Santa Monica, California
If you were hurt in a Santa Monica collision, you can claim for medical treatment, lost income, and the harm the crash caused. Santa Monica has its own police department and its own city hall, which means the collision report and any government claim both stay local — and the I-10 freeway ends inside the city, dumping regional traffic straight onto surface streets.
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The 10 freeway terminates at the Pacific Coast Highway interchange, so drivers who have been travelling at freeway speed arrive at signalized city intersections within a few blocks. Lincoln Boulevard doubles as State Route 1 and carries that through-traffic north and south past dense retail with constant curb turnover.
Add beach traffic, the Big Blue Bus network and one of the highest cyclist and scooter volumes in the county, and the result is a pattern of left-turn, lane-change and right-hook collisions concentrated on a small number of arterials. Where a Big Blue Bus is involved, the city itself is the defendant and the six-month claim deadline in Government Code § 911.2 applies.
Report it. Vehicle Code § 20008 requires a written report to the investigating agency within 24 hours of an injury collision when police did not take one at the scene, and Vehicle Code § 16000 requires an SR-1 to the DMV within 10 days when anyone is injured or property damage exceeds $1,000.
Get checked. Providence Saint John's and UCLA Santa Monica are both minutes from the main corridors, and a prompt record links the injury to the crash before an insurer can argue otherwise.
Preserve the evidence. Santa Monica's commercial corridors and parking structures are well covered by cameras, but retention is short. We send preservation letters immediately and request Big Blue Bus video where a bus was present.
From the Santa Monica Police Department at 333 Olympic Dr, which polices the city directly rather than contracting the service out. If your crash was on the I-10, the California Highway Patrol holds the report instead. We request it as part of the case.
Yes. The Big Blue Bus is operated by the City of Santa Monica, so a claim runs against a public entity and generally must be presented in writing within six months under Government Code § 911.2 before a lawsuit can be filed. That deadline is much shorter than the ordinary two years, so get advice quickly.
Most California injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). If a city, county, or state agency is a defendant — a municipal vehicle, a dangerous roadway condition, a public sidewalk — you generally have six months to present a written government claim first (Government Code § 911.2). Talk to a lawyer early so a deadline never decides the case for you.
Nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee, so there is no attorney's fee unless we win your case, and the first consultation is free and confidential.
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Hollywood Injury Law Center — Bash & Polyachenko P.C.
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Call (323) 850-0101Disclaimer: This page is general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it or contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Hollywood Injury Law Center — Bash & Polyachenko P.C. is licensed to practice law in California.
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