Glendale Personal Injury Lawyer
Personal Injury Attorney Glendale
You were driving home on the 134, crossing Brand Boulevard, or walking through a parking structure, and someone else’s carelessness put you in an emergency room. Now there are bills, time off work, and an adjuster calling. If you are looking for a personal injury lawyer in Glendale, Ravan Law represents people seriously hurt on Glendale’s freeways, downtown streets, buses, and public property.
Glendale is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, and it runs its own police department, its own bus system, and its own water and power utility. When one of them is involved in your injury, your claim is against the City of Glendale, and the City has its own form and its own filing office.
We represent clients in Glendale from our office on San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles, and we meet by phone or video. Call (424) 465-2500 for a free consultation. Information is available in Spanish.
Glendale Personal Injury Attorney: How We Work With You
An injury case turns on details gathered early: where it happened, who owns that spot, what was recorded, and who saw it. We collect them while they still exist.
- We find the right defendant. A freeway, a city street, a Beeline bus, and a shopping center each belong to someone different.
- We protect the deadline. If a public agency is involved, a written claim is due in six months. We calendar it on day one.
- We keep you informed. You work with us directly, and we answer your questions at every stage.
- We work on contingency. No fee unless we win, and the consultation is free.
Ted H. Ravan, a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, studied political science at UC San Diego and earned his law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he gave more than 100 volunteer hours to the campus free legal clinic. Read more about attorney Ted H. Ravan.
Where Serious Crashes Happen: What a Glendale Accident Attorney Should Know
The City describes itself as sitting at the center of four major freeways.
- I-5 (the Golden State Freeway), a freight corridor as well as a commuter route.
- SR-134 (the Ventura Freeway), the link toward Burbank and Pasadena.
- SR-2 (the Glendale Freeway), which meets the SR-134 inside the city.
- I-210 (the Foothill Freeway), along the city’s northern edge.
- Brand Boulevard, the main street of downtown Glendale.
- The Glendale Galleria on West Broadway and the Americana at Brand on Americana Way, two large shopping centers with garages, driveways, and crosswalks.
- The Glendale Metrolink station on West Cerritos Avenue, served by the Antelope Valley and Ventura County lines.
All four freeways are state highways. Surface streets, signals, and sidewalks belong to the City of Glendale. The shopping centers are private property, which means a private owner and a private insurer.
After a crash on a city street, the Glendale Police Department responds, and its Traffic Bureau handles the investigations that need one, including hit-and-run and fatal collisions. Collision reports come from the department’s Records Bureau. On the freeways, the California Highway Patrol takes the report. We request the report, and meanwhile we go after the video and the witnesses.
Glendale Personal Injury Cases We Handle
What happened to you decides which rules apply. As your Glendale personal injury lawyer, we sort that out before we send a single letter. See the full list of claims we handle.
Car Accidents: What a Glendale Car Accident Lawyer Does First
Downtown Glendale mixes through traffic with drivers turning into garages and people on foot. Freeway crashes happen at higher speeds. In both settings, our first job is to prove fault: we look for traffic and business camera footage, vehicle data, photographs, and independent witnesses.
You do not lose your claim because you made a mistake too. Under California’s pure comparative fault rule, your compensation is reduced by your share of fault and no more. Someone found 30 percent responsible for a $150,000 loss still recovers $105,000.
The at-fault driver may carry only the state minimum, which SB 1107 set at $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident starting January 1, 2025. If your injuries cost more than that, we look to your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and any other responsible party.
Read more about car accident claims, who is at fault in a car accident, and what happens when an uninsured driver hits you.
Truck Accidents on the I-5
A truck case is built on records a car case does not have: driver logs, electronic logging device data, driver qualification files, and maintenance history, all required by federal rules. We demand in writing that the carrier preserve them. Several companies may share responsibility, and Proposition 51 (Civil Code 1431.2) makes each pay non-economic damages only for its own share of fault, so we pursue each of them. Read more about truck accident claims and how driver fatigue shapes a truck case.
