Attorney Michael Rehm — (800) 978-0754
Personal Injury Cases in Lodi
Attorney Michael Rehm represents people injured in accidents throughout Lodi and the surrounding San Joaquin County area. Lodi sits on Highway 99 approximately 12 miles north of Stockton, at the center of one of California's most productive wine-producing regions. The Lodi AVA produces millions of cases of wine annually from the vineyards that extend across eastern San Joaquin County. That agricultural identity shapes the city's traffic patterns in ways that matter for personal injury cases: agricultural trucks moving between vineyards and processing facilities, harvest-season equipment on county roads, and delivery vehicles serving the wine industry all share roadways with commuters on Highway 99 and on Lodi's commercial arterials.
Lodi recorded 190 total fatal and injury crash victims in 2023, with 28 pedestrian victims — a pedestrian crash rate that ranks among the highest for California cities of comparable size. Source: California Office of Traffic Safety 2023 Crash Data. These numbers reflect conditions on the city's commercial corridors, where high-speed arterials, commercial activity, and pedestrian movement intersect without adequate infrastructure protection in several locations.
Where Cases Arise in Lodi
Highway 99 corridor. The primary source of serious crash cases in the Lodi area. Highway 99 carries significant commercial truck traffic as well as commuter and local traffic. Speed differentials between commercial vehicles and passenger cars, inadequate following distances at freeway speeds, and merging conflicts at the Lodi-area interchanges produce crashes that range from rear-end collisions to catastrophic multi-vehicle pile-ups.
Lodi Avenue and Cherokee Lane. The city's primary commercial arterials. Intersection crashes, pedestrian strikes, bicycle crashes, and commercial vehicle conflicts arise with regularity in these corridors. The combination of driveways, parking lot entries, and intersections at close intervals creates conditions where driver inattention produces predictable crashes.
Wine country roads. The rural roads serving Lodi's vineyards and wineries are often narrow, without shoulders, and shared by agricultural equipment, wine delivery trucks, and recreational cyclists simultaneously. Head-on crashes, run-off-road crashes, and bicycle crashes on these roads produce serious injuries in settings that are distant from trauma centers.
Downtown and residential streets. Pedestrian activity, bicycle commuting, and residential traffic on Lodi's grid street network produce the pedestrian and bicycle crash cases reflected in the OTS data. Inadequate crosswalk markings, insufficient signalization at key pedestrian crossings, and inattentive driving in residential zones contribute to the city's elevated pedestrian crash rate.
The Legal Framework
Every driver has a legal obligation under California Civil Code § 1714(a) to use ordinary care in the management of their vehicle. Vehicle Code violations that cause crashes establish negligence as a matter of law. Property owners have the same obligation with respect to their property. Government entities that own and maintain roads and public spaces are subject to liability for dangerous conditions under Government Code § 835, subject to a six-month government tort claim deadline under Government Code § 911.2.
A personal injury claim arising from a Lodi crash or incident must be filed within two years of the date of injury. Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. Where a government entity is a potential defendant, the six-month claims deadline controls and is the shorter deadline. Missing it bars the government entity claim regardless of the merits. Tolling doctrines may apply depending on the facts — contact Attorney Michael Rehm to assess the specific timeline in your case.
San Joaquin County Superior Court — Lodi Branch
Personal injury cases arising in Lodi are litigated in San Joaquin County Superior Court. The Lodi Courthouse is located at 315 W. Elm St., Lodi, CA 95240. Unlimited civil cases — those involving more than $35,000 in controversy — are handled at the main courthouse at 180 E. Weber Ave., Stockton, CA 95202. Most serious personal injury cases exceed the unlimited civil threshold and proceed at the Stockton courthouse. Court reporters are not provided in civil departments — parties must retain their own. Local Rule 3-102(J).
Cases Attorney Michael Rehm Handles in Lodi
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Hit-and-run and uninsured motorist claims
- Wrongful death
- Premises liability and slip and fall
- Catastrophic injuries
Related Pages
Attorney Michael Rehm handles personal injury cases throughout Lodi and San Joaquin County on a contingency fee basis. No fee without a recovery. Call (800) 978-0754 for a free consultation.
The information on this page is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts. The law can change — statutes are amended, cases are decided, and regulations are revised; nothing on this page should be relied upon as a statement of current law without verification. Deadlines and legal bars discussed on this page are general guides — whether a particular deadline applies, has run, or is subject to tolling, and whether a particular doctrine bars or limits recovery in your case, requires individual analysis. Contact Attorney Michael Rehm to discuss the specific facts of your situation.
Lodi Resources:
Lodi Police Department - Records Request
Adventist Health Lodi Memorial
Lodi Avenue Care Center - Sutter Health