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Manhattan Beach is one of the most affluent and heavily trafficked beach cities in Los Angeles County. Sepulveda Boulevard cuts through the city carrying a massive volume of commuter and commercial traffic between LAX, the South Bay, and points north. Manhattan Beach Boulevard is a primary east-west artery connecting the inland areas to downtown Manhattan Beach and the pier. Pacific Coast Highway runs the western edge of the city, drawing coastal recreational traffic year-round. When a car accident happens on any of these roads – and they happen regularly – the injuries can be serious and the insurance process can be complicated. The Law Offices of Asher Hoffman, APC is here to help.
We represent car accident victims in Manhattan Beach and throughout the South Bay on a pure contingency basis. You pay nothing unless we recover for you. Call (877) 792-4529 or request a free consultation.
Sepulveda Boulevard (State Route 1) is one of the busiest surface streets in the South Bay. Running north-south through Manhattan Beach, it connects Los Angeles International Airport to Torrance and beyond. The airport proximity means a constant stream of commuters, hotel shuttle traffic, rental car vehicles, and commercial delivery trucks. Intersection accidents on Sepulveda at Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Rosecrans Avenue, and El Segundo Boulevard are among the most serious in the city. Drivers who are unfamiliar with the area, rushing to catch a flight, or navigating with their attention divided between the road and a GPS are a constant hazard.
Manhattan Beach Boulevard (east-west) and Highland Avenue (north-south, residential) complete the main traffic grid through the city. Highland Avenue is particularly active near downtown Manhattan Beach and the Manhattan Beach Pier area, where parking-seeking traffic adds friction to an already busy corridor. The residential streets in the “Tree Section” north of Manhattan Beach Boulevard and in the “Hill Section” east of Valley Drive are narrow and see pedestrian and cyclist traffic mixing with vehicles.
Sepulveda Boulevard high-speed collisions. Sepulveda moves fast, particularly in the stretch near Rosecrans Avenue and the South Bay Galleria area. Rear-end collisions caused by sudden braking, lane-change accidents by drivers weaving through airport-area traffic, and T-bone collisions at cross streets where signal timing is tight are all common patterns on this corridor.
Manhattan Beach Boulevard corridor. The east-west route from PCH to the city’s eastern boundary sees a mix of local residents, downtown visitors, and cut-through traffic trying to avoid Sepulveda backups. Left-turn accidents at the PCH-Manhattan Beach Boulevard intersection and at the Valley Drive intersection are recurring problem spots.
Downtown parking and pedestrian zone accidents. The area around Manhattan Beach Pier and the Manhattan Avenue-Highland Avenue restaurant and retail strip is congested on weekends. Drivers circling for parking, valet operations at restaurants, and pedestrians moving between the pier area and downtown create conditions for low-speed but still-injurious collisions, particularly rear-end and failure-to-yield accidents.
LAX-area commuter traffic spillover. Manhattan Beach sits approximately four miles south of LAX. Early morning and late afternoon hours see heavy Sepulveda traffic from airport workers, hotel and airline staff, and commuters. Fatigued early-morning drivers and end-of-shift drivers returning home after overnight shifts contribute to accident risk on the north end of the city.
El Porto beach access roads. The El Porto neighborhood in north Manhattan Beach, adjacent to the water, has a high concentration of beach visitors and a parking situation that generates slow-moving, stop-and-go traffic on narrow residential streets. Accidents at parking lot entrances and on the narrow beach access roads are common during summer months.
California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives injured parties two years from the date of an accident to file a personal injury lawsuit against private parties. If your accident involved a city-owned road surface, a malfunctioning traffic signal, or other government-owned infrastructure in Manhattan Beach, California Government Code section 911.2 requires a formal government tort claim to be filed with the City of Manhattan Beach within six months of the incident. Missing the six-month deadline bars your claim against the city even if the two-year civil statute has not expired. The Manhattan Beach Police Department responds to and investigates traffic collisions in the city, and we obtain the TCR as a first step in every case.
Manhattan Beach car accident cases are filed in the Torrance Courthouse (South Bay Justice Center), 825 Maple Avenue, Torrance, part of the Los Angeles Superior Court’s South District. The closest hospitals for serious injuries are Torrance Memorial Medical Center (2800 Lomita Boulevard, Torrance) and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center (4101 Torrance Boulevard, Torrance). Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance is the Level I trauma center serving the South Bay region.
