Pasadena Car Accident Lawyer

Pasadena Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyer

Hurt in Pasadena? Here is what to know.

• Yaghmai Law Firm represents Pasadena drivers and injury victims, plus the Altadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, La Canada Flintridge, and West San Gabriel Valley region along the 210 freeway.
• Pasadena cases tend to cluster at the I-210 (Foothill Freeway) corridor, the SR-134 (Ventura Freeway) east end, the I-110 (Arroyo Seco Parkway) – the country’s first freeway – and the Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue, and Fair Oaks Avenue surface arterials.
• You have two years from the date of the incident under CCP 335.1. Government-entity claims require written notice within six months under Government Code 911.2.
• Contingency fee. No fee unless we recover.
• Call or text (888) 800-6731 or submit your case online.

Pasadena sits at the intersection of Interstate 210 (Foothill Freeway), State Route 134 (Ventura Freeway), and State Route 110 (Arroyo Seco Parkway, one of the oldest freeways in the United States). Caltech, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Huntington Hospital, the Rose Bowl, and Old Pasadena generate a continuous mix of commute, tourist, and event traffic on freeways and on surface streets like Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue, and Orange Grove Boulevard. The Arroyo Seco Parkway in particular — with short on-ramps, no shoulders, and 1940s-era engineering — produces a higher-than-average crash rate.

Yaghmai Law Firm represents Pasadena residents and visitors injured in motor vehicle collisions, pedestrian and bicycle crashes, rideshare incidents, brain injuries, burn injuries, and wrongful death cases. The firm works on contingency, investigates liability using CHP and Pasadena Police Department reports, coordinates medical care, and either negotiates with the carrier or files suit at the Pasadena Courthouse. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover.

Recent CHP-Reported Incidents in Pasadena

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

Pasadena Car Accident Case Types

Pasadena is bracketed by three freeways – the 210 across the top, the 134 west to Glendale and the Valley, and the 110 (Arroyo Seco Parkway) south to downtown. The Arroyo Seco is the country’s original freeway and has the geometric quirks (short on-ramps, no shoulders, tight curves) to match. Add Colorado Boulevard’s parade route and Lake Avenue’s commercial spine, and the case patterns are predictable.

• I-210 freeway collisions through Pasadena – typical exposure points are the SR-134 split west of Lake, the Hill Avenue and Allen Avenue interchanges, and the I-710 stub north of California Boulevard.
• Arroyo Seco Parkway (110) crashes – the historic parkway’s 1940s geometry (short merge lanes, tight curves around Highland Park, no median barrier in places) produces head-on, rear-end, and run-off-road wrecks.
• SR-134 (Ventura Freeway) wrecks at the Linda Vista, Orange Grove, and Pasadena Avenue interchanges.
• Colorado Boulevard and Lake Avenue corridor incidents – signal-cycle, left-turn-pocket, and pedestrian-crosswalk conflicts.
• Pedestrian and bicycle injuries on the Old Pasadena and Playhouse District blocks, Cal Tech crossings, and Rose Bowl area on event days.
• Motorcycle accidents on the Angeles Crest Highway and Foothill Boulevard climbs north of the city.

Compensation in a Pasadena Car Accident Case

Pasadena unlimited PI cases are filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. Since April 8, 2013, the LASC Northeast District (which includes the Pasadena Courthouse) has not accepted general-jurisdiction civil non-PI filings – and PI matters go to the Central District’s Personal Injury Court regardless. From Pasadena the drive to Stanley Mosk is roughly 10 miles on the 110 or 134. Pasadena and West San Gabriel Valley jury panels read more affluent than the southeast or south LA panels, which we account for in valuation.

Economic damages: medical care (Huntington Hospital is the primary trauma center, with USC Verdugo Hills, Methodist of Arcadia, and the Caltrans Health Net referral network nearby), lost wages, future earning capacity, and property damage.

Non-economic damages: pain, suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. Civil Code 3333.4 (Proposition 213) bars these 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 and hit-and-run cases.

California Law That Governs Your Pasadena 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 Pasadena, Pasadena PD, Pasadena Transit, LA County, LA Metro (Gold Line, now A Line), Caltrans, the State.
• SR-1 reporting: CVC 16000 within ten days.
• Hit-and-run: CVC 20001 and 20002.
• Negligence per se: CVC violations under Evidence Code 669.
• Comparative fault: Li v. Yellow Cab Co.
• Proposition 213: Civil Code 3333.4.

Pasadena cases involving the City of Pasadena, Pasadena Transit, Metro A Line (formerly Gold Line) trains, or roadway defects on the 110 / 134 / 210 (Caltrans) require the six-month government claim. Caltech and JPL are federally affiliated; federal claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act (28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b), 2671-2680) may apply for federal employees and federal vehicles separately.

Why Pasadena Residents Choose Yaghmai Law Firm

Pasadena 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.

“After an injury, the recovery itself is the hard part. The legal process should not add to it. I work to keep things simple and clear for you.”

— Houtan Yaghmai, Esq., President & Managing Attorney

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

Pasadena Car Accident FAQ

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

Two years from the incident under CCP 335.1. If a public entity is involved – the City of Pasadena, LA County, Caltrans for the 210 / 134 / 110, or Metro for Gold Line / A Line incidents – a written claim is required within six months under Government Code 911.2.

Where would my Pasadena case be filed?

At the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. The Pasadena Courthouse stopped accepting general-jurisdiction civil filings in April 2013, and PI matters route to the LASC Central District Personal Injury Court regardless.

Do you handle Arroyo Seco Parkway (110) accidents?

Yes. The Arroyo Seco’s 1940s geometry – short ramps, tight curves through Highland Park, narrow shoulders, missing median in places – produces a steady stream of catastrophic-injury cases. We pull CHP reports and document the specific geometric features that caused or contributed.

What about 210 and 134 freeway crashes?

Yes. Both are heavy commute arteries through Pasadena. CHP traffic-collision reports, Caltrans roadway data, and any private surveillance from properties along the freeway frontage are the first three records we request.

What if the at-fault driver had no insurance?

If you carry UM/UIM under Insurance Code 11580.2, we open a claim against your own carrier. Hit-and-run treatment is the same. We check household stacking on every file.

What if some of the fault was mine?

California uses pure comparative fault under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. You still recover, reduced by your share. There is no threshold bar.

What does it cost to hire you?

Nothing if there is no recovery. Pure contingency.

Do most Pasadena cases settle before trial?

Yes. Most settle, frequently at mediation. The ones that should be tried, we try. We prepare every file as if it is going to trial.

Related Practice Areas

These pages cover the case types Pasadena clients ask about most.

• Personal Injury overview
• Areas Served by Yaghmai Law Firm
• Glendale Personal Injury Lawyer
• Burbank Car Accident Lawyer
• Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer
• Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
• Los Angeles Brain Injury Lawyer
• Submit Your Case for Free Review

For collisions on the I-10 San Bernardino Freeway or Azusa Avenue through the east San Gabriel Valley, our West Covina car accident lawyer page covers the local routes, courts and 180 days of CHP incident reports.

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: September 10, 2026.