Torrance Truck Accident Lawyers

Torrance sits between two of the South Bay’s heaviest truck routes, the San Diego Freeway (I-405) and the Harbor Freeway (I-110), with Pacific Coast Highway and Hawthorne Boulevard running through the middle of town. Big rigs use the freeways. Box trucks, delivery vans and work trucks crowd the surface streets. A crash with either kind of vehicle can leave you facing a commercial insurer that has handled thousands of claims like yours.

Saeedian Law Group represents people injured by commercial trucks in Torrance and nearby South Bay cities. We work from Beverly Hills and meet Torrance clients by phone, by video or in person. No attorney fee is charged unless there is a recovery. Call (310) 288-3000 for a free case review.

Truck Volumes on Torrance’s Freeways and Highways

Caltrans’s 2024 truck traffic table shows a sharp difference between the freeways around Torrance and the state highways inside it. On the Harbor Freeway at 228th Street, the table counts about 9,700 trucks a day out of roughly 180,000 vehicles, and nearly half of those trucks are five-axle combinations. On the 405 at its junction with the 110 in Carson, the count is between about 9,900 and 11,600 trucks a day, depending on which side of the interchange is counted.

Inside the city the picture changes. On Hawthorne Boulevard (State Route 107) at Artesia Boulevard, the table lists up to about 1,900 trucks a day, but under 3 percent of them are five-axle rigs (truck share last updated by Caltrans in 2006). On Pacific Coast Highway at Hawthorne Boulevard, five-axle trucks are about 4 to 5 percent of the truck count (truck share last checked by Caltrans in 2005). Most trucks on those streets are two- and three-axle vehicles: delivery trucks, box trucks and service fleets.

That difference shapes the case. A freeway crash with a tractor-trailer usually involves an interstate carrier, federal safety records and large policy limits. A surface-street crash with a box truck may involve a local business, a rental company that owns the truck, or a driver who was working a delivery route under contract.

When the Truck Was a Tanker

Torrance has an oil refinery inside city limits, the Torrance Refinery. If the truck that hit you was a fuel or chemical tanker, federal insurance minimums for that vehicle are higher than for an ordinary freight truck. Under 49 CFR 387.9, a for-hire carrier hauling ordinary freight interstate must carry at least $750,000 in public liability coverage. Carriers moving hazardous substances, as federal rules define that term, in bulk in cargo tanks, portable tanks or hopper-type vehicles must carry at least $5,000,000, and that requirement reaches intrastate haulers too. For for-hire interstate carriers, oil and most other hazardous materials fall in a $1,000,000 tier.

These are minimums required by regulation, not a measure of what any claim is worth. They matter because they tell you how much coverage the carrier was required to have, and whether the policy on file meets the rule.

Getting the Report From Torrance Police or the CHP

The Torrance Police Department makes most of its traffic collision reports available for purchase online through LexisNexis eCrash. The department asks you to wait at least 15 days after the crash before looking for the report online. Reports for some crashes, including hit-and-runs and fatal collisions, may be delayed or not available online. The Records Division is at (310) 618-5529. You can also request a copy by mail or at the police department counter with a Request for Release of Police Records form, photo ID and an $18 check or money order.

On the 405 or the 110, the California Highway Patrol usually investigates. The CHP’s South Los Angeles Area office is in Torrance, at 19700 Hamilton Avenue, and lists Torrance among the communities it serves. A CHP report can be requested with form CHP 190.

Trauma Care in the South Bay

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, run by Los Angeles County, is one of four adult Level I trauma centers in the county on the state EMS Authority’s list, and it is also a pediatric trauma center. Patients with serious injuries from South Bay crashes are commonly taken there under county triage rules. Other patients are treated at a local emergency department and referred out for specialist care.

Keep every record from the first ambulance ride onward, including bills you have not paid yet. Insurance companies compare the timing of treatment to the timing of the crash, and gaps are often used to argue that an injury came from something else.

Filing Deadlines and the DMV Report

The general deadline to sue a private trucking company or driver in California is two years from the injury, set by Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a public agency’s vehicle was involved, such as a city truck or a county vehicle, a written claim must be presented within six months under Government Code section 911.2.