We begin every case with evidence preservation – the TCR from the Manhattan Beach Police Department, surveillance or traffic camera footage, witness statements, and photographs of the scene and vehicles. Once your medical treatment is complete or your future care needs are established, we prepare a thorough demand package and negotiate aggressively with the at-fault carrier. We do not accept lowball settlements. If the insurer refuses to pay full value, we file suit in the Torrance Courthouse and take the case through trial if necessary.
We also handle truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and rideshare accidents in Manhattan Beach. For car accident cases countywide, see our Los Angeles car accident lawyer page. For related South Bay cases, see our Long Beach car accident lawyer page and Manhattan Beach personal injury lawyer hub.
Hurt in a car accident in Manhattan Beach? Call the Law Offices of Asher Hoffman at (877) 792-4529 or contact us online. Free consultation. Pure contingency – no fees unless we recover. Serving Manhattan Beach, the South Bay, and all of Los Angeles County.
Call 911 immediately after any car accident in Manhattan Beach that involves injury. The Manhattan Beach Police Department will respond and prepare a traffic collision report. The TCR is a foundational document for your insurance claim and any subsequent lawsuit – get the report number before leaving the scene. Photograph the vehicles, the road, any skid marks, and any visible injuries. Collect the other driver’s insurance information, license number, and contact details. Talk to witnesses and get their contact information before they leave the scene.
Seek medical care promptly – even if you feel minor discomfort rather than acute pain. Soft tissue injuries, disc injuries, and concussions often worsen over the first 24-72 hours. A contemporaneous medical record from the emergency room or urgent care links your injuries to the crash date and protects your claim against insurance carrier arguments that your injuries predated the accident. Do not give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurer before speaking with an attorney. Contact us at (877) 792-4529 as soon as you are able.
California law allows injured plaintiffs to recover the full range of economic and non-economic damages caused by a negligent driver. Economic damages include all past and future medical costs – emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, and any long-term care required for permanent injuries. Lost wages and diminished future earning capacity are also recoverable. For Manhattan Beach residents and workers in the technology and aerospace industries concentrated near Sepulveda and the LAX corridor, lost earning capacity claims can be substantial when injuries prevent return to high-skill work.
Non-economic damages – pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life – are recoverable without cap in California personal injury cases (MICRA’s cap applies only to medical malpractice). California’s eggshell plaintiff doctrine protects those with pre-existing conditions: a defendant takes the plaintiff as they find them and is responsible for the full extent of injury even if the plaintiff was more susceptible than an average person. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage claims run through your own policy and are pursued just as aggressively as third-party claims. See our Manhattan Beach personal injury lawyer hub for an overview of all practice areas we handle in this city.
The Law Offices of Asher Hoffman, APC is a plaintiff-side personal injury firm located at 4929 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 780, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Asher Hoffman handles every case personally. We work on a pure contingency basis – no fees unless we recover for you – and we advance all litigation costs. Our firm handles cases through trial when insurers refuse to pay fair value. Call (877) 792-4529 or contact us online for a free consultation about your Manhattan Beach accident claim.
How long does a Manhattan Beach car accident case typically take? Most pre-litigation car accident cases resolve within 6-12 months after treatment is complete. If the claim goes to litigation, the timeline extends to 18-36 months depending on court scheduling at the Torrance Courthouse. Every case is different and depends on the severity of injuries, the insurer’s posture, and whether expert witnesses are needed for trial.
What if the other driver had minimum insurance coverage? California’s minimum auto insurance requirement is $15,000 per person / $30,000 per accident for bodily injury. In serious injury cases, this amount is often far less than the actual damages. If the at-fault driver was underinsured, your own UIM (underinsured motorist bodily injury) coverage may provide additional compensation. We evaluate all available coverage at the start of every case and pursue every applicable policy.
Do I need a police report to file a claim? A TCR from the Manhattan Beach Police Department is not legally required to file an insurance claim, but it is important evidence and we obtain it in every case. If MBPD responded to your accident, request a copy of the report through the MBPD Records Division as soon as it is available.
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 […]
