Long Beach Car Accident Lawyer

Long Beach Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyer

Hurt in Long Beach? Here is what to know.

• Yaghmai Law Firm represents people injured in Long Beach, Signal Hill, Lakewood, Bellflower, Carson, Seal Beach, and the surrounding southeast Los Angeles County.
• We handle Long Beach car, truck (including port truck), motorcycle, pedestrian, bicycle, rideshare, brain injury, burn, and wrongful death cases.
• California gives you two years from the date of the incident (CCP 335.1). Claims against a public entity require a written claim within six months under Gov Code 911.2.
• Long Beach civil cases are filed at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse (LASC South District).
• No fees unless we recover. Call or text (888) 800-6731 or submit your case online.

Long Beach is the seventh-largest city in California and a critical commercial corridor anchored by the Port of Long Beach — one of the largest container ports in the United States. Interstate 710 (Long Beach Freeway), Interstate 405 (San Diego Freeway), Interstate 605, and State Route 22 carry continuous commuter, commercial, and port truck traffic. The 710 in particular handles container truck traffic from the port and produces a high volume of commercial vehicle crashes. Long Beach surface streets — Pacific Coast Highway, Anaheim Street, Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach Boulevard, and Ocean Boulevard — add dense urban traffic on top.

Yaghmai Law Firm represents Long Beach drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, port workers, and rideshare passengers on a contingency engagement. We investigate liability using CHP and Long Beach Police Department reports, preserve dashcam and port-area surveillance footage, coordinate medical care at facilities like Long Beach Memorial, and either negotiate with the carrier or file suit at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover.

Recent CHP-Reported Incidents in Long Beach

The list below is pulled from California Highway Patrol public incident data for Long Beach and updated automatically as new reports come in.

Types of Long Beach Personal Injury Cases We Handle

The firm represents Long Beach clients across the full California personal injury practice. Port-related commercial truck cases are particularly common here:

• Car accident cases — collisions on I-710, I-405, I-605, SR-22, PCH, and Long Beach surface streets. Negligence under CVC 22350, 22107, 21703, 23152.
• Truck and big-rig cases — port container trucks, regional commercial freight. FMCSR (49 CFR Parts 350-399) layered on California law. Port truck driver classification (independent contractor vs employee) often becomes a vicarious-liability issue.
• Motorcycle accidents — CVC 21658.1 lane-splitting.
• Pedestrian accidents — CVC 21950/21954/21955 crosswalk framework, CVC 20001/20002 hit-and-run.
• Bicycle and e-bike accidents — CVC 21760, 22517, 312.5.
• Uber and Lyft rideshare cases — PU Code 5433 (SB 371 effective 1/1/2026).
• Traumatic brain injuries.
• Burn and catastrophic injuries.
• Wrongful death — CCP 377.60, CCP 377.30/377.34(a).

Port-related truck collisions

Long Beach is a goods-movement city. Container traffic moves between the port complex and the freeway system around the clock, and much of it travels surface streets to get there. That gives Long Beach a concentration of heavy commercial vehicles that few other cities in the region carry.

A loaded tractor-trailer needs far more distance to stop than the drivers around it expect, and the injuries in these collisions are rarely minor. These cases also run on a different evidence set: vehicle data, driver hours, maintenance history, and dispatch records belong to the carrier, not the driver, and sit on retention schedules that can erase them within months.

A written preservation demand has to go out before the tractor is repaired or put back into service. That single step often decides whether a truck case can be proven at all.

Freeway-corridor crashes

I-405, I-710, SR-91, and SR-22 all serve Long Beach, and I-710 in particular functions as the port’s primary truck route. The mix of heavy commercial traffic and ordinary commuters at freeway speed produces severe multi-vehicle collisions.

These are California Highway Patrol matters rather than Long Beach Police matters, which determines where the report lives and how quickly it can be obtained.

Pacific Coast Highway and the eastside arterials

PCH crosses the city and carries a demanding mix of through-traffic, local trips, and commercial vehicles. Anaheim Street and Atlantic Avenue perform similar roles on their own alignments.

