Ventura Boulevard is the reason most Sherman Oaks calls sound alike at the start. It is a long commercial street with driveways every few hundred feet, cars pulling out of valet stands and diagonal parking, pedestrians crossing mid-block toward a restaurant, and a steady flow of traffic that never quite clears. Add the 101 and 405 interchange at the south end of the community, where two of the busiest freeways in the country cross, and the range of collisions here runs from a five mile per hour parking incident to a serious freeway impact.
Manoukian Law Firm works these cases from an office on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth, roughly twenty five minutes northwest. Direct access to the attorney is the point. Attorney Vaheh Manoukian takes the intake call, reads the medical records, and prepares each file as though it will be tried, so nothing about your case gets summarized to you secondhand.
What to do after an injury in Sherman Oaks
- Get evaluated the same day, even after a low speed parking lot impact. Neck and back symptoms rarely arrive on schedule.
- Note which agency responded, LAPD or CHP, and record the report number before leaving the scene.
- Photograph the scene widely and closely: vehicle positions, the hazard, lighting, signage, and the storefront or garage level you were on.
- Ask the property manager or business in writing that week to preserve surveillance video. Garage systems commonly overwrite within days.
- Get names and phone numbers from witnesses. On Ventura Boulevard almost everyone is a stranger passing through.
- Save receipts and any valet or parking ticket, which can establish time and location precisely.
- File a DMV form SR-1 within ten days if anyone was injured or property damage exceeded $1,000, as Vehicle Code 16000 requires.
- Talk to an attorney before giving a recorded statement to any insurance company.
Injury cases we handle in Sherman Oaks
Car accident claims here split into two categories. Boulevard collisions are usually about a turn, a driveway or a lane change, and they hinge on sightlines and signal timing. Interchange collisions on the 101 and 405 connectors are about speed and lane position, and they need the physical evidence gathered before the vehicles are repaired or sold.
The parking structures at the Sherman Oaks Galleria and Westfield Fashion Square produce a steady share of injuries that never touch a public street. Low speed backing collisions, dark stairwells, wet floors near entrances and poorly marked ramps all come back to the same question in a slip and fall case: 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. Garage video is the strongest evidence in these cases and often the first thing to disappear.
Because so much of the walking here is between a car and a storefront, pedestrian accident claims are common. Vehicle Code 21950 requires drivers to yield in marked and unmarked crosswalks, and unmarked crossings at Ventura Boulevard side streets are exactly where drivers assume otherwise. Restaurant and nightlife traffic also makes rideshare accident claims frequent, where available coverage depends on the driver’s period under Public Utilities Code 5433, reaching a one million dollar policy while a passenger is on board.
Motorcycle accident cases on Sepulveda Boulevard and the interchange begin from the fact that lane splitting is lawful under Vehicle Code 21658.1. Head injuries deserve separate attention in any of these cases, because the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury often surface days later and are easy to dismiss as fatigue. Where an injury proves fatal, Code of Civil Procedure 377.60 identifies who may bring a wrongful death claim, with a separate survival action under section 377.30.
Where Sherman Oaks cases are handled
Collisions on Sherman Oaks surface streets, including Ventura Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard, are generally reported by the LAPD Van Nuys Division. Crashes on the 101 and 405, including the interchange itself, are usually investigated by the California Highway Patrol, and that report is requested separately and on its own schedule.
Sherman Oaks Hospital handles much of the emergency care for the community. Keep the discharge paperwork, imaging orders and follow-up referrals. Consistent treatment from the first week forward is what makes a medical record persuasive, and gaps in care are the most common weakness in an otherwise clear claim.
If a case is filed, Sherman Oaks matters go to the Los Angeles Superior Court and many Valley civil cases are generally handled at the Van Nuys Courthouse on Sylmar Avenue. Assignments are set by the court and can change, so the filing location is verified 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, after 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 continuity. One attorney knows the file from the intake call through resolution, which shows up in how quickly evidence gets preserved and how carefully the medical record is put together. Meetings can be held at the Chatsworth office, at your home, at 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. Calls are answered 24 hours a day in English, Spanish and Armenian. There is more on the about page, and past matters are described on the case results page. Nearby communities are covered on the Van Nuys and Encino pages.
Frequently asked questions
I was hurt in a mall parking structure. Is that a real claim?
It can be. A parking structure is private property, and the owner owes a duty of reasonable care under Rowland v. Christian. The case usually comes down to notice of the hazard and to whether the video still exists, which is why a written preservation request in the first week matters so much.
How long do I have to file?
Generally two years from the date of injury under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. If a public entity is involved, a written claim is generally due within six months under Government Code 911.2, and a lawsuit deadline follows the rejection of that claim.
Will my own share of fault stop my recovery?
No. California applies pure comparative negligence following Li v. Yellow Cab, so a percentage of fault reduces the recovery rather than eliminating it. Insurance companies often assign fault generously to the injured person, which the evidence can answer.
What can be recovered?
Medical expenses in the amounts actually paid or owed, following Howell v. Hamilton Meats, along with lost income, reduced earning capacity, future treatment costs, and non-economic losses such as pain and the activities you can no longer do. A responsible estimate comes after the records are gathered, not before, and you can start that conversation through the contact page.
If you were injured in Sherman Oaks, call (818) 818-5031 for a free consultation. The phone is answered 24/7, you will speak with the attorney who would handle your case, and there is no fee unless we recover for you.
