If you were injured by a distracted driver in Beverly Hills, the attorneys at The Injury Partners will fight to recover the compensation you deserve. Distracted driving crashes in California cause serious, often life-altering injuries. Under California’s hands-free laws (Vehicle Code §§ 23123 and 23123.5), violating these statutes creates negligence per se. Our attorneys secure cell phone records, app data, and surveillance footage to build the evidence your case demands. Call (310) 220-0066 for a free 24/7 consultation.
The Injury Partners represents victims of distracted driving accidents throughout Beverly Hills and all of Los Angeles County. If another driver was texting and driving, scrolling, or using a handheld device when they caused your crash, California law is on your side. Vehicle Code §§ 23123 and 23123.5 make it illegal to hold or operate a wireless device while driving, and a violation of either statute establishes negligence per se.
Beverly Hills presents a particularly high-risk environment for distraction-related collisions. The city’s daytime population swells well beyond its 32,000 residents as tourists, rideshare drivers, and out-of-town visitors converge on some of the most congested corridors in Los Angeles County. The combination of heavy tourism on Rodeo Drive, constant rideshare activity, and unfamiliar visitors relying on GPS creates distraction risks that are unique to this city.
The numbers reflect the scope of this problem. NHTSA reports that 3,208 people were killed in distraction-affected crashes across the United States in 2024, and approximately 8% of all fatal crashes involved a distracted driver. The Beverly Hills Police Department handles crash investigations within the city. Surveillance footage from Golden Triangle businesses, hotels, and restaurants can often capture the at-fault driver using their phone in the moments before impact. If you were injured by a distracted driver, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. Contact The Injury Partners at (310) 220-0066 or visit our office at 499 N. Canon Dr., Suite B1, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.
California and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recognize three categories of distracted driving, and understanding all three is important to your claim. Visual distraction occurs when a driver takes their eyes off the road to look at a phone screen, GPS, or passengers. Manual distraction occurs when a driver removes their hands from the steering wheel to hold a phone, eat, or adjust controls. Cognitive distraction occurs when a driver’s mind wanders from the task of driving because they are engaged in a conversation, daydreaming, or processing emotional stress.
Texting is considered the most dangerous form of distracted driving because it involves all three types of distraction at the same time. At 55 miles per hour, looking at a text message for just five seconds means the driver has traveled the length of an entire football field without watching the road. Vehicle Code § 23123 prohibits using a wireless phone while driving unless it is configured for hands-free operation. Vehicle Code § 23123.5 prohibits holding and operating any wireless device while driving. For drivers under 18, Vehicle Code § 23124 bans all device use entirely, including hands-free.
The Injury Partners brings elite legal credentials and a focused evidentiary approach to every distracted driving case we handle. Co-founder Omeed Hakimianpour earned his Juris Doctor from USC Gould School of Law and his undergraduate degree from UCLA. He then trained at Kirkland & Ellis, one of the world’s largest law firms, where he handled multimillion and billion-dollar transactions. That same intensity and precision now drives how our firm obtains cell phone records, app usage data, and electronic evidence to prove distraction. Omeed has been recognized as a Super Lawyers® Rising Star in both 2025 and 2026, a distinction awarded to only the top 2.5% of attorneys in California.
Co-founder Daniel Sabet completed the prestigious SCALE accelerated J.D. program at Southwestern Law School in just two years, building his entire career around personal injury advocacy. Together, Omeed and Daniel personally manage every case from the initial consultation through resolution. You will never be passed off to a call center, intake team, or case manager. The Injury Partners maintains a 5.00 Google rating and has recovered over $1 million in compensation for clients. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win.
Distracted driving cases demand this level of attention because the central challenge is always proof. The driver who hit you will almost certainly deny they were on their phone. Their insurance company will dispute the distraction allegation, argue other factors caused the crash, or try to shift blame onto you. The evidence that proves what actually happened exists, but it must be obtained quickly before it disappears.
