Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer

Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer for Crashes, Transit, and Train Injuries

Los Angeles moves on freeways, buses, trains, scooters, and sidewalks, often all in the same trip. When a crash or fall interrupts that trip, the claim that follows can involve a private driver, a rideshare company, LA Metro, Metrolink, the City of Los Angeles, or Los Angeles County. Each one follows different rules, and some of those rules start a six-month clock.

Win Attorneys represents injured people throughout Los Angeles County. Our only office is in Tustin, at 17291 Irvine Blvd., Suite 210, Tustin, CA 92780. We do not have a Los Angeles office. We work with Los Angeles clients by phone and video, and by appointment at our Tustin office. Call (562) 296-5380 to talk through what happened.

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Injury Claims We Handle for Los Angeles Clients

• Car and motor vehicle accidents on surface streets and freeways
• Train accidents, including Metrolink and Metro Rail
• LA Metro bus and rail accidents
• Metrolink accidents
• Pedestrian, scooter, and micromobility crashes
• Hit-and-run crashes
• Rideshare and delivery crashes and robotaxi crashes
• Motorcycle accidents and truck accidents
• Dog bites and premises injuries
• Wrongful death and catastrophic injury

Los Angeles Roads Where Claims Begin

Many Los Angeles crash claims start on the region’s major freeways: Interstate 5, Interstate 10, Interstate 110, Interstate 405, Interstate 710, US 101, and State Route 60. Freight traffic from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach adds big-rigs to the 710 and the 110. Long surface corridors such as Sunset Boulevard, Western Avenue, Figueroa Street, Vermont Avenue, and Pacific Coast Highway mix fast traffic with buses, crosswalks, and parked cars.

The City of Los Angeles identifies a High Injury Network of streets where a large share of serious and fatal crashes happen. That designation does not prove fault in any one crash, but in the right case, the history of a corridor and the city’s knowledge of it can matter to a dangerous condition claim. For examples of how these claims work, see crosswalk DUI pedestrian claims on Hollywood Boulevard, pedestrian hit-and-run claims in North Hollywood, and street design and wrongful death claims in Long Beach.

Train, Metro, and Metrolink Injuries in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has the busiest transit network in Southern California. LA Metro runs bus lines and the A, B, C, D, E, and K rail lines. Metrolink commuter trains run from Union Station to Ventura, Antelope Valley, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange County. Amtrak, LADOT DASH, and city bus systems such as Big Blue Bus, Long Beach Transit, and Foothill Transit fill in the rest.

Transit injuries happen at grade crossings, on platforms, while boarding, during sudden stops, and when a bus or train collides with a car, cyclist, or pedestrian. Several rules make these claims different from an ordinary crash:

• Common carrier duty. California holds carriers of passengers to a very high standard of care (Civil Code section 2100). That can matter when a passenger is hurt by a sudden stop, a closing door, or a fall on board.
• Public entity rules. LA Metro and Metrolink are public agencies. Injury claims against them generally require a written government claim within six months under Government Code section 911.2.
• More than one responsible party. A crossing crash can involve the rail operator, the agency that owns the track, a city responsible for the road approach, and another driver.

Learn more on our Los Angeles train accident attorney page, our Metrolink page, and our LA Metro page. Related reading: Metrolink train injuries and the six-month deadline, Metro A Line pedestrian crash claims in Pasadena, train, Metro, and Metrolink crossing injuries, and injured on a Metro bus by another driver.

Government Claims in Los Angeles

When a public entity may be responsible, a written claim usually has to come before any lawsuit (Government Code section 945.4). The six-month deadline applies to injury and wrongful death claims, and a late-claim application within one year is possible but not guaranteed (Government Code section 911.4). Knowing which entity to name is half the work:

• City of Los Angeles: claims for city streets, LADOT signals, city vehicles, LAPD, and city property are presented to the Office of the City Clerk, which accepts claims online or at City Hall.
• County of Los Angeles: claims for county roads, county vehicles, the Sheriff’s Department, and county facilities go to the Executive Officer of the Board of Supervisors.
• LA Metro and Metrolink: each is its own agency with its own claim process.
• Caltrans: claims for state highways and freeways go through the State of California’s Government Claims Program.
• Other cities: Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Glendale, and the county’s other cities each handle their own claims.

If the wrong entity gets the claim, or the claim goes to the right entity too late, a strong case can be lost. Our California government claims guide explains the process. See also SB 577 and public entity injury claims.

