Pasadena Truck Accident Lawyer

The Foothill Freeway Carries the Load

Caltrans’s 2024 truck traffic table puts about 324,000 vehicles a day on I-210 at Lake Avenue, and about 24,300 of them are trucks. Further east, at Rosemead Boulevard, the table counts about 15,000 trucks a day on each side of the interchange, and roughly half of those are five-axle tractor-trailers.

At the interchange where the 210, the 134 and the 710 meet, the 134 carries about 201,000 vehicles a day, including roughly 5,000 trucks. Merging lanes, short weaving sections and sudden slowdowns at that junction create the conditions for rear-end and sideswipe crashes with large trucks, which need far more room to stop than a passenger car.

Who Responds to a Crash in Pasadena

Freeway crashes in and around Pasadena are generally investigated by the California Highway Patrol’s Altadena Area office at 2130 Windsor Avenue. The CHP says that office patrols State Route 134 and State Route 710 along with portions of I-210 and other routes, and that its area includes unincorporated Pasadena. A CHP report can be requested with form CHP 190.

Crashes on Colorado Boulevard, Arroyo Parkway, Lake Avenue and other city streets are handled by the Pasadena Police Department. The department’s website links to an online traffic collision report service, and its Records Section, part of the Support Services Division, handles requests for report copies.

Electronic Records That Can Prove What Happened

A modern truck records more than most people realize. Under federal rule 49 CFR 395.8, interstate motor carriers must keep each driver’s records of duty status, typically electronic logging device data, and supporting documents for at least six months. Those records show when the driver started the shift, how long the driver had been behind the wheel and whether required breaks were taken.

Federal hours rules in 49 CFR 395.3 limit a property-carrying driver to 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty. A driver who has been on the road since early morning and hits traffic on the 210 in the afternoon may be near or past that limit. Comparing the log to fuel receipts, toll records and delivery times is a standard step in testing whether the log is accurate.

Six months is only the minimum the rule requires. Engine control module data and dashcam footage have no comparable retention rule. A preservation letter sent early asks the carrier to keep all of it.

Trauma Care in Pasadena

Huntington Hospital in Pasadena operates a Level II trauma center, and the hospital says it has the largest emergency department in the San Gabriel Valley. Los Angeles County’s emergency medical services agency sets the criteria paramedics use to decide when a patient goes to a trauma center.

Serious truck crash injuries often require care from several specialists over many months. Your claim should reflect all of it, including future treatment your doctors expect, not only the bills from the first week.

Claims Involving a City or Public Vehicle

Pasadena runs its own transit service, Pasadena Transit, along with city public works vehicles. If a public vehicle was involved, or if a road defect maintained by a public agency contributed to the crash, Government Code section 911.2 requires a written claim to that agency within six months of the injury. A lawsuit cannot proceed until the claim is presented and decided or deemed rejected.

Claims against a private trucking company follow the two-year deadline in Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Two different clocks can run in the same case, which is why we confirm who owned every vehicle involved before the first deadline approaches.

Where the Case Is Filed

Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 2.3 requires an unlimited civil personal injury case to be filed in the judicial district where the crash happened. Pasadena is in the Northeast District. For unlimited civil cases from Pasadena, the court’s filing locator lists the Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and Alhambra courthouses, so we confirm the filing location for the exact crash address before filing.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which agency investigates a truck crash on the 210 in Pasadena?

On the freeway, it is usually the California Highway Patrol. The CHP’s Altadena Area office, at 2130 Windsor Avenue, lists unincorporated Pasadena within its area and says it patrols State Route 134, State Route 710 and portions of I-210. You can request a copy of a CHP report by completing form CHP 190 and submitting it in person or by mail to the Area office. If the crash happened after you exited, for example on Lake Avenue or Colorado Boulevard, the Pasadena Police Department likely wrote the report, and its website links to an online service for traffic collision reports.

How long does a trucking company keep its driver logs?

Interstate motor carriers must keep each driver’s records of duty status and supporting documents for at least six months under 49 CFR 395.8. Supporting documents include items such as fuel receipts, dispatch records and bills of lading that help check whether the logs are accurate. Carriers must also keep an accident register for three years under 49 CFR 390.15. After the six-month mark, a carrier may lawfully discard routine log data unless it has been told to keep it for litigation. A written preservation demand sent soon after the crash closes that gap and puts the company on notice.

What is the 11-hour driving rule and why does it matter?

Under 49 CFR 395.3, a driver of a property-carrying commercial truck may drive up to 11 hours after spending 10 consecutive hours off duty, and driving is limited within a 14-hour window. A tired driver in stop-and-go traffic on the 210 has less margin for a late brake or a lane change. If the log shows a driver near the limit, or if other records do not match the log, that becomes evidence of negligence. It can also point to the carrier’s dispatch practices, which can create direct liability for the company and not only the driver.

Can I file a claim if a Pasadena city truck hit me?

Yes, but the process is different. Before you can sue a public entity in California, Government Code section 911.2 requires you to present a written claim within six months of the injury. Pasadena operates services such as Pasadena Transit along with city public works vehicles, so a crash with one of those vehicles usually starts with a government claim. The agency then has time to respond before a lawsuit can be filed. Missing the six-month window can bar the claim, so the date of the crash should be the first thing you note.

Which courthouse handles a Pasadena truck accident lawsuit?

Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 2.3 says an unlimited civil personal injury action must be filed in the judicial district where the incident arose. Pasadena is in the Northeast District, and the court’s local rules list two locations for that district: the Pasadena Courthouse at 300 East Walnut Street and the Alhambra Courthouse at 150 West Commonwealth. The court directs filers to its online filing court locator to confirm the correct courthouse for a specific address. A case against an out-of-state carrier may sometimes be moved to federal court instead.

Where will I be taken if I am badly hurt in a Pasadena truck crash?

Paramedics follow Los Angeles County trauma triage criteria. Huntington Hospital in Pasadena has a Level II trauma center, and its emergency department is, according to the hospital, the largest in the San Gabriel Valley. Patients with less severe injuries may be taken to a regular emergency department. After discharge, keep copies of every record, imaging report and bill, and follow your treatment plan. Insurance adjusters look for gaps in care and use them to argue that injuries were minor or came from something other than the crash.

Who handles a semi truck crash in East Pasadena?

Not the City of Pasadena. Los Angeles County Planning describes East Pasadena-East San Gabriel as an unincorporated community of about four square miles just south and east of the city, with businesses along Rosemead Boulevard and East Colorado Boulevard. On those county roads, the CHP’s Altadena Area lists unincorporated Pasadena and Chapman Woods among the communities it patrols. The Sheriff’s Temple Station serves North San Gabriel and East Pasadena for law enforcement. Rosemead Boulevard runs up to the 210, where Caltrans counts about 15,000 trucks a day on each side of the interchange, around half of them five-axle rigs. If a county vehicle or a county road defect played a part, the government claim goes to Los Angeles County within six months, not to the city.

Are semi trucks allowed in every lane of the 210 in Pasadena?

No. California Vehicle Code section 22406 caps any truck with three or more axles, and any truck pulling a trailer, at 55 miles per hour on every highway. Section 21655 then keeps those trucks in the right-hand lane or in lanes Caltrans has signed for them. Where a divided highway has four or more marked lanes in one direction, they may also use the lane just left of the right lane, and that holds when they pass. The rule bends for a driver getting ready to turn or entering or leaving the freeway. Say a big rig sideswipes a car three lanes from the shoulder, or its engine data shows 70. Under Evidence Code section 669, that kind of safety statute violation can create a presumption of negligence.

Can a big rig legally drive on the Arroyo Seco Parkway into Pasadena?

In general, no. Caltrans restricts Route 110 for 8.2 miles, from Route 101 up to Glenarm Street in Pasadena. On that stretch, commercial vehicles over 6,000 pounds are barred, and buses need Public Utilities Commission approval. So a semi or a heavy box truck on the parkway is already breaking a state rule before any crash happens. When one does cause a collision there, Evidence Code section 669 can treat that violation as a presumption of negligence if the other conditions of the statute are met. It also puts the carrier’s routing and dispatch decisions in play. We ask for the truck’s GPS records, the trip plan and the driver’s messages with dispatch to find out why it was there.

Can a heavy truck drive on any street in Pasadena?

No. Pasadena Municipal Code chapter 10.52 keeps vehicles over 6,000 pounds gross weight on the streets the city has designated as truck routes. The Department of Transportation’s truck route map marks them with heavy red lines, and heavier trucks are prohibited on all other streets. State law carves out an exception. Under Vehicle Code section 35703, a commercial vehicle may leave the route by a direct path to make a pickup or delivery on a restricted street, or to bring materials for permitted construction there. If a heavy truck hit you on a residential street in Pasadena, we check whether it was on a route and, if it wasn’t, whether a real delivery explains it. Doorbell and business cameras on the block can help show the truck’s path.

How do I get the paramedic report after a truck crash inside Pasadena?

Inside city limits, a 911 medical call brings a Pasadena Fire Department paramedic rescue ambulance plus the closest engine or truck company. That means the first medical record of your injuries usually belongs to the fire department. The department’s FAQ says patients are not charged for their own record, although another entry lists a $15 to $22 fee, so confirm the cost when you ask. Call the EMS Division at (626) 744-4112, or go to the administration office at 215 North Marengo Avenue, Suite 195, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. You fill out a form and bring ID. Anyone asking on your behalf needs your signed release. Request it even if you felt fine when the truck hit you. The paramedics wrote down your first complaints, your pulse and your blood pressure, and adjusters give that early record real attention.

Who is responsible for a road defect on the old 710 stub in Pasadena?

Since August 2022, usually the City of Pasadena. The short stretch of State Route 710 between Union Street and Columbia Street used to belong to Caltrans. The California Transportation Commission approved handing that network to the city on June 29, 2022, and the transfer took effect on August 15, 2022. That matters when a pothole, a broken signal or a confusing lane drop helps cause a truck crash there. A claim about the condition of the road now goes to the City of Pasadena, not the state, and Government Code section 911.2 gives six months to present it. Proving a dangerous condition has its own requirements under Government Code section 835. The claim against the trucking company is separate and follows the usual two-year deadline. Photograph the road early, because repairs can erase the evidence.

About the Author

Michael Saeedian, Esq., Founding Attorney, Saeedian Law Group (California State Bar #265470). Michael founded Saeedian Law Group in 2009 and has spent more than 16 years representing injured Californians and their families in personal injury and wrongful death matters across the state. His practice includes truck accident cases throughout Los Angeles County.

Legal disclaimer: This page provides general information about California injury law and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is different; past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship with Saeedian Law Group. For advice specific to your situation, contact our office at (310) 288-3000 or schedule a free consultation.