Proving distraction requires building a chain of electronic and physical evidence, and that chain must be secured within days of the collision. Cell phone carrier records are often the strongest starting point because they show every call, text, and data activity timestamped to the second. App usage data from social media, rideshare, and navigation apps can reveal whether the driver was actively interacting with their phone at the moment of impact. Vehicle event data recorders, sometimes called black boxes, capture speed and braking inputs in the seconds before the crash. Surveillance footage from Beverly Hills businesses and traffic cameras, witness testimony, the police report, and even the at-fault driver’s own social media posts can all strengthen your case. The evidence table below outlines each type, how it is obtained, and how quickly it must be preserved.
When you can prove the at-fault driver violated California’s hands-free statutes, the legal impact on your case is significant. Under the doctrine of negligence per se, a violation of Vehicle Code § 23123 or § 23123.5 is treated as automatic proof of negligence. This shifts the legal burden in your favor and makes it far more difficult for the insurance company to dispute liability.
Building that proof requires the right evidence, obtained quickly. The following table outlines the eight primary evidence types our attorneys pursue in distracted driving cases, along with what each one proves, how it is obtained, and why acting fast is essential.
|
Evidence Type |
What It Proves |
How It’s Obtained |
Time Sensitivity |
|
Cell phone carrier records (call/text logs) |
Calls or texts occurring at the time of the crash |
Subpoena to carrier (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) |
Carriers retain records for limited periods; request early |
|
App usage data (social media, rideshare, navigation) |
Active app use at the moment of impact |
Preservation letter and subpoena to app provider |
Data may be overwritten; act within days |
|
Vehicle EDR / black box data |
Speed, braking, and steering inputs in seconds before impact |
Download via specialist tools; preservation letter to vehicle owner/insurer |
Data can be overwritten by subsequent vehicle operation |
|
Surveillance footage (business cameras, traffic cameras) |
Driver visibly holding phone or looking down at device |
Request from business owner; BHPD can also secure footage |
Overwrites typically within 48 to 72 hours |
|
Witness testimony |
Driver observed looking at phone, not watching road |
Witness interviews at scene; statements to BHPD |
Witness memory fades quickly; document early |
|
Police report / officer observations |
Officer noted phone in hand, driver admission, citations issued |
Obtain from BHPD |
Available within days of crash |
|
At-fault driver’s social media posts |
Posts, stories, or check-ins timestamped near crash time |
Screenshot and preserve; subpoena if deleted |
Can be deleted by the driver; preserve immediately |
|
Crash reconstruction analysis |
Failure to brake, swerve, or react consistent with inattention |
Retained accident reconstruction expert |
Can be done at any point using preserved data |
The Injury Partners sends evidence preservation demands within 48 hours of engagement, targeting cell phone carriers, app providers, vehicle insurers, and businesses near the crash site. Once electronic evidence is lost, it cannot be recovered. Every day that passes after your accident increases the risk that the proof you need to hold the distracted driver accountable will be gone.
Negligence per se is a legal doctrine that treats a statutory violation as automatic proof of negligence in a civil case. When a driver violates California Vehicle Code § 23123 or § 23123.5 and that violation causes a crash, the court presumes the driver was negligent. You do not need to prove anything further about their conduct. In a standard negligence claim, you would need to establish that the driver failed to act as a reasonable person would under the circumstances, which can involve subjective arguments and disputed facts. Negligence per se removes that burden and replaces it with an objective test: did the driver violate the statute, and did that violation cause your injuries.
This doctrine became even more powerful after a June 2025 California appellate court ruling. The court clarified that any physical contact with a handheld phone while driving violates Vehicle Code § 23123.5, even if the driver was not actively texting or making a call. The ruling eliminated a common defense that drivers used to claim they were only briefly touching their phone for navigation or other purposes. For your claim, this means that if the evidence shows the at-fault driver was holding their phone at the time of the crash, negligence is established under the law. The insurance company has very little room to argue otherwise.
Beverly Hills produces distracted driving crash patterns that are distinct from anywhere else in Los Angeles County, driven by the city’s concentration of tourism, luxury retail, and rideshare activity. The following scenarios represent the types of distraction-related collisions our attorneys handle most frequently.
Distracted driving also causes car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and in the most severe cases, crashes that result in wrongful death across Beverly Hills.
