UCLA Law Trained Attorneys in Encino
When a drunk driver is arrested after causing your accident, people assume the criminal system will take care of everything. It will not. Criminal restitution, when it is ordered at all, covers a fraction of your actual damages. Your civil case is where you recover your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and punitive damages. The two cases run independently.
Arya handles Encino DUI accident cases by leveraging the criminal prosecution without depending on it. He obtains BAC results, arrest records, and any prior DUI convictions through civil discovery and public records. He also investigates whether a bar or restaurant served the driver while they were visibly intoxicated, which opens a separate liability claim. These cases file at Van Nuys Courthouse West.
Knows Encino: Ventura Blvd, the 101/405, the Van Nuys Courthouse
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, graduated from El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, and attended UCLA Law School. I know Encino well. I've spent many hours on Ventura Blvd, many breakfasts at Coral Tree Cafe, and many dinners at what is probably the best Italian spot hidden on the second floor of a strip mall near the Land Rover dealership, Gio Cucina. I know the Ventura Boulevard corridor, the Balboa area, and how insurance companies respond to claims in this part of LA.
The Facts Behind Your Injury Claim
Which roads generate the most crashes, where the ambulance takes you, what the law requires, and how long you have to act. This is what we know about Encino cases before we even look at yours.
The convergence of US-101 and I-405 near Encino is one of the most congested and crash-prone freeway interchanges in Los Angeles. High-speed merging, lane changes, and stop-and-go conditions create constant collision risk.
Paramedics route to Northridge Hospital (Level II Trauma). Encino Hospital Medical Center is on Ventura Boulevard but is not a trauma center. Critical cases go to UCLA Ronald Reagan (Level I).
California courts have repeatedly held that driving under the influence can constitute "malice" or "conscious disregard for the rights and safety of others" — the standard for punitive damages under Civil Code §3294. This can significantly increase your total recovery beyond compensatory damages alone.
California's dram shop law (Business and Professions Code §25602) limits social host liability but allows claims against commercial establishments that serve visibly intoxicated customers who later cause accidents. If a bar or restaurant over-served the driver, they may share liability.
What Makes Your Injury Case Different
The 101/405 interchange is one of the most congested and dangerous freeway junctions in the country. Multi-vehicle crashes here almost always involve more than one at-fault party and more than one insurance policy. If you only pursue the driver who hit you, you are probably leaving money on the table. Finding every policy takes legwork, and it needs to start immediately.
Ventura Boulevard through Encino has medical offices, restaurants, and retail packed into a dense commercial strip. Pedestrian accidents, parking lot fender-benders that turn into real injury claims, and premises incidents at commercial properties are all part of the caseload here.
If you were bitten by a dog at Balboa Park, California law is clear: the owner is liable, full stop. Civil Code 3342 is a strict liability statute. The fight is not about whether the owner pays. It is about making sure the insurance company covers the full cost: the ER, the plastic surgeon, the time off work, the scar.
Defendants in Encino are more likely to carry umbrella policies well above their primary limits. We know that going in, and it changes how we build the demand. Cases file at Van Nuys Courthouse.
The Collision Patterns We See Here
The 101/405 interchange generates a disproportionate share of the serious cases we handle from Encino. High-speed merging, sudden stops, and aggressive lane changes produce multi-car pileups where figuring out who hit whom requires the CHP report, dashcam footage, and sometimes an accident reconstructionist.
Ventura Boulevard is the pedestrian and premises corridor. Balboa Boulevard gets the park-adjacent cyclist and dog bite cases. Sepulveda and Hayvenhurst carry the residential and school zone traffic that produces lower-speed but still serious injuries, especially during morning drop-off.
A recent Encino case involved three vehicles on the 405 where each driver's insurance company blamed the other two. Another was a pedestrian struck in a crosswalk on Ventura by a driver making a right on red. A third was a dog attack at Balboa Park where the owner's homeowner policy initially denied the claim. Each required a completely different approach.
Crash Data
Most Dangerous Intersections
Recent Crashes
View all crash reports in Encino →Compensation Available in Your Case
Criminal court does not compensate you. Civil court does. We pursue full compensatory damages plus punitive damages that reflect the driver's conscious decision to endanger everyone around them.
Medical Expenses
Emergency treatment, surgeries, and rehabilitation from a DUI crash in Encino. Drunk drivers cause more severe injuries because they typically don't slow down before the collision.
Lost Wages
Income lost during recovery. Whether you work locally or commute from Encino, your lost earnings are fully recoverable.
Pain & Suffering
The physical and emotional damage from being hit by a drunk driver. The preventability of the crash often intensifies the emotional suffering.
Property Damage
Your vehicle and personal property damaged in the DUI crash. Collisions near the 405/101 interchange in Encino can involve high speeds and severe vehicle damage.
Punitive Damages
Driving drunk constitutes the conscious disregard that California requires for punitive damages. If the driver has prior DUIs, the case for punitives is even clearer.
Wrongful Death Damages
If a drunk driver took a life in Encino, surviving family members can pursue compensatory and punitive damages.
Call us Today. No fee until you win!
818-224-7940What to Do After a Drunk Driver Accident
DUI accident cases have unique evidentiary opportunities — criminal prosecution records, BAC results, and prior history — that can significantly increase your recovery.
Call 911 and report suspected drunk driving
Tell dispatch you believe the other driver is impaired. This initiates DUI investigation including field sobriety and BAC testing.
Cooperate with police but don't speculate
Describe what happened clearly. Ask the officer about the other driver's sobriety test results. Don't diagnose your own injuries at the scene.
Seek immediate medical care
Get to Encino Hospital Medical Center or the nearest ER. DUI crashes produce high-force trauma that often involves delayed symptoms.
Obtain the police report
The DUI arrest documentation and BAC numbers are essential to your civil case. We request these records immediately.
Document the at-fault driver's impairment evidence
Open containers, alcohol odor, unsteady balance, slurred speech. Note everything you observed at the scene.
Contact Westwood Law
Arya Firoozmand handles Encino DUI accident cases. We use the criminal record, BAC results, and the driver's prior history to pursue full compensation and punitive damages at Van Nuys Courthouse.