Pacoima carries a mix of traffic that few Valley communities do. Dense residential blocks sit alongside industrial yards, truck routes and Whiteman Airport, and the 5, the 118 and the 210 all border or cross the area. Van Nuys Boulevard runs through the center as a commercial spine, Laurel Canyon and Glenoaks carry heavy through traffic, and Paxton Street serves the industrial blocks with vehicles wider, heavier and slower to stop than the cars around them. The collisions that follow are predictable: trucks turning across a boulevard, drivers pulling out of a yard entrance, and people struck walking to a bus stop where signals are far apart.
Manoukian Law Firm is about twenty minutes southwest, on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth. Attorney Vaheh Manoukian personally handles each case, from the first phone call through resolution, preparing every file as though it will be tried. Small firm access, big firm knowledge, with no case passed to someone you have never met.
What to do after an injury in Pacoima
- Get examined the same day. Symptoms from a heavy-vehicle impact often surface a day later, and a treatment gap is used against the claim.
- Confirm which agency responded, LAPD or CHP, and write down the report number before you leave the scene.
- Photograph vehicle positions, debris, lane markings, signal phases and any company name or number on the side of a commercial vehicle.
- Ask in writing that week for video to be preserved, whether it belongs to a market, an industrial yard, a bus operator or an apartment building.
- Collect witness names and phone numbers at the scene, including anyone working nearby who saw it happen.
- If a transit vehicle, a city vehicle or a public agency was involved, note it immediately. The six-month claim rule moves quickly.
- File a DMV form SR-1 within ten days if anyone was injured or property damage exceeded $1,000, as Vehicle Code 16000 requires.
- Speak with an attorney before giving a recorded statement to any insurance company.
Injury cases we handle in Pacoima
Truck accident claims deserve their own attention here because of the industrial traffic on Paxton and San Fernando Road. A commercial case opens 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 keep for a limited period. A written preservation demand goes out early, and commercial policies generally carry higher limits than a private auto policy.
Car accident claims on Van Nuys Boulevard and Glenoaks usually turn on a left turn, a lane change or an entry from a driveway, and on evidence that disappears quickly: signal timing, vehicle positions and sight lines blocked by parked trucks. California follows pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab, so a share of responsibility reduces a recovery rather than ending it.
Pedestrian accident cases rely on Vehicle Code 21950, which requires drivers to yield in marked and unmarked crosswalks, a rule tested daily where the nearest signal is blocks away. Bicycle accident claims follow Vehicle Code 21200, which gives riders the rights and duties of drivers, and Vehicle Code 21760, the three-foot passing rule. Motorcycle accident claims start from the fact that lane splitting is lawful under Vehicle Code 21658.1.
Transit buses run these corridors all day, and bus accident claims usually involve a public agency. That changes the calendar entirely: a written government claim is generally due within six months under Government Code 911.2 rather than the usual two years, and onboard video is worth requesting in writing immediately.
Away from the road, slip and fall claims in the markets, shopping centers and parking lots along Van Nuys Boulevard 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. The same analysis governs apartment complex injuries off Glenoaks and Laurel Canyon.
Where Pacoima cases are handled
Collisions on Pacoima surface streets are generally reported by the LAPD Foothill Division. Crashes on the 5, the 118 and the 210 are usually investigated by the California Highway Patrol. The two agencies release reports on different timelines, and each is requested separately.
Emergency care generally means Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills or Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar. 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, Pacoima cases go to the Los Angeles Superior Court, and north Valley civil matters are generally handled at the San Fernando Courthouse. 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 belongs to 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.
The practical difference is that your calls are returned by the person who knows the file. The firm works in Spanish as well as English and Armenian, and calls are answered 24 hours a day. Meetings can happen at the Chatsworth office, at your home, in the hospital, or by phone and video. Consultations are free, the firm works on a contingency fee, and there is no fee unless we recover for you. More background is on the about page, and past matters appear on the case results page. Neighboring areas are covered on the San Fernando and Sun Valley pages.
Frequently asked questions
A commercial truck hit me on Paxton Street. What happens first?
The early work is preservation. Carriers keep driver logs, electronic logging device data, inspection records and dispatch information under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, but only for limited periods, so a written demand goes out to the company and its insurer quickly. Those records often explain a collision better than the scene photographs do.
The driver who hit me was uninsured. Is there anything to do?
Often, yes. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage must be offered under Insurance Code 11580.2, and many drivers carry it without realizing it. That claim is made against your own insurer and has its own notice requirements and deadlines, which is why it is worth reviewing the policy early.
I only speak Spanish. Can the firm handle my case?
Yes. The firm works in Spanish, and calls are answered around the clock. Documents, medical records and the steps in the case are explained in the language you are comfortable using.
What does a case like this cost me?
Nothing up front. The firm advances the costs of investigating and preparing the case and is paid a contingency fee only out of a recovery. The consultation is free whether or not you hire the firm, and you can reach it through the contact page.
If you were injured in Pacoima, 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.
