Erika Contreras

Personal Injury

Los Angeles

Erika Contreras is a seasoned personal injury attorney with more than 15 years of experience in handling wrongful death motor carrier liability cases.

"I was drawn to this practice because you are dealing with real people who are going through a difficult situation," she said. "You have an opportunity to really make a difference in their life."

As lead counsel, last October, she obtained a $5 million settlement for the wrongful death of Prisco Aviles who was tragically killed when a poorly placed, designed and maintained swing arm metal gate crashed through the front windshield of his work truck - impaling him - while he was driving through the Niguel Shores Community neighborhood.

"Aviles was important to me because it involved a father, a husband and a beloved family member who died leaving behind his loved ones," Contreras said. "Because the only witness to the incident died, it took a lot of piecing together to figure out how exactly the incident happened."

She also helped successfully secure an $8 million settlement for a young woman who suffered severe injuries due to a collision with a speeding police cruiser. Justyce Chavez v. City of Los Angeles, 21STCV33770 (L.A. Sup. Ct., filed Sept. 13, 2021).

"Because of her young age, she was able to recover to some extent from her injuries," Contreras said. "It was important for us to communicate how injured she still was and not allow Defendant to throw away her injuries and damages because of her young age."

Contreras and colleague Robert Glassman obtained a $15,750,000 wrongful death settlement against the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District for the mother of 13-year-old Adilene Carrasco, an eighth-grade student who died from an asthma attack at school. This is believed to be the largest asthma-related death settlement in California history. Edith Sepulveda v. Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, CIVDS2016435 (San Bern. Sup. Ct., filed July 30, 2020).

"What was tragic about this incident is Adeline was at school where she is supposed to be serviced by trained adults when she had her medical emergency," Contreras said. "As discovery progressed, it was clear the school staff failed her on so many different levels. As a mother of four, I can't imagine losing a child. That's why it was important to ensure that this situation never happened again. As part of the settlement, the school district approved non-economic terms that included additional training, policies and procedures to ensure the safety of the students."

Outside of her caseload, Contreras regularly volunteers for career days at various inner city elementary schools and is the Southern California Membership Chair for the Consumer Attorneys of California's Diversity and Inclusion Committee.