How to Get a Police Report for a Car Accident in Costa Mesa, CA

While sitting in the lobby of the Costa Mesa police station, I overheard some interesting exchanges.

A sex offender registering as a resident of the city.
A man trying to get his 2020 Cadillac Escalade out of police impound.

One of the services I provide my clients as a personal injury attorney is obtaining their Traffic Collision Report for them. Yesterday, I made the short walk from my house to the Costa Mesa Police Department to get the Traffic Collision Report for a client involved in a rollover car accident in Costa Mesa.

Those were a couple of the interactions I overheard while waiting for a copy of the report. If you were involved in a car accident in Costa Mesa, contact me for assistance handling your claim and obtaining your Traffic Collision Report.

Unfortunately, you cannot request a Costa Mesa police report online. To obtain a Traffic Collision Report from the Costa Mesa Police Department, you must either go to the police station in person or mail a request.

In Person Requests

The fastest route to obtain a Costa Mesa police report is to visit the Costa Mesa Police Department in person.

The Costa Mesa Police Department is located at:

99 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Costa Mesa Car Accident Lawyer; Orange County Personal Injury Lawyer; Costa Mesa Police

It is open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays.

I would recommend calling Costa Mesa Police-Records at (714) 754-5373 before visiting the station to make sure the report is ready. It is not uncommon for a Traffic Collision Report to take several weeks to be completed after a car accident. In collisions involving a fatality/wrongful death, Traffic Collision Reports are more thorough and routinely take multiple months to be completed.

Once at the police station, you will need to fill out a request form and provide valid photo ID. If you are not the person involved in the accident (i.e. you are the spouse of the person involved), you will also need signed, written authorization from the involved party to release the report to you.

There is a $9.00 fee, which can be paid with cash or check made payable to "City of Costa Mesa."

I prefer obtaining Traffic Collision Reports in person because it allows you to obtain the report same day.

Requests by Mail

Alternatively, you may request a Costa Mesa Traffic Collision Report by mail. This is a slower process, as your request will need to travel to the police department by mail, will be processed in the order it is received, and then once the report is completed it will be mailed back to you. There is typically a 7 to 10 day processing time.

Requests for Costa Mesa Traffic Collision Reports can be mailed to:

Costa Mesa Police Department
P.O. Box 1200
Costa Mesa, CA 92628

Mailed requests must include:

A copy of a valid government issued ID or driver license.
A signed letter containing your accident information, including your name, date of birth, report number, date and time of the accident, and collision location.
A check for $9.00 made payable to the City of Costa Mesa.
And a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Medical Records & Bills

If you were involved in a serious car accident in Costa Mesa, you may have been treated by Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue. Costa Mesa Fire provides paramedic and ambulance services in the city.

Like obtaining the Traffic Collision Report, obtaining your medical and billing records is also important after a car accident. This is another service that the Patzkowski Law Firm provides to its clients.

However, if you wish to request these records yourself, you can do so by submitting a public records request to the City of Costa Mesa through its website. Public records requests are processed by the Costa Mesa City Clerk and/or City Attorney's Office.

Because medical and billing records contain personal and medical information, they are exempt from disclosure without the involved individual’s written consent, pursuant to Government Code § 6255, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

Consequently, upon receiving your public records request, a clerk will contact you to request a signed HIPAA authorization.

Costa Mesa car accident lawyer Blaise Patzkowski is an advocate for the rights of people injured in car accidents, bike accidents, motorcycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents in Costa Mesa, Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and across California. Mr. Patzkowski is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and U.C. Hastings College of the Law, and a proud resident of Costa Mesa, California. He has recovered many millions of dollars for people injured in car accidents. If you or your family member was hurt in a car, bicycle, motorcycle, or pedestrian accident, please contact Mr. Patzkowski.

Disclaimer: The information here is general information that should not be taken as legal advice. It cannot be guaranteed to be accurate, current or complete. No attorney-client relationship is established between you and our law firm by reading this article. This article should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a lawyer about the specific facts of your case.

How Much Money Can I Get If I'm Hit by a Drunk Driver in CA?

More than one person dies every hour due to drunk driving in the United States.

And every 2 minutes, someone is injured in a DUI collision, per Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Money You Can Recover If You're Hit by a Drunk Driver in California

If you get injured in a car accident caused by a drunk driver in California, how much money can you get?

Victims of drunk driving accidents are entitled to all of the same types of damages as people injured in non-DUI collisions, plus there are two additional ways victims can potentially get compensated if they're hit by a drunk driver.