Vehicle Code section 16000 adds a separate duty. A driver in a crash that injures someone, or causes more than $1,000 in property damage, must report it to the DMV within 10 days. Your insurer or your lawyer can file the report for you.

Where a Torrance Case Is Filed

Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 2.3 requires an unlimited civil personal injury case to be filed in the court district where the crash happened. Torrance is in the Southwest District, which holds sessions at the Torrance Courthouse at 825 Maple Avenue, the Torrance Annex at 3221 Torrance Boulevard and the Inglewood Courthouse. The court’s filing locator confirms the right courthouse for a specific address.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get my traffic collision report from the Torrance Police Department?

The Torrance Police Department posts most collision reports online through LexisNexis eCrash, where you can buy a copy for a small convenience fee. Wait at least 15 days after the crash before searching. Some reports, such as hit-and-run and fatal collisions, may be delayed or not available online. You can also mail or drop off a Request for Release of Police Records form at the department, with photo ID and an $18 check or money order, if you want to avoid the online fee. For help finding a report, the Records Division number is (310) 618-5529, and LexisNexis has its own eCrash help desk.

Does it matter whether a box truck or a big rig hit me?

It changes who is involved and which rules apply. Federal motor carrier rules generally cover commercial vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more operating in interstate commerce, under the definition in 49 CFR 390.5. Many box trucks and all tractor-trailers clear that weight. Smaller vans and pickups used for deliveries may fall outside the federal rules, but their owners and employers can still be responsible under California law. On Torrance surface streets, Caltrans counts show most trucks are two- and three-axle vehicles, so we check the truck’s weight rating, registration and the driver’s employment status early in every case.

What insurance does a fuel tanker company have to carry?

Federal rule 49 CFR 387.9 sets minimum financial responsibility levels. A for-hire interstate carrier hauling general freight must carry at least $750,000. For hazardous substances, as federal rules define that term, carried in bulk in cargo tanks, portable tanks or hopper-type vehicles, the minimum is $5,000,000, and that tier applies to private carriers and to intrastate operations as well. Those figures are regulatory minimums, not predictions of what a case is worth. They help identify whether the carrier had the required coverage. We request the carrier’s insurance filings and the shipping papers, which list what was in the tank.

Which courthouse will hear a Torrance truck accident case?

Under Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rule 2.3, an unlimited civil personal injury lawsuit must be filed in the judicial district where the incident arose. Torrance falls in the Southwest District. The court’s local rules list three session locations for that district: the Torrance Courthouse at 825 Maple Avenue, the Torrance Annex at 3221 Torrance Boulevard and the Inglewood Courthouse. The court directs filers to its online filing court locator to confirm the right location for a given address. If the trucking company is based out of state, the case may also be eligible for federal court.

Where are seriously injured people taken after a South Bay truck crash?

Los Angeles County paramedics follow county trauma triage criteria. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, operated by the county, is one of four adult Level I trauma centers in Los Angeles County, and it serves the South Bay. Patients whose injuries do not meet trauma criteria may go to a nearby emergency department instead. Wherever you were treated, ask for complete records, including the ambulance run sheet. Ambulance notes often record your first description of pain and the position of the vehicles, and that early account carries weight with insurers.

I was partly at fault. Can I still bring a claim?

California follows pure comparative fault, so a person who shares some blame for a crash can still recover damages, reduced by their percentage of fault. If you are found 20 percent responsible, your damages are reduced by 20 percent. Trucking insurers often raise fault early, sometimes in the first phone call, to lower the value of a claim. A truck’s engine data, the driver’s hours records and video from nearby businesses on Hawthorne Boulevard or Pacific Coast Highway can change that picture. Do not accept a fault percentage from an adjuster before the evidence has been gathered.

How long do I have to file a claim after a truck crash in Torrance?

