UCLA Law Trained Attorneys in Westwood
If you've been injured in an Uber or Lyft accident in Westwood, California, the applicable insurance coverage depends on what the driver was doing at the moment of the crash — a fact rideshare companies make intentionally complex. Westwood Law untangles the coverage tiers and pursues the maximum available compensation from every applicable policy.Three Years of Law School in This Neighborhood
I spent three years at UCLA Law, which sits at the north end of Westwood, and I am back here every week now that our office is on Glendon. This is the rare neighborhood where I am not learning the area from a map. I know what the Village is like when school is in session and what it is like in August, and I know the difference matters when you are trying to work out what a street looked like on the day someone got hurt.
Why Your Case Is Different
This is the local knowledge that shapes how we approach your case from day one: the courts where it will be heard, the roads where it happened, the properties with prior incident history. Most firms would need to look this up.
The overwhelming majority of recorded collisions here happen at San Diego Freeway interchanges rather than on Village streets. Wilshire, Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevard all cross the 405 inside this neighborhood, and those crossings account for most of the injury crashes on record.
Coverage depends on the driver's app status: (1) App off — driver's personal insurance only; (2) App on, no ride accepted — $50k/$100k/$25k from TNC; (3) Ride accepted or passenger in vehicle — $1 million commercial policy. Identifying the correct tier is the first critical issue in every rideshare case.
Uber and Lyft classify drivers as independent contractors to avoid direct liability. California's AB 5 and Proposition 22 created ongoing uncertainty about this classification. We evaluate all liability theories — including direct negligence by the TNC for negligent driver onboarding — in every case.
Crash Data
Crash Types
Most Dangerous Intersections
Recent Crashes
View all crash reports in Westwood →Most Firms Will Take Your Case.
Few Will Actually Fight For It.
From the moment a claim is filed, the other side is building a case against yours. Adjusters document inconsistencies, make early offers designed to be accepted, and count on injured people to take less than they deserve. Most personal injury firms respond by loading up their docket: you get assigned to a paralegal, your calls go unanswered, and your case settles fast because the firm needs to move on.
We built Westwood Law differently.
- You talk to a founding partner. Not intake staff, not a junior associate. A UCLA-trained attorney who handles your case personally from first call to resolution.
- We limit our caseload on purpose. More cases means less attention. We take fewer so every client gets the time and resources their case actually requires.
- We don't settle until the number is right. Insurance companies know which firms fold early. We're not one of them, and they know it.
Evidence fades. Deadlines are real. The sooner you have an attorney building your case, the better your position. This is our personal commitment to every client we take on.
What We Know About Westwood That Affects Your Case
- UCLA and its medical centers:A campus population in the tens of thousands plus two major hospitals means heavy pedestrian, cyclist and rideshare volume concentrated in a small area. Claims here frequently involve institutional defendants and commercial policies rather than individual drivers.
- The Wilshire high-rise corridor:One of the densest concentrations of residential towers in Los Angeles, with the parking structures, driveways and valet operations that come with them. Premises and backing-collision claims in this corridor usually involve professional property management and their insurers.
- Westwood Village:A 1920s planned commercial district built for the campus, with short blocks, heavy foot traffic and constant loading activity. Right-of-way and visibility are the recurring disputes in pedestrian claims here.
Where the Crashes Happen
Local road patterns determine what evidence we seek, which defendants we name, and how we frame fault. These are the corridors in Westwood where crashes concentrate.
- highI-405 & Wilshire Boulevard
The single highest collision count in Westwood on current CHP records. A full interchange carrying freeway ramp movements across a major commuter boulevard, with a meaningful share of the crashes producing injuries.
- highI-405 & Sunset Boulevard
Northbound and southbound ramps meeting a curving arterial with limited sightlines. Consistently among the highest crash counts in the neighborhood.
- highI-405 & Santa Monica Boulevard
A high proportion of the collisions recorded at this interchange involve reported injuries, higher than the neighborhood average.
- moderateSepulveda Boulevard & Wilshire Boulevard
The busiest surface-street intersection in the area, carrying traffic that parallels the 405 and feeds the Wilshire corridor.
Cases We Handle
Every case type below requires different evidence, different defendants, and a different legal strategy. Select yours for a page built specifically around your situation in Westwood.
Passenger Injured in Rideshare Vehicle
The $1M commercial policy applies when a driver had an accepted ride or passenger in the vehicle.
Struck by Rideshare Driver
Pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers hit by an Uber or Lyft driver — coverage depends on app status.
Driver Injured During Rideshare Work
Rideshare drivers injured while logged into the app may have claims under the TNC's commercial policy.
Rideshare Assault Claims
Passengers assaulted by rideshare drivers — Uber and Lyft's negligent background screening is a significant liability theory.
Accidents During Pickup/Drop-Off
Collisions occurring at rideshare stops — when the app was active with a pending ride, the commercial policy applies.
Compensation Available in Your Case
Here's the full picture of what a properly built Uber & Lyft Accident Lawyer case can recover. How much of this you actually see depends on how thoroughly the claim is documented and pursued.
Medical Expenses
Emergency care, surgery, and ongoing treatment for injuries sustained in a rideshare accident.
Lost Wages
Income lost while recovering from rideshare accident injuries.
Pain & Suffering
Physical pain and emotional distress from the crash.
Property Damage
Vehicle and personal property destroyed in the collision.
Future Medical Costs
Ongoing treatment costs if injuries require long-term care.
Punitive Damages
Available when a TNC's negligent driver-screening led to a preventable assault or serious crash.
Call us Today. No fee until you win!
818-224-7940What to Do After a Rideshare Accident
Rideshare accident claims involve insurance complexity that standard car accident cases do not. These steps protect your claim from the outset.
Screenshot the rideshare app
Immediately capture the trip details, driver information, and map — this documents the app status and links the driver to the TNC at the time of the crash.
Call 911
Request police and medical services. A police report is critical.
Photograph everything
Vehicle damage, the driver's Uber/Lyft sticker, and your injuries.
Get the driver's personal insurance in addition to rideshare information
The personal policy may also be relevant depending on app status.
Do not give a recorded statement to the TNC's insurer
Uber and Lyft's insurance adjusters work to minimize claims. Have counsel before making any statement.
Contact Westwood Law
Rideshare cases require knowing which insurance tier applies and how to build the case against the right defendants.
Recent Results, Personal Injury
Past outcomes don't guarantee future results, but they show what's possible when evidence is preserved and all defendants are pursued.
Auto versus government entity settlement.
Slip and fall at major retailer.
Slip and fall at major retailer.
Complex auto vs auto case.
Not only was Arya easy to communicate with, incredibly intelligent with how he planned to achieve the goals, but he was also very warm and caring. I really enjoyed working with Arya. Warm, ethical, and intelligent is a great combo!
I cannot recommend Westwood Law highly enough. From the start of my case they were professional, talked me through the process and genuinely cared about my situation and concerns. My case went far longer than any of us expected, and I was ready to just accept the first settlement, but Arya and Curt fought to get me what I was entitled to. All in all, they went above and beyond at every step and I felt supported throughout my experience with them.
My husband was involved in a car accident back in February, and now that everything has been resolved, I just wanted to say how grateful we are for this amazing team. Everyone was incredibly kind, organized, and easy to communicate with. They always kept us updated, answered every question we had, and made sure we understood what was happening every step of the way. Having someone we could trust took so much stress off our shoulders during an already difficult time.
75+
Years Legal Experience
6,000+
Clients Served
One
Case at a Time