Like people injured in non-DUI collisions, people injured in collisions caused by drunk drivers are entitled to monetary compensation for:

(1) Property damage (including damage to their car and personal belongings like their cell phone damaged in the collision);

(2) Medical bills brought about by the collision;

(3) Income lost due to being injured and unable to work;

(4) Pain resulting from the crash; and

(5) Suffering caused by being unable to participate in your regular activities (like jogging, caring for your children, or gardening).

Punitive Damages

In addition to damages directly caused by the crash, victims of DUI collisions may also be entitled to money called punitive damages. Punitive damages are intended to punish a person who does something seriously wrong. An insurance policy will not pay punitive damages, so the drunk driver him or herself would be required to pay them.

Under California law, punitive damages are available when a "defendant has been guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice." (California Civil Code section 3294(a)).

Dating back to the late 1970s, courts in California have found that "the act of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated may constitute an act of 'malice' under section 3294 if performed under circumstances which disclose a conscious disregard of the probable dangerous consequences." (Taylor v. Superior Court (1979) 24 Cal.3d 890, 892).

Courts have interpreted this to mean that not every person who drives drunk and causes a collision is liable for punitive damages. While many may disagree, California courts have ruled that "The risk of injury to others from ordinary driving while intoxicated is certainly foreseeable, but it is not necessarily probable." (Dawes v. Superior Court (1980) 111 Cal.App.3d 82, 89). Lawyers hired by insurance companies to defend drunk drivers have latched on to this to try to get requests for punitive damages struck out of lawsuits filed against drunk drivers.

As a result, it is important to show that the drunk driver's conduct was so egregious and dangerous that it was probable it would cause injury.

For example, I have successfully kept a punitive damages claim in a case where a drunk driver in Los Angeles drove on the wrong side of the road and struck multiple parked cars. The Court agreed with my argument that driving on the wrong side of the street while intoxicated makes injury to others probable.

There are specific laws that need to be navigated to obtain punitive damages in a DUI collision. A California personal injury attorney experienced in handling drunk driving accidents can help you obtain maximum compensation if you're hit by a drunk driver. If you were involved in an accident with a drunk driver, please contact Mr. Patzkowski for a free consultation.

Victims Restitution

A second route to recovery available to people injured by a drunk driver in California is victim's restitution.

If the drunk driver is criminally prosecuted as a result of causing an injury collision, the criminal court may order the drunk driver to pay restitution to the victim(s) as part of their criminal sentence.

California Penal Code section 1202.4 states:

"It is the intent of the Legislature that a victim of crime who incurs any economic loss as a result of the commission of a crime shall receive restitution directly from any defendant convicted of that crime."

What a drunk driver may be ordered to pay as victim's restitution is more limited than what they can be required to pay in a civil personal injury lawsuit. This is because the drunk driver can only be ordered to pay restitution for "economic" damages, which includes things like medical bills, property damage, and lost wages. A victim's restitution order cannot include non-economic damages (pain and suffering) or punitive damages.

Nonetheless, victim's restitution is another tool that can help hold a drunk driver fully accountable for the damage they have caused. An experienced personal injury attorney will use these methods together to help their client get as much money as possible from the drunk driver who caused their injuries.

Costa Mesa car accident lawyer Blaise Patzkowski is an advocate for the rights of people injured in car accidents, bike accidents, and pedestrian accidents in Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and across California. He has successfully advocated for the imposition of punitive damages against drunk drivers who cause car crashes. If you or your family member was hurt in a car, bicycle, or pedestrian accident, please contact Mr. Patzkowski.

Mr. Patzkowski graduated from UC Berkeley with High Honors and obtained his law degree from UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, California. He is a native of La Mirada, California in Los Angeles County.

What Happens After an Accident with an Uninsured Driver?

Over fifteen percent (15%) of California drivers do not have automobile insurance even though California Vehicle Code section 16020 mandates minimum financial responsibility to get behind the wheel.

This means that if you're in a car accident, there's a significant chance that the person who hit you does not have auto insurance to pay for the damage to your car, your medical bills, lost income, and the impact your injuries have had on your life.

I was rear-ended on the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa a few years ago. It was a three car collision and I was the only driver out of the three of us who had auto insurance. Two out of three drivers were uninsured!

Fortunately, you may not be out of luck even if you're hit by an uninsured motorist. Many people have a type of coverage under their own automobile insurance policy called "Uninsured Motorist" coverage that protects them in case they're hit by an uninsured driver. And an uninsured motorist typically includes both someone who does not have auto insurance as well as a hit a run driver whose auto insurance you cannot identify.