Beeline Bus, Metro, and Metrolink Injuries
The Beeline is Glendale’s own bus service, with routes that connect riders to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the City of Burbank, and the Metrolink stations in Burbank and Glendale. A passenger thrown down by a hard stop, a pedestrian struck by a turning bus, or a driver hit by one has a claim against the City of Glendale.
Metro buses also run through the city, and they belong to LA Metro. Metrolink trains are run by a separate regional rail agency. We confirm the operator before we file. Read more about claims against LA Metro.
Uber and Lyft Accidents
Pickups and drop-offs cluster around the Americana, the Galleria, and the Metrolink station. Under Public Utilities Code 5433, coverage depends on the driver’s app status. SB 371, effective January 1, 2026, cut passenger UM/UIM coverage to $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident:
| Driver status | Coverage |
|---|---|
| App off | The driver’s personal auto insurance only |
| App on, no ride accepted | $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for bodily injury, $30,000 property damage, plus a $200,000 excess policy |
| Ride accepted | $1,000,000 third-party liability when the rideshare driver is at fault |
| Passenger in the vehicle | Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident |
Read more about Uber and Lyft claims and what happens if a rideshare driver hits you as a pedestrian or cyclist.
Slip and Fall Injuries at Shopping Centers, Stores, and Apartments
The Galleria and the Americana are privately owned, so a fall there is a premises liability claim against the owner or a tenant, with no government claim required. The question is notice. Did the owner know about the spill or the broken step, or would a reasonable inspection have found it? Security video and cleaning logs answer that, so we send a preservation demand right away.
A fall on a Glendale sidewalk, in a city park, or in a city building is a different case. Government Code 835 governs dangerous conditions of public property, and the six-month deadline applies. Read more about slip and fall claims and who is liable for a sidewalk injury.
Dog Bites
California does not give a dog a free first bite. Under Civil Code 3342, the owner is strictly liable if the dog bites you in a public place or while you are lawfully on private property, including the owner’s home. Injuries that are not bites, such as being knocked down, are handled as negligence claims.
Animal control here is handled from outside the city: Pasadena Humane, based on South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena, provides animal control services for Glendale. We ask for its records, and we look for the homeowners or renters policy that usually pays these claims. Read more about dog bite claims and dog bite injuries to children.
Claims Against the City of Glendale and Other Public Agencies: The Six-Month Rule
These claims have strict rules and a six-month deadline, and we take them on.
Six months, in writing. You cannot sue a California public entity for money until you have first presented a written claim to it. Government Code 911.2 gives you six months from the injury to do that. Having two years to sue a private driver (Code of Civil Procedure 335.1) does not help you here. If the claim is late, the case against that agency can be over before it starts.
Where a Glendale claim is presented. The City of Glendale uses its own Claim for Damages Form. The signed claim is presented to the City Clerk’s Office, 613 East Broadway, Glendale. We complete the form, present it, and keep proof of delivery.
The response. A public entity generally has 45 days to act on a claim (Government Code 912.4). A written rejection starts a new six-month period to file the lawsuit (Government Code 945.6). If you are already past the first six months, an application for leave to present a late claim can be made within one year of the injury under Government Code 911.4, and it can be denied.
Who the claim is against.
- City of Glendale: city streets, sidewalks, signals, parks, and libraries; Glendale police and fire vehicles; Beeline buses; and Glendale Water and Power crews and equipment.
- Glendale Unified School District and Glendale Community College: campuses and school vehicles. These are separate entities from the City.
- LA Metro: Metro buses.
- Metrolink: its trains.
- Los Angeles County: county-owned vehicles and buildings.
- State of California: the I-5, SR-134, SR-2, and I-210. Caltrans takes claims of $12,500 or less at its district claims office. Claims over $12,500 go to the State’s Government Claims Program at the Department of General Services.
Two more rules matter. Government Code 818 bars punitive damages against a public entity. And while a child’s two-year deadline is generally tolled until age 18 (Code of Civil Procedure 352), the six-month claim is not paused for a child. Late-claim relief may be available for a minor under Government Code 911.4 and 911.6, but we do not rely on it.
