Few places in the San Fernando Valley move as much traffic through as small an area as Van Nuys. The 405 and the 101 meet here, and the overflow lands on Sepulveda Boulevard, Victory Boulevard, Roscoe Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard, where commuters, delivery vans, buses and airport traffic share the same signals all day. A collision on the interchange during a backup is rarely a simple two-car event, and the crashes on the boulevards below it often involve a left turn, a lane change and three different accounts of what happened.
Manoukian Law Firm is about twenty minutes northwest, on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth. Attorney Vaheh Manoukian personally handles each case, from the first phone call through resolution, preparing every file as if it will be tried. The person you speak with at the first call is the person who prepares the case, and no file is handed off to someone you have not met.
What to do after an injury in Van Nuys
- Get examined the same day. On a freeway case especially, adrenaline hides symptoms that show up the next morning.
- Confirm which agency responded, LAPD or CHP, and write down the report number before leaving.
- Photograph vehicle positions, debris, lane markings, signal timing and any surrounding cameras. Businesses along these boulevards usually have exterior video.
- Ask in writing that week for any video to be preserved, whether it belongs to a store, a bus operator or a parking structure.
- Get witness names and numbers at the scene. On a commuter corridor, no one will be findable a week later.
- If a public agency or transit vehicle was involved, note it immediately. The six-month claim rule 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 Van Nuys
Car accident claims dominate here, and the ones that begin on the 405 and 101 connectors need different evidence than a surface street case. Freeway collisions turn on lane position, closing speed and chain reactions, so vehicle damage patterns, dashcam footage and the CHP report do most of the work.
Commercial traffic is constant along Roscoe and Sepulveda, and a truck accident case opens up the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations: hours of service limits, maintenance 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 so that data still exists when it is needed.
Van Nuys Boulevard and Sepulveda are heavily used transit corridors. Bus accident claims frequently involve a public agency, and that changes the calendar completely: a written government claim is generally due within six months under Government Code 911.2 rather than the usual two years. Rideshare accident claims are common near the airport and the courthouse, and the coverage available depends on the driver’s period under Public Utilities Code 5433, from 50/100/30 with the app on and no ride, to a one million dollar policy while en route or carrying a passenger.
People outside vehicles are hurt here often. Pedestrian accident cases rely on Vehicle Code 21950, which requires drivers to yield in marked and unmarked crosswalks, and the wide boulevards with long gaps between signals are exactly where that rule is tested. Motorcycle accident claims begin with the fact that lane splitting is lawful under Vehicle Code 21658.1, which matters on a stalled 405.
Away from the road, slip and fall claims in the shopping centers and garages along Victory and Sepulveda are decided on notice: whether the owner knew or should have known about the hazard, and whether it was fixed or warned about, under the duty of care described in Rowland v. Christian. Apartment complex injuries in the dense residential blocks off Vanowen and Sherman Way follow the same analysis, usually with a paper trail of prior complaints.
Where Van Nuys cases are handled
Collisions on Van Nuys surface streets are generally reported by the LAPD Van Nuys Division. Crashes on the 405 and the 101, including the interchange, are usually handled by the California Highway Patrol. The two reports come on different timelines and are requested separately.
Emergency care generally means Valley Presbyterian Hospital, with Sherman Oaks Hospital nearby to the south. Keep every discharge instruction, imaging order and billing statement. The medical record built in the first two weeks tends to matter more than anything reconstructed later.
If a claim cannot be resolved and a lawsuit becomes necessary, Van Nuys cases go to the Los Angeles Superior Court, and many Valley civil matters are generally handled at the Van Nuys Courthouse at 6230 Sylmar Avenue. 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.
The practical difference is that your calls are returned by the person who knows the file. Meetings can happen at the Chatsworth office, at your home, in the hospital, or by phone and video if travel is hard. 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. Nearby communities are covered on the Sherman Oaks page.
Frequently asked questions
A city bus was involved in my crash. Is that different?
Yes. Public transit agencies are government entities, so 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 vehicle also carries onboard video that is worth requesting in writing immediately.
The collision happened on the 405. Who wrote the report?
Freeway collisions are generally investigated by the California Highway Patrol rather than the LAPD. The report takes time to become available, and the narrative in it is one piece of evidence rather than the last word on fault.
I was hurt as an Uber passenger. Which policy pays?
It depends on what the driver was doing. Under Public Utilities Code 5433, a driver carrying a passenger or en route to one is covered by a one million dollar liability policy, and since January 1, 2026, uninsured and underinsured coverage during a trip is $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident.
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 Van Nuys, 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.
