Burbank Truck Accident Lawyer

If a truck hit you in Burbank, you are probably dealing with pain, a wrecked car, and a trucking company's insurance adjuster who called before you left the hospital. That call is not a favor. The adjuster is building a file, and your recorded statement is the first page. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. helps hurt drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians take that file back. Moe is a California attorney (State Bar No. 348886). He handles motor vehicle injury cases only, and he takes the calls himself. Below you will see how truck crashes happen on the I-5, the 134, and streets like San Fernando Road. We cover what federal trucking rules can prove, who can owe you money, how to get the Burbank Police report, and which deadlines can cut your claim off. Your first review is free and the firm works on contingency, so you owe nothing unless Moe wins.

Truck crashes on the I-5, the 134, and San Fernando Road

Two freeways cross Burbank. Interstate 5, the Golden State Freeway, cuts through the city from northwest to southeast, and State Route 134, the Ventura Freeway, crosses it east to west. Trucks that leave either freeway have to work through ordinary city streets: Olive Avenue, Victory Boulevard, Glenoaks Boulevard, Burbank Boulevard, Magnolia Boulevard, Buena Vista Street, and San Fernando Road. A truck needs a wide turn and a long stopping distance. A car in a short merge lane has neither, and that mismatch is where many crashes begin. Some Burbank intersections see far more crashes than others. City data reported by myBurbank counted 50 crashes at Victory Place and Burbank Boulevard from 2015 to 2020, 45 at Olive Avenue and Buena Vista Street, and 41 at Buena Vista Street and Victory Boulevard. That data is older and covers all vehicles, not just trucks, so treat it as a map of busy spots, not a truck-only count. Where the crash happened still shapes your claim. East Olive Avenue is a good local example. The City restriped the stretch from Glenoaks Boulevard to N. Sunset Canyon Dr. in March 2025 to cut lanes and speeds, after multi-year data showed more collisions there than on comparable hillside streets. A truck crash on that stretch gets judged against the new lane layout, so photos of where each vehicle sat matter. A truck that blocked a lane, backed into traffic, or turned from the wrong lane leaves different evidence than a rear-end hit on a freeway ramp. Moe's first job is to learn which story the physical proof tells.

Federal trucking rules that can prove what went wrong

A truck driver follows rules you never have to. Under 49 CFR 395.3, a property-carrying driver gets no more than 11 hours behind the wheel inside a 14-hour on-duty window after 10 hours off duty. The driver must take a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and total hours are capped over 7 or 8 days. If the driver who hit you on San Fernando Road or a 134 ramp ran past those limits, fatigue becomes part of your case, and the electronic log shows it. Carriers also have to carry federal minimum liability insurance. For for-hire interstate carriers of non-hazardous freight with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more, that floor is $750,000 under 49 CFR 387.9, far above what an ordinary driver carries. After certain crashes the employer must also test the driver for alcohol and drugs under 49 CFR 382.303, and the clock is short: 8 hours for alcohol and 32 hours for drugs. If those tests were skipped or late, the records have to explain why. None of this helps you unless someone asks for the records in time. Moe sends preservation letters early, before logs, test results, and maintenance files get overwritten.

Evidence that sits in the truck and the carrier's office

The strongest proof in a truck case is rarely in your hands. Some of it sits in the truck's engine control module, which can record speed, braking, and throttle in the seconds before impact. It sits in the driver's electronic logs, in dispatch messages, in dash camera footage, in inspection and repair records, and in the driver's hiring and training file. Trucking companies can overwrite or repair away much of this once the rig goes back to work, so waiting weeks costs you. Look for outside evidence too. Ask whether a nearby business, a Burbank traffic signal, or a transit vehicle captured the crash on video, because many systems record over old footage on a short loop. Photograph the truck's plate, the company name, the USDOT number on the door, and the road position of every vehicle before they move. Get names of witnesses. Do not give the carrier's adjuster a recorded statement. Moe moves on all of this at once. Preservation demands go to the carrier, and he works to inspect the truck before it is repaired. That way your claim rests on the data, not on the driver's version of events.

Driver, carrier, broker, or city: who owes you money

One truck can mean several defendants, and each one has its own insurance. The driver is the obvious target. Moe also looks hard at everyone else who touched that truck: the company the driver worked for, the owner of the trailer, a company that loaded the cargo badly, a freight broker that picked the carrier, or a shop that skipped a brake repair. The facts decide which of them can be held to account. If the truck was a city or county vehicle, the rules change. A public-works or utility truck means a government claim. You must present a written claim within six months for injury or death (Gov. Code section 911.2), and claims against the City of Burbank go to the Burbank City Clerk's Office on the city's Claim for Damages form, by email to cityclerks@burbankca.gov or by mail to P.O. Box 6459, Burbank, CA 91510. If the city rejects the claim in writing, you generally have six months from that notice to sue (Gov. Code section 945.6). California also uses pure comparative negligence, so being partly at fault does not end your claim, but your award shrinks by your share of the blame. Insurers push that argument hard. That is why the evidence above matters.

Burbank police reports, the courthouse, and your deadlines

Burbank Police Department writes the report for crashes on city streets, and it takes a collision report when someone is hurt or killed, when a driver asks for one, or when a city or government vehicle is involved. Its office is at 200 N. Third St., Burbank, CA 91502. The non-emergency line is (818) 238-3000, the Records Bureau is (818) 238-3140, and the Traffic Bureau is (818) 238-3100. You can buy the report online through LexisNexis at least four days after the crash, with a fee added, or at the Records Bureau counter. Freeway crashes are usually handled by a different agency, so ask the officer at the scene who is writing your report. California drivers must also report an injury crash, or one with more than $1,000 in damage, to the DMV within 10 days with an SR-1 form (Veh. Code section 16000). The deadline to sue a private party for injury or wrongful death is two years (Code Civ. Proc. section 335.1), and property damage gets three years (section 338(c)(1)). The LA Superior Court has a Burbank Courthouse at 300 E. Olive Ave. Which courthouse hears an injury case depends on the case, and Moe's office tells you where yours will be filed.

Truck injuries, Providence Saint Joseph, and how Moe works your case

Truck crashes cause injuries that change a life: broken bones, spinal injuries, head injuries, and crush trauma. In Burbank, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center at 501 S. Buena Vista St. runs a 24/7 emergency department, reachable at (818) 843-5111. Its emergency page lists stroke and heart-attack designations, but we do not claim a trauma level for it, and a crash victim with severe injuries may be taken elsewhere. Go to the ER even if you feel okay. Adrenaline hides pain, and gaps in treatment give the carrier an argument. Keep every bill and every visit record. Moe's firm has recovered money in other motor vehicle cases, including $105,000 for an uninsured client with a broken sternum, and $75,000 after an at-fault insurer first offered $900. Past results do not promise a similar outcome. Here is how he works. He answers your calls, updates you by call and text, moves quickly on evidence, and charges nothing unless he wins. Call (323) 716-1992 any hour for a free review. Se habla español.

Talk to a Burbank truck 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 truck accidents representation →

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