Car Accident Lawyer in Sherman Oaks, CA

A car accident in Sherman Oaks often starts in one place: the tangle of lanes where the US-101 meets the I-405 on the approach to the Sepulveda Pass. Plenty more start on the surface streets, along Ventura Boulevard, Van Nuys Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard, where stop-and-go traffic meets storefront driveways. If you are looking for a Sherman Oaks car accident attorney, you want a lawyer who knows how an adjuster tries to turn a rush-hour rear-end into your fault. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. handles motor-vehicle injury cases only, and Moe works your case himself. Your first call is free, any hour, and you pay nothing unless we win. Below, you will find what matters after a crash here: who writes the report, where you get treated, which deadlines run, and what to do before you talk to any insurance company.

Crashes at the 101 and 405 interchange

The Ventura Freeway (US-101) and the San Diego Freeway (I-405) meet in Sherman Oaks, and the I-405 climbs into the Sepulveda Pass from there. When traffic stacks up on that approach, drivers creep, glance at a phone, and hit the car in front. Merging ramps and connectors add sideswipes, because two lines of cars fight for one lane while neither driver can see the other. Insurers like these cases. They argue every driver shares blame, then use California's comparative negligence rule to shrink what they owe you. Shared blame does not bar your claim, and we reject their framing. We take the crash apart with each car's event data recorder, traffic-camera footage where it exists, and witnesses who saw who stopped short or forced the merge. In a jam, the gap between 20 percent and 60 percent fault is real money, and it often turns on timing that only physical evidence can prove. Video gets overwritten quickly, so we send preservation requests first in any 101 or 405 case.

Ventura Boulevard, Sepulveda and the surface-street crashes

Not every Sherman Oaks crash happens on a freeway. Ventura Boulevard is the neighborhood's main commercial street, lined with shops, parking lots and people crossing between them. Typical crashes here include left turns across Ventura, drivers backing out of parking spaces, and rear-end hits at the lights on Sepulveda Boulevard, Van Nuys Boulevard and Woodman Avenue. Magnolia Boulevard, Burbank Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue carry the same turning and rear-end risks. Slower impacts still cause whiplash, disc injuries and concussions. The adjuster will point at a bent bumper and say you cannot be hurt. A prompt exam and a clean treatment record answer that. The geometry of the crash helps too. A driver who turns across your lane or backs out without looking usually bears most of the fault. Hit while walking in a crosswalk or riding a bike? Moe handles those motor-vehicle injury cases too. A big rig or box truck changes the claim, so see our Sherman Oaks truck accident lawyer page if a commercial truck hit you.

The police report, the SR-1 and the first 72 hours

Sherman Oaks is policed by LAPD's Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6240 Sylmar Ave., and LAPD Valley Traffic Division handles traffic investigations. The station page has a link to request a traffic collision report, and we can pull it for you. Read it closely. Officers write down what each driver says at the scene, and a wrong fault note or a missing witness is easier to fix early. If the crash caused any injury, or damage over $1,000 to one person, each driver must also file an SR-1 report with the DMV within 10 days under Vehicle Code section 16000. You can file it yourself, or through an attorney or your insurer. Take photos of the cars, the skid marks and the signals. Get names and phone numbers from witnesses. Ask nearby businesses whether a camera covers the street, since that footage can be recorded over. Keep every medical bill. Do not post about the crash online. Then call us before you give the other driver's insurer any statement.

Hospitals and treatment close to Sherman Oaks

Go to a doctor the same day, even if you feel only sore. Sherman Oaks Hospital, at 4929 Van Nuys Blvd., has an emergency department and is a stroke center, though we did not find a trauma designation for it. Encino Hospital Medical Center, at 16237 Ventura Blvd., offers 24-hour emergency care. Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center on Clark Street is a receiving center for stroke and heart attacks under LA County designation. For the most serious injuries, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills is a Level II trauma center. Northridge Hospital Medical Center also runs a 24-hour emergency room. Freeway crashes bring broken ribs and wrists, spinal injuries and head trauma. Slower surface-street crashes bring neck and back pain that can take days to show. Insurers hunt for gaps in treatment and argue you healed. Follow your doctor's plan, and tell every provider the injury came from a car crash.

Insurance limits, deadlines and what your claim is worth

California minimum liability limits are $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident and $15,000 for property damage on policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025. That rarely covers a serious injury, so we also look at your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and at any second party who shares fault. You generally have two years from the crash to sue for injury under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, and three years for vehicle and property damage under section 338. If a city or other public entity is responsible, such as through a city vehicle, you must present a written claim within six months under Government Code section 911.2, and after a written rejection you usually have six months to sue (section 945.6). Claims against the City of Los Angeles go to the Office of the City Clerk at City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Room 395, or through its online portal. California is a pure comparative negligence state, so partial fault reduces your award but does not bar it (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). Under Proposition 51, each defendant pays non-economic damages only in proportion to its own fault. In one past case, the at-fault insurer first offered $900, and Moe recovered $75,000 in total after that insurer tendered its limits and he pursued the underinsured motorist claim. Past results do not predict a similar outcome.

How Moe handles a Sherman Oaks car crash case

Moe picks up or calls back himself, any hour, and he keeps you updated by call and text. He starts with the evidence that disappears: camera footage, event data, the other driver's phone records when they matter. He deals with the adjusters, so you never give a recorded statement that an insurer can twist after a multi-car crash. When an offer comes in, he explains it in plain words. Early offers are built to close your claim before anyone knows if you need imaging, therapy or surgery, and once you sign a release you cannot reopen the claim. If the case needs a lawsuit, it is filed where the facts and the law put it. Van Nuys Courthouse East, 6230 Sylmar Ave., has a civil unlimited clerk's office, but we confirm the right courthouse with the court's Filing Court Locator first. The firm has a 5.0 rating on Google and works on contingency. Se habla Español. You pay no fee unless we win.

Talk to a Sherman Oaks car accident lawyer

Call (323) 716-1992 for a free, no-obligation case review. You pay nothing unless we win, and we'll handle the insurance companies for you. Learn more about our car accidents representation →

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