Personal injury attorneys in Downtown San Diego.
Our office sits one block from the Hall of Justice. ABOTA-member trial attorney Daryoosh Khashayar has recovered over $165 million for clients. Free consultation. No fee unless we recover.
Free consultation → (858) 509-1550
We chose this office for a reason.
Our Downtown office is at 501 W Broadway, Suite 800. One block from the San Diego County Hall of Justice on West Broadway. That’s where the Central Division of San Diego County Superior Court handles civil cases, including most of the personal injury and wrongful death matters we litigate. Trial attorneys spend a lot of time in court, in depositions, and in case-management hearings. Being a block away from where the work happens isn’t a marketing line. It’s how we get cases moved.
Daryoosh Khashayar has tried cases before juries here, before judges, and before the California Court of Appeal. At the appellate level he has secured multiple reversals of Superior Court rulings for clients. That kind of post-trial record is unusual in personal injury practice.
Downtown San Diego sees a disproportionate share of the county’s most complex cases. Pedestrian and scooter crashes along Broadway, Harbor Drive, and Pacific Highway. Rideshare collisions through the Gaslamp and East Village after Padres games. Commercial trucks merging onto the I-5 / I-805 connector or the I-5 / SR-94 interchange. Falls on city sidewalks where the only path to recovery is a six-month government claim under Government Code §911.2.
These cases are not generic. Each one runs on a specific piece of California law. We work in that detail, every day, from the office across from the courthouse.
Personal injury practice areas, all from Downtown.
Every practice page below is anchored in the specific California statute that governs the claim. Click through to see how each one works.
What our work has looked like.
Some results below are public verdicts or judgments supported by court records, verdict reporting, news coverage, or other public materials. Others are firm-reported settlements, which may not have public case numbers because settlement terms are often confidential. Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. Every case depends on its facts, evidence, defendants, insurance coverage, venue, applicable law, and litigation strategy.
Jury verdict in a legal malpractice and patent negligence case against a multi-billion-dollar insurance company. One of the largest legal malpractice verdicts in California history.
$5,000,000Truck-and-scooter full policy-limits settlement after the police report initially placed 100% of fault on our client. We took depositions of the responding officers and proved the truck driver had drifted into the bike lane.
$4,900,000Red-light auto accident settlement. Our client required two back surgeries after a distracted driver ran a red light in Irvine.
$4.5M / $4.8MBrownlee trip-and-fall / TBI public-entity case against the City of San Diego. Jury verdict of $4.5 million; later reported as a $4.8 million judgment after costs and fees. Premises-liability / public-entity serious-injury result, not a wrongful-death result. Required filing the six-month written government claim under Government Code §911.2.
$4,000,000Wrongful death motorcycle settlement in National City. We secured the recovery even though the rider had been initially deemed at fault, after establishing the van driver violated Vehicle Code §21801(a).
Source note. Case results above are based on Khashayar Law Group case-result pages and, where available, public verdict reports, court records, news coverage, or other public agency materials. Settlement results may be firm-reported because settlement terms are often confidential. The Brownlee trip-and-fall / TBI matter against the City of San Diego is corroborated by news coverage and City of San Diego public records.
Past results disclaimer. Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. Every case depends on its facts, evidence, defendants, insurance coverage, venue, applicable law, and litigation strategy.
Where Downtown cases happen, and where they end up.
Freeways and roads that drive our caseload
- I-5 (San Diego Freeway). The main north-south spine through Downtown. Crashes cluster at the I-5 / I-805 merge near National City, the Pershing Drive on-ramp, and the I-5 / SR-94 interchange.
- I-805. Feeds Downtown from the east. The I-805 / I-5 merge is a chronic rear-end zone.
- SR-94 (MLK Jr. Freeway). Connects Downtown east to La Mesa and El Cajon. Merging and pedestrian incidents are common at the western terminus.
- Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway. Waterfront surface streets with heavy mixed pedestrian, cyclist, and commercial truck traffic.
- Broadway, B Street, C Street. The Downtown grid. Pedestrian density is highest during business hours and event days.