Turning collisions and rear-end impacts at signals dominate. Because commercial vehicles are frequently involved, the question of who had the right of way often turns on sightlines and stopping distance rather than on speed alone.

Pedestrian injuries downtown and along Ocean Boulevard

Downtown Long Beach, the waterfront, and the surrounding neighborhoods generate real pedestrian volume, and the arterials serving them are wide.

Vehicle Code section 21950(a) requires a driver to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing in a marked crosswalk or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. Carriers respond with subsection (b), which preserves the pedestrian’s duty of ordinary care and prohibits leaving a curb into the path of a vehicle close enough to be an immediate hazard.

Whether that happened is a factual dispute. Downtown crossings are typically signalized and well witnessed, and the surrounding businesses often hold footage that settles it.

Bicycle collisions

Long Beach has substantial bicycle traffic, and riders share arterials with the commercial vehicles described above. The two recurring patterns are close passes and right-hook turns across a rider’s path.

The Three Feet for Safety Act, Vehicle Code section 21760, requires a driver overtaking a bicycle traveling in the same direction to pass at a safe distance that does not interfere with the bicycle’s safe operation, given the size and speed of both and the surrounding traffic. Where the overtaking vehicle is a truck, the size differential makes that requirement considerably more demanding.

Motorcycle crashes

Vehicle Code section 21658.1 defines lane splitting as riding a two-wheeled motorcycle between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane and authorizes the CHP to develop educational guidelines. It does not prohibit lane splitting.

Carriers raise it early regardless, and leaving the mischaracterization unanswered lets it anchor their entire view of fault.

Rideshare and delivery collisions

Coverage depends on the status of the driver’s app at impact rather than on who owns the vehicle.

Public Utilities Code section 5433(b)(1) requires transportation network company insurance to be primary and in the amount of $1,000,000 for death, personal injury, and property damage from the moment a driver accepts a ride request until the ride is complete. Establishing that timeline frequently determines the value of the entire claim.

Hit-and-run and impaired driving

Vehicle Code section 20001(a) requires a driver involved in a crash causing injury or death to stop immediately at the scene. A violation is punishable by imprisonment, or by up to a year in county jail, or by a fine of $1,000 to $10,000, or both.

A prosecution does not pay for your treatment. Where the driver is never identified, recovery generally depends on uninsured motorist coverage under your own policy, so we review your declarations page at the outset.

Claims involving a public entity

Where a city, the county, the port, a transit agency, or the State may share responsibility, Government Code section 911.2(a) requires a claim for death or personal injury to be presented no later than six months after the cause of action accrues.

Public-entity involvement is more common in a city with this much publicly operated infrastructure, which makes the question worth asking immediately rather than later.

Fatal collisions

Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 governs who may bring a wrongful death claim, beginning with the surviving spouse or domestic partner and children, or the decedent’s personal representative. The deadline is two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, with the six-month government claim requirement applying on top where a public entity is involved.

Compensation in a Long Beach Car Accident Case

California recognizes two categories of compensatory damages, both unlimited in ordinary negligence.

Economic damages: medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage. Long Beach port truck crashes frequently produce six- and seven-figure economic damages because of the severity of impact at freeway speeds.

Non-economic damages: pain, suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life. Proposition 213 (Civil Code 3333.4) bars non-economic recovery for uninsured drivers and DUI plaintiffs.

Pure comparative fault under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804.

UM/UIM under Insurance Code 11580.2 applies to uninsured or hit-and-run cases.

California Law That Governs Your Long Beach Case

None of these deadlines are negotiable.

• Statute of limitations: two years (CCP 335.1); one year from discovery for medical malpractice (CCP 340.5).
• Government claims: six months (Gov Code 911.2) against City of Long Beach, Long Beach PD, Long Beach Transit, Long Beach Unified School District, Port of Long Beach (Harbor Department), LA County, LA Metro (Blue Line, now A Line), Caltrans, the State.
• SR-1 reporting: CVC 16000 within ten days.
• Hit-and-run: CVC 20001 and 20002.
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety: 49 CFR Parts 350-399 for commercial truck drivers.
• Comparative fault: Li v. Yellow Cab Co.
• Proposition 213: Civil Code 3333.4.

