Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer

Were you injured in an accident in Los Angeles, CA?

At Cohen Injury Law Group, we provide personal injury representation on a contingency basis, with no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

If you were injured in a freeway collision, a fall at a grocery store, or an accident in downtown Los Angeles, you may be facing emergency room bills, lost wages, and requests from an insurance adjuster for a recorded statement before your treatment is complete. These concerns often become more difficult to manage the longer a claim goes unaddressed.

Cohen Injury Law Group represents individuals throughout Los Angeles who have been injured because of another party’s negligence. Wayne Cohen began practicing law in 1991 and has more than three decades of experience handling personal injury claims. A Los Angeles, CA personal injury lawyer from our firm can review your situation at no cost. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

Personal Injury Lawyer Los Angeles, CA

A personal injury lawyer represents individuals who have been physically harmed because another person or business failed to exercise reasonable care. This representation involves establishing who was at fault, documenting each loss, and pursuing compensation from the responsible party or its insurer. Most of these claims are based on California’s general negligence standard.

Traffic collisions killed or injured 58,758 people across Los Angeles County in 2023, according to OTS crash rankings. Motor vehicle accidents are only one source of injury claims. Unsafe stairways, dog attacks, and damaged sidewalks also lead many injured individuals to consult a personal injury attorney in Los Angeles.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in Los Angeles

Our Los Angeles personal injury lawyers handle claims that arise from crashes, falls, animal attacks, and fatal accidents across the city. Each type raises its own evidence and insurance questions.

• Car accidents. Rear-end collisions, freeway sideswipes, and hit-and-run crashes make up many of these claims. We collect camera footage, vehicle data, and witness statements before they disappear.
• Truck accidents. Big rigs hauling freight from the ports share the 710, the 5, and the 60 with commuters every day. One crash can involve a trucking company, a cargo loader, and several insurers, so we identify every responsible party early.
• Motorcycle accidents. Left-turn crashes, lane-change collisions, and dooring cause many of the injuries riders suffer. Adjusters often assume the rider was speeding, and we answer that assumption with physical evidence.
• Pedestrian accidents. People on foot are struck in crosswalks, parking lots, and driveways by drivers who were turning or distracted. Injuries tend to be severe, and we account for long-term care in the claim’s value.
• Bicycle accidents. Right-hook turns, opened car doors, and drivers drifting into bike lanes injure cyclists from Silver Lake to the Westside. We review roadway design and signal timing along with driver conduct.
• Rideshare accidents. An Uber or Lyft crash may involve the rideshare company’s insurance, the other driver’s policy, or both, depending on who caused it. We sort out which coverage applies so you aren’t caught between insurers.
• Dog bites. A bite from a neighbor’s dog or an off-leash dog at a park can cause puncture wounds, infection, and lasting scars. We document the injuries and identify the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.
• Slip and falls. Wet floors, broken stairs, poor lighting, and uneven pavement cause falls that lead to fractures and head injuries. We move quickly to secure surveillance video before a store records over it.
• Brain injuries. Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries can follow a crash or fall even when there is no visible head wound. We work with treating physicians to connect symptoms like memory loss and headaches to the incident.
• Wrongful death. When a negligent act takes a life, surviving family members may pursue compensation for lost financial support and companionship. We handle these cases with respect for the family’s privacy.

Why Choose Cohen Injury Law Group as My Personal Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles, CA?

Courtroom Preparation From the First Meeting

Wayne Cohen has practiced law since 1991. He has taught Trial Skills at George Washington University Law School since 1993, holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and has been named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Over his career, Wayne has helped injured clients recover millions of dollars. That trial background matters in negotiation. A claim built for a jury is harder for an insurer to discount.

Nicholas Cohen earned his law degree at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. He was building websites for the family practice by age 12, and he now applies that technical background to organizing medical records, crash data, and billing as a case moves toward litigation.

No Fee Unless We Recover Compensation

We take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront and owe no attorney fee unless we secure compensation for you. Hiring a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles, CA shouldn’t depend on whether you can afford a retainer, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day.

