Irvine Personal Injury Lawyer

Last updated: October 2026 · Reviewed by Faud Haghighi, Esq., Founder & Lead Trial Attorney

Do You Need an Irvine Personal Injury Lawyer After an Accident?

If someone else’s negligence injured you in Irvine, an Irvine personal injury lawyer can preserve the evidence, deal with the insurance companies, meet California’s filing deadlines, and pursue full compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

The Law Offices of Faud Haghighi serves Irvine from our nearby Tustin office on Irvine Boulevard and our Aliso Viejo office, and represents injured people throughout Orange County and Southern California. Attorney Faud Haghighi focuses on contested-liability and serious-injury cases, handles each case personally, and prepares every claim as if it will go before a jury. Our recoveries include $214,000 for a client injured in an Irvine auto accident. Results depend on the facts of each case and will differ if based on different facts.

Where Do Accidents Happen in Irvine?

Many Irvine injuries happen around the El Toro Y, on the toll roads, along Jamboree Road and Culver Drive, and at the city’s large shopping, business, and university centers. The Irvine Spectrum Center sits inside the El Toro Y, where the I-5 and I-405 meet and traffic volumes are among the heaviest in the county. Jamboree Road carries commuters across both freeways into the Irvine Business Complex, and Culver Drive crosses both the I-405 and the I-5. Common situations include:

• Freeway crashes: rear-end collisions in stop-and-go traffic at the El Toro Y beside Irvine Spectrum.
• Intersection crashes: left-turn collisions on Jamboree Road in the Irvine Business Complex.
• Cyclist and pedestrian injuries: riders and walkers struck near UC Irvine, for example at Culver Drive and University Drive.
• Toll-road crashes: high-speed collisions on SR-133, SR-241, and SR-261, which begins at Jamboree Road and Walnut Avenue.
• Premises injuries: falls at the Irvine Spectrum, grocery stores, apartment complexes, and parking structures. See our slip and fall page.

These are examples, not descriptions of specific firm cases.

What Should You Do After an Accident in Irvine?

Get medical care right away, report the accident, document the scene, avoid recorded statements to insurers, and talk to a lawyer before accepting any offer.

1. Get medical attention. Call 911 for serious injuries. Hoag Hospital Irvine on Sand Canyon Avenue and Kaiser Permanente Irvine on Alton Parkway both have emergency departments; neither is a trauma center, so paramedics usually take the most seriously injured patients to a designated trauma center such as UCI Medical Center in Orange. Concussions and soft-tissue injuries often surface days later, and prompt records link your injury to the accident.
2. Report the incident to the Irvine Police Department or CHP after a crash, or to property management after a fall.
3. Document the scene with photos and witness names and numbers while everything is fresh.
4. Don’t give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer before understanding your rights.
5. Consult a personal injury attorney before making important decisions, so evidence is preserved and deadlines are met.

Who Is at Fault in an Irvine Car Accident?

The driver who failed to use reasonable care is at fault, and California still lets you recover if you share part of the blame. Rear-end crashes in stop-and-go traffic at the El Toro Y and on Jamboree Road are the most familiar example. California law requires drivers to keep a reasonable and prudent following distance (Vehicle Code §21703), so the driver in back is usually responsible. That can change if the car in front cut in suddenly or had no working brake lights.

When fault is shared, California’s pure comparative negligence rule reduces your compensation by your percentage of fault instead of barring the claim. If your losses are $60,000 and you are found 15% at fault, you recover $51,000. The duty behind all of this comes from Civil Code §1714, which makes everyone responsible for harm caused by a lack of ordinary care.

What If a Toll Road or City Road Defect Caused the Crash?

Most toll-road crashes are claims against the at-fault driver, like any other collision. But if a road defect, missing signage, or a malfunctioning signal contributed, a public agency may be responsible, and a written claim is generally due within six months. A defect on a toll road or freeway usually involves a state or regional agency with its own claim process; a defect on a city street involves the City of Irvine, whose Claim for Damages form (Form 10-04) is filed with the City Clerk. Claims against public agencies require proof that the agency created the dangerous condition, or knew or should have known about it in time to fix it. Learn more on our Dangerous Conditions of Public Property page.

How Long Do You Have to File, and Where Does the Case Go?

Most California personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1), and Irvine cases are filed in the Orange County Superior Court. The Central Justice Center at 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, hears limited civil cases ($35,000 or less) and unlimited civil cases (more than $35,000) from every Orange County city. The Harbor Justice Center serves Irvine for traffic and criminal matters, not injury lawsuits. Missing the deadline that applies to your case can permanently bar your claim. Read more about what to expect at the Orange County Superior Court.

What Types of Personal Injury Cases Do You Handle in Irvine?

We handle car, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall and premises cases, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death. Here is where these cases tend to come from in Irvine:

If a contractor or equipment maker, not your employer, caused an on-the-job injury, you may have an injury claim on top of workers’ compensation.

How Much Is My Irvine Injury Case Worth?

It depends on how serious the injury is, how long treatment lasts, the income you lose, how clearly fault can be proven, and the insurance available. A claim can cover past and future medical care, lost earnings and earning capacity, vehicle damage, and pain and suffering. For serious injuries, we use medical and economic experts to value what you will keep losing over time, not just the bills you already have. Read more about what affects the value of a personal injury case. Results depend on the facts of each case and will differ if based on different facts.

What Does It Cost to Hire an Irvine Personal Injury Lawyer?

Nothing up front. The Law Offices of Faud Haghighi works on a contingency fee: you pay no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you. Case costs are explained at the start, and the consultation is free and confidential. Read more about the cost to hire a personal injury lawyer in California.

Serving Irvine and Nearby Communities

In addition to Irvine, we represent clients throughout Orange County and Southern California, including Tustin, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Lake Forest, and Aliso Viejo. See our Orange County personal injury lawyer page for an overview of our practice.

Injured in an accident in Irvine? A free, confidential consultation can help you understand your legal options and the deadlines that apply. Call (949) 313-7656 or request a free consultation to talk about what happened.