To see if you have Uninsured Motorist coverage under your auto insurance policy, log onto your auto insurance account online, review your insurance "Declaration Page" which lists what is covered by your automobile insurance policy, or call your insurance company to find out.

Make Sure You're Adequately Covered

It's important not only to have Uninsured Motorist coverage, but to have enough of it so that it will actually help you. In California, the minimum required insurance policy limits to drive are only $15,000 per person/$30,000 per incident, and many people have those same limits for Uninsured Motorist coverage. This gives you some protection in case you're hit by an uninsured motorist, but not much.

To make sure there is money available in case you suffer a serious injury in a car accident caused by an uninsured driver, you should have at minimum $100,000 in uninsured motorist coverage, and I'd recommend going even higher than that.

How Much Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Cost?

Uninsured motorist insurance coverage is surprisingly inexpensive. Geico has a tool on its website which allows you to adjust your coverages and it will instantly show you what impact that change will have on your auto insurance premium.

The difference in cost between an uninsured motorist limit of $100,000 per person/$300,000 per incident and the maximum uninsured motorist limit Geico will sell me ($500,000 per incident) is only $28 every 6 months. So for less than $5 per month, you could receive half a million dollars if you're seriously injured in a car accident caused by an uninsured driver instead of $100,000.

Uninsured Motorist Car Accident Lawyer Costa Mesa Orange County California

The saddest part of my job as a personal injury lawyer is determining that there is no insurance or very little insurance available to compensate a person who suffered catastrophic injuries or lost a family member in a car crash. I recently spoke to a mother and father who lost their son who was in his early 20s in a motorcycle accident where the available insurance policy limits were only $15,000. No amount of money would bring their son back, but receiving only $15,000 after losing your son is a tragedy and a slap in the face.

Check your auto insurance policy and make sure you are well protected. You can't increase your uninsured motorist limit after you determine the at-fault driver was uninsured, so make sure you're well protected now.

Costa Mesa car accident lawyer Blaise Patzkowski is an advocate for the rights of people injured in car accidents, bike accidents, and pedestrian accidents in Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and across California. Mr. Patzkowski has recovered millions of dollars for people injured in car accidents, including collisions where the at-fault driver was uninsured. If you or your family member was hurt in a car, bicycle, or pedestrian accident, please contact Mr. Patzkowski.

People Know They Shouldn't Text and Drive, So Why Do They Do It?

Imagine driving your car at 55 miles per hour with your eyes closed.

If you're sane, you wouldn't consider it.

But there's a good chance you or someone you know has actually done something similar in the last 30 days. Each time a person sends a text message, they spend around 5 seconds looking at their phone. At 55 miles per hour, this means driving the length of a football field without looking at the road ahead.

People Know that Distracted Driving is Dangerous, but They Do it Anyway

A recent AAA study found that 97% of drivers say texting or emailing while driving is a serious safety risk.

It's also illegal. California Vehicle Code section 23123.5 bans driving a vehicle while holding and operating a cell phone.

Even though almost everyone understands that using their cell phone while driving is dangerous, lots of people do it anyway. 45% of people surveyed said that they had read a text or email while driving within the last month, and 35% admitted to sending one.

If People Know that Texting and Driving is so Dangerous, Why Do They Do It?

Surveys point to several reasons why people use their phone while driving. A major one is feeling pressure from work to always be available/responsive. But let's be real, it's not only work emails that people are checking while driving. Many people are reading text messages, checking Facebook, or scrolling through Instagram.

My theory is that people know it's a bad idea to use their phone while driving, but they don't think it's a terrible idea. They've done it before without anything bad happening, and they justify doing it again by telling themselves "I'll do it just this one time, I'll be careful, and nothing bad will happen."

But Using a Cell Phone While Driving is a Lot More Dangerous than Many People Realize

Today, everyone knows that drunk driving is incredibly dangerous, and the vast majority of people would never consider doing it.

It's important to internalize that using a cell phone while driving is not just a bad idea, it's incredibly dangerous just like drunk driving.

The tolls taken by both drunk driving and distracted driving are huge. More people die every year from drunk driving accidents than distracted driving -- about 10,000 people lose their lives per year due to drunk driving, while it is closer to 3,000 people who die in crashes caused by distracted driving. However, more people are injured every year due to distracted driving than drunk driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

And research has found that texting can slow a driver's reaction time even more than alcohol does. Texting causes a 35% slow down in reaction time, compared to a 12% decrease with alcohol, according to the U.K.-based Transport Research Laboratory.

