Torrance Car Accident Lawyer

Torrance Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyer

Hurt in Torrance? Here is what to know.

• Yaghmai Law Firm represents Torrance crash victims, plus injury matters in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Gardena, Lomita, Palos Verdes Estates, and the broader South Bay.
• Most of our Torrance cases trace back to the I-405 (San Diego Freeway), the I-110 (Harbor Freeway), the SR-1 (Pacific Coast Highway), Hawthorne Boulevard, Crenshaw Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard, and the Carson Street / Torrance Boulevard surface grid.
• Filing deadline is two years per CCP 335.1. Public-entity claims must be filed in writing within six months under Government Code 911.2.
• No fee unless we recover. Free case review.
• Call or text (888) 800-6731 or submit your case online.

Torrance is the geographic anchor of the Los Angeles County South Bay. It sits at the junction of Interstate 405 (San Diego Freeway), Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway), and major arterials including Hawthorne Boulevard, Crenshaw Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard, and Pacific Coast Highway. Toyota USA, Honda R&D, and a dense industrial corridor add to commuter traffic. The mix of freeway, surface street, and shopping-corridor traffic in Torrance generates a steady volume of car, truck, pedestrian, and bicycle injury cases.

Yaghmai Law Firm represents Torrance drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and rideshare passengers on a contingency engagement. We investigate liability using CHP and Torrance Police Department reports, preserve dashcam and CCTV footage before it is overwritten, coordinate medical care, and either negotiate with the carrier or file suit in the Torrance Courthouse (LASC South District). You pay no attorney fees unless we recover.

Recent CHP-Reported Incidents in Torrance

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

Torrance Car Accident Case Types

Torrance sits between the I-405 and I-110 corridors with PCH carrying coastal traffic and Hawthorne Boulevard running the city’s commercial spine. Add Toyota’s former U.S. HQ campus, the Del Amo Fashion Center traffic generator, and the South Bay’s port-adjacent freight movement, and the case mix tracks the corridor design.

• I-405 collisions through Torrance, particularly at the Crenshaw Boulevard, Hawthorne Boulevard, and Western Avenue interchanges where commute compression triggers chain-reaction wrecks.
• I-110 (Harbor Freeway) accidents through the east edge of Torrance, including big-rig wrecks tied to port-of-LA freight traffic.
• PCH (SR-1) crashes along the coastal stretch through Torrance Beach and into Redondo, where signal density and pedestrian volume drive incident patterns.
• Hawthorne Boulevard and Crenshaw Boulevard arterials – left-turn-pocket conflicts, signal-cycle gaps, and high-density commercial driveway entrances generate broadside and pedestrian collisions.
• Motorcycle accidents on PCH and the Palos Verdes Peninsula climbs east of Torrance.
• Rideshare and delivery-vehicle collisions around the Del Amo Fashion Center, South Bay Galleria, and Toyota / Honda corporate campus.

South Bay freeway-corridor collisions

Torrance is bounded and crossed by I-405, I-110, and SR-91, with Pacific Coast Highway running through the western side. Each carries a different traffic character, and the crashes they produce differ accordingly.

The freeway cases tend to involve multiple vehicles and disputed lane positions. What resolves them is rarely testimony. It is vehicle data, roadway evidence, and, where a commercial vehicle is involved, records the carrier controls rather than the driver.

Hawthorne Boulevard and the retail corridors

Hawthorne Boulevard is Torrance’s principal north-south arterial, a wide signalized corridor with near-continuous commercial frontage. Del Amo Boulevard performs the same role east to west.

Both produce the same dominant pattern: broadside impacts from vehicles turning across traffic into shopping centers, and rear-end collisions at signals where traffic stacks unpredictably. Liability usually rests on the signal phase and the turning driver’s sightline, which makes nearby business camera footage disproportionately valuable.

Pacific Coast Highway crashes

PCH through Torrance mixes regional through-traffic with local coastal trips. Speeds run higher than drivers entering from side streets anticipate, and the corridor carries pedestrians and cyclists alongside commuters.

The severity of PCH collisions is consistently greater than the surface-street average, which affects both how the medical picture develops and how carriers approach the claim.

Pedestrian injuries on the wide arterials

Torrance’s arterials are engineered for vehicle throughput, and that lengthens the time a pedestrian spends exposed in a crossing.

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 answer with subsection (b), which preserves the pedestrian’s duty of ordinary care and prohibits leaving a curb into the path of an immediate hazard.