Understanding Personal Injury Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Personal Injury Cases

Liability depends on whether the other party failed to use reasonable care and whether that failure caused your injury. If you share some of the blame, California’s comparative fault approach reduces your award by your percentage of fault instead of barring it. Damages are measured as the amount that compensates for all the harm the wrongful conduct caused, under Civil Code section 3333.

Compensation in a Los Angeles injury claim usually falls into four categories:

• Economic damages cover measurable losses such as medical bills, future treatment, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity.
• Non-economic damages compensate for physical pain, emotional distress, and lost enjoyment of life, often called pain and suffering.
• Property damage reimburses the cost of repairing or replacing a vehicle or other belongings.
• Punitive damages may be added when clear and convincing evidence shows the defendant acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, under Civil Code section 3294.

What Are Important Aspects of a Personal Injury Case?

Four issues come up in nearly every claim we handle. How they’re managed in the first few weeks often affects the final result.

• Prompt medical care matters, because gaps in treatment give an insurer room to argue the injury was minor.
• Evidence such as surveillance video and vehicle data can be erased within days unless someone requests it.
• Insurance policy limits often set a practical ceiling on recovery, so we search for every policy that may apply.
• Filing deadlines apply to every case, and claims against public agencies carry a much shorter one.

What Is the Personal Injury Case Timeline?

Most claims move through the same general stages after you retain a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer. How long each stage takes depends on the severity of the injury and how the insurer responds.

1. Investigation and medical treatment begin in the first weeks after the injury.
2. We send a demand package once your condition stabilizes or your doctors can project future care.
3. Negotiations with the insurer follow, and many claims resolve at this point.
4. If the insurer refuses a fair offer, we file suit in LA County Superior Court and begin exchanging evidence.
5. Mediation, settlement conferences, and trial come next for cases that remain unresolved.

What Should You Bring to Your Personal Injury Consultation?

Bring what you have, even if the file is incomplete. These items help us evaluate the claim more quickly:

• A copy of the police report, or the report number, shows how officers documented the incident.
• Photos of the scene, your injuries, and damaged property preserve details that fade over time.
• Medical records and bills show what treatment you have received so far.
• Letters from an insurance company, including any settlement offer, tell us where negotiations stand.

At the consultation, a Los Angeles personal injury attorney from our firm will listen to your account, review your documents, and outline your options. The meeting is free, and you’re under no obligation to hire us afterward.

Most Dangerous Locations for Personal Injury in Los Angeles

LADOT’s 2024 Vision Zero Safety Study identifies a High Injury Network of 549 miles, about 7.5% of the city’s roadway network. The streets below have appeared on the city’s High Injury Network maps, and the freeways carry heavy daily traffic.

Dangerous streets:

• Hollywood Boulevard draws dense tourist and pedestrian traffic and is part of the High Injury Network.
• Slauson Avenue crosses South Los Angeles and has been listed on the High Injury Network.
• Manchester Avenue carries through traffic past homes, shops, and bus stops.
• Central Avenue runs through neighborhoods where many residents travel on foot.
• Temple Street links downtown with Historic Filipinotown and Silver Lake and has received city safety upgrades.

Dangerous highways:

• The I-5 (Golden State Freeway) carries commuter and freight traffic through downtown interchanges.
• The I-10 (Santa Monica Freeway) connects downtown and the Westside with frequent merges and sudden slowdowns.
• The I-110 (Harbor Freeway) runs through South Los Angeles, where a nighttime motorcycle crash left a rider seriously injured.
• The US-101 (Hollywood Freeway) links downtown, Hollywood, and the San Fernando Valley.
• The I-405 (San Diego Freeway) climbs the Sepulveda Pass between the Westside and the Valley.

Reach Out to Cohen Injury Law Group to Schedule a Consultation

A conversation with a Los Angeles personal injury attorney at our firm costs nothing and doesn’t commit you to filing a claim. We will review what happened, explain how California law applies, and answer your questions about fees before you make any decision. Because we work on contingency, there is no charge unless we recover compensation. Contact us to arrange a time by phone or online.

Personal Injury Statistics in Los Angeles

The California Office of Traffic Safety counted 8,116 people killed or injured in collisions within the City of Los Angeles in 2023, according to its 2023 crash rankings. That count covers city streets and state highways where the city shares jurisdiction. Crashes on freeways handled only by the CHP aren’t included. Pedestrians made up about one in six of the people killed or injured.

