San Diego Car Accident Lawyers

Car Accident Cases We Handle

The Mason Firm handles serious motor vehicle accident cases involving a wide range of vehicles, drivers, insurance issues, and injuries. Some cases involve clear negligence. Others require extensive investigation because fault is disputed, multiple vehicles are involved, or the available insurance coverage is unclear.

We handle cases involving:

• rear-end collisions;
• intersection accidents;
• head-on collisions;
• sideswipe accidents;
• rollover crashes;
• red-light and stop-sign violations;
• speeding drivers;
• distracted drivers;
• texting while driving;
• drunk or drug-impaired drivers;
• hit-and-run accidents;
• uninsured and underinsured motorists;
• rideshare vehicles, including Uber and Lyft;
• delivery and commercial vehicles;
• crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists;
• children injured in car accidents;
• dangerous roads or missing traffic controls;
• defective vehicles or vehicle components;
• multiple-vehicle collisions;
• serious and catastrophic injuries;
• and wrongful death.

A car accident case may involve more than the driver who caused the crash. Depending on the facts, responsible parties may include the vehicle owner, an employer, a rideshare company, a commercial transportation company, a product manufacturer, a public entity responsible for a dangerous road condition, or another negligent person or business.



Important evidence can disappear quickly after a crash. Vehicles may be repaired or destroyed, surveillance footage may be erased, witnesses may become difficult to locate, and electronic vehicle information may be lost. Early investigation can help preserve the evidence needed to prove liability and damages.

Common Causes of Car Accidents

Most car accidents are preventable. They often happen because a driver fails to pay attention, violates traffic laws, drives too fast for the conditions, or makes an unsafe decision behind the wheel.

Common causes of car accidents include:

Distracted Driving
Texting, reading messages, using navigation, adjusting music, eating, talking to passengers, and other distractions can take a driver’s attention away from the road long enough to cause a serious crash.

Speeding
Speeding reduces reaction time and increases the force of impact. A driver may also be negligent by driving too fast for traffic, weather, visibility, or road conditions even when traveling below the posted speed limit.

Following Too Closely
Tailgating is a common cause of rear-end collisions. Drivers must leave enough distance to stop safely if traffic slows or comes to a sudden stop.

Unsafe Turns
Drivers cause crashes when they turn without yielding, turn across oncoming traffic, fail to check blind spots, or enter the path of a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcycle.

Running Red Lights or Stop Signs
Intersection crashes can cause severe injuries because vehicles may strike each other at high speed or from the side, where occupants have less protection.

Impaired Driving
Alcohol, illegal drugs, cannabis, prescription medication, and fatigue can impair judgment, reaction time, coordination, and the ability to operate a vehicle safely.

Unsafe Lane Changes
Drivers must check mirrors and blind spots, signal, and confirm that a lane change can be completed safely. Failing to do so can cause sideswipe collisions, motorcycle crashes, and multi-vehicle accidents.

Fatigued Driving
A tired driver may have slowed reaction time, poor judgment, reduced awareness, or may fall asleep behind the wheel.

Dangerous Road Conditions
Potholes, missing signs, defective traffic signals, poor lighting, unsafe construction zones, obstructed sightlines, and poorly designed intersections can cause or contribute to a crash.

Vehicle Defects or Mechanical Failures
Defective brakes, tires, steering systems, airbags, seat belts, or other vehicle components may cause a collision or make the resulting injuries worse.

Determining the cause of a car accident affects who may be responsible, what evidence must be preserved, what insurance applies, and whether experts are needed. The Mason Firm evaluates driver conduct, vehicle evidence, roadway conditions, witness accounts, police reports, video, electronic data, and other available evidence.

Common Car Accident Injuries

Car accident injuries can range from temporary pain to permanent disability or death. Some injuries are immediately obvious, while others become more apparent in the hours or days following the crash.

Common injuries include:

Traumatic Brain Injuries
A collision may cause a concussion, brain bleed, skull fracture, or other traumatic brain injury. Symptoms may include headaches, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, mood changes, sleep problems, and sensitivity to light or sound.

Neck and Back Injuries
Car accidents commonly cause herniated discs, spinal fractures, nerve injuries, radicular pain, chronic neck or back pain, and other injuries that may require injections, therapy, surgery, or long-term treatment.

Spinal Cord Injuries
Severe crashes can damage the spinal cord and cause weakness, loss of sensation, paralysis, impaired mobility, and permanent disability.

Broken Bones and Orthopedic Injuries
Drivers and passengers may suffer fractures of the arms, wrists, shoulders, ribs, hips, pelvis, legs, knees, ankles, or facial bones.

