Primary Location
Seal Beach Personal Injury Lawyers
207 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740
Phone: (213) 214-1592
Call us at (855) 855-8910
Call us at (855) 855-8910
Look, a DUI crash is a different animal than your typical fender-bender. California law draws a hard line here. Vehicle Code 23152 says driving impaired is illegal, period [1]. When the other driver broke that law, attorneys call it negligence per se. Fancy term, simple meaning: you skip the whole debate about whether they were being careful. They were not. The DUI proves it.
And that changes everything about your case. Punitive damages suddenly become an option. Regular car accident claims almost never include those. But when someone got behind the wheel drunk? Courts can pile on extra damages to punish that choice. Willful disregard for safety, the judge calls it.
When a drunk driver kills a victim, the family may pursue DUI wrongful death claims in Seal Beach for compensation beyond what a criminal case provides.
A few other things shift in a DUI case:
A cookie-cutter car accident approach will not work for a DUI case in Seal Beach. You need a team that handles both the criminal evidence and the civil claim. We do exactly that from our office at 207 Main St. If you are dealing with a broader car accident situation, our Seal Beach car accident lawyer page covers more general scenarios.
Seal Beach has specific geography that makes certain areas worse for DUI crashes. PCH cuts through the middle of town. Main Street has a whole strip of bars and restaurants packed into a few blocks. When those places close, impaired drivers spill out onto roads that are already tricky to drive sober.
We have seen the same patterns play out:
Any stretch of road in Seal Beach can be the site of a DUI crash. But layout and nightlife make these areas especially dangerous.
Here is the thing about drunk drivers: they do not brake. Or they brake way too late. So DUI collisions happen at higher speeds than most other crashes. The injuries are brutal.
What we typically see after these accidents:
One of our recent results: a $630,000 settlement for a client who suffered a mild traumatic brain injury and fractured sternum. That kind of injury rewrites your entire life for the next year or more.
California law lets DUI accident victims go after the full range of damages: medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering. And then the big one that only DUI cases unlock: punitive damages. That is real money on top of what you are already owed.
Our attorneys help clients throughout Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Westminster, and Garden Grove. Call (855) 374-1714 if you need to talk about a DUI crash.
Most people underestimate how much the first few hours after a DUI wreck matter. Every piece of evidence has an expiration date.
Do this, in order:
Call 911 first. Police will run a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer on the other driver right there. That BAC reading is gold for your case.
See a doctor. Today. Not tomorrow. Adrenaline masks pain, and internal injuries hide for hours or days. If you wait, the insurance company will argue you were not really hurt.
Grab your phone and take pictures. The scene, the damage, skid marks, the other driver if you can. Everything.
Request the police report once it is filed. It has BAC numbers, the officer observations, and sometimes witness info. Your attorney will build around that document.
And whatever you do, do not take the first offer from insurance. DUI cases carry bigger compensation than standard crashes. Insurance adjusters know this. They want to close your file cheap before you figure that out.
You have two years from the crash to file suit under California law, per CCP 335.1 [2]. Sounds like plenty of time. It is not. Witnesses move away. Surveillance footage gets recorded over. Phone records get harder to subpoena.
Get an attorney involved early. Period.
The backbone of any DUI injury case is evidence. And DUI cases actually give you more to work with than a regular crash. Here is why.
Negligence per se does the heavy lifting. The other driver blew a 0.08 or higher on the breathalyzer. That is a broken law. Game over on the negligence question. You do not need to prove they were texting or speeding on top of it.
But a good attorney does not stop there. You want all of this in your file:
Third-party liability is worth looking at too. California limits dram shop claims, but if a bar served alcohol to someone already visibly drunk, there may be a case. Social host liability kicks in when someone serves a minor. And if the vehicle owner let a known drunk borrow their car, they could be on the hook.
When crashes happen at complex Seal Beach intersections, accident reconstruction experts get involved. They measure skid marks, analyze vehicle damage patterns, and calculate speeds. Our attorneys secured a $3.8 million settlement for a client whose car accident caused a broken knee cap and two lumbar spine surgeries. That case required exactly this kind of detailed investigation.
With more than 250 years of combined experience and over $600 million recovered for clients, our firm handles car accident cases involving severe injuries. These results involve the same types of injuries DUI crash victims face.
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Our attorneys have handled personal injury cases across California and Arizona. We know how Seal Beach insurance companies operate, and we know how to push back.
That number reflects real results for real families — medical bills paid, lost wages recovered, and futures protected.
You pay nothing upfront. Our fee comes out of your settlement or verdict. If we do not win your case, you owe us nothing.
Accidents do not follow business hours. Neither do we. Call (602) 905-7766 any time — nights, weekends, and holidays.
Our Seal Beach team works out of 207 Main St. We know the roads, the courts, and the insurance adjusters you are up against.
“After a crash, you need a team that answers the phone, explains your options, and fights for every dollar you are owed. That is what we do at The Simon Law Group.”
Over 250 years of combined attorney experience
Seal Beach office at 207 Main St | Licensed in California and Arizona
Yes. Filing a civil lawsuit is completely separate from criminal DUI charges. The criminal case is the state versus the driver. Your injury claim is you versus the driver. Different courts, different standards. You can pursue both at the same time.
Courts sometimes award punitive damages in DUI cases. The standard is willful disregard for safety. Getting behind the wheel drunk often clears that bar. But your attorney has to specifically request them and prove the conduct warrants it.
Your uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage picks up part of the tab. Beyond that, your lawyer looks for other sources: was the driver using someone else's car? Did a bar keep serving them? Those third parties carry their own insurance.
Not automatically. A DUI conviction is powerful evidence of negligence. But you still have to connect the dots between the crash and your injuries. The good news? Civil court uses a lower standard of proof than criminal court. So if they got convicted, you are already in a strong position.
Two years from the date of the crash, per CCP 335.1. Claims against government entities have shorter deadlines. And if the victim is a minor, the clock works differently. Talk to a lawyer before you assume you have plenty of time.
Our Location
Primary Location
207 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740
Phone: (213) 214-1592