Long Beach cases involving the City of Long Beach, Long Beach Transit, Long Beach USD, the Port of Long Beach (which is a department of the City), or Metro A Line (formerly Blue Line) trains require the six-month government claim. Port truck driver classification — whether the driver was an employee of the motor carrier or an independent owner-operator — can determine vicarious liability against the carrier.

Local Driving Routes and Hazards in Long Beach

Long Beach traffic is shaped by one dominant fact: it is a working port city. Freight moves through the same corridors residents use daily, and that mix explains most of the serious collisions here.

Interstate 710 and the port corridor

I-710 is the principal route between the port complex and the regional freeway system, and it carries a volume of heavy commercial traffic that sets Long Beach apart from neighboring cities. Trucks entering and leaving that corridor use surface streets at both ends, which is why truck-involved collisions here are not confined to the freeway.

I-405, State Route 91, and State Route 22

These carry the commuter volume across and around the city. Their interchanges require lane changes in short distances, and collisions concentrate at those junctions rather than along the open segments. All are California Highway Patrol jurisdiction.

Pacific Coast Highway and Anaheim Street

Both cross the city and carry a difficult mix of through-traffic, local trips, and commercial vehicles. Signalized intersections along these routes produce a steady volume of turning and rear-end collisions, and the presence of trucks changes both the severity and the stopping-distance analysis.

Ocean Boulevard, Atlantic Avenue, and the downtown grid

Downtown and the waterfront generate the city’s densest pedestrian activity, concentrated around events, restaurants, and the beach. Pedestrian and left-turn collisions cluster here, and the surrounding businesses are usually the best source of footage.

Residential streets near the truck routes

Neighborhoods adjacent to the port corridors absorb trucks navigating to and from terminals. Streets built for local traffic end up carrying vehicles far larger than their design contemplated, with limited sightlines and parked cars narrowing the effective width.

Which agency holds your report

Collisions on Long Beach surface streets are investigated by the Long Beach Police Department, while crashes on I-405, I-710, SR-91, and SR-22 fall to the California Highway Patrol. That distinction determines where the report lives and how it is requested, and near the ramps both agencies can hold part of the record.

What to Expect After a Long Beach Crash

Most clients have never pursued an injury claim before. This is how a Long Beach case moves, and where the avoidable damage happens.

Truck cases are won or lost in the first two weeks

If a commercial vehicle was involved, the most important evidence is not the police report. It is the carrier’s own records: vehicle data, driver hours, maintenance history, and dispatch communications.

Those records are governed by retention schedules and can be gone within months. A written preservation demand needs to go out immediately, before the tractor is repaired or returned to service. This is the single biggest practical difference between a truck case and an ordinary collision.

The filing deadline is not the real clock

Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 allows two years for most injury claims. Camera footage along PCH, Anaheim Street, and the downtown grid overwrites far sooner, and witnesses in commercial corridors are difficult to locate after a few weeks.

Where a public entity may be responsible, Government Code section 911.2(a) shortens the deadline to six months. In a city with this much publicly operated infrastructure, that possibility comes up more often than people expect.

Confirm which agency investigated

Long Beach Police handle the surface streets; the CHP handles I-405, I-710, SR-91, and SR-22. Requesting from the wrong agency costs weeks, and crashes near the ramps sometimes generate records in both places.

Early offers are priced on incomplete information

An offer that arrives before treatment concludes reflects a medical picture nobody has seen yet, and accepting it generally closes the claim permanently. Having it reviewed costs nothing, and if the number is fair we will tell you so.

A recorded statement is optional

The other driver’s insurer may ask for one. You are not required to give it, and those recordings are routinely used later to argue your injuries were minor or that you contributed to the crash. What you owe your own insurer under your own policy is a separate question.

