Car Accident Attorneys in San Diego, California

1. Craig R. McClellan – The McClellan Law Firm

Practice Focus: Catastrophic personal injury, product liability, wrongful death, car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, brain injury cases

Case Types Handled: Head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, multi-vehicle accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, defective vehicle cases, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, quadriplegia, paraplegia

Legal Services: Insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, medical lien resolution, property damage claims, lost wage recovery, pain and suffering claims, wrongful death claims, product liability litigation

Background: Licensed in California since 1976. J.D. from California Western School of Law (magna cum laude), Editor-in-Chief of California Western Law Review. Former Captain in the United States Marine Corps. Over 150 verdicts and settlements exceeding $1 million each. Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (former San Diego Chapter President). First and only San Diego attorney admitted to the Inner Circle of Advocates (limited to 100 members nationwide). Three-time recipient of Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award from Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. Named Super Lawyers Number One attorney in San Diego (2019). Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury and Product Liability (multiple years). AV Preeminent Martindale-Hubbell rating. Cases featured on 60 Minutes, 20/20, and McNeil-Lehrer Report.

Location: 1144 State Street, San Diego, CA 92101

Contact: (619) 231-0505 | [email protected] | https://www.mcclellanlaw.com

Bar Number: 71865 (Active, California State Bar)

Consultation: Free initial consultation, contingency fee arrangement (no fee unless recovery)

2. Ross Adam Jurewitz – Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers

Practice Focus: Car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, wrongful death, dog bites, slip and fall accidents

Case Types Handled: Rear-end collisions, multi-vehicle accidents, T-bone crashes, drunk driving accidents, distracted driving accidents, hit-and-run accidents, rideshare accidents, catastrophic injury cases

Legal Services: Insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, demand letter preparation, medical lien resolution, property damage claims, lost wage recovery, pain and suffering claims, wrongful death claims

Background: Licensed in California since 2000 and Florida since 2021. J.D. from Washington College of Law, American University (2000). B.A. in Political Science from University of California, San Diego (1997). Founded Jurewitz Law Group in 2007. Member of Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Super Lawyers selection 2016-2025. Featured in Time and Newsweek magazines as a leader in personal injury law. Attorney of the Month by Attorney Journal San Diego Edition (2014). Best of the Bar by San Diego Business Journal (2017). 5.0 out of 5.0 Client Rating on Martindale-Hubbell. A+ Better Business Bureau rating.

Location: 600 B Street, Suite 1450, San Diego, CA 92101

Contact: (619) 233-5020 | [email protected] | https://www.jurewitz.com

Bar Number: 211226 (Active, California State Bar)

Consultation: Free consultation available 24/7, contingency fee arrangement (no fee unless recovery)

3. Michael A. Pines – Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers

Practice Focus: Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, brain injuries, catastrophic injuries, workplace injuries, product liability, premises liability, medical malpractice, elder abuse

Case Types Handled: Rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, T-bone accidents, multi-vehicle pileups, drunk driving accidents, distracted driving accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries

Background: Licensed in California since 1988. J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of Law (1987), full scholarship recipient, Finalist for Best Written Moot Court Brief. B.A. from University of California, Irvine (1984). Former insurance defense attorney who represented Fortune 500 companies including Pepsi Cola, Arrowhead Water, and various HMOs. Over 30 years of experience. Firm has recovered tens of millions in settlements and verdicts. Consumer Attorneys of San Diego President’s Award recipient. 99% success rate. AV Preeminent peer review rating. Over 300 5-star Google reviews.

Location: 4660 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 575, San Diego, CA 92122 (also: 835 5th Avenue #302, San Diego, CA 92101)

Contact: (858) 551-2090 | https://seriousaccidents.com

Bar Number: 140602 (Active, California State Bar)

Consultation: Free initial consultation available 24/7, contingency fee arrangement (no fee unless recovery)

4. Adam Joseph Hepburn – HHJ Trial Attorneys

Practice Focus: Catastrophic injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, wrongful death, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, cases valued over $1 million

Case Types Handled: Rear-end collisions, freeway pileups, T-bone accidents, head-on collisions, distracted driving accidents, drunk driving accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, catastrophic injury cases, traumatic brain injuries

Background: Licensed in California. J.D. from California Western School of Law, ranked in top 5% of class, Law Review member. B.A. from University of California, Berkeley. Graduate of The Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College in Dubois, Wyoming. Former San Diego Public Defender with multiple jury trial wins before bar admission. Over 100 jury trials within first five years of practice with partners. Super Lawyers selection within two years of opening firm (top 2.5% of attorneys nationwide). Voted “Best Litigation Firm” by San Diego Union-Tribune. Firm has recovered tens of millions for clients. Trial advocacy coach at California Western School of Law. Former Board of Directors member for The San Diego Freedom Ranch.