What to Do After a Crash or Transit Injury in Los Angeles

1. Get medical care first. Emergency rooms and urgent care visits create the record that ties your injuries to the crash.
2. Get the report number from LAPD, the Sheriff’s Department, the CHP on freeways, or transit security. If police did not take a report of an injury crash, a written report to the CHP or city police is required within 24 hours (Vehicle Code section 20008).
3. Note the bus or train details: line number, direction, stop or station, car number, and time. Those details help locate onboard and platform video before it is overwritten.
4. Photograph the scene, including signals, crosswalks, potholes, and lighting.
5. File the DMV SR-1 form within 10 days for injury crashes or property damage over $1,000 (Vehicle Code section 16000).
6. Calendar six months from the injury date if any public agency could be involved, and call counsel well before then.

Los Angeles County Superior Court

Most Los Angeles personal injury lawsuits are filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, one of the largest trial court systems in the country. The Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown handles a large share of civil cases, and other courthouses across the county hear civil matters based on where the case arises. In 2026 the court ended its centralized Personal Injury Hub, which had handled most personal injury cases since 2013, and now assigns those cases to individual judges by courthouse. The court’s filing location tool shows where a case belongs. Claims against public entities follow the government claim steps above before suit.

Who Pays After a Los Angeles Crash

• The at-fault driver’s insurance, with California minimum limits of $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for injuries on policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025. Serious injuries often exceed those limits.
• Your own UM and UIM coverage when the other driver fled, had no insurance, or had too little (Insurance Code section 11580.2). Hit-and-run UM claims generally require a police report within 24 hours. See our UM and UIM page.
• Rideshare and delivery company policies when a driver was on the app.
• Public entities through the government claim process.
• Employers and commercial policies when a work vehicle or truck was involved.

Related reading: e-scooter hit-and-run and uninsured motorist coverage in South LA, motorcycle left-turn hit-and-run claims in South LA, hit by a Waymo in California, and SR-14 Santa Clarita claims when a driver flees.

California Law That Applies in Los Angeles

• Two years to file most injury lawsuits (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1).
• Six months for government claims (Government Code section 911.2).
• Comparative fault: a recovery is reduced by your share of fault, not barred (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804).
• Dog bites: owners are generally strictly liable under Civil Code section 3342.
• Immigration status generally is not admissible in California injury cases (Evidence Code section 351.2).

How We Work With Los Angeles Clients

We represent clients statewide from our Tustin office. For Los Angeles clients, most of the work happens by phone, video, and secure document exchange, with meetings by appointment. We gather the collision report, video, transit records, and medical records, and we handle the insurers and agencies so you can focus on healing. Our office is fluent in Spanish and Vietnamese.

Talk to Us About Your Los Angeles Injury Claim

If you or a loved one was hurt in Los Angeles County, call (562) 296-5380 or use our contact page. If a bus, train, city, or county may be involved, call soon. The six-month clock does not wait.

Los Angeles Personal Injury FAQs

Do you have an office in Los Angeles?

No. Our only office is at 17291 Irvine Blvd., Suite 210, Tustin, CA 92780. We represent Los Angeles County clients by phone and video, and by appointment at our Tustin office.

How long do I have to file a claim against LA Metro or Metrolink?

Generally six months from the injury to present a written government claim under Government Code section 911.2. A lawsuit usually cannot be filed until the claim is presented and rejected or deemed rejected.

What if I was hurt as a passenger on a Metro bus or train?

Transit agencies owe passengers a very high duty of care as common carriers under Civil Code section 2100. Injuries from sudden stops, door closures, falls, and collisions can support a claim, subject to the six-month government claim deadline.

Who do I file a claim with if a city street caused my crash?

It depends on who owns and maintains the road. City of Los Angeles streets go to the City Clerk, county roads go to the Board of Supervisors, state highways go to the state’s Government Claims Program, and other cities handle their own claims.

Where would my Los Angeles injury lawsuit be filed?

Most are filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. After the court ended its centralized Personal Injury Hub in 2026, cases are assigned to judges at courthouses based on where the case arises.

What if the driver who hit me fled the scene?

Report it to police within 24 hours, gather any video, and notify your insurer. Your uninsured motorist coverage may apply. Read our hit-and-run page for the steps that protect a UM claim.

Do you help Spanish-speaking clients in Los Angeles?

Yes. Our office is fluent in Spanish and Vietnamese. Let us know your preferred language when you call.

Disclaimer

This page is general information for educational purposes. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Win Attorneys has one office, in Tustin, California. Outcomes depend on the facts of each matter. Consult a licensed California attorney about your situation.