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The Law Offices of Asher Hoffman represents drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and families injured in car accidents in Santa Monica and across the Westside. Our Los Angeles office on Wilshire Boulevard is a short drive from Santa Monica, and our team understands the traffic patterns, evidence issues, medical care, and insurance disputes that come up after serious crashes near the beach, downtown Santa Monica, Wilshire, Lincoln, Pico, Olympic, the I-10, and Pacific Coast Highway.
Santa Monica car accident claims are rarely as simple as one driver blaming another. A crash can involve a commuter rushing toward the 10 Freeway, a rideshare driver circling a hotel, a delivery van blocking a bike lane, a tourist unfamiliar with local traffic, a pedestrian stepping from a crowded crosswalk, or a government-controlled roadway condition. We investigate the full picture, preserve evidence quickly, and build the claim around both liability and the real medical impact of the crash.
If you were hurt in a Santa Monica collision, the first conversation is free. There is no fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Santa Monica is compact, dense, and busy all day. Local residents, commuters, tourists, students, beach visitors, hotel guests, shoppers, delivery drivers, buses, scooters, bicycles, and rideshare vehicles share the same streets. That mix creates predictable collision patterns, especially near the I-10 terminus, Downtown Santa Monica, Ocean Avenue, Wilshire Boulevard, Lincoln Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Montana Avenue, and Pacific Coast Highway.
Insurance companies often try to make these cases smaller than they are. They may call the crash low speed, blame the injured person for stopping suddenly, claim a tourist or pedestrian appeared unexpectedly, argue that treatment was excessive, or point to prior symptoms in the medical records. Our job is to gather the evidence early and present the claim in a way that answers those defenses before they gain momentum.
Every case turns on its facts, but local context matters. Santa Monica car accident claims frequently involve:
These facts can affect fault, the available evidence, whether a public entity claim deadline applies, and which insurance policies should be pursued.
Our firm handles the full range of Santa Monica motor vehicle collision claims, including rear-end crashes, intersection collisions, left-turn crashes, sideswipe impacts, parking lot crashes, hit-and-run crashes, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, rideshare crashes, delivery driver crashes, commercial vehicle collisions, pedestrian and cyclist impacts, motorcycle impacts, and fatal crashes. We also evaluate whether a roadway condition, signal issue, unsafe driveway, construction zone, valet operation, or employer contributed to the collision.
Commercial involvement is common in Santa Monica. Hotels, restaurants, apartment buildings, retail stores, construction sites, medical offices, tech offices, and delivery services put company drivers and contractors into busy streets. When a driver was working at the time of the crash, the employer or business may be responsible in addition to the individual driver.
After any crash, safety and medical care come first. If you can, take these steps:
Video evidence can disappear quickly. Stores, hotels, parking structures, apartment buildings, dash cameras, rideshare apps, buses, and public agencies may have footage or data that needs to be preserved before it is overwritten.
California is a fault-based state for car accident claims. The person or entity that caused the crash is generally responsible for the injured person’s damages. California also follows pure comparative negligence under Civil Code section 1714, which means an injured person can still recover compensation even if the defense argues they were partly at fault. The recovery is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned.
The usual statute of limitations for a California personal injury case is two years from the date of injury. If a public entity may be responsible, such as the City of Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, Caltrans, Metro, Big Blue Bus, or another public agency, a government claim may need to be filed within six months. That shorter deadline matters in crashes involving public vehicles, roadway defects, signal timing, missing signs, unsafe crosswalks, or dangerous public property.
Santa Monica crash victims often receive emergency or specialty care at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and nearby orthopedic, neurology, pain management, imaging, and rehabilitation providers. Serious collisions can cause neck and back injuries, disc herniations, fractures, shoulder and knee injuries, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, nerve symptoms, scarring, chronic pain, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.
Recoverable damages may include ambulance bills, emergency care, diagnostic imaging, injections, surgery, physical therapy, future medical treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, vehicle damage, rental car expenses, out-of-pocket costs, pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. In fatal crashes, surviving family members may have a wrongful death claim.
We begin by identifying every source of proof and every source of coverage. That may include the traffic collision report, 911 calls, body camera footage, witness statements, scene photographs, vehicle damage, event data recorder information, surveillance video, dash camera footage, rideshare app data, commercial driver records, employer policies, medical records, billing records, and expert analysis when needed.
We also prepare the medical story carefully. Insurance adjusters often focus on treatment gaps, prior injuries, degenerative findings, or imaging language they think helps the defense. We work to connect the crash mechanics, clinical findings, diagnostic imaging, treatment course, functional limitations, and future care needs so the claim reflects what actually happened to the client.
We also handle serious commercial vehicle crashes in Beverly Hills, including delivery truck, box truck, construction vehicle, and hotel supply truck cases. Learn more on our Beverly Hills truck accident lawyer page.
For serious motorcycle crashes east of Santa Monica, including Wilshire, Santa Monica Boulevard, Sunset, and Beverly Hills hotel or retail corridors, see our Beverly Hills motorcycle accident lawyer page.
Our firm handles car accident cases across Santa Monica, the Westside, and Los Angeles County. Depending on where the crash happened, these pages may also help: Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer, Beverly Hills Car Accident Lawyer, Culver City Personal Injury Lawyer, Beverly Hills Personal Injury Lawyer, and Los Angeles Uber and Lyft Rideshare Accident Lawyer.
There is no upfront fee. Our firm handles car accident cases on a contingency fee, which means we are paid only if we recover compensation for you.
You may still have a claim. California’s comparative fault rule allows recovery even when fault is disputed. The key is preserving evidence early and pushing back against unsupported blame.
Yes. Injured passengers often have claims against one or more drivers, and sometimes against rideshare, commercial, uninsured motorist, or underinsured motorist coverage depending on the facts.
Additional insurance and business defendants may be involved. These cases require careful investigation of driver status, app activity, employment relationships, vehicle ownership, and available coverage.
As soon as possible, especially if you were seriously injured or the crash happened near businesses, hotels, parking structures, public property, buses, or a construction zone. Video and witness evidence can disappear quickly.
If you or someone you love was injured in a Santa Monica car accident, contact the Law Offices of Asher Hoffman for a free consultation. You will speak with a team that understands serious injury claims, Westside traffic patterns, insurance tactics, and what it takes to build a case for full compensation. There is no fee unless we win.
I can’t say enough about how grateful I am for the team that helped me after my motorcycle accident. From day one, they treated me with respect and compassion, while also fighting aggressively on my behalf. The process of dealing with insurance companies and medical bills was overwhelming, but they walked me through every step, […]
My boyfriend and I were getting the runaround from an at-fault driver and their insurance after my very first car accident in Los Angeles back in February, so I decided to find a lawyer to help us out with the process. Working with Asher Hoffman made all the difference. He was communicative, patient, and always […]
Asher is absolutely amazing! After my car accident, I was overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do, but he made the whole process so much easier. He’s very attentive, caring, and really goes above and beyond for his clients. I always felt supported and confident knowing he was handling my case. He not only got […]
I hope you never need a lawyer due to a car accident, but if you do, Asher Hoffman is the best! I had never been in a car accident this serious before and was rattled, stressed, and scared to say the least, suffering injuries and the total loss of my car. From our first meeting […]
I am so grateful to have had Asher Hoffman as my accident attorney. From the very beginning, he was professional, compassionate, and dedicated to my case. Asher always took the time to explain every step of the process in a way that was easy to understand, and he made sure I felt supported throughout. His […]
