Car Accident Lawyer Glendale

Written and reviewed by David Gammill

Glendale is one of only six cities in California designated under AB 645 for automated speed camera enforcement — and that designation didn’t happen by accident. It happened because speed is a documented, persistent, and serious public safety problem on Glendale’s roads.

The data tells the story: speeding contributes to 27.4% of all crashes in Glendale. Traffic signal violations drive 33.97% of severe crashes. Late-night crashes between 6 PM and midnight account for 16% of severe incidents, with a strong alcohol correlation. In 2021, OTS data recorded 597 injury and fatal crashes in the city — placing Glendale at rank 47 out of 60 comparable cities, meaning the city’s overall crash burden is above the median for cities its size.

The most dangerous single location in the city: Brand Boulevard and Sanchez Drive — 65 documented crashes at this intersection alone, making it not just Glendale’s most dangerous intersection but one of the most documented in all of Los Angeles County.

If you were injured in a Glendale car accident, Gammill Law fights for the full compensation you’re owed.

📞 Free Case Review — Call (310) 750-4149

Glendale’s Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections

Brand Boulevard — The City’s Accident Spine

Brand Boulevard generates more accident activity than any other corridor in Glendale. The cluster of dangerous locations along Brand is directly tied to the Ventura Freeway (SR-134):

• Brand Blvd & Sanchez Dr — 65 documented crashes, the city’s single most dangerous intersection, located immediately south of the SR-134 on-ramp
• Brand Blvd & Goode Ave — The second major Brand danger zone, sitting directly at the SR-134 off-ramp, where freeway-exiting vehicles transition abruptly from highway speed to surface street conditions

This stretch of Brand represents the city’s dominant crash mechanism: drivers decelerating from freeway speeds into urban intersection environments, creating the speed-differential collisions that produce the most severe injuries.

Colorado Street and Pacific Avenue

Located between the Golden State Freeway (I-5) exit and the Glendale Galleria, this intersection recorded 12 accidents and 4 injuries in one studied year — making it one of Glendale’s top documented crash crossings. The Galleria’s commercial traffic volumes combine with I-5 off-ramp deceleration to produce the same freeway-to-surface-street crash dynamic seen on Brand Boulevard.

Interstate 5 and the Colorado Street Interchange

OTS data specifically identifies the I-5/Colorado Street area as Glendale’s top fatality hotspot — 4 documented fatal crashes, frequently involving high speeds associated with freeway access. In October 2024, a multi-car crash on eastbound SR-134 at Harvey Drive sent one person to the hospital. In August 2024, a fatal multi-vehicle crash on SR-134 near East Brand Boulevard killed at least one person.

State Route 134 — The Ventura Freeway

SR-134 borders Glendale’s southern edge. This is Glendale’s most fatally dangerous freeway corridor — documented fatal and injury crashes appear with regularity in CHP records, particularly at off-ramp transition zones where freeway speeds meet surface street approaches.

Honolulu Avenue at Lowell Avenue

This Foothill Freeway-adjacent intersection recorded 9 accidents and 7 injuries in one studied period. Like the Brand Boulevard cluster, its danger is tied to its proximity to a freeway — the I-210 approach generates the speed transition conflicts that produce concentrated accident activity.

Glendale’s Accident Causes: What the Data Shows

Understanding why Glendale’s crashes happen is directly relevant to how we build your case:

Speeding — 27.4% of all crashes. Glendale’s freeway proximity means drivers habitually carry highway speeds onto surface streets. When a speeding driver causes your accident, their violation of California Vehicle Code Section 22350 is direct evidence of negligence. We document speed through event data recorder downloads, skid mark analysis, traffic camera footage, and accident reconstruction experts.

Distracted Driving — 12.9% of collisions. At 35 mph, a two-second attention lapse means 100+ feet traveled without active road processing. We subpoena cell phone carrier records in distracted driving cases — call logs, text transmission data, and app activity with timestamps.

Traffic Signal Violations — 33.97% of severe crashes. Red-light runners in Glendale produce the broadside and angle crashes that cause the most serious injuries. Red-light camera data, intersection surveillance, and witness accounts are the primary evidence sources in these cases.

Late-Night DUI Crashes — 16% of severe incidents. When an impaired driver causes your accident, California law supports a punitive damages claim on top of full compensatory recovery.

Types of Cases We Handle in Glendale

Freeway and Interchange Crashes — SR-134, I-5, and SR-2 corridor accidents involving the speed transition dynamics that characterize Glendale’s most severe collisions.

Intersection T-Bone and Angle Crashes — Brand/Sanchez, Colorado/Pacific, and the other documented high-crash crossings throughout the city.

Speeding and DUI Accidents — With speed causing more than a quarter of all Glendale crashes, these cases are central to our Glendale practice.

Commercial Vehicle Accidents — Glendale’s position between the 5, 134, and 2 freeways makes it a significant commercial transit corridor. Truck accident practice →

Pedestrian Accidents — OTS data ranks Glendale second-worst in its population group for pedestrian accidents involving seniors. Personal injury practice →

Wrongful Death — Our wrongful death attorneys handle these cases throughout Los Angeles County.

What Glendale Car Accident Victims Can Recover

• Medical expenses — Every cost from emergency care through all projected future treatment
• Lost wages — Income missed during recovery and long-term earning capacity impact
• Pain and suffering — Physical pain, emotional distress, and the impact on your daily life
• Property damage — Full repair or replacement cost of your vehicle
• Punitive damages — Available in DUI cases and other grossly reckless conduct
• Wrongful death damages — Full recovery for families who lost a loved one

Glendale and Surrounding Communities We Serve

Glendale Neighborhoods: Montrose, Crescenta Highlands, Sparr Heights, Adams Hill, Brand Boulevard corridor, Rossmoyne

Neighboring Cities: Burbank, Pasadena, La Canada Flintridge, the Foothill communities

Our existing Glendale personal injury practice handles the full spectrum of injury cases in this community. Our Los Angeles County practice covers every surrounding area.

Frequently Asked Questions: Car Accident Lawyer Glendale

Q: I was rear-ended on Brand Boulevard near the SR-134 on-ramp. The other driver came off the freeway too fast. How do we prove their speed? 

A: Vehicle event data recorders capture speed and braking in the seconds before impact. Physical evidence — skid marks, point-of-impact geometry, and vehicle damage patterns — allows accident reconstruction experts to calculate pre-impact speed independently. Traffic cameras in the Brand/Sanchez area may have footage. We pursue all of these evidentiary avenues from the first day.

Q: The SR-134 near East Brand has a documented fatal crash history. Can Caltrans share liability? 

A: When a freeway interchange configuration — merge length, sightline distances, barrier placement — creates a dangerous condition that Caltrans knows about and fails to address, a government entity claim is a legitimate legal theory. Government claims must be filed within six months. Contact us immediately if road design was a factor in your crash.

Q: Glendale is designating speed cameras. Does that affect current cases? 

A: Speed camera tickets create a formal record of speeding behavior at a location. For existing cases, the city’s AB 645 designation is evidence of the state’s formal recognition that speeding is a persistent problem on specific Glendale corridors — context we use to establish the foreseeability of your crash.

Injured in Glendale? Call the car accident lawyer Los Angeles County trusts.

📞 Free Consultation — (310) 750-4149 — No Fee Unless We Win

Serving Glendale, the Foothill communities, and all of Los Angeles County.