Hulburt Law Firm’s Encinitas personal injury lawyers represent people and families facing serious accidents, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death. From collisions on Coast Highway 101 and El Camino Real to bicycle, e-bike, and pedestrian injury claims, we help clients understand what happened, identify every responsible party, and pursue the full compensation available under California law.
555 West Beech Street, Suite 206
San Diego, CA 92101
Monday – Friday
9 am – 5 pm

Hulburt Law Firm represents people and families in serious injury and wrongful death cases. We focus on complex claims requiring careful investigation, expert analysis, and preparation for trial.
We handle serious crashes caused by distracted, impaired, speeding, or otherwise negligent drivers. We investigate vehicle data, video, roadway conditions, and all available insurance coverage.
Motorcyclists can suffer catastrophic injuries when drivers turn across their path, change lanes without looking, or fail to yield. We investigate both driver negligence and unsafe roadway conditions.
Encinitas's coastal roads, intersections, bike lanes, school routes, and visitor traffic create serious risks for riders. Important evidence may include video, vehicle data, signal timing, and roadway design.
Pedestrian crashes often occur when drivers fail to yield or keep a proper lookout. We examine visibility, lighting, driver conduct, traffic controls, and roadway conditions.
Property owners and businesses may be responsible for injuries caused by unsafe walkways, stairs, lighting, security, or maintenance. These cases often turn on whether the danger was known or should have been discovered.
California generally holds dog owners strictly liable for bites occurring in public or while the injured person is lawfully on private property. We document scarring, nerve damage, and psychological harm.
Truck crashes may involve unsafe driving, poor training, inadequate maintenance, or improperly loaded cargo. We preserve electronic logs, vehicle data, inspection records, and company documents.
We handle claims involving public transit, school, charter, tour, and shuttle buses. Responsibility may extend to the driver, operator, maintenance contractor, or public agency.
Boating injuries may result from operator negligence, excessive speed, intoxication, inadequate safety equipment, or mechanical failure. We investigate every person, business, and product that may be responsible.
Workers and bystanders may have claims against contractors, property owners, equipment manufacturers, and other third parties. These claims may provide compensation beyond workers' compensation benefits.
Aviation cases may involve pilot error, poor maintenance, defective components, operator negligence, or unsafe airport conditions. These claims often involve multiple defendants and complex regulations.
When negligence causes a death, surviving family members may seek compensation for their financial and personal losses. We investigate the incident while guiding the family through the legal process.
Brain injuries can cause lasting cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physical changes. Symptoms may be serious even when initial imaging appears normal.
Serious spine and spinal cord injuries can affect mobility, employment, independence, and future medical needs. Expert analysis may be needed to establish the full impact.
Severe burns may result from fires, explosions, electrical hazards, chemicals, defective products, or unsafe property. We document treatment, scarring, rehabilitation, and future care.
Defective tires, roofs, seats, airbags, seatbelts, and other components can cause or worsen catastrophic injuries. Preserving and inspecting the vehicle is often critical.
Manufacturers and sellers may be responsible for injuries caused by unsafe products. Claims may involve defective design, manufacturing errors, inadequate warnings, or failure to recall a known hazard.
Unsafe intersections, signals, sight lines, pavement, barriers, or warnings can contribute to serious crashes. Claims against public entities require early investigation and may have a six-month claim deadline.
Attorneys Conor Hulburt and Leslie Hulburt represent people and families in Encinitas facing catastrophic injury and wrongful death. By accepting a limited number of serious cases, they remain directly involved in the investigation, preparation, and presentation of each claim.
Conor has recovered more than $150 million for clients and served as lead trial counsel in a $28.16 million verdict against Caltrans. His practice focuses on uncovering what happened, identifying every responsible party, and presenting the client’s story clearly and persuasively.
Leslie brings extensive experience in mediations, arbitrations, trials, and appeals. Her background in journalism and education strengthens her ability to uncover the truth, explain complex evidence, and communicate a client’s experience with clarity and impact.

Our attorneys have recovered more than $150 million in verdicts and settlements for personal injury victims in Encinitas and throughout San Diego County. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Jury verdict against Caltrans for a 13-year-old boy who suffered a catastrophic brain injury after he was struck by a vehicle while using a dangerous crosswalk.
A sudden tire failure caused an SUV to fishtail and crash into a tree on the side of a San Diego County highway, killing a beloved husband and father.
