Personal injury lawyer in Glendale

Our office is at 701 N Brand Blvd #840 in Glendale. This page collects the offices, deadlines and local data that matter to an injury in Glendale specifically. For how injury claims work in general, see our personal injury practice page. The county-wide rules are on our page on the personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles County. To learn more about the firm, visit about Glendale Law. You can also read the profile of attorney Avo Nalbandian.

What happens after an injury in Glendale, step by step?

1. Get care and make sure the right agency takes a report. On Glendale's city streets, that is generally the Glendale Police Department. On the freeways through the city, such as State Route 134 and the Glendale Freeway, and in unincorporated La Crescenta, it is generally the California Highway Patrol's Altadena Area office.
2. Report the crash to the DMV if required. The DMV says an SR-1 must reach it within 10 days if anyone was injured, however minor, or killed, or property damage is over $1,000.
3. Get the report. The Glendale Police Department sells most traffic accident reports online through LexisNexis, in English or Spanish, and also provides them at the Records Bureau counter. A CHP report comes from the Area office, not the CHP's Glendale headquarters.
4. If the city may be responsible, file a claim within six months. A city vehicle, sidewalk or other city property requires a written claim to the City Clerk's Office before any lawsuit (Government Code section 911.2).
5. If the city rejects the claim, watch the next deadline. A lawsuit generally must be filed within six months after written notice of the rejection (Government Code section 945.6).
6. Against a private driver or owner, the general limit is two years. Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 sets that period for injury lawsuits, and the case is filed according to where the injury happened.

How do I get a Glendale police collision report?

The Glendale Police Department's Traffic and Parking page explains that most of its traffic accident reports can be bought online through LexisNexis, or obtained in person at the Records Bureau public counter, which is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., excluding holidays. A few points from that page are worth knowing:

• Allow at least seven days after the collision before looking for the report online.
• Reports that need a criminal investigation by the department's Traffic Bureau, such as hit and run crashes or collisions with a fatality, may be delayed or not available online.
• Questions about those reports go to the Records Bureau at (818) 548-3135.
• For help finding a report online, the department points to the LexisNexis eCrash Help Desk at 1-866-215-2771.

The report is usually the first document an insurer asks for. Our checklist of what to do after a car crash in Glendale covers the reports owed to police and the DMV.

Who handles crashes on the freeways through Glendale?

Generally the California Highway Patrol. The CHP's Southern Division headquarters is in Glendale, at 411 N. Central Avenue, and has been based in the city for about three decades, but its page explains that it is an administrative office not open to the public, and that requests for reports must be made at an Area office. The Altadena Area office patrols about 400 square miles, including State Route 134, portions of Interstates 5 and 210, and State Route 2, which includes the Glendale Freeway, as well as unincorporated communities such as La Crescenta. Its office hours are weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The CHP's Central Los Angeles Area also patrols State Route 2 closer to downtown.

What if the City of Glendale may be responsible?

If a city vehicle, a city sidewalk or other city property played a part, a written claim must be presented to the city before any lawsuit. The City of Glendale's claim form says claims for personal injury or property damage must be filed no later than six months after the occurrence, and directs claimants to deliver or mail the signed original to:

The form warns that presenting a false claim is a felony. Our page on claims against Glendale, Los Angeles County or the state explains what happens after the claim is filed, including late-claim requests.

Which of our guides fit my injury?

These guides answer the next questions people in Glendale usually have:

• An uninsured or fleeing driver is covered in hit and run or uninsured driver claims.
• Policy limits are explained in California's minimum insurance rules.
• A car that cannot be repaired is covered in how a total loss is valued.
• Dog attacks are covered in dog bite responsibility in California.
• A family's claims after a death are covered in wrongful death and survival claims.
• Getting ready for a meeting is covered in what to bring to a consultation.

What do the crash numbers show for Glendale?

The California Office of Traffic Safety ranks each city against others of similar size; Glendale is in Group B, cities of 100,001 to 250,000 people, and a rank of 1 is the highest, or worst, of the 62 cities in that group for 2023.

Overall, Glendale's total ranked 53rd of 62, so most cities its size had worse results, but injuries to older pedestrians stand out: only one Group B city ranked higher in that category in 2023. The Office of Traffic Safety counts only crashes reported in incorporated cities, and a CHP report on a road where the CHP shares jurisdiction does not count against the city. It also cautions that rankings are indicators of potential problems, not findings about any single crash.