Shoulder, Knee, and Joint Injuries
The force of a collision can cause rotator cuff tears, labral injuries, ligament damage, meniscus tears, SI joint injuries, and other painful orthopedic conditions.

Internal Injuries
Chest trauma, abdominal injuries, internal bleeding, and damage to organs may require emergency treatment and may not always be obvious at the accident scene.

Burns, Scarring, and Disfigurement
Serious crashes can cause fires, chemical exposure, lacerations, facial injuries, scarring, or permanent disfigurement.

Psychological Injuries
An accident may cause anxiety, depression, sleep problems, post-traumatic stress, driving fear, and other emotional harm.

Wrongful Death
When a preventable crash causes death, surviving family members may have a wrongful death claim against the responsible driver and any other liable parties.



Injured people should obtain medical attention promptly. Early evaluation protects their health and creates a record of the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and connection between the crash and the injuries.

Damages Available in Car Accident Cases

The value of a car accident case depends on the facts, the severity of the injuries, the effect on the injured person’s life, the available insurance coverage, and the strength of the evidence.

Recoverable damages may include:

Medical Expenses
This may include ambulance charges, emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgery, imaging, doctor visits, physical therapy, medication, injections, rehabilitation, and other accident-related care.

Future Medical Care
Serious injuries may require future surgery, therapy, pain management, neurological treatment, orthopedic care, assistive devices, home modifications, or long-term support.

Lost Income
An injured person may recover wages or income lost because of hospitalization, medical appointments, disability, recovery time, or inability to work.

Loss of Future Earning Capacity
When injuries reduce a person’s ability to work or advance in a career, damages may include lost future income and diminished earning capacity.

Pain and Suffering
A claim may include compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, inconvenience, anxiety, loss of independence, sleep disruption, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Property Damage
Recoverable losses may include the cost to repair or replace the vehicle and other personal property damaged in the crash.

Loss of Use and Related Expenses
A claim may include rental car costs, towing, storage, transportation expenses, and loss of use of the damaged vehicle.

Permanent Injury, Disability, or Disfigurement
Permanent limitations, chronic pain, scarring, brain injury, spinal injury, disability, and disfigurement should be considered in evaluating the full damages.

Wrongful Death Damages
When a car accident causes death, qualifying family members may pursue damages for the loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, support, guidance, and other losses recognized under California law.

Insurance companies may focus on the amount of vehicle damage, gaps in treatment, preexisting conditions, or selected medical records to minimize the claim. A proper evaluation should consider the complete effect of the accident on the injured person’s health, employment, family, and future.

Insurance Issues After a Car Accident

Insurance coverage can be one of the most important issues in a serious car accident case. The responsible driver may have limited coverage, multiple policies may apply, or the insurance company may dispute whether its policy provides coverage.

Potential sources of recovery may include:

• the negligent driver’s liability policy;
• the vehicle owner’s insurance;
• an employer’s commercial policy;
• rideshare coverage;
• uninsured motorist coverage;
• underinsured motorist coverage;
• umbrella or excess insurance;
• coverage for additional vehicles or household members;
• and claims against other responsible defendants.

An injured person should be cautious about giving a recorded statement, signing a broad medical authorization, or accepting an early settlement without understanding the injuries and available coverage. A settlement normally requires a release, which can prevent the injured person from later seeking additional compensation if the condition worsens or another source of coverage is discovered.

The Mason Firm investigates available insurance, ownership, employment relationships, rideshare status, commercial activity, household policies, and other potential sources of recovery.

What to Do After a Car Accident

The steps taken after a collision can affect both the person’s health and the legal claim.

After a car accident:

1. Call 911 and report the crash.
   Request police and emergency assistance when appropriate.
2. Obtain medical care.
   Do not assume pain or other symptoms will resolve on their own. Some serious injuries are not immediately obvious.
3. Photograph the scene.
   Take pictures of the vehicles, damage, roadway, traffic controls, skid marks, debris, visible injuries, and surrounding conditions if it is safe to do so.
4. Identify witnesses.
   Obtain names, phone numbers, and contact information from anyone who saw the crash.
5. Exchange information.
   Obtain the other driver’s name, address, driver’s license, vehicle information, and insurance details.
6. Preserve evidence.
   Save photographs, videos, dashcam footage, repair estimates, damaged personal property, medical documents, receipts, and communications with insurers.
7. Avoid social media discussions.
   Insurance companies may review posts, photographs, or comments and use them to dispute the injuries.
8. Do not rush into a settlement.
   The full medical outcome and available insurance may not be known immediately.
9. Speak with an attorney.
   Serious or disputed cases should be evaluated before important evidence is lost or deadlines expire.