San Bernardino County, California
Car Accidents in San Bernardino County
Updated . General information, not legal advice about your situation.
Legal review: Elham Azimy, California State Bar No. 207274 (law and claims only).
San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the contiguous United States, and its 2.2 million residents live mostly in the valley cities along the I-10 and SR-210 and in the High Desert along the I-15. The county is the logistics hub of the western United States: the I-10, I-15, SR-60 and I-215 carry container trucks from the ports to warehouses in Ontario, Fontana, Rialto, Rancho Cucamonga and the Victor Valley, and the BNSF and Union Pacific intermodal yards generate drayage traffic on every arterial. The Cajon Pass on the I-15, climbing 4,000 feet between the valley and the desert, is one of California’s most dangerous freeway segments for truck and high-wind crashes.
The county’s cities include some of the state’s poorest and some of the Inland Empire’s most affluent suburbs, and uninsured driving, impaired driving and pedestrian deaths are elevated in the city of San Bernardino and along the I-10 corridor. Several cities contract with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. This page covers the county-wide picture and links to the city pages.
Cities in San Bernardino County
Detailed pages for the county’s largest cities, each covering the local police agency, the freeways and arterials where collisions cluster, nearby hospitals and the courthouse that hears injury cases.
Other San Bernardino County communities
Chino
Chino has its own police department. SR-60 and SR-71 form the city’s northern and western edges, and Euclid Avenue (SR-83) and Central Avenue carry heavy through traffic, including trucks serving the Chino Valley’s logistics parks.
Collision reports: Chino Police Department · Freeways: SR-60, SR-71, SR-83 (Euclid Avenue)
Chino Hills
Chino Hills is policed by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The city sits along SR-71 (Chino Valley Freeway) and Carbon Canyon Road (SR-142), a narrow canyon route into Brea that is a frequent site of single-vehicle and head-on collisions.
Collision reports: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (Chino Hills Station) · Freeways: SR-71, SR-60
Redlands
Redlands has its own police department. I-10 and the SR-210 terminus meet in the city, and SR-38 (Orange Street / Lugonia Avenue) is the route into the San Bernardino Mountains toward Big Bear. Loma Linda University Medical Center, the Inland Empire’s Level I trauma center, is next door in Loma Linda.
Collision reports: Redlands Police Department · Freeways: I-10, SR-210, SR-38
Upland
Upland has its own police department. I-10 and SR-210 bracket the city, and Foothill Boulevard (historic Route 66), Euclid Avenue and Mountain Avenue are the main arterials.
Collision reports: Upland Police Department · Freeways: I-10, SR-210
Who investigates and where claims are filed
Freeway collisions are investigated by CHP’s Inland Division: the San Bernardino area office covers the I-10, I-215 and SR-210 in the central valley; Rancho Cucamonga covers the I-15 and SR-210 in the west valley and the lower Cajon Pass; Victorville covers the upper Cajon Pass, I-15 and US-395 in the Victor Valley; Barstow and Needles cover the desert interstates; Morongo Basin and Arrowhead cover the mountain and desert highways.
Independent police departments serve San Bernardino, Ontario, Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Redlands, Upland, Montclair, Chino and Barstow. Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley, Chino Hills, Highland, Yucaipa, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace, Big Bear Lake, Twentynine Palms, Yucca Valley, Adelanto and Needles contract with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department; reports come from the station serving the city.
Injury lawsuits are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Unlimited civil cases are heard at the San Bernardino Justice Center downtown, with the Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville and Joshua Tree courthouses handling cases from their regions. Government claims against the county go to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors; against a city, to that city clerk; against Omnitrans or Victor Valley Transit, to the agency.
Trauma and hospital care
Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda is the only Level I trauma center in the Inland Empire and the pediatric trauma center for both San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton is a Level II center that receives much of the central valley’s trauma. Desert Valley Hospital and Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville and St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley serve the High Desert; the most serious High Desert cases are flown to Loma Linda or Arrowhead.
Collision patterns in San Bernardino County
Truck collisions on the I-10, I-15 and SR-60
Warehouse-bound drayage trucks share every freeway and arterial. The I-10 through Ontario and Fontana and the I-15 Cajon Pass produce serious truck crashes year-round. See truck accidents, Ontario truck collisions and Fontana truck collisions.
Cajon Pass and High Desert crashes
Grade, wind, fog and speed combine on the I-15 between Devore and Hesperia; the US-395 and SR-18 are two-lane highways with head-on and run-off-road crashes. See head-on collisions and freeway accidents.
Uninsured and hit-and-run drivers
The city of San Bernardino and neighboring communities have the region’s highest uninsured rates and elevated hit-and-run counts. See uninsured motorist accidents and hit-and-run accidents.
Pedestrian collisions
Base Line, Highland Avenue, Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Avenue carry pedestrian traffic across six- and eight-lane arterials with long gaps between crossings. See pedestrian accidents.
Impaired driving
OTS rankings place San Bernardino, Victorville and Hesperia among the worst in their population groups for alcohol-involved collisions. See drunk driving accidents.
Local claim guides in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County questions
Who investigates a Cajon Pass crash?
CHP. The lower pass (Devore to roughly Highway 138) is covered by the Rancho Cucamonga or San Bernardino office depending on the exact location; the upper pass to Hesperia is covered by CHP Victorville. The officer’s card will identify the office.
My crash was in Rancho Cucamonga or Victorville. Is that city police?
No. Both contract with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Request the report from the Rancho Cucamonga or Victorville Sheriff’s station.
Where would a San Bernardino County injury lawsuit be filed?
In the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino—at the San Bernardino Justice Center for most of the valley, Rancho Cucamonga for the west valley, or Victorville for the High Desert.
Injured in San Bernardino County? Describe what happened and we will review your inquiry.
Sources and official resources
- California Highway Patrol — find an office
- California Courts Self-Help Guide
- Government Code § 911.2 (six-month claim deadline against public entities)
- California Office of Traffic Safety — crash rankings by city
- FMCSA — hours-of-service regulations
Links go to official government, court and public-health sources. Laws change; verify current text before relying on it.