Hurt in a car, bike or pedestrian crash in Westminster? Call (949) 989-2511 or text (949) 776-8964, 24/7, for a free consultation. Our team speaks Spanish; attorney Suzy Tafreshi speaks Farsi. People Not Just Cases.

Westminster Personal Injury Lawyer

Westminster was founded in 1870 as a Presbyterian temperance colony and became a city in 1957. Today about 90,900 people (2020 Census) live in its roughly 10 square miles of West Orange County. The city also gave its name to the 1947 Mendez v. Westminster school desegregation case. Along Bolsa Avenue, Westminster shares Little Saigon with Garden Grove. The district’s core runs between Westminster Boulevard, Bolsa Avenue, Magnolia Street and Euclid Street.

If you were hurt here, a Westminster personal injury lawyer can help you get the right report, deal with insurers and meet your deadlines. Our Fountain Valley office on Brookhurst Street is about 5 miles from Westminster City Hall in a straight line. We serve clients in English, Spanish and Farsi.

How Westminster Compares on Crash Safety

The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) ranks cities against others of similar size. In its 2023 rankings, where 1 is the worst of 103 similar cities, Westminster ranked:

  • 9th for speed-related crashes (94 people killed or injured)
  • 11th for bicyclists killed or injured (45)
  • 10th for pedestrians age 65 and older killed or injured (8)
  • 13th for motorcyclists killed or injured (35)
  • 18th for nighttime crashes
  • 20th for total people killed or injured (562)

The bicycle and older-pedestrian rankings stand out. People on bikes and older adults on foot are among the most likely to be seriously hurt when a driver speeds or fails to yield.

What Westminster Police Say Causes Crashes

The Westminster Police Department’s Traffic Unit lists the five most common reasons vehicles crash in the city:

  1. Driving at unsafe speeds
  2. Failing to yield the right of way
  3. Ignoring signs or signals
  4. Making improper turns
  5. Driving under the influence

Its most frequently issued moving violations follow the same pattern: unsafe speed, ignoring traffic signs, running red lights, driving on the wrong side of a divided highway and running stop signs.

In 2021, the Orange County Tribune reported the police department’s list of the five intersections with the most crashes:

  • Magnolia Street and Hazard Avenue
  • Brookhurst Street and Bolsa Avenue
  • Goldenwest Street and Bolsa Avenue
  • Beach Boulevard and Trask Avenue
  • Bolsa Chica Road and Garden Grove Boulevard

Two of the five are on Bolsa Avenue.

Beach Boulevard Is Being Studied

Beach Boulevard is State Route 39. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the city are studying about 4.5 miles of it, from Starr Street in Stanton to Hazard Avenue in Westminster, through 2027. In December 2025, they held a walking safety assessment to find barriers for people walking and biking. If you were hurt on Beach, a state agency may share responsibility, and the claim deadline is much shorter.

Who Takes the Report in Westminster

  • City streets: the Westminster Police Department, 8200 Westminster Blvd, Building 5, Westminster, CA 92683. Non-emergency dispatch (714) 548-3212, 24 hours. Traffic Unit (714) 548-3220.
  • Freeways (I-405 and SR-22): the CHP Westminster Area office, 13200 Goldenwest St, Westminster, CA 92683, (714) 622-3600.

Westminster Police collision reports can be requested online through LexisNexis, with a $10 convenience fee. Allow about 10 days. Reports involving a death or an arrest aren’t released online. For a CHP report, use the CHP Crash Portal or form CHP 190. The fee is $10 for 1 to 25 pages.

Emergency Rooms Near Westminster

Two hospitals with 24-hour emergency departments are just south of the city in Fountain Valley:

  • UCI Health – Fountain Valley, 17100 Euclid Street
  • MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center, 18111 Brookhurst Street

Cases We Handle for Westminster Residents

Courts and Deadlines

The courthouse in Westminster, the West Justice Center at 8141 13th Street, handles matters such as criminal and traffic cases. Injury lawsuits go to the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana. Most must be filed within two years. Claims against a public agency, such as the city or Caltrans, usually require a written claim within six months. See the statute of limitations for car accidents in California.

Your Accident Doesn’t Have to Be Major to Matter

Getting clipped by a car backing out of a crowded Bolsa Avenue plaza can still cause a broken hip or a head injury. No case is too small to call.

People, Not Just Cases

Attorney Suzy Tafreshi leads our firm, backed by a team with over 14 years of combined experience. We take time to listen, then handle the insurance calls and paperwork. Our staff speaks Spanish (Spanish page), and Suzy speaks Farsi.

Westminster Injury FAQs

Is a crash on Bolsa Avenue handled by Westminster or Garden Grove police?

It depends on which side of the city line the crash happened on. Little Saigon spans both cities. The officer’s card or report form names the agency.

I was hit in a shopping center parking lot. Is there a police report?

Police may or may not write a report for a private lot, especially if no one appears hurt. Call anyway, take photos, get the driver’s insurance information, and ask the business whether it has security video.

My elderly parent was hit in a crosswalk. What should we do first?

Get medical care, then write down the location, time and any witnesses. Older pedestrians often have injuries that get worse over the following days, so keep every medical record.

Do I have to speak English to work with you?

No. Our team speaks English and Spanish, and Suzy also speaks Farsi.

What does it cost to talk to you?

The consultation is free, and we’re available 24/7.

Talk to a Westminster Personal Injury Lawyer

Call (949) 989-2511 · Text (949) 776-8964 · Available 24/7 · Hablamos español

  • Fountain Valley office (closest to Westminster): 18837 Brookhurst St, Ste 207, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
  • Lake Forest office: 22600 Lambert St, Ste 1501, Lake Forest, CA 92630
  • Riverside office: 4121 Brockton Ave, Ste 101, Riverside, CA 92501

See all Tafreshi Law Group locations, or visit our Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach pages.

Attorney Advertising. This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, “Westminster, California” (founding, incorporation, 2020 population, area, Mendez v. Westminster, Little Saigon)
  2. Wikipedia, “Little Saigon, Orange County” (district boundaries)
  3. California Office of Traffic Safety, Westminster 2023 crash rankings
  4. City of Westminster Police, Traffic Unit (most common collision causes and violations)
  5. Orange County Tribune, “Be careful at Magnolia/Hazard” (Aug 18, 2021; WPD list of five collision locations)
  6. City of Westminster, Walking Safety Assessment of Beach Blvd (Dec 4, 2025)
  7. City of Westminster Police, Contact (non-emergency dispatch)
  8. City of Westminster Police, Location and Hours
  9. City of Westminster Police, Request for Collision Records
  10. California Highway Patrol, (670) Westminster Area office
  11. California Highway Patrol, Request a Crash Report
  12. California Highway Patrol, Collision Report CHP 190 (fees)
  13. UCI Health — Fountain Valley Emergency Department
  14. MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center
  15. Orange County Superior Court, How to Start a Civil Case (court designation list)
  16. California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 (two-year deadline)
  17. California Government Code section 911.2 (six-month claim deadline)