A massive, improperly installed gate collapsed on a subcontracted worker who was asked by the general contractor to paint it, causing his tragic death.
A genetic testing corporation rushed a product to market, causing an oversight that changed a family's life.
A concrete block wall wasn't properly supported and fell on a construction worker in El Cajon, killing him.
An event producer’s negligence led to a participant’s death in a vehicle collision.
Call us or complete our contact form to tell us what happened. We will review the circumstances of the incident, your injuries, and the parties who may be responsible. There is no charge for the consultation, and you pay no legal fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Once retained, we move quickly to preserve evidence, obtain records, interview witnesses, and identify every responsible party and source of insurance. When needed, we work with experts in medicine, accident reconstruction, roadway design, product safety, and other specialized fields.
We document the full impact of the injury, including medical expenses, future care, lost earnings, physical limitations, and the ways the injury has changed your life. Every case is prepared with trial in mind so we can negotiate from a position of strength and take the case to a jury when the responsible parties refuse to provide fair compensation.
Certain injury claims in Encinitas raise recurring issues involving dangerous corridors, bicycle and e-bike injuries, and the North County court system. Each can affect the evidence that should be preserved, the parties who may be responsible, the deadlines that apply, and how the case should be prepared.
Encinitas ranks near the safer end of comparable California cities for total injury crashes, but the numbers are very different for young cyclists. The California Office of Traffic Safety ranked Encinitas 2nd out of 104 comparable cities in 2022 and 3rd out of 103 in 2023 for bicyclists under 15 killed or injured. During those same years, the city ranked 89th and 86th for total injury crashes.
In June 2023, shortly after 15-year-old Brodee Champlain-Kingman was killed while riding an e-bike on El Camino Real, the City Council declared a local state of emergency for bicycle and e-bike safety. The proclamation stated that bicycle and e-bike collisions had nearly tripled since 2020. Although the declaration later expired, the risks it identified remain important for Encinitas families.
If a driver injured you or your child, an insurance company’s claim that the rider shares fault does not automatically defeat the case. California’s comparative-negligence rules may still allow a recovery, and a defective battery, brake, frame, motor, or other component may create a separate claim against a manufacturer or seller. Learn more about San Diego e-bike laws, e-bike accident claims, and bicycle accident cases.
Children and teenagers may be seriously injured in Encinitas as passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and e-bike riders. The city’s Local Roadway Safety Plan identified young drivers as an area of concern and found that drivers under 25 were involved in 29.5 percent of collisions citywide. Residents also raised concerns about vehicle speeds near schools, including Diegueño Middle School, as well as busy corridors such as Coast Highway 101, Encinitas Boulevard, El Camino Real, Leucadia Boulevard, and Santa Fe Drive.
A serious injury can affect a developing child differently than an adult. Brain injuries, spinal injuries, fractures, nerve damage, and permanent scarring may interfere with school, sports, emotional development, and future independence. Our guide to children and traumatic brain injury explains what families should watch for.
Any settlement involving a minor generally requires court approval through a minor’s compromise.
Encinitas’s Local Roadway Safety Plan reviewed ten years of collision data and identified 2,833 crashes, including 141 that caused death or severe injury. South Coast Highway 101 had the highest crash cost in the city, followed by Encinitas Boulevard, North El Camino Real, Leucadia Boulevard, and Manchester Avenue. The most severe intersection was Encinitas Boulevard at Interstate 5, followed by Chesterfield Drive at South Coast Highway 101 in Cardiff.
Unsafe speed and impaired driving were two of the leading causes identified in the plan. These facts may be important in an injury case because drunk driving can support punitive damages, while a history of serious crashes may raise questions about whether the roadway, intersection, crosswalk, or traffic controls were reasonably safe.
When a dangerous road condition contributes to a crash, the City of Encinitas, San Diego County, Caltrans, or another public agency may share responsibility. These claims generally require a government claim within six months, much sooner than the deadline for most personal injury lawsuits. Learn more about dangerous road conditions and claims against government entities in California.
Personal injury lawsuits arising in Encinitas are generally filed in the San Diego Superior Court’s North County Division, located at 325 South Melrose Drive in Vista. The correct courthouse depends on where the incident occurred, who the defendants are, and the type of claim involved.
Most injury cases settle before trial, but preparing the case as though it will be presented to a Vista jury can strengthen its settlement value and help ensure the insurance company takes the claim seriously.
