Chatsworth is home for this firm. The office sits at 9520 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Suite 102, between Devonshire Street and the 118, and most of the roads people call about are ones the attorney drives every week. A left turn across Topanga Canyon at dusk. A delivery truck backing out of a De Soto Avenue loading dock. A dog off leash near Stoney Point. When a client describes an intersection here, there is no need to look it up.
That proximity changes how a case gets built. At Manoukian Law Firm, the attorney who reads your records is the one who prepares the file as though it will be tried. If coming to the office is difficult, he meets clients at the hospital, or by phone and video instead.
What to do after an injury in Chatsworth
- Get medical attention the same day, even if you feel able to walk away. Delay is the single most common problem in an otherwise strong claim.
- Make sure a report is taken and write down the responding agency and the report number before anyone leaves the scene.
- Photograph everything: vehicle positions, the hazard, lighting, signage, skid marks and any nearby cameras.
- Ask the business or property owner in writing that week to preserve video. Many systems overwrite in days.
- Collect names and phone numbers for witnesses. Near the Metrolink station and along the industrial blocks, most people are passing through and will not be found later.
- File a DMV form SR-1 within ten days if anyone was injured or property damage exceeded $1,000, as Vehicle Code 16000 requires.
- Keep a short daily note about pain, missed work and activities you cannot do.
- Speak with an attorney before giving a recorded statement to any insurance company.
Injury cases we handle in Chatsworth
Car accident claims make up the largest share of the work here, and the ones on Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Devonshire Street usually turn on right of way and speed rather than anything exotic. What settles them is a clean record built early.
Chatsworth carries more commercial traffic than most Valley communities because of the warehouse and light industrial corridors near De Soto and Lassen. A truck accident case brings the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations into play, along with hours of service records, maintenance files and electronic logging device data. Those records have retention limits, so a written preservation demand goes out early rather than after a lawsuit is filed.
The 118 and the Santa Susana Pass draw riders, and a motorcycle accident claim often starts by correcting an assumption. Lane splitting is lawful in California under Vehicle Code 21658.1, and a rider who was splitting lawfully has not given up anything. On foot, pedestrian accident cases rest on Vehicle Code 21950, which requires drivers to yield in marked and unmarked crosswalks alike, a point that matters at the long unsignalized stretches near the Metrolink station.
Off the road, slip and fall claims in stores, lots and stairwells are decided on notice: whether the owner knew or should have known about the hazard, and whether it was repaired or warned about, under the duty of care described in Rowland v. Christian. Apartment complex injuries follow the same framework, with maintenance requests and prior complaints often doing the heavy lifting. In dog bite cases, Civil Code 3342 imposes strict liability on the owner when the injured person was lawfully in a public or private place, the bite is reported to the local health officer, and the dog is generally quarantined for ten days. Where a death has occurred, Code of Civil Procedure 377.60 sets out who may bring a wrongful death claim, with a separate survival action under section 377.30.
Where Chatsworth cases are handled
Collisions and incidents on Chatsworth surface streets are generally reported by the LAPD Devonshire Division. Crashes on the 118 itself are usually handled by the California Highway Patrol, which matters because the two agencies produce different reports on different timelines.
Emergency care generally means UCLA West Valley Medical Center (formerly West Hills Hospital and Medical Center) or Northridge Hospital Medical Center, both a short drive from most of the community. Whatever discharge paperwork you leave with, keep it. Records created in the first days carry more weight than a description written months later.
If a claim cannot be resolved and suit is filed, Chatsworth cases go to the Los Angeles Superior Court, and North Valley civil matters are generally handled at the Chatsworth Courthouse at 9425 Penfield Avenue, minutes from this office. Court assignments are set by the court and can change, so the filing location is confirmed case by case rather than assumed.
What the attorney sees most from Chatsworth
Ask the firm where Chatsworth clients get hurt and the answer is not the 118. It is the surface streets: Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Devonshire Street, Nordhoff Street and Roscoe Boulevard. The crashes fall into four groups. Left-turn and intersection collisions at the big signals, where one driver swears the light was green. Rear-end crashes in stop-and-go traffic near the freeway ramps, the shopping centers and the school zones. Pedestrians and cyclists hit in crosswalks. And parking lot and shopping center collisions, which insurers like to call minor and which are anything but when a hip or a back is involved.
Injured clients from Chatsworth most often end up at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Providence Holy Cross in Mission Hills, Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills, or Cedars-Sinai Tarzana. Their lawsuits are filed downtown at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse under the court’s Local Rule 2.3 and may later be transferred to the Chatsworth courthouse or Van Nuys. Most settle before trial. The ones that are filed take 12 to 24 months, and a client should expect to sit for a deposition and possibly a medical examination arranged by the defense. The firm has prepared many clients for both, and tells you what to expect well before the date.
Off the road, the two case types that come up most from the northwest Valley are falls at grocery and big-box stores and collisions with rideshare and delivery drivers. Both are covered on the slip and fall and rideshare pages.
Why work with Manoukian Law Firm
Manoukian Law Firm was founded by Vaheh Manoukian, a graduate of the USC Gould School of Law and UCLA who handled depositions and trials at a larger firm before opening his own. The firm belongs to the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and Consumer Attorneys of California, its founding attorney was selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for 2027.
Because the office is in Chatsworth, a scene can be visited while conditions are unchanged, documents can be signed in person, and a meeting can happen on short notice. Consultations are free, the firm works on a contingency fee, and there is no fee unless we win. The firm helps clients in English, Spanish and Armenian. There is more on the about page, and past matters are described on the case results page. Neighboring communities are covered on the Northridge and Porter Ranch pages.
Case results
Our client suffered catastrophic injuries after being struck by a commercial delivery driver who was on the job.
Our client developed ongoing neck pain after a multi-vehicle rear-end collision on the highway, requiring pain-management treatment. The case resolved for $400,000.
The other side valued our client's injuries at $5,000 to $10,000 and called it a “soft impact.” Our client was the third car struck in a chain-reaction collision. We filed suit and recovered $275,000.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to bring a claim in Chatsworth?
Generally two years from the date of injury under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. If a public entity is involved, such as a city street or sidewalk defect, a written claim is generally due within six months under Government Code 911.2, and a lawsuit deadline follows the rejection of that claim.
The other driver says I was partly at fault. Does that end my claim?
No. California follows pure comparative negligence after Li v. Yellow Cab, so a share of fault reduces recovery rather than barring it. Fault percentages are often argued from the physical evidence, which is another reason to document the scene early.
What if the driver who hit me had no insurance?
Your own policy may respond. California’s minimum liability limits have been 30/60/15 under Vehicle Code 16056 since January 1, 2025, and insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage under Insurance Code 11580.2. Those claims carry their own notice requirements, so the policy is worth reviewing right away.
Can I meet the attorney if I cannot drive?
Yes. Meetings can be held in the hospital, or by phone and video. The office on Topanga Canyon Boulevard is available whenever you are able to come in, and you can reach it through the contact page.
If you were injured in Chatsworth, call (818) 818-5031 for a free consultation. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless the firm recovers for you.
