Inglewood Car Accident Lawyer

Schedule a free consultation with an Inglewood car accident lawyer at Cohen Injury Law Group.

A car accident in Inglewood can leave a driver or passenger with serious physical injuries, significant medical expenses, lost income, and a complicated claim against an insurance carrier that is unlikely to offer a fair settlement on its own. The steps taken in the first weeks after a collision often determine the eventual outcome of the claim. Our attorney has represented injured clients since 1991. As your Inglewood, CA personal injury lawyer, we can take over communications with the insurance company, preserve the evidence the case requires, and pursue the full value of your damages.

Car Accident Lawyer Inglewood, CA

A car accident lawyer handles the components of a claim that an injured party is not well positioned to manage alone. Those components include investigating the cause of the collision, securing medical and employment records, calculating the full scope of damages, negotiating with the insurance carrier, and filing suit when the carrier refuses to offer a reasonable settlement.

Under California law, a car accident case is a negligence claim. The injured party must establish that another driver owed a duty of care, breached that duty, and caused the resulting harm. Most cases resolve through settlement, but cases that require litigation are prepared with the same rigor as cases that proceed to trial.

Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle in Inglewood

Collisions in and around Inglewood occur along major freeways such as the 405 and 105, on heavily traveled corridors including La Cienega Boulevard and Century Boulevard, and throughout the surface street network. The nature of the collision affects the investigation, the applicable insurance coverage, and the strategy required to obtain a recovery.

• Rear-end collisions. These crashes are frequently characterized as minor but commonly produce whiplash, herniated discs, and concussion injuries that may not present symptoms immediately. Documentation of the medical course over time is essential.
• T-bone collisions. Intersection crashes raise contested questions about right-of-way and signal timing. Our attorneys obtain available traffic signal data, witness statements, and surveillance footage before such evidence is overwritten or lost.
• Head-on collisions. Among the most severe crashes on California roadways, these collisions frequently require accident reconstruction analysis when speed, lane position, or driver impairment is disputed.
• Sideswipe accidents. Lane-change and merging errors near freeway ramps account for a substantial portion of these crashes. Liability often turns on physical evidence such as paint transfer and damage patterns.
• Multi-vehicle pileups. Pileups involve overlapping insurance policies and competing fault allocations among multiple drivers. A thorough investigation is required to assign responsibility accurately.
• Hit-and-run accidents. When the at-fault driver leaves the scene, uninsured motorist coverage may provide the path to hit-and-run accident compensation for the injured party.
• DUI accidents. Collisions caused by impaired drivers present clear liability and may support punitive damages depending on the circumstances. Parallel criminal proceedings frequently produce evidence useful in the civil claim.
• Distracted driving accidents. Phone records, text logs, and infotainment system data can demonstrate that a driver was not attentive to the road at the moment of impact.
• Rideshare accidents. Crashes involving Uber and Lyft drivers implicate commercial insurance policies with coverage amounts that depend on the driver’s status at the time of the collision. Identifying the applicable layer of coverage is a critical first step.

Why Choose Cohen Injury Law Group for Car Accidents in Inglewood, CA?

Three Decades of California Trial Experience

Our founder, Wayne R. Cohen, is recognized as one of the country’s leading personal injury trial attorneys. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan with distinction and graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law. He also serves as a Professorial Lecturer at the George Washington Law School. His commentary has been featured in Fortune, the LA Times, Newsweek, and the ABA Journal on subjects ranging from self-driving vehicle liability to mandatory arbitration. He founded our firm and has practiced since 1991.

Our managing partner, Nicholas E. Cohen, oversees firm operations and represents clients in personal injury matters throughout Southern California. He earned his undergraduate degree at USC and his Juris Doctor at Loyola Law School. His combined legal and business background informs claim valuation, case strategy, and the decision of whether to settle or proceed to trial.

Our firm represents plaintiffs exclusively. We do not defend insurance carriers, and we do not represent drivers accused of causing harm to others. This focus shapes how adjusters approach negotiations with our office. As a personal injury lawyer in Inglewood, CA, we apply the same trial-ready preparation to every car accident claim we accept.