Fewer people were hurt than in 2022. Even so, the 2023 total works out to more than 22 people killed or injured on an average day. Speed played a role in 1,104 of the city’s fatal and injury collisions that year, and 1,498 occurred between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Statewide accident statistics follow a similar pattern, with pedestrians and motorcyclists among the people most often killed.

These OTS figures put the risk in concrete terms:

• In 2023, 1,432 pedestrians were killed or injured in collisions in the City of Los Angeles.
• Hit-and-run drivers were involved in 2,549 fatal or injury collisions in the city that year.
• Collisions involving motorcycles killed or injured 553 people in the city in 2023.
• The city’s total dropped about 9% from the 8,944 people killed or injured in 2022, according to 2022 OTS rankings.
• Across California, traffic deaths fell from 4,539 in 2022 to 4,061 in 2023, according to OTS Quick Stats.

Mistakes That Can Damage Your Personal Injury Claim

Most claims that lose value do so because of decisions made in the first few weeks. The mistakes below are the ones our Los Angeles personal injury attorneys see most often.

1. Waiting to see a doctor. Adrenaline can mask pain for hours or days after a crash. A delay in treatment also gives the insurer an argument that something else caused your symptoms, so get checked promptly even if you feel fine.
2. Giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer. Adjusters ask open-ended questions and may use your words to shift blame or downplay the injury. You can decline to give one, and dealing with insurance adjusters becomes far simpler once a lawyer takes over the calls.
3. Posting about the accident online. Photos from a birthday dinner or a short walk can be presented as proof that you weren’t really hurt. Keep accounts private and don’t discuss the case.
4. Missing the deadline for a claim against a public agency. When a city vehicle, a Metro bus, or a broken public sidewalk causes an injury, a written claim usually must be presented within six months. Bus accidents and falls on city property often fall under this shorter timeline.
5. Letting evidence disappear. Stores record over security footage, damaged cars get repaired, and witnesses move away. Preserving the evidence you need early can decide whether fault is provable.
6. Accepting the first settlement offer. Early offers usually arrive before anyone knows the full cost of future treatment. Once you sign a release, you generally cannot reopen the claim.
7. Assuming partial fault ends the case. California allows recovery even when you share responsibility, with the award reduced by your share. A pedestrian who crossed mid-block may still have a valid claim against a driver who ran a red light.
8. Overlooking the property owner’s role. Falls on unsafe property are often blamed on the person who fell. A premises liability claim focuses on whether the owner knew or should have known about the hazard and failed to fix it.

Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer FAQs

How much does a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles cost?

Our firm works on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront, and our fee comes out of the compensation we recover. If there’s no recovery, you owe no attorney fee. The percentage and the handling of case costs are set out in a written agreement before we begin. The first consultation is free, and you can ask about cost during that meeting.

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in California?

Most personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the date of injury. Wrongful death claims generally must be filed within two years of the date of death. Claims against government agencies require an earlier written claim. Waiting also makes evidence harder to gather. We confirm the filing deadline that applies to your case at the first meeting.

What if a city vehicle, Metro bus, or broken sidewalk caused my injury?

Claims against public entities follow the Government Claims Act. Before you can sue, a written claim for personal injury generally must be presented to the agency within six months of the incident. If the agency rejects the claim, a separate deadline to file a lawsuit begins to run. These rules apply to the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and LA Metro, so we act quickly when a public agency may share responsibility.

Can I still recover compensation if I was partly at fault?

Yes. California follows a pure comparative fault system, which means your compensation is reduced by your percentage of responsibility but not eliminated. If a jury finds you 20% at fault and your damages total $100,000, you would recover $80,000. Insurers frequently overstate an injured person’s share of the blame to lower the payout. We gather the evidence needed to show what actually happened and who caused the incident.

How much is my Los Angeles personal injury case worth?

A reliable figure isn’t possible at the first meeting. Value depends on the severity of your injuries, the cost of past and future medical care, lost income, the effect on your daily life, and the insurance coverage available. Fault matters as well. Once we review your medical records and prognosis, we can estimate a range and update it as treatment continues.

