Were you injured in an accident with an uninsured driver in Los Angeles, CA?
At Goldberg Injury Lawyers, we are trusted uninsured motorist lawyers with more than 40 years of experience handling these exact claims.
If you were hit by an uninsured driver in Los Angeles, you may be dealing with painful injuries, a totaled car, and the realization that the person who caused it all has nothing to collect from. Our founder has handled uninsured and underinsured motorist cases since 1984. Our Los Angeles, CA uninsured motorist lawyer can take over the fight while you focus on healing. Schedule a free consultation today.
Uninsured Motorist Lawyer Los Angeles, CA
An uninsured motorist attorney represents injured people whose claims must be paid by their own insurance company because the at-fault driver carried no liability coverage. The claim comes from the uninsured motorist provision of your own auto policy, and it also applies in many hit and run situations. Underinsured motorist coverage works the same way when the responsible driver has some insurance, just not enough of it to cover the costs.
These cases follow different rules than ordinary injury lawsuits. Most are decided through arbitration rather than a jury trial, and the insurer you’ve paid premiums to for years becomes your legal opponent. About one in six California drivers carries no insurance at all, according to Insurance Information Institute data, so these claims come up constantly on Los Angeles roads.
Types of Uninsured Motorist Cases We Handle in Los Angeles
Goldberg Injury Lawyers has focused on uninsured and underinsured motorist work for decades. These claims arise from nearly every kind of crash that happens on Los Angeles streets and freeways. Here are the matters our office sees most often.
- Car accidents. Crashes caused by uninsured drivers on the 101, the 405, and surface streets across the city. We investigate fault, document injuries, and present the claim to your carrier the same way we would present it to a jury.
- Hit and run accidents. Los Angeles has one of the worst hit and run problems in the country. When the driver is never identified, your uninsured motorist coverage often becomes the only realistic source of recovery.
- Underinsured motorist claims. A minimal policy gets exhausted fast after a serious injury. We pursue the gap between the at-fault driver’s coverage and your own underinsured motorist limits.
- Uninsured motorist arbitration. Most UM disputes are decided by a private arbitrator instead of a judge and jury.
- Bicycle accidents. Many riders don’t realize their own auto policy can cover them when an uninsured driver hits them on a bike. We evaluate every policy.
- Pedestrian accidents. People struck by uninsured or fleeing drivers while walking may be able to claim under their own auto coverage or a resident relative’s policy.
- Motorcycle accidents. Riders suffer serious injuries, and adjusters often try to shift blame onto them. We push back with evidence, not arguments.
- Wrongful death. When an uninsured driver causes a fatal crash, we help surviving family members pursue every available source of compensation.
Why Choose Goldberg Injury Lawyers as my Uninsured Motorist Lawyer in Los Angeles, CA?
The Lawyer Other Lawyers Call on UM Claims
Barry P. Goldberg has practiced law in California since 1984, the year he earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. He is known across the state as “The UM Guru” and is frequently consulted by other attorneys on difficult uninsured and underinsured motorist questions. In 2020, he authored “Mastering Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Arbitrations” for The Advocate, the publication of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, and he served that same year as President of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association. Super Lawyers named him to its Top 100 list for Southern California in 2021, his tenth consecutive year holding the designation. Our uninsured motorist practice is at the center of what our firm handles.
Results for Seriously Injured Clients
Since Barry founded the firm in 2005, our testimonials show that we have recovered millions of dollars for clients living with brain injuries, spinal damage, fractures, and other serious harm, and we have handled hundreds of arbitrations and mediations. Every consultation is free. We will explain your coverage honestly before you commit to anything.
Understanding Uninsured Motorist Cases
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Uninsured Motorist Cases
An uninsured motorist claim pays the same categories of damages you could have recovered from the at-fault driver, up to your policy limits. You still have to prove the other driver was negligent. California follows comparative negligence rules, which reduce your recovery by your own percentage of fault, so a Los Angeles uninsured motorist attorney works hard to keep that percentage on the other driver. Recoverable damages generally include:
- Medical expenses, both past bills and the cost of future care
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family members
Your recovery is capped by the uninsured motorist limits you purchased. That is why the coverage amounts on your declarations page matters.
What Are Important Aspects of an Uninsured Motorist Case?
The most important thing to understand is that your own insurer can be the opposing party. They are likely to favor the insurance company they represent and attempt to reduce or deny your claim to the fullest extent that they can. That relationship comes with traps that don’t exist in ordinary injury claims. What you say to an insurance representative can be used against you.
- Never sign a release or settlement paperwork without review. Signing the wrong document can destroy an underinsured motorist claim entirely.
- Insurers sometimes low-ball these claims expecting that unrepresented people won’t push back through arbitration.
- Hit and run claims carry additional proof requirements and strict reporting obligations.
- Your policy requires cooperation with your insurer, but you are never required to accept its valuation of your injuries.
What Is the Uninsured Motorist Case Timeline?
Every case moves at its own pace, and serious injury claims with disputed coverage take longer than straightforward ones. Most follow the same broad stages.
- Reporting the crash to law enforcement and to your own insurance carrier
- Medical treatment and documentation of your injuries
- Investigation of fault, coverage, and the at-fault driver’s insurance status
- A formal demand for arbitration, which preserves the deadline while the claim is negotiated
- Settlement talks, mediation, or a contested hearing, where selecting the arbitrator is one of the most strategic decisions in the case
What Should You Bring to Your Uninsured Motorist Consultation?
Bring what you have and don’t worry about what you don’t. Your first meeting is free. You will leave understanding your coverage and your realistic options. We can obtain most records ourselves. If you have them, bring these items to your appointment:
- The declarations page of your auto policy, plus any policies covering household relatives
- The police report or report number
- Photos of the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries
- Medical records and bills gathered so far
California Legal Resources for Uninsured Motorist Cases
California maintains official resources where you can confirm the rules that shape these claims. Here are a few reliable starting points:
- The California Courts self-help center explains the statute of limitations, which is generally two years from the date of injury.
- The official Legislative Information site publishes section 335.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure, the two-year limitations period for personal injury actions.
- The California Legislative Information site publishes Insurance Code section 11580.2, which requires every auto bodily injury liability policy in California to include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.
Deadlines in uninsured motorist claims can be preserved differently than lawsuit deadlines, so speak with an uninsured motorist attorney in Los Angeles, CA before assuming you have more time.
Reach Out to Goldberg Injury Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation
If an uninsured or underinsured driver injured you, get answers before you talk numbers with any adjuster. Consultations with a Los Angeles uninsured motorist lawyer at our firm are free, and we respond to new inquiries promptly. We can review your coverage, explain your options, and tell you honestly what can be done next. Contact us today for more information.