Cohen Injury Law Group handles California car accident claims on a contingency basis. Clients owe no attorney fees unless we obtain a recovery on their behalf. Initial consultations are provided at no cost.

Understanding Car Accident Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Car Accident Cases

California law permits injured drivers and passengers to recover both economic and non-economic damages from at-fault parties. Economic damages compensate for quantifiable financial losses. Non-economic damages address harms that are real but do not carry a defined dollar value.

• Past and future medical expenses, including surgery, physical therapy, and prescription costs
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity when injuries affect the ability to work
• Vehicle repair, replacement, and related property losses
• Pain and suffering, including ongoing physical discomfort and the loss of activities once enjoyed
• Emotional distress, anxiety, and sleep disruption resulting from the collision
• Loss of consortium claims available to spouses in serious-injury cases

California applies pure comparative fault. An injured party found partially responsible for the collision may still recover damages, reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to that party. A driver assigned sixty percent of the responsibility remains entitled to recover forty percent of the proven damages.

What Are Important Aspects in Your Car Accident Case?

Several actions in the weeks following a collision significantly affect the strength of a claim. The following considerations apply to most car accident matters.

• Seek medical evaluation promptly, even when symptoms appear minor. Gaps in treatment provide insurance carriers with grounds to dispute the relationship between the collision and the injury.
• Preserve evidence from the scene, including photographs of vehicle positions, roadway conditions, and visible injuries.
• Request the official traffic collision report from the responding agency, as police reports matter when insurance carriers and juries assess fault.
• Limit communications with the other driver’s insurance company. Recorded statements may be used to dispute aspects of a claim later in the process.
• Treat initial proposals with caution, since early settlement offer amounts frequently fall well below the true value of a claim.

Car Accident Case Timeline

California car accident claims generally proceed through a recognizable sequence of stages. The duration of each stage varies based on injury severity and the response of the insurance carrier.

• Medical treatment continues until the injured party reaches maximum medical improvement, the point at which further recovery is not anticipated.
• Counsel assembles medical records, employment documentation, and other supporting evidence into a demand package submitted to the carrier.
• The insurance carrier responds with an offer, denial, or counterproposal. Negotiations may extend over weeks or months.
• If negotiations fail to produce an acceptable resolution, a lawsuit is filed. Discovery, depositions, and mediation follow.
• Most cases resolve before trial. A limited number proceed to verdict.

Straightforward soft-tissue cases may resolve within a year. Matters involving surgery, permanent impairment, or disputed liability typically require additional time.

What Should You Bring to Your Car Accident Consultation?

Providing the following materials at the initial consultation allows our attorneys to evaluate the claim efficiently and accurately.

• The traffic collision report, if available
• Photographs of the scene, the vehicles, and any visible injuries
• Insurance information for all parties involved
• Medical records and billing statements received to date
• Pay stubs or other documentation reflecting missed work

Consultations are provided without charge, and our office typically responds within one business day.

What Are Some Important California Legal Resources for Car Accidents?

California establishes specific rules governing filing deadlines, allocation of fault, and the categories of compensation available to injured parties. The resources below provide entry points for understanding the legal framework that applies to a car accident claim.

• The California statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is two years from the date of the collision. Claims against public entities require written notice within six months.
• California negligence law allows recovery when another driver fails to exercise reasonable care and causes harm as a result.
• Comparative fault reduces recovery in proportion to an injured party’s share of responsibility, but it does not eliminate the right to recover.
• The California Courts Self-Help Guide offers plain-language explanations of civil procedure and small claims processes.
• The California Department of Insurance publishes consumer guides addressing auto insurance disputes and claim handling.
• The California DMV explains the state’s financial responsibility requirements and minimum coverage rules.

Reach Out to Cohen Injury Law Group to Schedule a Consultation

Cohen Injury Law Group has represented injured clients for more than three decades. Initial consultations are free, and our firm operates on a contingency fee basis, so no attorney fees are owed unless we obtain a recovery for the client. During the consultation, our attorneys will review the facts of the collision, identify the parties responsible, and explain the value the claim is likely to support. Contact us to schedule a meeting with our office.