The City of San Fernando is its own city, not a Los Angeles neighborhood, and that fact shapes how a claim here is built. It is a compact grid with its own police department, ringed by the 5, the 118 and the 210, and crossed by streets carrying far more traffic than their width suggests. Truman Street, Maclay Avenue, Glenoaks Boulevard and San Fernando Road move commuters, delivery trucks and local shoppers through the same intersections, and the collisions that follow tend to involve a turn across traffic, a driver leaving a parking space, or someone crossing mid-block.
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 handed off to someone you have never met.
What to do after an injury in San Fernando
- Get examined the same day. A gap before the first medical visit is used later to question whether the injury came from the crash.
- Confirm which agency responded, San Fernando Police or CHP, and write down the report number before you leave.
- Photograph vehicle positions, debris, lane markings, signal phases and the storefronts around the intersection.
- Ask in writing that week for any video to be preserved. Small businesses often overwrite their systems within days.
- Collect witness names and phone numbers at the scene rather than hoping the report captured them.
- If a city vehicle, a public agency or a dangerous street condition 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 San Fernando
Car accident claims are the core of the work here. Intersection collisions on Truman and Maclay usually come down to signal timing, sight lines and who entered first, and those details fade fast. California follows pure comparative negligence after Li v. Yellow Cab, so even a driver who carries part of the responsibility can recover, reduced by that share.
Truck and delivery traffic uses San Fernando Road and the industrial blocks along it constantly. A truck accident case brings in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations: hours of service limits, maintenance and inspection records, and electronic logging data that a carrier is only required to keep for a limited period. A written preservation demand goes out early so the information survives.
The city’s downtown blocks are walkable, and people are hurt crossing them. Pedestrian accident cases rest on Vehicle Code 21950, which requires drivers to yield in marked and unmarked crosswalks, and an unmarked crosswalk exists at many intersections with no paint at all. 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 begin with the fact that lane splitting is lawful under Vehicle Code 21658.1.
Away from traffic, slip and fall claims in the markets and parking lots along Truman 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. Dog bite claims work differently from most injury cases, because Civil Code 3342 makes an owner strictly liable when the person bitten was lawfully in a public or private place. A bite is reported to the local health officer and the dog is generally quarantined for ten days.
Where San Fernando cases are handled
San Fernando has its own police force. Collisions on city streets are generally reported by the San Fernando Police Department rather than the LAPD, a difference worth knowing when you request a report. Crashes on the 5, the 118 and the 210 are usually investigated by the California Highway Patrol.
Emergency care generally means Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in nearby Mission Hills. Keep every discharge instruction, imaging order and billing statement. Under Howell v. Hamilton Meats, medical damages are the amounts actually paid or owed, which makes the billing paperwork part of the evidence.
If a claim cannot be resolved and a lawsuit becomes necessary, San Fernando 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, so a family can explain what happened in the language they are comfortable in, 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 Sylmar and Pacoima pages.
Frequently asked questions
San Fernando has its own police department. Does that matter to my claim?
For the report, yes. A collision on a city street here is generally handled by the San Fernando Police Department rather than the LAPD, while freeway crashes nearby usually go to the California Highway Patrol. Requesting from the wrong agency costs weeks.
I was hurt in a crash with a city vehicle. What is the deadline?
Claims against a public entity are on a much shorter clock. A written government claim is generally due within six months under Government Code 911.2, and a lawsuit deadline follows the rejection of that claim, rather than the two years that applies to ordinary claims under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1.
A dog bit me on the sidewalk. Do I have to prove the owner was careless?
Generally no. Civil Code 3342 imposes strict liability on the owner when the bite happens in a public place or where the person was lawfully present, so there is no need to show the dog had bitten before. The bite should be reported to the local health officer, and the dog is generally quarantined for ten days.
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 San Fernando, 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.