Courts that hear Downtown personal injury cases
- San Diego County Superior Court, Central Division (Hall of Justice). 330 W Broadway. Civil cases including personal injury, wrongful death, and significant business litigation. Our Downtown office is a block from this courthouse.
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California (Edward J. Schwartz Courthouse). 221 W Broadway. Federal diversity cases and FMCSA-regulated commercial trucking matters that escalate to federal.
- California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One. 750 B Street. Daryoosh has secured multiple reversals here on behalf of clients.
Hospitals that treat Downtown accident victims
- UC San Diego Medical Center — Hillcrest (200 W Arbor Drive). Level I Trauma Center. Most serious Downtown crash victims are transported here.
- Scripps Mercy Hospital (4077 Fifth Avenue). Trauma facility and a primary admission point for many Downtown crashes.
- Sharp Memorial Hospital (7901 Frost Street, Kearny Mesa). Major trauma facility for cases sometimes transferred from Downtown.
The California statutes that govern our work.
Most personal injury cases in California come down to a small set of statutes. Knowing which one applies, and when, is the difference between a case that goes the distance and one that doesn’t.
- Cal. Code of Civil Procedure §335.1. Two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. Miss it and the claim is gone.
- Cal. Civil Code §1714. Pure comparative negligence. A plaintiff can recover even if partially at fault; recovery is reduced by the percentage of fault, not eliminated.
- Cal. Civil Code §3294. Punitive damages, available for oppression, fraud, or malice, including drunk-driving and intentional-harm cases.
- Cal. Government Code §911.2. Six-month written government claim deadline when the City of San Diego, County, the State, or a public employee contributed to the injury. The most commonly missed deadline in California practice.
- Cal. Government Code §835. Public entity liability for dangerous conditions of public property (sidewalks, roads, signage, lighting).
- Cal. CCP §§377.60 and 377.34. Wrongful death plaintiffs and survival actions.
- Cal. Vehicle Code §21453 (red lights), §21801 (failure to yield), §27803 (helmets), §21950 (pedestrian right of way).
- Cal. Public Utilities Code §§5430–5443.5. The Uber and Lyft (TNC) insurance phases.
- 49 CFR §395. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hours-of-service rules for commercial truck drivers.
Daryoosh Khashayar, founder and managing partner.
Daryoosh is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), an invitation-only organization of experienced trial lawyers and judges. ABOTA membership requirements include substantial civil jury-trial experience — including, at the Member level, at least seven civil jury trials to verdict or hung jury as lead counsel — along with local chapter approval. ABOTA membership is one signal of trial experience; prospective clients should still ask any attorney about recent cases, staffing, communication, fees, and who will personally handle the matter.
Daryoosh has tried cases before juries, before judges, and before the California Court of Appeal. At the appellate level he has secured multiple reversals of Superior Court rulings on behalf of clients.
He has litigated against major insurers including GEICO and Progressive, and against large national corporations including Walmart and Costco. Serious injury cases are often stronger when they are prepared for litigation from the beginning. Trial experience can affect how insurers evaluate risk, especially when liability, causation, damages, or insurance coverage are disputed. Khashayar Law Group prepares serious cases with litigation in mind while continuing to evaluate settlement opportunities when they serve the client’s interests.
What other people have said about the work.
Frequently asked questions.
How do I find a Downtown San Diego personal injury attorney I can trust?
Useful criteria when evaluating any San Diego personal injury attorney include verifiable jury-trial experience (ABOTA membership is one signal), published case results in your specific practice area, clean California State Bar standing, fee terms, who will personally handle the matter, communication style, and whether the firm advances litigation costs. Prospective clients should compare firms against these criteria. Consultations at Khashayar Law Group are free and confidential.
What’s the deadline to file a personal injury claim in San Diego?
Two years from the date of injury under California CCP §335.1. Three years for property damage under §338(c). If a government entity is involved (City, County, State, or a public employee), CCP doesn’t even apply yet, you first need a written government claim within six months under Government Code §911.2. That six-month window is the most commonly missed deadline in the practice.
What if my Downtown accident involved the City of San Diego?
