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Reviewed by David Gammill, California trial attorney · Last reviewed: September 4, 2026
If you were injured in Hawthorne because someone else was careless, California law lets you recover your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering, and it puts a deadline on doing it. Gammill Law Accident & Injury Lawyers represents injured people in Hawthorne and across the South Bay. The firm has recovered more than $100 million for California clients across verdicts and settlements. Its results include a $21.1 million wrongful death verdict, a $16 million school sexual abuse verdict, and a $12 million whistleblower retaliation verdict; every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
The evaluation is free and takes one phone call: 310-750-4149. You will speak with an experienced attorney, not a call center.
Hawthorne is a hard place to be a pedestrian, and the numbers say so plainly. In 2023, traffic collisions in Hawthorne killed or injured 238 people, including 47 pedestrians and 17 bicyclists, and the city recorded 33 hit-and-run crashes that caused death or injury, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety’s crash rankings for Hawthorne, built from SWITRS, the state’s official collision database. Nearly one in five of the people hurt or killed on Hawthorne streets that year was walking.
The street layout explains much of it. Hawthorne Boulevard runs the length of the city as its commercial spine, lined with driveways, bus stops, and crossings. Crenshaw Boulevard carries the parallel load, while Rosecrans Avenue, El Segundo Boulevard, and Imperial Highway cut across them. Two freeways bracket the city, the 105 along the north and the 405 to the east, and their ramps pour freeway-speed drivers directly onto surface streets. Crashes on those corridors, pedestrians and cyclists struck at crossings, falls at stores and apartment buildings, and dog bites in the neighborhoods make up most of the Hawthorne injury cases we see.
Most California injury claims must be filed within two years. Under CCP § 335.1, the clock starts the day you are hurt, and courts rarely excuse a missed deadline. Our plain-English guide to CCP § 335.1, California’s two-year statute of limitations, covers the rule and its narrow exceptions.
Government cases move much faster. If a public vehicle or a dangerous public road played a role, Government Code § 911.2 requires a written claim to the right entity within six months, before any lawsuit. Our guide to the California government claim deadline walks through the sequence. Hawthorne differs from several of its neighbors here: the city runs its own municipal police department rather than contracting with the county, so a Hawthorne officer’s report, a city street hazard, and a city vehicle all point at the City of Hawthorne itself. The 405, by contrast, is a state freeway maintained by Caltrans. We identify the correct entity and file on time.
California requires drivers to carry only minimum liability coverage of $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident, and $15,000 for property damage (Vehicle Code § 16451, for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025). Serious injuries cost more than that, which is why the real work is finding every source of coverage that legally applies: the at-fault driver’s policy, an employer’s policy if they were working, and your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. With 33 hit-and-run injury crashes in a single year, Hawthorne victims lean on uninsured motorist coverage more often than most, and strict conditions apply, so get advice early.
We handle every major injury case type for Hawthorne residents: car, motorcycle, and truck accidents; pedestrian and bicycle injuries; hit-and-run cases; slip and fall and other premises cases; dog bites; and wrongful death. If your case started with a crash, our Torrance car accident attorney page explains how we build and prove crash cases across the South Bay, and our step-by-step guide on what to do after a crash covers the first 72 hours.
California law allows injured people to recover economic damages, meaning documented losses like emergency care, surgery, therapy, medications, future treatment, and lost income, and non-economic damages, meaning the human losses: pain, anxiety, lost sleep, and the activities an injury takes away. Partial fault does not bar your claim. California follows a pure comparative negligence rule: your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, never eliminated by it. Insurers exaggerate your share for exactly that reason, and we push back with evidence.
Our office is in Torrance, straight down Hawthorne Boulevard, and our attorneys bring more than 40 years of combined legal experience to every case we take. We prepare every case for trial from the first meeting, because insurers price a claim differently when the lawyer across the table will finish the fight in front of a jury.
We work on a contingency fee: nothing upfront, no hourly bills, and a fee only out of the recovery, under a written contingency fee agreement that complies with California law.
Injured and unable to travel? We meet clients at the hospital, at home, or wherever recovery requires. Call 310-750-4149 any time, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
Two years from the date of injury for most claims, under CCP § 335.1. If a public entity is involved, a written claim is due within six months under Gov. Code § 911.2; see our government claim guide.
Often, yes. Your own uninsured motorist coverage usually pays when the driver is never found, but strict conditions apply, including a prompt police report. Hit-and-run injury crashes are a documented pattern in Hawthorne, and we know how to work these claims.
Nothing upfront and nothing out of pocket. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery, collected only if we win. Our guide to what a personal injury lawyer costs shows the math plainly.
Gammill Law represents injured people in Hawthorne and throughout the South Bay, including Torrance, Lawndale, Gardena, Inglewood, El Segundo, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Carson, Lomita, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. If your case is centered in Torrance, start at our Torrance personal injury attorney page.
Your free case review includes a real evaluation with an experienced attorney, a clear explanation of your options, and an honest assessment of what your claim is worth. No obligation, and everything you share is confidential.
Get your free case evaluation or call 310-750-4149 now. There are no upfront legal fees; a fee is collected only if we win.
This page is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice for any specific situation. Deadlines and outcomes are fact-specific; consult a licensed California attorney about your own circumstances. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