How long does a personal injury case take in Los Angeles?

Many claims settle within several months to a year after medical treatment ends. Cases that go to litigation in Los Angeles County Superior Court usually take longer, often one to two years or more, depending on discovery, witness schedules, and the court’s calendar. We generally advise against settling before your doctors understand your long-term prognosis, because a quick settlement can leave future medical costs uncovered.

What if the driver who hit me had no insurance?

Your own auto policy may help. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can pay for injuries caused by a driver with no insurance or too little of it, and it may apply to some hit-and-run crashes. Medical payments coverage may also apply. We review every policy in your household and look for other responsible parties, such as an employer or vehicle owner.

Will my personal injury case go to trial?

Most personal injury cases settle before trial. Still, we prepare each case as though a jury will hear it, because that preparation affects how insurers value a claim. If the insurer refuses a fair settlement, we’re ready to take the case to court. You decide whether to accept any offer, and we explain the risks of settling compared with going to trial before you choose.

Do I need a lawyer if my injuries seem minor?

Not every claim needs one. Still, injuries that seem minor can turn out to be more serious, and concussions and soft tissue injuries can take days to show their full effect. A free meeting with a personal injury lawyer in LA lets you learn what your claim may be worth and what deadlines apply before you sign anything. If we believe you can handle the claim on your own, we will tell you.

What should I do immediately after an accident in Los Angeles?

Call 911 if anyone is hurt, and get medical care as soon as possible. If you’re able, photograph the scene, the vehicles or hazard involved, and your injuries. Collect names and contact information from witnesses and the other people involved. Report the incident to the police or the property owner. Keep your medical records and receipts together, and don’t discuss fault at the scene.

Important Resources for Los Angeles Personal Injury Cases

What Are Important California Legal Resources for Personal Injury Cases?

The statutes and official guides below cover filing deadlines, negligence, and damages. Each one can be read online at no cost.

• CCP section 335.1 sets a two-year deadline for most personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.
• Government Code section 911.2 requires injury claims against a public entity to be presented within six months.
• Civil Code section 1714 states that everyone is responsible for injuries caused by a lack of ordinary care.
• The California Courts self-help page explains how statutes of limitations work.
• California Legislative Information lets you search the full text of every California code.

What Are Important Local Resources for Los Angeles Personal Injury Cases?

Clients of a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles often deal with the agencies and hospitals below. Los Angeles County also has a network of trauma centers for the most serious injuries.

• Los Angeles Police Department: 1-877-275-5273. The LAPD releases traffic collision reports for crashes on city streets.
• CHP Central Los Angeles: (213) 815-2000. This office patrols freeways around downtown, including the I-5, I-10, I-110, and US-101.
• Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center: (310) 825-9111. This Westwood hospital operates a Level I trauma center.
• Los Angeles General Medical Center: (323) 409-1000. This county hospital in Boyle Heights provides emergency care.

Cohen Injury Law Group does not endorse and is not affiliated with any organization listed above. We provide this list for informational purposes only.

About Cohen Injury Law Group

Cohen Injury Law Group is a father-and-son personal injury firm with offices in downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Ventura. Wayne Cohen graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan and earned his law degree cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law. He has also taught at Pepperdine School of Law. Nicholas Cohen, a graduate of USC, grew up in a family of trial lawyers and now represents injured clients alongside his father.

What Our Clients Say

★★★★★

“Cohen Law was very helpful in providing important advice on a case I was considering pursuing. If you need knowledgeable guidance on whether your personal injury case is worth pursuing, give Cohen Law a call.”

• Andrew Galvin

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Additional Resources for Los Angeles Personal Injury Cases

• Should I Accept the First Settlement Offer? Red Flags to Watch For
• Settlement vs. Trial: Which Path Is Right for Your Case?
• Common Mistakes That Tank Personal Injury Cases
• Top Questions for a Personal Injury Lawyer
• Demystifying the True Costs of Personal Injury Beyond Medical Bills

Contact Cohen Injury Law Group

Contact us to speak with a Los Angeles personal injury attorney about your injury. Your initial consultation is free, and we charge no attorney fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf. During the consultation, we will discuss how the injury occurred, review the medical treatment you have received, and explain the next steps in your claim. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.