Recent research adds an important dimension that most people and most attorneys overlook. Studies from the University of Utah and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety have identified what researchers call the “distraction hangover.” This is a period of up to 27 seconds after a driver puts their phone down during which their reaction time remains significantly impaired. This means a driver who was texting 30 seconds before your crash may have still been functionally distracted at the moment of impact, even if their phone was face-down on the seat. Cambridge Mobile Telematics data further shows that handheld calls increase the speed of a crash by 31% because distracted drivers fail to brake in time. The injuries sustained in these collisions are often more severe than they would have been otherwise.
Rideshare drivers face a unique and persistent distraction profile that sets them apart from other motorists on Beverly Hills streets. Unlike a typical driver who might glance at their phone briefly, rideshare drivers interact with the Uber or Lyft app throughout the entire trip. They accept ride requests, review navigation routes, message passengers, and monitor trip status. This combination of visual, manual, and cognitive distraction mirrors the danger of texting while driving.
If a rideshare driver causes a distracted driving crash while the app is active, the applicable insurance coverage depends on the trip phase. During Period 2 (after accepting a ride request) or Period 3 (transporting a passenger), the transportation network company’s $1 million commercial liability policy may apply under California Public Utilities Code § 5433. This is a significant source of additional coverage that can substantially increase the compensation available to you. The Injury Partners investigates every rideshare-related distracted driving crash to determine which insurance coverage applies and to hold both the driver and the TNC accountable. If you were injured by a distracted rideshare driver, contact our Uber accident attorneys in Beverly Hills to discuss your claim.
You were hurt because a distracted driver in Beverly Hills chose their phone over the road. California law allows you to pursue full compensation for every loss that resulted from that choice. Distracted driving accident victims may recover both economic and non-economic damages through a settlement or jury verdict. There is no cap on what you can receive in a personal injury claim against a negligent driver. The following categories of compensation are available to you:
We understand how overwhelming it can be to face mounting medical bills, missed paychecks, and constant pain while knowing that none of this had to happen. You deserve to focus on your recovery, and our firm will handle the legal process so you are not carrying that weight alone.
California follows a pure comparative negligence system under Civil Code § 1714, which means you can still recover compensation even if you were partially at fault for the accident. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, so if you are found 10% responsible, you would receive 90% of your total damages. The insurance company will likely try to assign you a higher share of blame to reduce what they owe. This is one of the reasons having experienced attorneys on your side is so important. In cases involving extreme distraction, punitive damages may also be available.
In most distracted driving cases, the at-fault driver’s conduct is classified as ordinary negligence, and punitive damages are not available. Punitive damages are a separate category of compensation designed to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct. California Civil Code § 3294 requires that you prove by clear and convincing evidence that the driver acted with malice, oppression, or a conscious disregard for the safety of others. Standard phone use while driving, even though it is illegal and dangerous, does not typically meet that threshold.
There are situations, however, where the driver’s behavior crosses the line from carelessness into willful misconduct. Examples of extreme distraction include live-streaming on social media while driving, texting at high speed in a school zone, or continuing to drive distracted despite prior citations. In these situations, a punitive damages claim may be viable. That level of conduct can demonstrate the conscious disregard standard required under California law. The Injury Partners evaluates every distracted driving case for punitive damages potential during our initial review. Identifying that possibility early allows us to preserve the evidence and build the record needed to pursue it.
A distracted driving accident is entirely preventable, and you are paying the price for a choice someone else made when they picked up their phone instead of watching the road. You deserve attorneys who understand the urgency of your situation and who will act immediately to protect the evidence that proves what happened.
The Injury Partners works on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing out of pocket and owe no attorney fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf. Our attorneys are available 24/7. We send evidence preservation demands within 48 hours of engagement because cell phone records, app data, surveillance footage, and black box data all degrade or disappear on short timelines. Every day you wait, the evidence that proves the other driver was distracted gets closer to disappearing.
Call The Injury Partners today at (310) 220-0066 or email us at info@theinjurypartners.com to schedule your free consultation. You can also visit our office at 499 N. Canon Dr., Suite B1, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, or contact our team online.
