Redondo Beach Car Accident Lawyer
Redondo Beach’s crash problem peaks after dark. Among the 104 California cities of its size that the Office of Traffic Safety ranked for 2022, none ranked worse than Redondo Beach for people hurt or killed in crashes involving alcohol, and only two ranked worse for injury crashes between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Where the crash happened matters too: Pacific Coast Highway through Redondo Beach is a Caltrans highway, so a claim that the road itself was unsafe goes to the State, while the City generally handles streets such as Aviation, Artesia, and Torrance Boulevards.
Redondo Beach car accident lawyer Jon Olsson represents drivers and passengers hurt in crashes on PCH and across the city, and he handles every case himself. The consultation costs nothing, and you owe no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Redondo Beach Car Accident Claims: Key Facts
- Injury lawsuits: generally due within two years of the crash (CCP § 335.1).
- Damage to your car: a lawsuit over the vehicle itself generally has three years (CCP § 338).
- Claims against the City of Redondo Beach: generally due within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2), on the City’s liability claim form, with a handwritten signature, delivered in person or by U.S. mail to the City Clerk’s Office.
- Claims about PCH: also generally due within six months. Caltrans’s district office takes claims up to $12,500, and larger ones go to the State’s Government Claims Program.
- The other driver’s minimum coverage: $30,000 for one injured person and $60,000 per crash.
- Shared blame: your share of fault reduces the award but doesn’t erase it (Li v. Yellow Cab Co.).
- Courthouse: Redondo Beach injury lawsuits generally go to the Torrance Courthouse, 825 Maple Avenue.
- Cost: no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Why Jon’s Corporate Defense Experience Helps Your Redondo Beach Car Accident Claim
Jon spent the early part of his career on the other side of injury cases, so he knows how insurers and their lawyers will size up your claim. Before founding Olsson Law, he spent six years at a large international law firm defending companies in complex litigation, including serious injury and product liability matters. He then joined a Los Angeles personal injury firm, where he represented injured people in motor vehicle collisions, dangerous property conditions, public entity cases, and disputed liability matters. That background tells him what evidence moves a defense lawyer, and what they look for to justify paying less.
Jon stays directly involved from your first consultation through the resolution of your case, and works to reduce medical bills and liens so more of any settlement goes to you.
- Education: Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.); New York University (B.A.)
- Bar admissions: California, Texas, and Massachusetts
- Community: member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the South Bay Bar Association
Prior Results
- $3.85 million: wrongful death settlement
- $700,000: car accident, back and neck injuries
- $400,000: slip and fall, knee injury
These results include matters personally handled by Jon Olsson at prior law firms and matters in which he participated as part of a legal team. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Read more about Jon Olsson, our approach, and prior results.
When and Why Redondo Beach Crashes Happen
Drinking and late-night driving are where Redondo Beach stands out. In 2022, 78 people were killed or injured in alcohol-involved crashes in the city, the worst ranking among the 104 cities OTS compared, and the city had 51 injury crashes between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., the 3rd worst. Both rankings eased in 2023 but stayed in the top 15 (8th and 15th).
OTS ranks California cities of 50,001 to 100,000 people against each other for their size, with No. 1 the worst (how OTS ranks cities).
| Year | People killed or injured in alcohol-involved crashes (rank) | Injury crashes, 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. (rank) | Speed-related injury crashes (rank) | Hit-and-run injury crashes (rank) | Cities ranked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 52 (8th) | 36 (15th) | 47 (18th) | 22 (31st) | 103 |
| 2022 | 78 (1st) | 51 (3rd) | 42 (22nd) | 28 (15th) | 104 |
| 2021 | 37 (32nd) | 34 (24th) | 43 (38th) | 29 (20th) | 105 |
| 2020 | 16 (50th) | 24 (14th) | 36 (21st) | 20 (16th) | 106 |
| 2019 | 34 (20th) | 25 (28th) | 41 (28th) | 14 (42nd) | 105 |
The alcohol column counts people; the other three count fatal and injury crashes. OTS’s most recent ranked year is 2023, as of October 2026.
Common Car Crash Situations in Redondo Beach
Pacific Coast Highway. In 2024, Caltrans counted about 40,000 vehicles a day on PCH just north of Torrance Boulevard, and 39,500 just south of it (Caltrans traffic counts). Caltrans also has a pavement rehabilitation project scheduled on PCH through summer 2029, covering Redondo Beach and six other cities from Torrance to Santa Monica, so work zones are part of driving it.
Impaired drivers late at night. A crash with a drunk driver is still a claim against that driver and their insurer. When that coverage is small, as it often is, your own underinsured motorist coverage, if your policy includes it, may add to what you recover, up to your policy’s limits (Ins. Code § 11580.2).
Left turns on Aviation, Artesia, and Torrance Boulevards. A left-turning driver has to let approaching traffic go by until the turn can be made with reasonable safety (Veh. Code § 21801). Within Redondo Beach these are generally City streets, so a signal or road-design problem is usually a claim against the City.
Hit-and-run crashes. Redondo Beach had between 14 and 29 hit-and-run injury crashes a year from 2019 through 2023. Uninsured motorist coverage can pay when the driver is never found, but the statute requires physical contact and a police report within 24 hours, among other conditions.
