Who Is Liable for a Car Accident in Valley Glen?

Arya Firoozmand, Esq.

Local Valley Glen Injury Attorney · UCLA Law

Arya Firoozmand is the founding partner at L&F Brown. He grew up in Woodland Hills, graduated from El Camino Real High School and UCLA Law School, and has built his practice representing injured clients from communities across the San Fernando Valley.

After a car accident in Valley Glen, the first legal question is always the same: whose fault was it? Liability determines whether you can recover compensation, how much, and from whom. It sounds straightforward. In practice, it rarely is.

Valley Glen's busiest corridors, Victory Blvd, Oxnard St, and Fulton Ave, see a steady flow of collisions. Some have obvious liability. A rear-end crash on Oxnard St while you were stopped at a red light is hard to dispute. Others are more complicated. A lane-change collision near LA Valley College where both drivers claim the other drifted over, or a left-turn accident at Fulton Ave and Victory Blvd where the turning driver says the light was yellow and the through driver says it was green. Those cases are fights.

How California Determines Fault

California uses a pure comparative fault system under Civil Code Section 1714. Every party involved in an accident is assigned a percentage of fault. Your recovery is reduced by your fault percentage, but you're never completely barred from recovering.

If you're 20% at fault for a crash on Victory Blvd and your damages total $100,000, you can recover $80,000. If you're 80% at fault, you can still recover $20,000. This is more favorable to injured people than the systems used in many other states, where being more than 50% at fault bars recovery entirely.

The flip side: insurers in LA County aggressively assign fault to claimants to reduce what they pay. Expect the other driver's insurer to look for any basis to put some percentage of blame on you.

The Role of Police Reports

When a crash happens on Valley Glen's city streets, LAPD responds and generates an incident report. On the freeways, CHP handles it. The police report matters because it typically includes the responding officer's assessment of who was at fault, witness statements, and a diagram of the collision.

Police reports are not binding in court. A judge or jury can reach a different conclusion about fault than the responding officer did. But insurance adjusters give significant weight to police reports during the claims process. If the LAPD report from your crash on Oxnard St lists the other driver as the primary collision factor, that gives you leverage. If it lists you, your attorney needs to build a case for why the officer's assessment was incomplete or incorrect.

Request your police report as soon as it's available. For LAPD reports, you can obtain them through the LAPD's online records request system. CHP reports are available through the CHP office or online.

Common Liability Scenarios in Valley Glen

Rear-end collisions. The following driver is presumed at fault in California. This presumption can be rebutted, but it's strong. If you were rear-ended on Victory Blvd, the other driver's insurer will likely accept liability unless they have evidence that you cut in front of them or braked erratically without cause.

Left-turn accidents. The turning driver is typically at fault because California law gives the right of way to through traffic. But if the through driver was speeding or ran a red light, fault can shift. Intersections like Fulton Ave and Oxnard St see left-turn collisions regularly, and these cases often come down to traffic signal timing and witness accounts.

Lane-change collisions. These are common on Victory Blvd during heavy traffic. The driver changing lanes has a duty to ensure the maneuver is safe. But if the other driver was in a blind spot or accelerated to prevent the lane change, shared fault is possible.

Intersection collisions with disputed signals. When both drivers claim a green light, liability depends on independent evidence. Traffic camera footage, if it exists, can resolve these cases immediately. Witness statements from other drivers or pedestrians near LA Valley College or nearby businesses can also be decisive.

Parking lot accidents. Liability rules in parking lots are less clear-cut because private lots aren't governed by the same traffic laws as public roads. Generally, the driver backing out of a space yields to the driver in the travel lane. But these cases are frequently disputed.

Evidence That Establishes Liability

Liability disputes are won with evidence. The more you preserve, the stronger your position:

Photos and video. Photograph the scene, vehicle damage, traffic signals, lane markings, and any visible injuries. Do this immediately. Businesses along Victory Blvd and Oxnard St may have surveillance cameras. Your attorney can request that footage before it's overwritten, which typically happens within 30 to 60 days.

Witness information. Get names and phone numbers from anyone who saw the crash. Witnesses are especially valuable in disputed-signal intersection cases. Students and staff near LA Valley College may have witnessed crashes at surrounding intersections.

The police report. As discussed, this carries significant weight even though it's not legally binding.

Medical records. Your treatment at Valley Presbyterian Hospital or any other facility documents the physical consequences of the crash. The nature and severity of injuries can support liability arguments, particularly in cases involving high-speed impacts or clear right-of-way violations.

Cell phone records. If the other driver was texting or on the phone at the time of the crash, their cell phone records can prove distracted driving. These records are obtainable through subpoena if a lawsuit is filed at Van Nuys Courthouse West.

When Multiple Parties Are at Fault

Multi-vehicle collisions on Valley Glen's busier roads can involve multiple liable parties. A three-car chain reaction on Victory Blvd during afternoon traffic may involve fault distributed among two or three drivers. California's comparative fault system handles this by assigning each party a percentage. Each driver's insurer is responsible for their proportional share.

These cases are more complex but they're also common. A Valley Glen car accident attorney can sort out the liability picture when multiple parties are involved and ensure each insurer pays its share.

Government Liability for Road Conditions

Sometimes the road itself contributes to a crash. Potholes, faded lane markings, malfunctioning traffic signals, inadequate signage, or dangerous road design can all create liability for the government entity responsible for maintaining the road. In Valley Glen, that's typically the City of Los Angeles for local streets and Caltrans for freeway infrastructure.

Government liability claims have a critical difference: you must file a government tort claim within six months of the accident. Miss that deadline and you lose the right to sue the government entity entirely. This is a much shorter window than the standard two-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases.

If a road condition contributed to your crash, acting quickly is essential. Your attorney needs time to investigate the road condition, determine which entity is responsible, and file the tort claim before the six-month deadline.

What to Do Right Now

If liability in your Valley Glen car accident is disputed, or if you're unsure who was at fault, getting legal guidance early protects your interests. Evidence disappears. Witnesses forget. Surveillance footage gets deleted. The sooner an attorney evaluates your case, the more evidence can be preserved.

Reach out to our Valley Glen personal injury team for a free consultation. We'll review the facts, assess liability, and give you an honest picture of where you stand.