What changes the answer?

Whether the crash was on a city street or a freeway

The agency that took the report decides where you ask for it: the Glendale Police Department's Records Bureau or LexisNexis for city streets, and the CHP Area office for freeways. The CHP's own page is the source for which Area covers which routes.

Whether the city may share responsibility

Government Code section 911.2 sets the six-month deadline for an injury claim against a public entity, and the city's form repeats it. If that date is missed, an application to present a late claim may be made within a reasonable time not to exceed one year, stating the reason for the delay (Government Code section 911.4).

Whether the injury happened just outside the city

In unincorporated La Crescenta, the CHP's Altadena Area handles crashes, and a claim against the county goes to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors rather than to Glendale's City Clerk. Our county page lists each claim office.

Whether it was a hit and run or a fatal crash

The police department warns that these reports may be delayed or unavailable online because they need a criminal investigation. Uninsured motorist claims carry their own reporting rules, and death cases follow separate rules for who may sue.

Where a lawsuit would be filed

The Superior Court's filing location form, LASC CIV 109, ties auto, premises and other injury cases to the location where the injury occurred, with class actions going to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. The court's directory lists the Glendale Courthouse at 600 East Broadway; our page on what to expect at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse explains the early deadlines once a civil case is filed.

A worked example

For example, imagine a hypothetical 72-year-old pedestrian who is hit by a turning car while crossing at a signal on a Glendale street in March 2026. The driver stops, Glendale police respond, and the pedestrian later notices that the walk signal at that corner had not been working for weeks.

Several local rules apply. The collision report comes from the Glendale Police Department, online after at least seven days or at the Records Bureau counter. The driver's insurance is the first route for the injuries, with two years as the general deadline to sue. If the broken signal belongs to the city, a written claim to the City Clerk's Office is due within six months of the crash, on the city's form, with the exact location and the reason the city is responsible. Whether the city shares any fault depends on facts that would need investigation, and none of these steps predicts the result.

Common mistakes after an injury in Glendale

• Going to the CHP headquarters on Central Avenue for a report. It is an administrative office; the Area office that handled the crash provides reports.
• Searching for the police report too early. Allow at least seven days before looking online.
• Missing the six-month city deadline. The two-year period for private claims does not apply to the claim against the city.
• Leaving out the exact location. The city's form asks for the exact address or cross streets, and the courthouse depends on where the injury happened.
• Signing only one page of the claim form. Both pages must be signed and dated.

What to do this week

1. Write down the exact location, with cross streets, and the date and time.
2. Note which agency responded, and the report number if you have one.
3. Confirm that an SR-1 has gone to the DMV within 10 days if a vehicle was involved.
4. Photograph the scene, including any broken signal, sidewalk or sign, before it is repaired.
5. If city property played a part, mark the six-month claim date on a calendar.
6. Keep medical records, bills and insurer letters together, and talk to a lawyer before signing a release.

Frequently asked questions

How long until my Glendale police report is ready?

The department says to allow at least seven days before trying to buy it online. Reports for hit and run or fatal collisions may take longer or may not be available online.

Where is the City of Glendale's claim office?

At the City Clerk's Office, 613 E. Broadway, Room 110, Glendale, CA 91206-4394. The office takes questions at (818) 548-2090.

Does the CHP or Glendale police handle a crash on the 134?

The CHP's Altadena Area office lists State Route 134 among the routes it patrols. Request the report from that Area office.

How do Glendale's crash numbers compare with nearby cities?

In 2023, Glendale ranked 53rd of 62 similar-size cities for total victims, while Pasadena ranked 7th and Burbank 17th. For pedestrians 65 and older, Glendale ranked 2nd and Pasadena 1st.

Can I file the city claim by email?

The city's form says to return the original signed claim to the City Clerk's Office in person or by mail. Keep a copy of everything you send.

I was hurt in La Crescenta. Does the Glendale claim office apply?

Not if the county is responsible. La Crescenta is unincorporated, so county claims go to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors at 500 W. Temple Street, Room 383.

How can Glendale Law help?

We represent injured people in Glendale and throughout Los Angeles County, starting with the reports, claims and deadlines that apply here. For work-related questions in the city, see our page on the employment lawyer in Glendale. Call (818) 244-9000 or request a consultation. Our practice areas overview lists the other kinds of cases the firm handles.