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Hit on Hacienda, Valley, Amar or Azusa? A car accident claim in La Puente follows six steps, whether you have a lawyer or not. This page walks through each one in plain English, so you know what is coming and what to protect. When you call, you talk with attorney Francisco Morales himself, in English or Spanish.
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La Puente is small, about three and a half square miles, but the traffic running through it is not. Valley Boulevard carries trucks to and from the warehouses in the City of Industry. Hacienda Boulevard links the 10 to the north with the 60 to the south. Amar Road, Azusa Avenue and Puente Avenue bring commuters in from West Covina and Baldwin Park. Most of the crashes we hear about from La Puente are not freeway crashes at all. They are left turns across a busy arterial, cars pulling out of strip-mall driveways, and rear-end collisions at long signals.
One more local detail matters. A lot of “La Puente” addresses are not inside the city. Parts of the 91744 and 91746 ZIP codes are unincorporated county land, including Valinda and Bassett. That changes very little for your injury claim, but it can matter if a road defect or a county vehicle played a part, because claims against Los Angeles County have their own short deadline. We cover that in step 6.
Adrenaline hides pain. Neck and back injuries, concussions and torn ligaments often show up a day or two later. Get seen the same day if you can. The closest emergency rooms to La Puente are Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital on Sunset Avenue in West Covina and Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center. A serious crash may send you by ambulance to a trauma center such as Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. If you skip the ER, see your own doctor or an urgent care within a day or two.
This is not just about your health. Insurance adjusters look for a “gap in treatment.” If you wait three weeks to see a doctor, they will argue the crash did not hurt you, or that something else did. Tell every provider exactly what hurts, even the things that seem minor.
If you have no health insurance, or a high deductible, we can set you up with doctors, chiropractors and imaging centers near La Puente who treat on a lien. That means they wait to be paid from the settlement, and you pay nothing out of pocket while you heal.
On city streets in La Puente, a sheriff’s deputy from the Industry Station takes the report. On the 10, the 60 or the 605, the CHP handles it. Ask the officer for the report number before you leave the scene. If nobody came, you can still report the crash afterward to the agency that covers the location.
California also requires you to file your own report with the DMV, called an SR-1, within 10 days if anyone was hurt or killed, or if property damage is over $1,000. That is almost every crash these days, because a bumper repair alone usually tops $1,000. The SR-1 is separate from the police report and separate from your insurance claim. Skipping it can put your license at risk.
Report the crash to your own insurance company too. Keep it short and factual: when, where, which cars. You do not need to guess about speeds or fault, and you should not.
We order the Sheriff’s or CHP report, help you get the SR-1 filed on time, and make the first contact with every insurance company involved so you are not fielding calls from adjusters while you are hurting.
In a two-car crash, evidence is what turns “he said, she said” into a clear answer. Some of it lasts forever. Some of it is gone in days.
We send preservation letters to businesses with cameras facing the crash scene, ask for 911 audio when it matters, and document your car before it is fixed. Before law school, Francisco worked as a certified automotive service consultant. He has read thousands of repair estimates, and he knows what crush damage on a bumper says about speed and angle.
California is a fault state. The driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, owes your damages. More than one policy can end up paying, so it helps to know every one that could be in play.
Two rules surprise people. First, fault can be shared. Under California’s pure comparative fault rule, set by the state Supreme Court in Li v. Yellow Cab Co., you can recover even if you were partly to blame; your award is reduced by your share. Second, if you were driving without insurance yourself, Proposition 213 (Civil Code section 3333.4) generally bars you from recovering pain and suffering, though you can still recover medical bills, lost wages and property damage.
The other driver’s adjuster will probably call and ask for a recorded statement. You do not have to give one. Their job is to pay as little as possible, and a recorded statement is one of the main tools for doing that.
We read your declarations page on the first call to find every coverage you paid for. We handle the property damage claim too: the repair estimate, the rental car, a fair total-loss value if the car is not worth fixing, and diminished value when a repaired car is now worth less. In California you can choose your own repair shop, and an adjuster’s first total-loss number is just an opening offer.