Read more about government claims, claims against Caltrans after a highway crash, and, in Spanish, plazos para reclamos contra entidades públicas en California.
Glendale Catastrophic Injury Lawyer: When the Injury Changes Everything
Some injuries do not heal. A traumatic brain injury, paralysis from a spinal cord injury, the loss of a limb, or severe burns will shape the rest of a person’s life. Even a concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury, and its effects can last.
The insurance company will measure your claim by the bills it can see today. We measure it by what is coming. That means a life-care plan covering future treatment, equipment, and home care, and a lost earning capacity analysis covering the income you will not be able to earn. We do not recommend settling a permanent injury before its long-term course is understood.
Glendale Injury Lawyer: Damages and What Your Claim Is Worth
A California injury claim can include:
- Economic damages: hospital and doctor bills, future medical care, rehabilitation, lost income, reduced earning capacity, and damage to your vehicle or property.
- Non-economic damages: physical pain, emotional distress, scarring and disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Punitive damages, in rare cases. Civil Code 3294 allows them only on clear and convincing evidence of malice, oppression, or fraud.
There is no formula. The value of your claim comes from the medical evidence, how long the effects will last, how strong the proof of fault is, and how much coverage is available. We give you our honest assessment once we have the records. Read more about how emotional injury can affect compensation.
Firm Results
The following are settlements and verdicts we obtained for Ravan Law clients. These are firm results from across the practice, not from this city.
| Recovery | Case type |
|---|---|
| $3,500,000 | Motor vehicle accident with a county vehicle |
| $500,000 | Motor vehicle accident |
| $200,000 | Premises liability |
| $200,000 | Motor vehicle accident |
Every result depended on the facts of that case, and results will differ based on different facts. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of your matter.
Deadlines for a Glendale Personal Injury Claim
| What you are filing | Time limit | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Lawsuit against a private person or company | Generally 2 years from the injury | Code of Civil Procedure 335.1 |
| Written claim to the City of Glendale or another public entity | 6 months from the injury | Government Code 911.2 |
| Lawsuit after the entity rejects the claim in writing | 6 months from the rejection notice | Government Code 945.6 |
| Application to present a late claim | No later than 1 year from the injury | Government Code 911.4 |
| Claim for an injured child | Lawsuit deadline generally tolled until 18; 6-month claim still applies | Code of Civil Procedure 352 |
Read why time matters so much after an injury.
The Glendale Courthouse and Where Unlimited Civil Cases Are Heard
Injury lawsuits from Glendale are filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The Glendale Courthouse, at 600 East Broadway, is on the same street as City Hall and belongs to the court’s North Central District, together with the Burbank Courthouse on East Olive Avenue. The court’s directory lists a Civil Unlimited clerk’s office at the Glendale Courthouse, and unlimited civil is the category most serious injury lawsuits fall into.
That does not mean every Glendale injury case is heard on Broadway. The Superior Court’s rules and orders set where a personal injury case is filed and which courtroom it is assigned to. We file where the current rules require, and we tell you where your case is pending.
Choosing a Personal Injury Law Firm for a Glendale Case
Before you hire anyone, ask three things. Have you filed claims against a city before? What deadlines apply to my case, and which comes first? Who will keep me updated? A personal injury lawyer Glendale residents can trust will answer without hedging. We will, on the first call. We also represent clients in neighboring Pasadena. See our Pasadena personal injury page.
Talk to a Personal Injury Lawyer in Glendale for a Free Case Review
You do not have to work out on your own who owns a freeway ramp or which office takes a claim. If a Beeline bus, a city vehicle, a city sidewalk, or a state freeway played a part in your injury, the six-month period under Government Code 911.2 is already running.
Call Ravan Law at (424) 465-2500 for a free consultation. Tell us what happened, and we will tell you where you stand. No fee unless we win.
6310 San Vicente Blvd., Suite 401, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Attorney Advertising. Ted H. Ravan, Esq., Ravan Law, Los Angeles, CA. This content is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts.
Every result depended on the facts of that case, and results will differ based on different facts. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of your matter.
