Car Accidents in Los Angeles: Reports, Roads and Your Claim

Los Angeles is the largest city in California and the center of the most heavily traveled freeway network in the country. The I-10, I-5, I-405, US-101, I-110, I-105 and SR-134 all pass through city limits, and the surface grid—Wilshire, Sunset, Olympic, Pico, Venice, Western, Vermont, Figueroa, Sepulveda, Van Nuys and dozens more—carries volumes that would be freeway-scale in other cities.

The city has publicly acknowledged two structural problems. First, through its Vision Zero program, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation identified a High-Injury Network: a small percentage of street miles where a large majority of severe and fatal collisions occur. Second, hit-and-run collisions in Los Angeles are unusually common; LAPD and the City Council have repeatedly cited the issue, and the city operates a standing hit-and-run reward program. Both facts shape how claims unfold here.

Who writes the collision report in Los Angeles

Collisions on Los Angeles city streets are handled by the Los Angeles Police Department, which organizes collision investigation through four geographic Traffic Divisions: Central, South, Valley and West. The report is held by the division covering the location, and copies are requested through LAPD records with the report (DR) number. Collisions on the freeways are handled by the California Highway Patrol, through its Central Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Southern Division or Valley area offices depending on the segment.

LAPD does not always respond to non-injury collisions. If officers did not come to the scene and you later discover injuries, you can still file a report at the area station, and you should still file the DMV SR-1. Communities such as Hollywood, Van Nuys, Venice, San Pedro and Boyle Heights are all within the City of Los Angeles and are served by LAPD; neighboring cities such as West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica have their own agencies.

Where Los Angeles collisions happen

I-405 through the Sepulveda Pass and the Westside

The I-405 between the 101 and the 10 is routinely among the most congested segments in the country. Stop-and-go rear-end collisions, sideswipes in the carpool lanes and crashes at the Wilshire, Santa Monica and Sunset interchanges are commonly reported.

I-10 and the I-110 / US-101 downtown interchanges

Downtown’s interchanges, including the Four Level and the East LA Interchange, combine high volumes, left-hand ramps and short merges. Multi-vehicle chain-reaction crashes are frequent during congestion.

High-Injury Network arterials

LADOT’s Vision Zero analysis identified corridors such as Western Avenue, Vermont Avenue, Figueroa Street, Sunset Boulevard, Venice Boulevard, Roscoe Boulevard and Sherman Way, among others, as concentrations of serious pedestrian and vehicle collisions.

San Fernando Valley arterials

Wide, straight boulevards such as Victory, Sherman Way, Roscoe and Van Nuys carry high speeds between widely spaced signals; nighttime pedestrian collisions and high-speed T-bone crashes are recurring.

Common collision scenarios

• Hit-and-run collisions involving pedestrians, cyclists and parked vehicles.
• Rear-end and multi-vehicle collisions on the 405, 10, 101 and 110.
• Pedestrian collisions on High-Injury Network arterials, frequently at night.
• Rideshare collisions in Hollywood, Downtown and near LAX.
• Collisions involving city vehicles, Metro buses or dangerous road conditions, which trigger the six-month government claim deadline.

Courts, hospitals and local practicalities

Civil injury lawsuits arising in Los Angeles are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles; most unlimited personal injury cases are assigned to the Personal Injury Hub courtrooms at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse or Spring Street Courthouse downtown. The Los Angeles court system is among the busiest in the nation, and case timelines reflect that.

Los Angeles has multiple Level I trauma centers, including LAC+USC Medical Center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, as well as Level II centers such as Northridge Hospital and California Hospital Medical Center. If you were transported by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the LAFD EMS record is a separate document you can request.

If a Metro bus, LADOT vehicle, LAPD unit or city-maintained road defect contributed to the collision, a government claim must be presented within six months (Government Code § 911.2) before any lawsuit; missing it usually ends the claim against that entity.

Los Angeles claim guides

Detailed local pages for the collision and injury types most common in Los Angeles.

Accident types and injuries

Los Angeles questions

The driver who hit me in Los Angeles fled. What are my options?

Report to LAPD right away and ask about the city’s hit-and-run reward program. Look for doorbell, bus and business cameras within the first days. Your own uninsured motorist coverage typically covers hit-and-run injuries if you report promptly to police and your insurer. See hit-and-run accidents in Los Angeles.

Which LAPD traffic division has my report?

It depends on where the collision occurred: Central Traffic (downtown and central areas), South Traffic, West Traffic (Westside, Hollywood, Wilshire) or Valley Traffic (San Fernando Valley). The DR number on the information exchange card identifies it. Freeway collisions are CHP, not LAPD.

I was hit as a pedestrian on a street LADOT calls part of the High-Injury Network. Does that help my claim?

It can be relevant context, especially if a dangerous roadway condition is alleged, but each claim turns on the driver’s conduct and the facts. A claim against the city for a dangerous condition is separate from the claim against the driver and has the six-month deadline.

How long will an LA County injury case take if it goes to court?

It varies widely. Many claims settle with insurers without a lawsuit. Filed cases in the LA Personal Injury Hub commonly take well over a year to reach trial. No one can promise a timeline.

Sources and official resources

• Vision Zero Los Angeles (LADOT Livable Streets)
• LAPD — request a traffic collision report
• Government Code § 911.2 (six-month claim deadline against public entities)
• Insurance Code § 11580.2 (uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage)
• California Highway Patrol — find an office
• Los Angeles Police Department
• Los Angeles Superior Court — Personal Injury courts

Links go to official government, court and public-health sources. Laws change; verify current text before relying on it.