Arroyo Seco Parkway, the 210 and the 134
Why the parkway is different
The Arroyo Seco Parkway, which is State Route 110 north of downtown Los Angeles, dates from 1940. Its lanes are narrow, many on-ramps are short, and there is little or no shoulder in places. Drivers entering from a short ramp must merge almost immediately, and a vehicle that stalls or slows has nowhere to go.
Those design features do not excuse a driver who tailgates or speeds, but they can matter when a claim involves road design. If a public agency was aware of a dangerous condition and did not address it, a claim may be possible against that agency, with a short notice period.
Where the 210 and 134 meet
The SR-134 runs into the I-210 on Pasadena’s west side, and drivers on both roads make last-second lane choices there. Sideswipes and rear-end crashes in the merges are common, as are collisions when traffic slows from highway speed in front of a stopped line of cars.
In multi-vehicle crashes, who hit whom first is often in dispute. Event data recorders, damage patterns and dash camera video can reconstruct the order, and they should be requested early. Our article on how long you have to sue for personal injury in California covers the deadlines that apply.
Event days, crowds and Old Pasadena
Pasadena hosts large gatherings, including the Rose Parade around New Year’s Day and events at the Rose Bowl. Streets close, drivers detour onto residential blocks, and visitors cross roads without paying attention to traffic. Old Pasadena and Colorado Boulevard also draw evening crowds, with valets, rideshare cars and pedestrians crossing between restaurants.
Crowded settings produce a different kind of case. An intoxicated driver leaving a restaurant, a fall on an uneven curb, an altercation in a parking structure: each can lead to a claim against more than one party.
If you were hurt at an event, keep your ticket and any messages about the plans, since they establish where you were and which organizer or property owner was in charge.
The A Line and bus stops
Metro’s A Line light rail runs through Pasadena, and buses serve Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue and Fair Oaks Avenue. Pedestrians and drivers can be struck at crossings where trains and signals have to be read together, and riders can be hurt in a sudden stop or while boarding.
A claim against a transit agency is a claim against a public entity, so the written claim has to be presented within six months under Government Code section 911.2. The agency also holds its own video and maintenance records, and it may keep them only for a limited time. We write to the agency early to ask that everything be kept.
On foot or on a bike along Lake, Fair Oaks and Colorado
Much of Pasadena is built for walking, which also means a lot of people cross streets with turning cars. The common patterns are a driver turning right while looking left, a driver who rolls through a crosswalk on a yellow, and a cyclist squeezed between a parked car and moving traffic.
Walkers and riders often have no witness except the driver, so the first call matters. Ask bystanders for their numbers. Look for cameras on storefronts and parking structures, and photograph the crosswalk markings, signal and lighting. We then request the video before it is overwritten.
Rideshare, taxis and shuttles
Visitors and residents alike use rideshare apps to get around the Rose Bowl area and the hotels and restaurants downtown. Coverage in a rideshare crash depends on what the driver was doing in the app, and the company’s insurance can be much larger than a private driver’s policy once a trip is underway.
Screenshots of the app and the receipt, the driver’s name and the license plate are the starting evidence. We ask the company to preserve the trip data, which includes the app status and location history that decide which policy responds.
When someone does not survive
A death caused by another person’s negligence leaves a family with grief and practical problems at once. California allows certain relatives, and the estate’s personal representative, to bring a wrongful death claim. Damages can include funeral expenses, the financial support the person provided and the loss of love and companionship.
We work at the family’s pace. The urgent tasks are preserving the vehicles and recordings, getting the coroner’s and police reports, and identifying every insurance policy that may apply.
Hospitals, specialists and the bills that follow
Huntington Hospital on California Boulevard treats many people hurt in Pasadena. Patients also go to Methodist Hospital in Arcadia and other facilities, depending on the injury and where the ambulance goes. Specialists, imaging centers and therapy providers each bill separately, and some work on a lien basis.
Keep every bill and explanation of benefits. At settlement, hospitals, ER groups and health plans may demand repayment from your recovery. We negotiate those liens down so more of the money reaches you, which can change your net result noticeably.
Hurt at work, on a campus or on a construction site
Pasadena has hospitals, colleges, research buildings, offices, restaurants and a steady stream of construction. A worker hurt on the job usually has a workers’ compensation claim against the employer, which pays medical care and partial wage replacement regardless of fault.
When someone else contributed, such as a general contractor, an equipment maker or a property owner who is not your employer, there may be a separate lawsuit that allows recovery for pain and suffering. Falls, electrocution and equipment failures lead to many of these claims, and the safety records and inspection history of the site often decide them.
Defective products
When an appliance, a tire, a helmet or a medical device fails and someone is hurt, the maker, the distributor or the seller may be responsible under California product liability law. Claims generally describe the defect as one of design, manufacturing or inadequate warning.
Keep the product. Do not repair, return or throw it away, and save the packaging, receipts and any recall notices. A product tested by a qualified engineer can show what failed. Recall information is public and sometimes helps explain how long a hazard was known.
Your own insurance may matter more than you think
Many people count only on the other driver’s policy. Yours may carry medical payments coverage, which pays bills regardless of fault, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, which steps in when the other driver has too little insurance or none at all.
Tell your insurer about the crash promptly, because policies set notice requirements, but be careful what you say. Your own insurer is still on the other side of a claim for uninsured motorist benefits. Bring the declarations page to your first meeting and we will read the limits with you, along with any umbrella policy in the household.
Property damage runs on its own track. You can usually have the car repaired or valued while the injury claim continues, though you should not sign any release that mentions bodily injury.
Police report: Pasadena Police Department or CHP
The Pasadena Police Department handles most collisions on city streets and has its headquarters at 207 North Garfield Avenue. The California Highway Patrol handles freeways and the Arroyo Seco Parkway. If your crash crossed from one into the other, you may need reports from both.
A report summarizes what one officer observed and was told. It can contain errors, and it is often not the last word. We compare it against photographs, vehicle data and witness accounts, and we ask the officer to correct clear mistakes where possible.
Deadlines and where a Pasadena case is filed
Most personal injury lawsuits in California must be filed within two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. That section also covers a death caused by another’s wrongful act, and section 377.60 lists who can bring a wrongful death claim, including a spouse, domestic partner, children and the estate’s personal representative.
Claims against public entities start with a written claim within six months. A Pasadena injury lawsuit is filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Which courthouse hears a case depends on the court’s filing rules at the time, so we confirm that before we file.
Your dates depend on your facts. Schedule a free consultation or reach out to our Los Angeles personal injury team and we will check them with you.
How fault and value are argued
California applies pure comparative fault. If you share some responsibility, your recovery is reduced by your percentage, but it is not eliminated. Insurers know this and try to raise your share.
Value comes from the records: the medical bills, the opinions of treating doctors, the time lost from work and the way the injury changes your daily life. A claim with consistent treatment is easier to prove than one with long gaps, so we encourage you to follow your doctor’s plan.
Which Pasadena cases do we take?
Most of the Pasadena cases we see begin on the road. Collisions on the 210, the 134 and the Arroyo Seco Parkway, and turning crashes on Colorado Boulevard and Lake Avenue, are handled by our Los Angeles County car accident lawyers. When a semi, a delivery truck or a commercial van is involved, a carrier and its insurer enter the case, and our Los Angeles County truck accident team works it from the start.
When a crash or another person’s negligence takes a life, the family’s claim follows its own rules about who may bring it and what it can recover. Our Los Angeles County wrongful death lawyers handle those cases. We also take pedestrian, transit, workplace, premises and product injury cases from Pasadena.