For most claims against a trucking company or its driver, Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 sets a two-year deadline from the date of injury. Claims involving a public agency’s vehicle, such as a city service truck or a county vehicle, require a written government claim within six months under Government Code section 911.2, before any lawsuit. Wrongful death claims generally run two years from the date of death. Missing a deadline usually ends the claim, so it is worth confirming which rule applies to your crash early.

Do all tanker trucks near the Torrance Refinery carry $5 million in insurance?

Not necessarily. The Torrance Refinery sits at 3700 West 190th Street and is run by a subsidiary of PBF Energy. If a tanker hit you nearby, its federal minimum depends on the cargo. Under 49 CFR 387.9, the $5,000,000 floor covers a defined group: hazardous substances, as the federal rules use that term, hauled in bulk in cargo tanks, along with certain explosives, gases, poisons and radioactive loads. Oil and most other hazardous materials sit in a separate $1,000,000 tier. That tier also reaches carriers working only inside California when the load is in bulk. The shipping papers show which product was in the tank. Keep in mind that these figures are floors. A carrier can buy more, and the minimum says nothing about the value of a claim.

What do the placards on a tanker truck tell me after a crash in Torrance?

More than most people expect. Under 49 CFR 172.504, a vehicle hauling hazardous material generally has to be placarded on each side and each end. A cargo tank also has to show the material’s identification number, on orange panels or on the placards themselves, under 49 CFR 172.328. That number names the product, and the product decides which insurance tier and handling rules apply. The driver must keep the shipping papers within reach while belted in, and either readily visible to someone entering the cab or in a holder on the driver’s door, under 49 CFR 177.817. Near the refinery on 190th Street, or on the 405 and the 110, a photo of the placard taken before the truck is towed can answer questions early. Keep well back from any leak or vapor while you take it.

What if a container truck from the port hit me on the 110 near Torrance?

Expect more than one company. The CHP’s South Los Angeles Area, which is based in Torrance, says its territory includes the Port of Los Angeles. On the Harbor Freeway at 228th Street, Caltrans counts show nearly half of the trucks are five-axle combinations, the setup a tractor uses to pull a container on a chassis. The tractor, the chassis and the box can each have a different owner. Federal rules call the chassis supplier an intermodal equipment provider. Under 49 CFR 390.40T, that provider has to mark the chassis with its USDOT number, keep it in safe working order and keep inspection, repair and driver report records. A failed chassis brake, tire or light can put part of the fault on the provider. Photograph every number on all three pieces.

Does it matter if paramedics took me to Torrance Memorial instead of Harbor-UCLA?

It mostly changes how your records come together. The Los Angeles County EMS agency’s trauma center umbrella directory, effective April 1, 2025, groups Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center-Torrance under Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. The two Torrance hospitals are not listed as trauma centers in their own right. Someone with less severe injuries may be treated at one of them, while a patient who needs trauma care may be sent on to Harbor-UCLA. If a child was hurt, the county lists Harbor-UCLA as both a pediatric medical center and a pediatric trauma center. When you were moved between hospitals, ask each one for its full chart, the transfer paperwork and the ambulance report for every leg of the trip.

Can the truck driver’s hours on the road matter after a Torrance crash?

They can. Federal rule 49 CFR 395.3 limits a driver of a property-carrying truck to 11 hours behind the wheel after 10 straight hours off duty. Driving is not allowed past the 14th hour after the driver came on duty. A tired driver changing lanes where the 405 meets Crenshaw Boulevard, or exiting the 110 at 190th Street, reacts more slowly, and the hours records can show it. Under 49 CFR 395.8(k), the carrier has to keep each driver’s records of duty status and supporting documents for at least six months. The driver must also carry the last seven days of records while on duty. Six months passes quickly while you are still in treatment. That is why a letter asking the carrier to preserve those records goes out early, and why fuel receipts and dispatch records get checked against the logs.

Our Beverly Hills Office, About 16 Miles From Torrance

We do not have an office in Torrance. South Bay clients work with our Beverly Hills headquarters at 9100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 500W, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. You can meet us by phone, by video or in person by appointment. Call (310) 288-3000.

View our Beverly Hills office on Google Maps

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 truck accident 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.