Let's be clear: drunk driving is horrible. I have represented people who suffered catastrophic injuries due to drunk driving accidents. There is absolutely no excuse to drive under the influence when an Uber or a Lyft is a few clicks away. With that said, you cannot drive safely if you are looking at your phone instead of the road ahead. A person who is looking down at their phone will not see the red light or kid in the street.

Bottom Line

Both using your cell phone while driving and drunk driving are incredibly dangerous. And while most people have internalized this when it comes to drunk driving, many people give themselves passes when it comes to texting and driving.

Understanding just how dangerous it is to drive down the street with your eyes essentially closed will hopefully cause people to treat it like drunk driving -- both are things you should never do, not even just this one time.

Costa Mesa car accident lawyer Blaise Patzkowski is an advocate for the rights of people injured in car accidents, bike accidents, and pedestrian accidents in Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and across California. He has advocated for the imposition of punitive damages against drivers who cause car crashes due to texting and driving. If you or your family member was hurt in a car, bicycle, or pedestrian accident, please contact Mr. Patzkowski.

How to Get a Police Report for a Car Accident in La Mirada, CA

Were you in a car accident in La Mirada, California? After the crash, you may have been taken away in an ambulance to the emergency room at St. Jude or Whittier Hospital. Now that the dust has settled, you want to find out who the police placed at fault for the car accident. To do that, you need to obtain a copy of the Traffic Collision Report.

While you're recovering from your injuries, missing time from work, and dealing with everything else that happens after a car accident, trying to get a copy of the police report may be the last thing you want to do. Personal injury attorney Blaise Patzkowski grew up in La Mirada and can help. Contact him directly for assistance getting the report.

Those involved in the crash are also able to request a copy of the Traffic Collision Report. The city of La Mirada does not have its own police department. Instead, it contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which investigates and writes reports about motor vehicle collisions in La Mirada, as well as Norwalk, South Unincorporated Whittier, and East Unincorporated Whittier.

Unfortunately, you cannot request a police report online. To obtain a Traffic Collision Report from the LA County Sheriff's Department, you must either go to the office in person or mail a request.

To Request In Person:

Go to: 12440 East Imperial Highway, Suite 120, Norwalk, CA 90650

The entrance is located near the visitor parking lot.

Telephone: (562) 345-4441

Hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. Fridays are by appointment only, and can be scheduled by calling (562) 345-4441.

You will need a valid ID establishing a legal interest in the report. This can be either:

A valid state issued identification with your picture on it such as a Driver’s License or Identification Card; or
A valid government issued passport which has your picture on it.

Requesting by Mail:

Written requests, with required documents and fees, must be mailed to:

Records and Identification Bureau
Attention: Correspondence Unit
12440 East Imperial Highway, Suite 400 West
Norwalk, California 90650

The request should include:

- Your full name (including any alias you want searched)
- Your date of birth
- The address where the report should be mailed
- Your signature
- Your valid notarized identification

Including specific information about the incident will help the Sheriff's Department locate the report. So it is recommended that you include in your request any report numbers, the date of the incident, and the location of the incident.

The fee to request a report is $25 if you provide a file number or $35 if you do not include a file number. Checks should be made payable to the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department or LASD.

How long does it take to receive a report?

A Traffic Collision Report must be completed before you can receive a copy of it. It typically takes several weeks after a car accident, bike accident, or automobile versus pedestrian collision for the Traffic Collision Report to be completed, and sometimes longer if it involves driving under the influence (DUI), a fatality, or serious injury. However, you may be able to obtain the "face page" of the report before the full report is completed. The face page is the first page of the report, which identifies the vehicles and parties involved, their auto insurance carrier(s), and the date and location of the incident.

In person requests are responded to on a first-come, first-serve basis. Wait times are often 1 to 3 hours. The busiest times of day are 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Requests made by mail have a typical processing time of at least 10 to 15 business days from the time they are received by the Sheriff's Department.

La Mirada car accident lawyer Blaise Patzkowski has successfully recovered many millions of dollars for people injured in car accidents, bike accidents, motorcycle accidents, DUI accidents, pedestrian accidents, and other personal injury matters. He is a La Mirada native, and a graduate of La Mirada public schools (Gardenhill Elementary School, Hutchinson Middle School, and La Mirada High School). If you or your family member was hurt in a car accident, please contact Mr. Patzkowski.