That is a factual argument, and on a signalized arterial the physical evidence often contradicts it outright.

Bicycle collisions

Riders on Torrance’s arterials and coastal routes face close passes and right-hook turns into driveways.

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 its safe operation, accounting for the size and speed of both vehicles and the surrounding traffic. Roadway width and striping usually establish these claims more reliably than either party’s recollection.

Commercial truck and port-adjacent traffic

Torrance sits near the region’s heaviest goods-movement corridors, and commercial vehicles reach the freeways through its surface streets. A loaded truck needs substantially more distance to stop than surrounding drivers expect.

These cases turn on evidence held by the carrier: vehicle data, driver logs, maintenance records, and dispatch communications, all governed by retention schedules that can erase them within months. Written preservation demands need to go out before the vehicle is repaired or returned to service.

Motorcycle crashes

Riders on the I-405 and SR-91 approaches deal with short merges and heavy lane changing, and carriers raise lane splitting almost reflexively.

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 the practice. Correcting that early prevents an inaccurate assumption from hardening into the carrier’s position on fault.

Rideshare and delivery collisions

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

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 entire value of the 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 carries imprisonment, or up to a year in county jail, or a fine of $1,000 to $10,000, or both.

None of that compensates you. When the driver is never identified, recovery usually depends on uninsured motorist coverage under your own policy, which is why we ask for your declarations page early.

Claims involving a public entity

Where a city, the county, or the State may share responsibility for a roadway or signal condition, 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.

Six months passes quickly while an injury claim is still developing, so the question belongs in the first week rather than the sixth month.

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 Torrance Car Accident Case

Torrance PI matters are filed in Los Angeles Superior Court’s Central District at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown. LASC routes unlimited general-jurisdiction PI matters to its Personal Injury Court regardless of where in LA County the incident happened – the Torrance Courthouse in the LASC Southwest District does not hear those filings. From Torrance the drive to Stanley Mosk is roughly 20 miles up the 110 or via Crenshaw. South Bay panels at Mosk are working-class and commute-aware; we factor that into demand letters.

Economic damages: medical specials (Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance / San Pedro, Harbor-UCLA in next-door Carson, Kaiser South Bay, and the orthopedic and imaging providers around Del Amo and PCH), lost wages, future earning capacity, and property damage.

Non-economic damages: pain and suffering, emotional distress, 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 covers uninsured and hit-and-run incidents – we check household stacking on every Torrance file.

California Law That Governs Your Torrance 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 Torrance, Torrance PD, LA County, LA Metro, 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.

Torrance cases involving the City of Torrance, Torrance Transit buses, LA Metro buses through Torrance, or roadway defects on the 405 or 110 (Caltrans) require the six-month government claim.

Local Driving Routes and Hazards in Torrance

Torrance sits at the center of the South Bay’s freeway grid, and most serious collisions cluster on a few corridors. The I-405 (San Diego Freeway) and I-110 (Harbor Freeway) carry the region’s heaviest traffic along the city’s northern and eastern edges, and their interchange ramps and lane merges are frequent rear-end and sideswipe points; the SR-91 (Artesia Freeway) adds more of the same to the north.

On the surface, Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1), Hawthorne Boulevard (State Route 107), Crenshaw Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard, Torrance Boulevard, and Western Avenue carry dense commuter and retail traffic, where left-turn and broadside crashes at signalized intersections are the common pattern.

Responsibility is split by road type. The California Highway Patrol investigates crashes on the 405, 110, and 91 freeways, while the Torrance Police Department, a standalone municipal agency, handles surface-street collisions inside the city.

Where you are treated and where you sue both matter. The most seriously injured South Bay crash victims are taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center at 1000 West Carson Street, the only ACS-verified Level I trauma center serving the greater South Bay and South Los Angeles. Because a Torrance crash claim is a motor-vehicle personal-injury case, a lawsuit is filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court and assigned for all purposes to an Independent Calendar department of the Los Angeles Superior Court. The Personal Injury Hub at the Spring Street Courthouse stopped receiving new personal injury filings on January 8, 2024, and personal injury cases are now managed from filing through trial by a single assigned judge in the district where the case is filed. Knowing which agency wrote the report and how the county routes injury cases shapes how a claim is built from day one.

What to Expect After a Torrance Crash

Most clients have never brought an injury claim before. Here is how a Torrance case actually moves, and where people lose ground without knowing it.

