Published: September 29, 2026
By: Yaghmai Law Firm, APC
(El Monte, CA) – Two people were hurt on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, when a car drove into the entrance of a Food 4 Less grocery store in El Monte, according to reporting from NBC Los Angeles.
A witness described seeing at least two people who appeared to have been struck by the vehicle. Two people, one of them a store security guard, were treated for injuries ranging from minor to moderate.
Footage from the scene captured an El Monte Police Department SUV parked in front of the store's damaged entrance. The person driving the BMW sedan was cooperating with officers, and information about what led up to the crash was not immediately released.
Know Your Rights After a Crash
After a serious crash, California law gives injured people and families limited time to act. Evidence like vehicle data, camera footage, and witness memories fades quickly. A free, no-obligation case review can help you understand your options. Call or text (888) 800-6731, or start a free case review online. Asistencia en español disponible.
Analysis of the El Monte Storefront Collision
When a vehicle leaves the roadway or a parking area and strikes a building or the people near it, California civil law provides a general framework for evaluating any resulting injury claims. Under Civil Code section 1714(a), every person is responsible for harm caused to others by a lack of ordinary care, subject to the degree the injured person contributed to their own harm. Whether that standard is met in any particular incident depends entirely on facts that investigators and, later, any civil parties would need to develop.
Investigators in incidents like this typically look at how the vehicle came to enter the storefront – factors such as speed, driver control, and the surrounding conditions. California's Basic Speed Law, Vehicle Code section 22350, bars driving faster than is reasonable and prudent given visibility, traffic, and the width and surface of the roadway. If evidence were to show a statutory violation that contributed to injury, Evidence Code section 669 can allow a presumption of negligence when the violation proximately causes the kind of harm the statute was meant to prevent and the injured person is within the protected class. No such determination can be made here, and nothing in the available account establishes cause.
Where more than one party may share responsibility, Civil Code section 1431.2 governs how non-economic damages are allocated according to each party's proportional share of fault. If an injured person establishes liability, Civil Code section 3333 sets the general measure of tort damages as the amount needed to compensate for all detriment proximately caused, which can include medical costs, lost income, and other losses.
What Injured People Can Do
People hurt in a crash like this can take several practical steps: obtaining a copy of the police report, keeping records of medical care and any related expenses, and preserving photographs or contact information for witnesses while details remain fresh. California generally allows two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, and a driver involved in an injury crash has separate reporting duties, including a DMV report under Vehicle Code section 16000. Because the facts and deadlines vary from case to case, anyone with questions about their rights may wish to speak with a qualified attorney.
Were you, or someone you love, involved in this crash? A California car accident lawyer at Yaghmai Law Firm can explain your options and deal with the insurance companies for you. Call or text (888) 800-6731 or request a free case review.
About the Author
Houtan Yaghmai, Esq., President & Managing Attorney of Yaghmai Law Firm, APC. California State Bar No. 298487. Speaks English, French, and Persian. The firm represents personal injury clients throughout Southern California – consultations by phone, text, or video, no office visits required.
This post was assembled with AI assistance from publicly reported news sources cited below. All California Vehicle Code references were verified against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Facts were re-checked via additional web searches before publication. This post is based on initial news reports and may be updated as new facts develop. Nothing in this article is legal advice. Yaghmai Law Firm, APC is not associated with the investigating agencies and does not represent any party named in this post unless explicitly stated.
Sources:
1. NBC Los Angeles – 3 injured when car crashes through El Monte Food 4 Less entrance
