Van Nuys, near the middle of the San Fernando Valley, is home to the Valley's administrative center and the Van Nuys courthouses. If you were hurt in a crash, a fall or another accident in Van Nuys, a Van Nuys personal injury lawyer from our Woodland Hills office can help you understand your options. We handle the insurance companies and the paperwork so you can focus on getting better.
This page covers who handles a crash report in Van Nuys, the Van Nuys courthouses, and what to do if a city street or city vehicle was involved. It's general information, not legal advice.
Van Nuys at a glance
- Part of
- The City of Los Angeles
Source: City of Los Angeles, Van Nuys-North Sherman Oaks Community Plan (1998) (opens in a new tab)
- Courthouses
- Van Nuys Courthouse East (6230 Sylmar Avenue) and West (14400 Erwin Street Mall)
Source: Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rules, rule 2.2 (opens in a new tab)
- LAPD station
- Van Nuys Community Police Station
Source: LAPD: Van Nuys Community Police Station (opens in a new tab)
- Crash investigations on city streets
- LAPD Valley Traffic Division
- Emergency services
- Valley Presbyterian Hospital
Who handles a crash report in Van Nuys?
On Van Nuys streets, the LAPD. Van Nuys is served by the LAPD's Van Nuys Community Police Station, which also lists Sherman Oaks, Valley Glen and other nearby communities, and the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division investigates traffic collisions for its Valley Bureau. Freeway crashes are generally handled by the CHP. Ask the responding officer for the report number before you leave the scene, if you can.
If anyone was hurt, the drivers involved must also make a written report within 24 hours to the CHP or, inside a city, to the CHP or the city police department, and report the crash to the DMV within 10 days (Vehicle Code §20008 (opens in a new tab); §16000 (opens in a new tab)). Our car accident page walks through the other steps.
Sources: LAPD: Van Nuys Community Police Station (opens in a new tab); LAPD: Valley Traffic Division (opens in a new tab)
Will a Van Nuys injury case be heard in Van Nuys?
It may be. The Los Angeles County Superior Court's Northwest District courthouses are Van Nuys Courthouse East, at 6230 Sylmar Avenue, and Van Nuys Courthouse West, at 14400 Erwin Street Mall. Under a May 2024 court order, new unlimited personal injury cases have been filed, since October 2022, in the court district where the incident happened, as identified by the court's filing court locator. Other Valley courthouses, in San Fernando and Chatsworth, belong to the court's North Valley District.
The City's community plan places the Valley's civic center, the San Fernando Valley Administration Center, in Van Nuys, with city, county, state and federal offices (community plan (opens in a new tab)).
Sources: Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rules, rule 2.2 (opens in a new tab); Los Angeles Superior Court, General Order re Assignment and Transfer of Personal Injury Cases (May 17, 2024) (opens in a new tab)
What if a city street, sidewalk or city vehicle was involved?
Van Nuys is part of the City of Los Angeles, so a claim over a dangerous city street or sidewalk, or a crash with a city vehicle, usually starts with a written claim filed with the Los Angeles City Clerk, generally within six months of the incident. The City says only the City Clerk can accept it. Our Los Angeles page explains that process, claims involving Metro, the County or federal vehicles, and where injury lawsuits are filed.
Sources: City of Los Angeles, Van Nuys-North Sherman Oaks Community Plan (1998) (opens in a new tab); Los Angeles City Attorney: Claims (opens in a new tab); Los Angeles City Clerk: Claim for Damage (opens in a new tab); Government Code §911.2 (opens in a new tab)
Getting around Van Nuys
The City's 1998 Van Nuys-North Sherman Oaks Community Plan covers Van Nuys and North Sherman Oaks. The plan area is bounded in part by the Ventura Freeway on the south and the San Diego Freeway (the 405) on the west, and the Van Nuys community itself lies north of Burbank Boulevard (community plan (opens in a new tab)).
Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys lists emergency services among its services (hospital (opens in a new tab)). In an emergency, call 911.
How we can help in Van Nuys
- Car AccidentsRear-end crashes, intersection collisions, hit-and-runs and uninsured drivers.
- Truck AccidentsCrashes with big rigs, delivery vans and other commercial trucks.
- Slip & FallFalls on wet floors, broken stairs, uneven walkways or poorly lit property.
- Motorcycle AccidentsRiders hurt by careless drivers, unsafe lane changes and left turns.
Van Nuys questions
Do you have an office in Van Nuys?
Our office is in Woodland Hills, in the west San Fernando Valley. We take cases from Van Nuys, the rest of the San Fernando Valley and anywhere in California. Call us or start a free case review, and we'll talk about what happened and the options you have, with no obligation.
Which courthouses are in Van Nuys?
Two Los Angeles County Superior Court courthouses: Van Nuys Courthouse East, at 6230 Sylmar Avenue, and Van Nuys Courthouse West, at 14400 Erwin Street Mall. Together they make up the court's Northwest District. Whether a particular injury case is filed there depends on where the incident happened, using the court's filing court locator.
Sources: Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rules, rule 2.2 (opens in a new tab); Los Angeles Superior Court, General Order re Assignment and Transfer of Personal Injury Cases (May 17, 2024) (opens in a new tab)
Who do I get the police report from after a crash in Van Nuys?
From the agency that responded. Crashes on Van Nuys streets are handled by the LAPD, whose Valley Traffic Division investigates traffic collisions for its Valley Bureau, and freeway crashes are generally handled by the CHP. Ask the officer for the report number at the scene, and keep it with your other records.