Location: 2175 Salk Avenue, Suite 180, Carlsbad, CA 92008

Contact: (760) 444-0276 | [email protected] | https://www.hhjtrialattorneys.com

Bar Number: 292736 (Active, California State Bar)

Consultation: Free consultation available 24/7, contingency fee arrangement (no fee unless recovery)

5. Gordon Ralph Levinson – Levinson Law Group

Practice Focus: Car accidents (exclusive focus), truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, wrongful death, brain injuries, Uber/Lyft accidents

Background: Licensed in California since 1996. J.D. from University of San Francisco School of Law (1996), Law Review member, Moot Court Honors Board (received perfect 100 score in national competition). B.A. in History from California State University San Marcos. Former insurance defense attorney who represented largest insurance companies in North America. Has represented nearly 5,000 clients. Appeared or submitted briefs in over 30 California State Trial Courts, three Federal District Courts, three California Courts of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court. Prevailing party representative in landmark case Scheiding v. Dinwiddie Construction Co. (1999) 69 Cal.App.4th 64. Almost $100 million recovered. Advisory Board Member for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Distinguished Alumni Award from California State University San Marcos (2014). Super Lawyers selection.

Location: 5927 Balfour Court, Suite 201, Carlsbad, CA 92008 (also: 406 Ninth Avenue, Suite 306, San Diego, CA 92101)

Contact: (760) 827-1700 | [email protected] | https://www.levinsonlawgroup.com

Bar Number: 185649 (Active, California State Bar)

Consultation: Free consultation, contingency fee arrangement (no fee unless recovery)

California Damages, Phone and Public Entity Rules for San Diego Car Accidents

How California divides pain and suffering among several drivers, what it says about handheld phones, and how a claim against a public agency must be started are three questions that come up in San Diego car accident cases. The answers below come from the California codes and the state’s leading comparative fault decision.

Economic and Noneconomic Damages

Civil Code § 1431.2 defines economic damages as objectively verifiable monetary losses, including medical expenses, lost earnings, burial costs, loss of use of property and repair or replacement costs, and noneconomic damages as subjective, non-monetary losses such as pain, suffering, inconvenience, emotional distress, loss of consortium and humiliation. In an action based on comparative fault, each defendant’s liability for noneconomic damages is several only, in direct proportion to its percentage of fault.

Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) adopted pure comparative negligence. For example, imagine $120,000 in damages and 30 percent of the fault on the injured driver: the recovery would be $84,000.

Handheld Phones While Driving

Vehicle Code § 23123.5 bars driving while holding and operating a handheld phone or wireless device unless it is designed and configured for voice-operated, hands-free use and used that way. A device mounted on the windshield, dashboard or center console may be touched only with a single swipe or tap to activate or deactivate a function.

Claims Against a Public Agency

Government Code § 911.2 requires a claim for death or injury against a public entity to be presented within six months after accrual. Section 945.6 requires the lawsuit within six months after a written rejection notice is personally delivered or mailed, or within two years from accrual if no written notice is given.

San Diego Car Accident Questions

How long do I have to sue the other driver?

Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 allows two years for an action for injury to, or the death of, an individual caused by another’s wrongful act or neglect.

Can an uninsured driver recover for pain and suffering?

No, as a general matter. Civil Code § 3333.4 bars noneconomic losses for an injured owner whose vehicle was uninsured, an operator who cannot establish financial responsibility, and a person convicted of DUI for the accident, but it does not bar an uninsured owner injured by a motorist convicted of DUI for that accident.

Can a host who served alcohol at home be sued?

No, with one exception. Civil Code § 1714(c) shields a social host who furnishes alcohol from liability for resulting injuries, with one exception in subsection (d): a parent, guardian or other adult who knowingly furnishes alcohol at his or her residence to a person known, or who should have been known, to be under 21 can be sued by the underage person or by someone that person harmed.