Van Nuys Wrongful Death Lawyer

If you lost someone on Van Nuys Boulevard, Sepulveda, Victory, or the 405, you are being asked to do too much at once. You are planning a service and calling relatives. Meanwhile an insurance adjuster, friendly and persistent, wants a recorded statement. You do not have to handle that alone. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. is a Los Angeles firm that takes motor-vehicle injury cases only, including wrongful death after a crash. This page explains who can bring a claim after a death in Van Nuys, which deadlines are running, how to get the LAPD report, and what Moe does in the first days. Call (323) 716-1992 at any hour. The first conversation is free and commits you to nothing. Moe takes the calls himself and keeps you updated by call and text. Every case is different, and past results do not predict a similar outcome, but every family gets the same careful start.

Sepulveda, Sherman Way, and the streets where Van Nuys families lose someone

Van Nuys is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, in the middle of the San Fernando Valley. The 405 runs through it, and the 101, the 170, the 118, and the 5 sit close by. Busy boulevards carry the rest of the traffic: Van Nuys Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard, Victory Boulevard, Oxnard Street, Sherman Way, Vanowen Street, and Roscoe Boulevard. We have no crash statistics to rank these streets, so we will not call any of them the most dangerous. We can point to one recent case. On the night of Monday, May 4, 2026, a pedestrian was killed in a marked crosswalk near Sherman Way and Sepulveda Boulevard. CBS Los Angeles reported that LAPD said the driver fled, was later arrested in North Hollywood, and was booked for murder after police said he was driving at an unsafe speed and under the influence. A criminal case like that runs on its own track. Your family's civil claim for money damages is separate, and it does not depend on the verdict. The G Line busway stops at Van Nuys and Sepulveda, and the Metrolink and Amtrak station draws foot traffic. Those stations put a steady flow of people on foot across Van Nuys and Sepulveda boulevards.

Who holds the right to sue, and why the survival claim is separate

One death can lead to two different lawsuits, and they belong to different people. The wrongful death claim is yours, as a family member, for what you lost. Code of Civil Procedure 377.60 lists who may bring it. A spouse or registered domestic partner, the children, and grandchildren through a child who has died come first. If the person who died left no children or grandchildren, the people who would inherit under California's intestacy rules, such as parents, can step in. Some dependents can sue regardless of that order, including a putative spouse, the putative spouse's children, stepchildren, and parents who relied on the person for support. So can a minor who lived in the home for 180 days and drew at least half their support from the person who died. The court, not the insurer, divides the award among those entitled to it. The second claim is the survival action. It belongs to the dead person's estate and covers losses before death, like hospital bills and lost wages. The personal representative files it. If there is none, the successor in interest files it with a sworn declaration and a certified copy of the death certificate. In a large Van Nuys family with adult children and parents in different homes, decide early who files. Moe can sort that out with you on the first call.

Two deadlines, and the six month one belongs to the City of Los Angeles

A wrongful death lawsuit against a private driver or company generally has a two year limit under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. Courts usually count that time from the date of death. If a public entity may share the blame, the clock runs much shorter. You must present a written government claim within six months of the death under Government Code 911.2. Most Van Nuys surface streets, like Sepulveda and Sherman Way, are City of Los Angeles streets. The 405 is a state freeway, so a defect there involves the state, not the city. A claim over a road defect, a missing signal, or a city vehicle goes to the City Clerk, 200 North Spring Street, Room 395, City Hall, on the city's Claim for Damages form. You can file it online at claims.lacity.org, in person, or by mail. If the city rejects the claim in writing, you generally have six months from that notice to sue under Government Code 945.6. Miss the first window and you may ask to file a late claim, but only within a reasonable time and never more than one year after the death under Government Code 911.4. A crash involving a Metro bus goes to a different agency. Families who grieve first and call a lawyer in month seven often learn the short deadline is gone. Calling early costs nothing.

The LAPD report for a fatal crash in Van Nuys

LAPD writes the report for a crash in Van Nuys. The Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6240 Sylmar Avenue serves the area, and its front desk number is 818-374-9500. The Valley Traffic Division, at 7870 Nollan Place in Panorama City, 818-644-8000, handles traffic collisions across the Valley Bureau. Here is the part that trips families up. LAPD asks people to allow at least 45 days before requesting a report online, but a report that involves a fatality cannot be released online at all. It must be requested by US Mail. Vehicle Code 20012 lets victims, their representatives, and other authorized people ask for it. Do not wait for the paper to start. In the first days we send preservation letters to the other driver, the insurer, and any company that owned the vehicle. The letters tell them to keep data from the car, the phone, and any work logs. We look for video from stores, gas stations, and doorbells along the street before it is overwritten. We also gather certified death certificates, hospital records, funeral bills, pay stubs, and your own auto policy. If the other driver's insurer calls, you do not have to give a recorded statement.

Money, fault, and the insurance fight after a Van Nuys death

Damages in a wrongful death case track your family's loss. Think funeral and burial bills, the paychecks and benefits your loved one would have brought home, the housework and childcare they did for free, and the loss of their love, care, comfort, and companionship. The law asks what is just under all the circumstances, and it will not pay twice for losses the survival claim already covers. If the survival action is filed on or after January 1, 2026, pain, suffering, and disfigurement are not recoverable there. Punitive damages can still be sought in the survival claim when the facts support them, as in a drunk driving death. Now the fight. The insurer will look for fault on your side of the case. California applies pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab Co., and Horwich v. Superior Court lets the defense cut the family's award by the percentage assigned to the person who died. After a crosswalk death, expect the argument that the pedestrian stepped out or crossed mid-block. We answer that with video, witness accounts, and the scene itself. Then there is the money. California's minimum liability limit is $30,000 per person, often far below what a death costs a family. So we search for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and any other policy that applies. Every case is different, and past results do not predict a similar outcome.

Valley Presbyterian, the courthouse, and how Moe runs a death case

Valley Presbyterian Hospital at 15107 Vanowen Street is a 350 bed Van Nuys hospital with an emergency room. We have not verified its trauma designation, so we will not label it one. If your loved one lived for hours or days, those chart notes and bills become evidence for the survival claim and for what happened at the scene. We request them early. A wrongful death suit over a Van Nuys crash is typically filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The county's Northwest District courthouse sits at 6230 Sylmar Avenue in Van Nuys, but we confirm the correct filing location for each case before we file. Moe handles the work himself. He picks up the calls, moves fast on evidence, and tells you plainly what a claim is worth and what it is not. The fee is a contingency, so you pay nothing unless he wins. Once the claim is moving, you should not have to chase anyone for news. Moe reaches you by call and text, and Se Habla Español. Call (323) 716-1992 any time, day or night.

Talk to a Van Nuys wrongful death 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 wrongful death representation →

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