Get evaluated and keep treating
Gaps in treatment are the argument insurers use most effectively. Symptoms from soft tissue injury and concussion often surface a day or two later.
Personal injury
Car Accident Lawyer in Long Beach
Long Beach collisions bring in a particular set of defendants: the port trucking corridor, the transit system, and the city itself. Which of those is involved changes your deadline from two years to six months. The consultation is free.
Patrick S. AguirrePersonal injury attorney · Long BeachCallback request
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The report
Getting the Long Beach traffic collision report
A collision on city streets is handled by the Long Beach Police Department; one on the 405, 710, 605, or 91 is handled by the California Highway Patrol. The report generally takes several days to become available and is released to involved parties and their representatives.
Read it when it arrives. Collision reports contain factual errors often enough to matter — misidentified directions of travel, wrong vehicle positions, witnesses omitted — and the officer’s opinion about fault is not binding on anyone. A supplemental report or a correction can sometimes be requested where there is a documented error.
Sources: Long Beach Police Department — records and reports; California Highway Patrol — collisions on the 405, 710, 605, and 91.
The deadline
Two years, unless a public entity is involved
Two years from the collision is the general rule. But Long Beach has an unusual concentration of public defendants: Long Beach Transit buses, city vehicles, the Port of Long Beach, Metro, and the city itself where a road condition, a signal, or a dangerous intersection contributed. In any of those cases a written government claim is due within six months under Government Code 911.2, and only six months remain to sue after it is rejected.
If there is any chance a public entity is involved, the six-month clock should be assumed to be running from the day of the collision.
Sources: Code of Civil Procedure 335.1 — two years for personal injury; Government Code 911.2(a) — six months to present a claim against a public entity; Government Code 945.6(a) — six months to sue after the claim is rejected.
Local factors
What makes Long Beach collisions different
Port truck traffic. The 710 corridor carries heavy container traffic between the ports and the rail yards, and a collision with a commercial truck brings federal safety regulations, electronic logging data, and multiple potentially responsible parties — driver, motor carrier, broker, and shipper — with much larger policies. That evidence has short retention periods and has to be preserved immediately.
Transit and rail. Long Beach Transit and the Metro A Line put public entities into a large share of local cases, with the six-month deadline that follows.
Traffic mix. Downtown, the beach paths, and the bike lanes mean pedestrians and cyclists feature heavily, and those cases carry their own rules, which are covered on the pedestrian and bicycle pages.
First steps
What to do in the first two weeks
Notify your own insurer
Your policy requires prompt notice and it preserves uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which is frequently the source that actually pays.
Decline the other insurer’s recorded statement
Nothing requires it. It is taken early to lock in an account before the injuries are understood and to build a comparative fault percentage.
Preserve what disappears
Photograph both vehicles and the scene. Nearby business and doorbell cameras are usually overwritten within one to two weeks, and commercial vehicle data sooner.
The office
How the office handles Long Beach collision cases
The Law Offices of Patrick S. Aguirre has represented injured people in Long Beach and across Los Angeles County for nearly three decades, with offices in Long Beach and Downey. The early work is identifying every policy that might respond, including the client’s own uninsured and underinsured coverage, and determining immediately whether a public entity is involved so the six-month claim deadline is protected.
No result is promised here, and a value given before the medical picture is known would be a guess. The office speaks Spanish and the consultation is free.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions
How do I get my Long Beach collision report?
From the Long Beach Police Department for a collision on city streets, or the California Highway Patrol for one on the 405, 710, 605, or 91. It usually takes several days. Read it carefully when it arrives, because factual errors are common and the officer’s opinion on fault does not bind the insurers or a court.
A city bus was involved. Is the deadline different?
Yes, and much shorter. A claim involving Long Beach Transit, Metro, a city vehicle, the port, or a dangerous road condition requires a written government claim within six months under Government Code 911.2, and once rejected only six months remain to file suit, rather than the usual two years.
It was a truck from the port. Does that change anything?
Substantially. Commercial trucking brings federal safety regulations, driver hours-of-service and electronic logging data, maintenance records, and potentially several responsible parties beyond the driver, usually with much larger insurance policies. That data has short retention periods, so preservation letters need to go out immediately.
Do I have to talk to the other driver’s insurance company?
No. You generally must cooperate with your own insurer under your policy, but the other driver’s insurer is an adverse party and you are not required to give them a recorded statement. Those statements are taken early and used later to argue inconsistency or shared fault.
Selected case results
Personal injury results
A selection from 55 documented results
$2,850,000
Slip-and-fall matter
Premises liability
$320,000
Civil injury matter
Maricopa County, Arizona
$480,000
Slip-and-fall matter
Premises liability
$520,000
Civil injury matter
Maricopa County, Arizona
$360,000
Motor-vehicle collision
Los Angeles Superior Court
Client experiences
What clients say
★★★★★
“Patrick and his staff were very helpful with taking care of all the bills and legalities, so we can focus on healing.”
★★★★★
“Got my money and my vehicle fixed. Don’t hesitate to give them a call.”
★★★★★
“Patrick helped me with a dog bite case. He was able to get me more than I expected and was easy to work with. … I would recommend his services.”
★★★★★
“Patrick is very reliable, trustworthy, and will definitely be able to help you out. Cost is very reasonable.”
Meet your attorney
Law Offices of Patrick S. Aguirre
A Professional Law Corporation
The future of your case may depend on a successful outcome. It can be stressful to go through the legal process alone—but thankfully, you don’t have to.
The Law Offices of Patrick S. Aguirre will stand up for clients’ interests and rights, providing high-quality representation in personal injury cases and criminal defense matters throughout California from its Long Beach office.
We work with you and for your best interests. Our legal team is compassionate, hard-working, and tenacious—fighting to get the job done right when it matters most. No case is too complicated or insignificant for our full attention. Our clients may move forward into a brighter future free from worry about past mistakes.
We’re the legal team that never gives up. When you need an attorney who will fight for what’s right, turn to us, and we’ll do everything in our power to help. No matter how challenging your situation may seem, there is hope.
“Courage is the most important attribute of a lawyer.”
Robert F. Kennedy
Free consultation
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Callback request
Talk with our office
Leave your contact information and, if helpful, a short general summary. The office will follow up.
Thank you.
The office received your contact request. If your matter is urgent, call 562-904-4337.