Evidence expires faster than the filing deadline

Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives you two years for most injury claims, and that is rarely the operative constraint. Retail camera systems along Hawthorne and Del Amo overwrite quickly, commercial vehicle data sits on carrier retention schedules, and witnesses become difficult to reach within weeks.

If a public entity may share responsibility, the deadline drops to six months under Government Code section 911.2(a).

Confirm the investigating agency

Crashes on I-405, I-110, and SR-91 are California Highway Patrol matters; collisions on Torrance streets are handled by the Torrance Police Department. Requesting from the wrong agency wastes weeks, and a crash near a ramp can generate records with both.

Early offers reflect incomplete information

An offer made before your treatment concludes is priced on a medical picture nobody has seen. Accepting it generally closes the claim permanently, including for care you have not yet received. That risk is highest with injuries that seem manageable in week one and are not by month three.

There is no cost to having an offer reviewed, and if it is fair we will say so.

You may decline a recorded statement

The other driver’s carrier will often request one. You are not obligated to give it, and those recordings are routinely used later to argue the injuries were minor or that you share fault. Obligations to your own insurer under your own policy are a separate matter and do apply.

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

Keep treating

Gaps in care are one of the most common arguments used to devalue a claim. If cost rather than symptoms is the obstacle, that is worth addressing directly, and the options available depend on your coverage.

Timelines

A clear-liability claim with finished treatment can resolve in months. Contested fault, ongoing care, or a public entity claim extends it. Settling before the medical picture is stable generally means accepting less than the case is worth.

Why Torrance Residents Choose Yaghmai Law Firm

Torrance 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.

Torrance clients usually come to us after trying to move a claim on their own and finding the process slower and more combative than expected. The firm is small deliberately. Houtan Yaghmai handles each matter personally from the first call through resolution, so there are no handoffs and no re-explaining your history to someone new.

Everything is handled remotely. For a South Bay client that means no drive up the 405, no parking, and no time off work to sit in an office. Documents are signed electronically and updates come by phone or text on a schedule that fits around your treatment and your job.

Conversations happen in English, French, or Persian, with Spanish interpreters arranged as needed. Injury cases run on contingency, so there is no fee unless there is a recovery, and the first conversation costs nothing whether or not you hire the firm.

“You do not have to be sure you have a case before you call. The first conversation is short and free, and I will tell you straight.”

— Houtan Yaghmai, Esq., President & Managing Attorney

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

Torrance Car Accident FAQ

How long do I have to file a Torrance accident case?

Two years from the date of the crash under CCP 335.1. If a public entity is involved – City of Torrance, LA County, Caltrans for the 405, 110, or PCH, LA Metro for transit incidents – a written government claim is required within six months under Government Code 911.2.

Where would my Torrance case be filed?

At the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. LASC routes every unlimited general-jurisdiction PI matter in LA County to its Central District Personal Injury Court. The Torrance Courthouse in the Southwest District handles criminal, limited civil, and family matters, not unlimited PI.

Do you handle 405 and 110 freeway crashes?

Yes. Both interstates carry serious-injury volume through Torrance. CHP traffic-collision reports, Caltrans roadway data, and any private surveillance from properties along Crenshaw or Hawthorne facing the freeway are the first records we pull.

What about PCH (Highway 1) accidents through Torrance Beach?

Yes. PCH through the Torrance Beach stretch and into Redondo is a recurring source of serious-injury and pedestrian cases. We document signal timing, pedestrian-volume data from the city, and any nearby property surveillance.

What if the at-fault driver had no insurance?

Insurance Code 11580.2 makes UM/UIM coverage available on every California auto policy. If you carry it, we open a UM/UIM claim. Hit-and-run incidents are treated the same way. We always check household policy stacking.

What if I was partly at fault?

California uses pure comparative fault under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. Recovery is reduced by your share, never barred.

What does the firm charge?

Nothing if we do not win. Contingency fee on recovery only. No costs come out of your pocket if there is no recovery.

Will my Torrance case go to trial?

Most settle. The cases that should be tried, we try. We work the file up as if it is going to trial so the settlement reflects exposure.

Related Practice Areas

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

• Personal Injury overview
• Areas Served by Yaghmai Law Firm
• Anaheim Personal Injury Lawyer
• Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer
• Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
• Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Attorney
• Los Angeles Brain Injury Lawyer
• 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.