Serious injury cases require careful investigation, direct attorney involvement, and preparation for trial. Hulburt Law Firm represents Encinitas clients in complex cases involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death.
We limit the number of cases we accept so each client receives focused attention, clear communication, and a strategy tailored to the facts of the case.
Clients trust Hulburt Law Firm for a strong track record of securing meaningful results in personal injury and catastrophic injury cases.
We handle complex claims involving corporations, manufacturers, contractors, insurance companies, and public entities.
Clients work directly with Conor and Leslie and receive clear guidance throughout their case.
We document the full medical, financial, and personal impact of an injury to pursue all available compensation.
Most California personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the injury. Important exceptions and shorter deadlines may apply, particularly when a public entity is involved, so the applicable deadline should be evaluated promptly.
Learn more about the statute of limitations for personal injury claims.
A written government claim relating to personal injury or death generally must be presented within six months after the claim accrues. This may apply when an injury involves a dangerous street or sidewalk, government vehicle, public transit system, school, rail crossing, or other public property.
Identifying the correct public entity is critical. Learn more about claims against government entities in California and our work involving dangerous roadway conditions.
Encinitas's Local Roadway Safety Plan ranked South Coast Highway 101 as the corridor with the highest crash cost by a wide margin, followed by Encinitas Boulevard, North El Camino Real, Leucadia Boulevard, and Manchester Avenue. The most severe intersection was Encinitas Boulevard at Interstate 5, followed by Chesterfield Drive at South Coast Highway 101 in Cardiff.
By the state's measure, yes. The California Office of Traffic Safety ranks cities against others of similar population, with a rank of one being the worst. Encinitas ranked 2nd of 104 comparable cities in 2022 and 3rd of 103 in 2023 for bicyclists under 15 killed or injured, while ranking 89th and 86th for total injury crashes.
California sets the baseline. Class 3 e-bike riders must be at least 16, and riders under 18 must wear helmets on all classes. A 2024 state law also created a San Diego County pilot program allowing local jurisdictions to prohibit children under 12 from riding Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes. Not every city has adopted that restriction, so the rule depends on where the rider was when the incident occurred.
Even when a rider may have violated a rule, California's comparative-negligence law does not automatically bar a claim. Learn more about San Diego e-bike laws.
Compensation may include medical expenses, future care, lost earnings, reduced earning capacity, pain, emotional distress, physical limitations, and loss of enjoyment of life. A drunk driver's conduct may also support punitive damages, which are generally not available in an ordinary negligence case. Criminal charges against the driver do not replace the civil claim.
Encinitas contracts with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, so collisions in the city are generally handled by the Sheriff's North Coastal Station. Crashes on Interstate 5 are commonly handled by the California Highway Patrol. Requesting the report from the correct agency early can help preserve the initial account and identify witnesses.
Possibly, but not necessarily for the entire course of treatment. Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas has a 24-hour emergency department but is not one of the county's designated trauma centers. Patients identified as trauma candidates may be transported or transferred to the designated trauma center for that area, often Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla or Palomar Medical Center in Escondido.
Sometimes. The rail corridor runs through Encinitas, and a transit agency or other public entity may share responsibility when a crossing, warning system, pathway, or other public improvement contributes to an injury. Public-entity claims generally require a government claim within six months, so early investigation is important.
Depending on the circumstances, compensation may include past and future medical expenses, rehabilitation and attendant care, lost income, reduced earning capacity, pain, emotional distress, physical limitations, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Learn more about compensation for personal injury victims.
Hulburt Law Firm handles personal injury and wrongful death cases on a contingency-fee basis. You do not pay an hourly fee or upfront retainer. The attorney's fee is an agreed percentage of the recovery, and no attorney's fee is charged if there is no recovery.
Our firm also advances the costs needed to investigate and litigate the case. Read our complete explanation of contingency fees and case costs.
Contact an attorney as soon as reasonably possible after a serious injury. Surveillance video may be overwritten, vehicles and defective products may be repaired or destroyed, roadway conditions may change, and witnesses can become more difficult to locate.
Early investigation is especially important when a government entity may be responsible because the government-claim deadline is generally only six months.

Hulburt Law Firm represents seriously injured people and families throughout Encinitas, North County, and communities across San Diego County.
Simply fill out the form or call 619.821.0500 to receive a free case review. We’ll evaluate what happened, your injuries, and potential defendants to determine how we can best help you.