The value of a car accident claim is the full cost of what the crash did to your life, not a number pulled from a chart. Nobody can honestly tell you what your case is worth in the first week, because nobody knows yet how you will heal. What we can tell you is what California law lets you recover:
Keep a simple journal. Save every bill, receipt and pay stub. Follow your doctors’ plan, and if something is not working, say so and ask about the next option rather than quietly stopping.
We collect the records and bills as you go, track liens, and stay in touch so you are never wondering what is happening. When you call with a question, you get the attorney, not a case manager.
Once your treatment is finished, or your doctors can say what the future looks like, we put together a demand: the records, the bills, the wage loss and the story of how the crash changed your life. Most car accident claims settle at this stage. If the insurer will not be fair, we file suit. California’s deadlines are strict:
That six-month rule is the one people miss. It applies if a government vehicle hit you, like a county truck or a transit bus, or if a dangerous road condition helped cause the crash. On unincorporated streets around La Puente, the road usually belongs to Los Angeles County, so the claim would go to the county. Miss the six months and the claim may be lost for good.
A La Puente case that goes to court is filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, normally in its East District, which includes the courthouses in Pomona and West Covina. Filing a lawsuit does not mean a trial. Most filed cases still settle, often after both sides exchange evidence. If you want to read about the court process yourself, the California Courts self-help center is a good, plain-language source.
We calendar every deadline the day you hire us, file the government claim if one is needed, and tell you honestly whether an offer is fair. You make the final decision on any settlement. Francisco is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and the Consumer Attorneys of California, and he files cases in the Los Angeles County courts.
Francisco grew up in West Covina, a few minutes from La Puente, and went to UCLA and Loyola Law School. Before he was a lawyer he worked as a certified automotive service consultant, writing repair orders and explaining estimates to drivers. That is why property damage, total losses and diminished value are not an afterthought in his cases.
He runs a small firm on purpose. He answers his own phone and he handles the case himself from the first call to the final check, in English or Spanish. More about Francisco.
Tell us what happened in La Puente. Francisco reads these himself and will call you back in English or Spanish. No cost, no obligation. Cuéntenos qué pasó.
Morales Law Firm
151 W. Bonita Ave., San Dimas, CA 91773
(626) 521-5402
From La Puente, take the 10 east to the 57 north and exit at Arrow Highway or Bonita Avenue, or come up Amar Road and Arrow Highway. Free parking downtown.
Get directionsLa Puente contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, so crashes on city streets are handled by the Industry Station at 150 N. Hudson Ave. in the City of Industry. Crashes on the 10, the 60 or the 605 are handled by the California Highway Patrol. We request the report for you.
Not for an ordinary claim against another driver. It can matter if a road defect or a county vehicle was involved, because unincorporated roads are usually maintained by Los Angeles County and a claim against the county must be filed within six months.
Two years from the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit, and three years for damage to your car. If a government agency or its vehicle is involved, you must file a written claim within six months. Waiting rarely helps, because evidence like store camera video can be gone within days.
Yes, within 10 days, if anyone was injured or killed or if the property damage is more than $1,000. The SR-1 is separate from the police report and from your insurance claim.
You can still recover. California uses pure comparative fault, so your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault but not wiped out. Adjusters often overstate a driver’s share, so do not accept their number without a review.
Often, yes. If your own policy includes uninsured motorist coverage, you make the claim against your own insurer. MedPay on your policy can also help with medical bills. We review your declarations page on the first call.
Yes, but it is limited. Under Proposition 213, an uninsured driver generally cannot recover pain and suffering from the at-fault driver. You can still recover medical bills, lost wages and property damage.
In the Los Angeles County Superior Court, normally in its East District, which includes the Pomona and West Covina courthouses. Most cases settle before trial, and many settle without a lawsuit at all.
No. You are not required to, and those statements are used to reduce or deny claims. Report the crash to your own insurer briefly and factually, and send the other insurer to us.
Nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee, a percentage of the recovery that is paid only if we win. No recovery, no attorney’s fee. The consultation is free.
Sí. El abogado Francisco Morales es bilingüe y habla con usted directamente, sin intérprete. La consulta es gratis y no paga honorarios si no ganamos.
Free consultation, in English or Spanish. No fee unless we win. You have two years to file, but the evidence on Hacienda and Valley will not wait that long.