Public-entity cases run a different track. The written government claim under §911.2 has to be filed within six months before a lawsuit is even possible. Khashayar Law Group’s public-entity experience includes a $4.5 million trip-and-fall verdict against the City of San Diego, later reported as a $4.8 million judgment after costs and fees (the Brownlee TBI matter — a premises-liability / public-entity serious-injury result, not a wrongful-death result). Public-entity cases often require early investigation, government-claim compliance, and careful preservation of dangerous-condition evidence. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
My accident happened on I-5, I-805, or SR-94. Does that change anything?
The legal framework is the same, but freeway and merge-zone crashes need fast evidence preservation: CHP reports, vehicle telemetry, dashcam footage, commercial driver logs, witness statements from other drivers. We have recovered seven figures in commercial-vehicle and rear-end crashes on these exact corridors.
Can I sue Uber or Lyft for a crash in the Gaslamp or East Village?
Uber and Lyft coverage depends on the driver’s app status, the facts of the crash, and the law in effect on the accident date. California’s transportation network company rules are found in Public Utilities Code §§5430–5443.5, and coverage may differ depending on whether the driver was offline, logged in and waiting for a ride, had accepted a ride, or had a passenger in the vehicle. Because California’s TNC insurance requirements have changed and public CPUC guidance may not always match the most current statutory text, available coverage should be evaluated under the law in effect on the crash date. Khashayar Law Group can review app-status evidence, trip records, insurance disclosures, and preservation needs during a free consultation.
The police report says I’m at fault. Is the case over?
No. A police report is admissible but not conclusive. We took our $5,000,000 truck-and-scooter case to a full policy-limits settlement after a police report initially put 100% of fault on the client. We deposed the responding officers, walked them through the underlying scene, and they acknowledged the report was wrong. Civil Code §1714 allows recovery even when partially at fault.
What does a Downtown San Diego personal injury attorney cost?
We work on contingency. No attorney fee unless we recover. The initial consultation is free and confidential, and the firm advances all litigation costs (expert witnesses, depositions, court reporters, exhibits, mediation) while the case is pending.
How long will my case take?
Simple cases with clear liability and fully documented injuries can settle in three to six months. Cases involving public entities, multiple parties, or contested liability often run one to three years and can go to trial. Rushing usually produces a lower recovery; trial preparation usually produces a stronger settlement.
What if a commercial truck is involved?
Commercial truck cases run on top of federal regulations (FMCSA — 49 CFR §395 hours-of-service rules), not just California law. Multiple parties can be liable: the driver, the trucking company (respondeat superior), the cargo loader, the manufacturer, maintenance contractors. The time-sensitive evidence is electronic logging device (ELD) data, dashcam footage, dispatch records, driver-qualification files, and maintenance logs. We’ve recovered a $5M truck-and-scooter policy-limits settlement and a $4.9M commercial truck settlement.
Can I file wrongful death if my loved one was deemed at fault?
Yes. Civil Code §1714’s pure comparative negligence rule applies to wrongful death too. We secured a $4,000,000 wrongful death settlement in National City for a motorcycle rider initially deemed at fault, after we established the other driver violated Vehicle Code §21801(a).
What is ABOTA and why should I care?
ABOTA is the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only organization of experienced trial lawyers and judges. Membership requirements include substantial civil jury-trial experience and local chapter approval. Daryoosh Khashayar’s ABOTA membership is one signal of trial experience, but prospective clients should also ask about recent cases, case staffing, fees, communication, and who will personally handle the matter.
How do I schedule a consultation at the Downtown office?
Call (858) 509-1550 or use the form on this page. The Downtown office is at 501 W Broadway, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101. Free, confidential. Within 24 hours.
Legal review note. This page was reviewed for general California personal-injury, wrongful-death, public-entity, rideshare, and truck-accident information and is current as of May 2026. Statutes, regulations, insurance requirements, and case law can change. This page is general information only and is not legal advice.
Rideshare insurance note. California TNC insurance requirements have changed. Coverage should be evaluated under the law in effect on the crash date and the applicable version of California Public Utilities Code §5433. Older CPUC guidance materials may reference superseded amounts.
Talk to a Downtown San Diego personal injury attorney.
Free consultation. No fee unless we recover.
(858) 509-1550We're here to listen, guide, and support our clients.
Angela Ness
