Orange County concentrates a great deal of driving into a small area. The 5 and the 405 carry the county’s commuters and split around the middle of it, the 55, the 22, the 57 and the 91 connect the inland cities to the coast and to Los Angeles, and the 73 toll road adds a high speed alternative through the hills. Layer on Disneyland and Angel Stadium traffic in Anaheim, the dense street grid of Santa Ana, the office and campus traffic of Irvine, and the beach corridors through Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa, and you get collisions that range from a slow speed parking structure impact to a multi vehicle freeway event at full speed.
Manoukian Law Firm is a Southern California practice. Attorney Vaheh Manoukian represents injured people throughout the state, appears in Orange County courts, and meets Orange County clients by video, by phone or at their home rather than asking them to drive. He personally handles every case, from the first call through resolution, preparing each file as though it will be tried. Small firm access, big firm knowledge, and no case handed off to someone you have not met.
What to do after an injury in Orange County
- Get examined the same day. Symptoms from a freeway impact frequently appear the following morning, and a gap in treatment becomes an argument later.
- Confirm which agency responded, the city police department, the Sheriff’s Department or CHP, and write down the report number before leaving.
- Photograph vehicle positions, debris, skid marks, lane markings, signal phases and any nearby cameras.
- Ask in writing that week for any video to be preserved, whether it belongs to a resort, a store, a transit operator or a parking structure.
- Collect witness names and phone numbers at the scene. In a tourist area, many witnesses are visitors who will be gone the next day.
- If a public entity, a transit vehicle or a road condition was involved, note it immediately. The six month claim rule under Government Code 911.2 moves quickly.
- File a DMV form SR-1 within ten days if there was an injury or more than $1,000 in property damage, as Vehicle Code 16000 requires.
- Speak with an attorney before giving any recorded statement to an insurance company.
Injury cases we handle in Orange County
Car accident claims make up the largest share of the work. A collision on the 5 through Anaheim or on the 405 near the 55 raises questions of lane position, closing speed and chain reaction. A surface street case in Santa Ana or Garden Grove usually comes down to a left turn, a signal phase and two irreconcilable versions of the same few seconds.
Freight traffic on the 5, the 91 and the 57 makes truck accident claims a regular part of the practice. Those cases open up the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations: hours of service limits, maintenance and inspection history, and electronic logging device data that a carrier is only required to retain for a limited period. A written preservation demand goes out early so the record still exists when the case reaches it.
Tourist and event traffic puts a great many people on foot in Anaheim, around Angel Stadium and along the beach cities. Pedestrian accident claims rest on Vehicle Code 21950, which requires drivers to yield in marked and unmarked crosswalks. Coastal cycling on Pacific Coast Highway and inland routes through Irvine is constant, and a bicycle accident claim starts with Vehicle Code 21200, giving riders the rights and duties of drivers, and Vehicle Code 21760, requiring three feet of clearance when passing. Rented scooters are everywhere in Huntington Beach and around the campuses, and a scooter accident claim is governed by Vehicle Code 21221 and the sections that follow it.
Rideshare accident claims are common near the airport, the resort district and the nightlife areas, and the coverage available depends on the driver’s status under Public Utilities Code 5433, from a limited policy while the app is on with no ride to a one million dollar policy while en route to or carrying a passenger. Public transit follows a separate calendar, and a bus accident claim involving OCTA or a city vehicle is generally subject to a written claim within six months under Government Code 911.2.
Away from the road, slip and fall claims at the county’s malls, resorts and parking structures turn on notice: whether the owner knew or should have known about a hazard, and whether it was repaired or warned about, under the duty of care described in Rowland v. Christian. The resort and short term rental economy generates its own injuries, and hotel injury claims add the innkeeper’s duty toward guests to that analysis.
Where Orange County cases are handled
Most Orange County cities have their own police departments, including Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Orange and Garden Grove, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department serves several contract cities and unincorporated areas. Collisions on the 5, the 405, the 55, the 22, the 57, the 91 and the 73 are generally investigated by the California Highway Patrol.
Emergency care generally means UCI Medical Center in Orange, St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Hoag in Newport Beach, or Providence Mission Hospital in the south county, depending on where the injury happened. Keep every discharge instruction, imaging order and billing statement. Under Howell v. Hamilton Meats, recoverable medical damages are the amounts actually paid or owed.
If a claim cannot be resolved and a lawsuit becomes necessary, Orange County cases are filed in the Orange County Superior Court, and civil matters are generally heard at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. Assignments are set by the court and can change, so the filing location is confirmed for each case rather than assumed.
Why work with Manoukian Law Firm
Vaheh Manoukian earned his J.D. at the USC Gould School of Law, where he served in the Mediation Clinic and was published in the USC Business Law Digest, following a B.A. at UCLA. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2021, Bar number 333026, and is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Consumer Attorneys of California and the San Fernando Valley Bar Association. He was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2026, and the firm holds a 5.0 rating on Google.
For an Orange County client, the practical question is whether distance changes the service. It does not. The attorney appears in Orange County courts, handles the investigation and the correspondence himself, and meets clients by video, by phone or at their home or hospital room. The practical difference is that the person returning your call is the person who knows your file. Consultations are free, the firm works on a contingency fee, and there is no fee unless we recover for you. Calls are answered 24 hours a day in English, Spanish and Armenian. More background is on the about page, and past matters are described on the case results page. Cases in Los Angeles County are covered on the Los Angeles page.
Frequently asked questions
Which court would hear my Orange County case?
Civil matters arising in Orange County are generally filed in the Orange County Superior Court, and they are generally heard at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. The court sets the assignment, so it is confirmed in each case rather than promised in advance.
Your office is in the San Fernando Valley. How does that work for me?
Most of a case is handled by phone, video and email, and documents are signed electronically. The attorney travels to clients at home or in the hospital when meeting in person is easier, and appears in Orange County courts himself. You will not be handed to a local firm you did not choose.
An OCTA bus was involved in my crash. Is that different?
Yes. A transit agency is a government entity, so a written claim is generally due within six months under Government Code 911.2 rather than the usual two years, and the lawsuit deadline runs from the rejection of that claim. Onboard video is worth requesting in writing right away.
I was hurt at a resort or theme park. Who is responsible?
That depends on the condition that caused the injury and who controlled it, which can involve the property owner, an operator or a maintenance contractor. Premises cases turn on notice of the hazard and what was done about it, and incident reports and video are requested early. You can start through the contact page.
If you were injured anywhere in Orange County, call (818) 818-5031 for a free consultation. The phone is answered 24/7, you will speak directly with the attorney who would handle your case, and there is no fee unless we recover for you.