Once we are retained, the carrier contacts this office rather than you.

Keep treating

Gaps in care are among the first arguments used to discount an injury. If cost rather than symptoms is the barrier, that is worth solving, and the options depend on your coverage.

Timelines

A clear-liability claim with completed treatment can resolve in months. Truck cases, contested fault, and public entity claims take longer, because the evidence gathering is heavier and the defense is better resourced.

Why Long Beach Residents Choose Yaghmai Law Firm

Long Beach clients work with Yaghmai Law Firm because the firm is responsive, multilingual, runs on contingency, and operates entirely remotely. Houtan Yaghmai personally handles every case in English, French, and Persian, with Spanish interpreters as needed.

Long Beach clients often come to us after an insurer has already decided what their case is worth and told them so. This is a small firm on purpose. Houtan Yaghmai handles each case personally from the first call through resolution, so there are no handoffs and no starting over with a new person every time you check in.

That matters more in a city with this much commercial traffic. Truck and port-related cases require moving quickly on preservation and dealing with defense counsel who handle these claims professionally and constantly. Those are not files to leave sitting in a queue.

The practice runs remotely, so there is no drive, no parking, and no time away from work. Documents are signed electronically and updates come by phone or text. Conversations happen in English, French, or Persian, with Spanish interpreters arranged as needed. Injury matters run on contingency, so there is no fee unless there is a recovery.

“I have represented many people from Long Beach over the years, and the thing they all want is to feel like someone is genuinely on their side. That is the part I take most seriously.”

— Houtan Yaghmai, Esq., President & Managing Attorney

You can verify Houtan’s California State Bar license at apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/298487.

Long Beach Car Accident FAQ

How long do I have to file a Long Beach personal injury case?

Two years from the date of the incident under CCP 335.1. Public entity claims (City of Long Beach, Long Beach PD, Long Beach Transit, Port of Long Beach Harbor Department, LBUSD, LA County, LA Metro, Caltrans) must be presented within six months under Gov Code 911.2.

Will my case be filed at the Long Beach Courthouse?

Most Long Beach civil cases are filed at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse (LASC South District) on Magnolia Avenue. Venue can shift if the defendant resides or has its principal place of business elsewhere.

Do I have to come to an office?

No. Yaghmai Law Firm operates remotely. The entire engagement runs by call, text, video, and a secure online portal.

How much does it cost?

Nothing upfront. Contingency: no attorney fees unless we recover.

My crash was on the 710 in Long Beach. Does that matter?

The 710 (Long Beach Freeway) is the primary corridor for container trucks moving freight from the Port of Long Beach. Commercial truck crashes are common and tend to involve catastrophic injuries due to vehicle size and freeway speeds. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 CFR Parts 350-399) impose driver-qualification, hours-of-service, and inspection duties on the motor carrier that often supply negligence per se under California Evidence Code 669.

What if a port truck driver hit me?

Port truck drivers may be employees of the motor carrier or independent owner-operators. The classification matters because an employer is vicariously liable for an employee’s negligence under respondeat superior, while an independent contractor relationship usually limits liability to the driver personally. We investigate the actual nature of the relationship (control, payment structure, vehicle ownership) rather than rely on contract labels.

What if the other driver was uninsured?

Your own UM/UIM coverage under California Insurance Code section 11580.2 generally applies. Most California auto policies include UM by default unless rejected in writing.

What if I was partly at fault?

California follows pure comparative fault under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804.

Related Practice Areas

These pages cover the case types Long Beach clients ask about most.

• Personal Injury overview
• Areas Served by Yaghmai Law Firm
• Torrance Car Accident Lawyer
• Anaheim Personal Injury Lawyer
• Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer
• Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer
• Los Angeles Wrongful Death Attorney
• Submit Your Case for Free Review

Reviewed by Houtan Yaghmai, Esq., President & Managing Attorney. Admitted to practice law in California (State Bar No. 298487). He represents personal injury and immigration clients statewide.

Last updated: August 13, 2026.