Who Answers for the Road Itself?
Most car accident claims are against another driver. But a missing sign, a broken signal, or a badly designed intersection can cause or worsen a crash, and then the agency that controls the road may share responsibility. Its written claim deadline is generally six months.
| Road | Agency in charge | Claim goes to |
|---|---|---|
| Aviation, Artesia, Torrance Boulevard, and other Redondo Beach streets | City of Redondo Beach | City Clerk’s Office, on the City’s liability claim form, delivered in person or by U.S. mail |
| Pacific Coast Highway | State of California (Caltrans) | Caltrans’s district claims office for claims up to $12,500; the Government Claims Program for larger ones |
The claim generally depends on proof that the road was dangerous and that a public employee caused the condition, or that the agency had notice of it long enough to have protected against it (Gov. Code § 835). If the agency rejects the claim in writing, a lawsuit is generally due within six months of that notice (Gov. Code § 945.6).
Who Pays After a Redondo Beach Car Accident?
| Situation | Who may pay |
|---|---|
| Another driver caused the crash | That driver’s liability insurer |
| The driver had no insurance or too little | Your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, if your policy includes it |
| The driver fled and is never identified | Your uninsured motorist coverage, if you meet the statute’s conditions |
| The driver was on the job | The employer’s commercial policy may also apply |
| A road defect on PCH or a City street contributed | Caltrans or the City of Redondo Beach, through a government claim |
| Medical bills before the case resolves | Your health plan or auto medical payments coverage, which may ask to be repaid from a settlement |
After a Redondo Beach Car Crash: First Steps
- Call 911 if anyone is hurt. For serious injuries, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center runs a Level I trauma center. See a doctor even if you feel fine.
- Report the crash. A driver in a crash that injures or kills anyone generally must report it within 24 hours (Veh. Code § 20008).
- Swap information with the other driver. Each driver must give the other their name and address, driver’s license number, vehicle identification number, the registered owner’s address, and their insurer’s name and policy number (Veh. Code § 16025).
- Photograph both cars where they stopped, the intersection and its signals, and your injuries. Ask nearby businesses on PCH or in the Riviera Village area to save their video.
- File an SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days if anyone was hurt or the damage was more than $1,000.
- Get legal advice first before you speak with the other driver’s adjuster on the record.
How to Get Your Redondo Beach Police Report
The Redondo Beach Police Department’s Records Unit provides traffic collision reports. Request one through the City’s online records portal, or by mail to Redondo Beach Police Department, Attn: Records, 401 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Include a copy of your government-issued photo ID. The City tells you about any fee after it processes the request, and it has 10 days to decide whether it has the records, which it can extend by up to 14 more. Our office can file the request on your behalf.
How Jon Builds a Redondo Beach Car Accident Case
- Fault: the police report, scene photos, business and traffic video, witness statements, and, in serious crashes, a reconstruction of speeds and signal timing.
- Impairment: if the other driver had been drinking, the arrest and test records that prove it.
- The road: whether PCH or a City street had a defect, and if so, a government claim filed on time.
- Injuries: your treatment history, bills, and expected future care, documented by your doctors.
- Coverage: the other driver’s policy, any employer’s policy, and your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
- Resolution: negotiation built on a detailed written demand, and a lawsuit when negotiation doesn’t produce a fair result. Injury cases are generally filed in the court district where the crash happened, which for Redondo Beach is the Southwest District’s Torrance Courthouse.
See our car accident claims overview.
Redondo Beach Car Accident FAQs
The Driver Who Hit Me Had Been Drinking. Does That Change My Claim?
It can strengthen it. The arrest and test results help prove fault, and a jury may award punitive damages against a drunk driver (Taylor v. Superior Court). The practical limit is usually insurance: if the driver carries only the minimum, your own underinsured motorist coverage may matter most.
My Crash Was on PCH. Do I File Against the State?
Only if the road itself played a part, such as a defect, a missing sign, or an unsafe design. Most PCH crashes are claims against the other driver, with the usual two-year deadline. If you think the road contributed, the claim against the State is generally due within six months.
The Other Driver Fled. Can I Still Recover?
Often, yes, through your own uninsured motorist coverage. Report the crash to police within 24 hours, and tell your insurer promptly, because the coverage has conditions you have to meet.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Redondo Beach Police Report?
There’s no fixed deadline. The City has 10 days to decide whether it has the record, which it can extend by 14 more, and it tells you about any fee once the request is processed.
What Does a Redondo Beach Car Accident Lawyer Cost?
Jon’s fee is a percentage of what he recovers for you, so if there’s no recovery, there’s no attorney’s fee. California requires that agreement to be in writing (Bus. & Prof. Code § 6147).
Talk to a Redondo Beach Car Accident Attorney
Video near the crash scene is often recorded over within days, and claims involving PCH or a City street are generally due within six months. Call Jon Olsson at (310) 304-4756 or contact us online for a free consultation. You owe no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
For more on injury claims in the city, see our Redondo Beach personal injury lawyer page. Jon also handles car accident cases in nearby Torrance.
This page provides general information about car accident claims in Redondo Beach. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Deadlines and rules can change and may depend on the facts of your case.