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A fall in a store aisle at Plaza West Covina. A neighbor’s dog on Cameron Avenue. A driver who didn’t see you in the crosswalk on Azusa. If someone else’s carelessness hurt you in West Covina, Morales Law Firm handles the claim. Our attorney grew up here. Free consultation. No fee unless we win. English and Spanish.
Francisco Morales was raised in West Covina and graduated from West Covina High School in 2008. Most of the calls we get from the city are about crashes, and we have pages for those below. But a lot of people don’t realize a fall, a dog bite or a broken sidewalk can be a claim too. Here is what we take on.
West Covina is a shopping city. Plaza West Covina, the Eastland Center off the 10 at Barranca, The Heights on Azusa, and dozens of grocery stores and strip centers draw people from across the valley. Busy stores mean spills, leaking coolers, loose mats, broken curbs and dark parking lots.
Under California law, a property owner has to use reasonable care to keep the property safe (Civil Code section 1714). In a store case, the key question is usually whether the store knew about the hazard, or had it long enough that it should have found it. That comes down to evidence that disappears fast:
We send a preservation letter the day you hire us. Apartment complexes, restaurants and private parking lots work the same way.
In California, a dog’s owner is responsible for a bite in a public place or where you were lawfully present, even if the dog never bit anyone before. Since July 2021, West Covina’s animal control has been handled by Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control. The nearest county care center is in Baldwin Park, at 4275 N. Elton St. We get the bite report and the dog’s history, and the claim usually goes to the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.
A lifted sidewalk slab, a missing drain cover, or a dangerous crosswalk can make the city responsible. These claims have a short fuse. A written claim has to reach the City of West Covina within six months of the injury. The city clerk takes claims at City Hall, 1444 W. Garvey Ave. Miss that window and the case can be lost, no matter how strong it is.
Foothill Transit runs buses all through West Covina. As a public agency, it gets the same six-month claim deadline as the city. Uber and Lyft trips are different. While a driver is on a trip, the company’s policy provides up to $1 million in liability coverage. Passengers, other drivers and pedestrians can all claim against it.
West Covina’s main streets are wide and fast. Azusa Avenue, Sunset, Cameron, Garvey and Amar carry a lot of traffic past bus stops, schools and shopping centers. People on foot and on bikes take the worst of it when a driver turns without looking.
A driver has to yield to a pedestrian in a marked or unmarked crosswalk (Vehicle Code section 21950). An insurer will often argue you were outside the crosswalk, wearing dark clothes, or looking at your phone. California uses comparative fault, so even if you share some blame, you can still recover the rest.
If you were hurt getting on or off a bus, or by a bus, the six-month claim deadline applies. Call us early so it doesn’t get missed.
West Covina Police Department, 1444 W. Garvey Ave. S., in the Civic Center, non-emergency (626) 939-8500. Crashes on the 10 go to the CHP Baldwin Park Area office.
Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital, 1115 S. Sunset Ave., is the closest emergency room for most of the city. Emanate Health Inter-Community Hospital in Covina is the other common one.
City Clerk’s Office, 1444 W. Garvey Ave., West Covina. Six months from the date of injury.
Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control. Nearest care center: 4275 N. Elton St., Baldwin Park.
West Covina Courthouse, 1427 W. Covina Pkwy., and Pomona Courthouse South, 400 Civic Center Plaza. We appear in both. Most cases settle before trial.
Two years for most injury lawsuits (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). Six months for a claim against a public agency (Government Code § 911.2).
Every case is different, and nobody can promise a number. What California law lets you recover is the same everywhere:
Emergency room, imaging, surgery, therapy, and the care you will still need. We help arrange treatment on a lien when you have no insurance or a high deductible.
Missed work now, and lost earning ability if the injury changes what you can do. That includes tips, overtime and side work, not just base pay.
The pain, stress, lost sleep and lost time with family. There is no cap on these damages in a standard injury case.
When someone dies, the spouse, children and certain other family members can bring a claim (Code of Civil Procedure § 377.60) for the support, care and companionship they lost.
Serious head injuries deserve extra care. Concussions and brain injuries are often missed in the first ER visit. If you hit your head and have headaches, memory trouble, or changes in mood or sleep, tell your doctor, and tell us.
Send a few details and an attorney, not a screener, will call you back. No cost, no obligation, and no fee unless we recover money for you. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, in English and Spanish.
No cost, no obligation, and your information stays private.
Not always, but store insurers deny most fall claims at first. They argue they didn't know about the hazard. A lawyer gets the video, the incident report and the inspection logs before they disappear, and that is usually what decides the case.
The dog's owner. California Civil Code section 3342 makes the owner responsible for a bite in a public place or where you were lawfully present, even if the dog never bit anyone before. West Covina's animal control is handled by Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control.
Possibly. The city can be responsible for a dangerous condition on public property. You have to file a written claim with the City of West Covina within six months, at the City Clerk's Office, 1444 W. Garvey Ave. Call us right away so that deadline isn't missed.
Get medical care, write down the bus number, route and time, and keep your ticket or pass record. Foothill Transit is a public agency, so a written claim is due within six months.
Two years from the injury for most cases, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Claims against a city, county or transit agency need a written claim within six months.
About fifteen minutes east. We are at 151 W. Bonita Ave. in San Dimas. Our attorney grew up in West Covina, and we regularly meet clients at home or at Queen of the Valley.
Nothing up front. Our fee comes out of the recovery, and if we don't recover money for you, you owe no fee. The consultation is free, in English or Spanish.
Morales Law Firm
151 W. Bonita Ave., San Dimas, CA 91773
(626) 521-5402
We are about fifteen minutes east of West Covina, at the Bonita Avenue exit off the 57. For most clients we come to you for the first meeting, at home or in the hospital, and handle the rest by phone, text and email. If you would rather come to us, there is free parking in downtown San Dimas.
Free consultation, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No fee unless we win. Two years to file under California law, and the evidence does not wait.