrian crashes each: First Street, Mollison Avenue, Second Street/Jamacha Road, and Ballantyne Street/Avocado Avenue. The plan also found high concentrations on Marshall Avenue near the El Cajon Transit Center.

The plan names two leading causes. A driver failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk came first, at 28%. A pedestrian failing to yield while outside a crosswalk came second, at 23%.

Jamacha Road and Second Street, from Washington Avenue to Broadway. In December 2018, Caltrans approved a $2,712,300 safety project for this corridor through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, with $2,386,824 in federal funds. The work list includes raised medians, high-visibility crosswalks at signals, curb extensions and new crossings at uncontrolled locations. The same city plan shows crashes involving older pedestrians clustered near the Second Street/Jamacha Road and Main Street intersection and near Jamacha Road and Washington Avenue.

Cyclists face a different hot spot. Second Street at Naranca Avenue had more bicycle crashes than any other El Cajon intersection in 2014 to 2018, with five. It sits next to the I-8 on-ramps and off-ramps.

Interstate 8 runs straight through El Cajon. Caltrans estimated 205,000 to 212,500 vehicles a day on I-8 at the Mollison Avenue interchange in 2024. Caltrans’ District 11 Active Transportation Plan (July 2022) says collision rates involving pedestrians and bicyclists are particularly high on roads that intersect I-8 in El Cajon.

When a missing sign, a broken signal or a dangerous crossing contributes to a crash, the City of El Cajon, the County or Caltrans may share responsibility. Their deadlines are shorter. See the deadlines section below.

HIT BY A CAR WHILE WALKING IN EL CAJON

The law puts duties on both sides. A driver must yield to a pedestrian crossing in a marked crosswalk, or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection (Vehicle Code section 21950(a)). A pedestrian may not suddenly step off the curb into the path of a car close enough to be an immediate hazard (section 21950(b)).

Photos of the crossing, the signal and the car’s final position show which rule applies. Take them before the scene is cleared, if you can. More on these cases is on our San Diego pedestrian accident page.

Even if you share some of the blame, you can still recover. California uses “pure” comparative negligence, adopted by the California Supreme Court in Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804. Your share of fault reduces your award. It does not erase it.

HIT-AND-RUN CRASHES AND DRIVERS WITH TOO LITTLE INSURANCE

El Cajon had 43 hit-and-run crashes with an injury or death in 2023, according to OTS. When the driver is never found, your own uninsured motorist coverage is usually the way to get paid. Three rules apply (Insurance Code section 11580.2):

• The other vehicle must have made physical contact with you or with the vehicle you were in.
• You must report the crash within 24 hours to the police department of the city where it happened (the sheriff or the CHP if it happened outside city limits).
• You must file a sworn statement with your insurer within 30 days.

Do not wait on the 30 days. See our hit-and-run accident page.

California raised its minimum liability insurance for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. The minimums are now $30,000 for one person’s injuries, $60,000 per crash and $15,000 for property damage (Vehicle Code section 16056). Older policies may differ. One written before then could still carry the old $15,000/$30,000 limits until it renewed. If your losses exceed the other driver’s limits, we look for other coverage: your underinsured motorist coverage, the driver’s employer, or a rideshare or commercial policy.

If you were driving your own uninsured car, California generally bars you from recovering pain-and-suffering damages, though medical bills and lost pay remain recoverable (Civil Code section 3333.4).

DEADLINES FOR EL CAJON CAR ACCIDENT CLAIMS

• Most claims: two years from the injury to file a lawsuit (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1).
• A government vehicle or road: if an MTS bus or trolley, a City of El Cajon vehicle, a County vehicle or a Caltrans road condition was involved, a written claim usually must be presented within six months (Government Code section 911.2). You cannot sue the agency until that claim is presented and acted on (section 945.4). A late-claim application is possible within one year, but it is not automatic (section 911.4). If the agency sends a written denial, the deadline to sue can be as short as six months from that notice (section 945.6).
• Your own uninsured motorist claim: a suit, an agreement or a demand for arbitration usually must happen within two years of the crash (Insurance Code section 11580.2(i)).

Our San Diego bus accident page covers transit claims in more detail.

SELECTED CAR ACCIDENT RESULTS

Gomez Trial Attorneys has won $1 billion for clients over 20 years. Two results involve the same issues El Cajon crashes raise:

• $3,230,000 for a client struck in her vehicle at an intersection where the stop sign had been removed. She broke her pelvis and her femur. Gomez Trial Attorneys resolved the case against both the other driver and the government agency responsible for the missing sign.
• $1,000,000 for a pedestrian hit by a pickup truck that failed to stop at a red light while she crossed the street with her dog. The defense first offered $350,000, and the case settled for the full policy limits.

Results depend on the facts of each case. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

See more on our case results page and our San Diego car accident page. If the crash caused a head injury, see our El Cajon brain injury page.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO FILE A CAR ACCIDENT CLAIM IN EL CAJON?

Usually two years from the crash to file a lawsuit. If a city, county, transit or state vehicle or road was involved, a written claim is usually due within six months. Call before either date gets close.

MY CRASH WAS ON I-8. DOES THAT CHANGE ANYTHING?

The CHP usually takes the report on the freeway, so ask the CHP for it. If a road condition on I-8 contributed, the claim against Caltrans follows the six-month government claim rule.

CAN I RECOVER IF I WAS PARTLY AT FAULT?

Yes. California uses pure comparative negligence. If a jury finds you 20% at fault, your award is reduced by 20%.

THE DRIVER WHO HIT ME ONLY HAD MINIMUM INSURANCE. WHAT NOW?

Minimum coverage is $30,000 per person on policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025. Your own underinsured motorist coverage may pay the difference, and an employer or commercial policy may also apply if the driver was working.

WHAT DOES IT COST TO HIRE GOMEZ TRIAL ATTORNEYS?

There is no attorney’s fee unless we win.

TALK TO AN EL CAJON CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER

Call 833-GET-GOMEZ or contact us online for a free case review. Our San Diego office is at 755 Front Street, San Diego, CA 92101. If a motorcycle was involved, see our San Diego motorcycle accident page. Hablamos español.