Torrance Truck Accident Lawyer
A truck crash claim in Torrance usually runs against a trucking company and its commercial insurer, not just the driver. That changes two things right away: for-hire interstate carriers hauling general freight in trucks rated 10,001 pounds or more must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage, far above the $30,000 per person a car driver needs, and the company only has to keep the driver’s hours-of-service records for six months. If a city or state road problem played a part, you generally have six months to file a written claim with that agency.
Torrance truck accident lawyer Jon Olsson represents people hurt in collisions with big rigs, tankers, box trucks and delivery vans in Torrance and across the South Bay, and he works on each case himself. Consultations cost nothing, and you owe no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Torrance Truck Accident Claims: Key Facts
- Lawsuit deadline: most injury suits must be filed within two years of the crash (CCP § 335.1); suits over vehicle damage get three years (CCP § 338).
- Government claims: generally six months (Gov. Code § 911.2). The City of Torrance takes claims through its City Clerk; Caltrans, not the city, maintains the state highways in Torrance, including Pacific Coast Highway and Western Avenue.
- Trucking company insurance: interstate for-hire carriers of general freight using trucks rated 10,001 pounds or more must carry at least $750,000; oil and many hazardous materials require $1 million, and some bulk hazardous loads $5 million (49 C.F.R. § 387.9). California motor carriers of property generally need $750,000 as well, or $300,000 if they run only vehicles under 10,000 pounds (Veh. Code § 34631.5).
- Driver logs: carriers must keep drivers’ records of duty status and supporting documents for six months.
- Car insurance minimum: an ordinary car policy only has to cover $30,000 of injuries per person and $60,000 per crash.
- Partial fault: your share of fault lowers the award but doesn’t bar it (Li v. Yellow Cab Co.).
- Cost: no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Why Jon’s Corporate Defense Experience Helps Your Torrance Truck Accident Claim
Jon spent the early part of his career on the other side of injury cases, so he knows how insurers and their lawyers will size up your claim. Before founding Olsson Law, he spent six years at a large international law firm defending companies in complex litigation, including serious injury and product liability matters. He then joined a Los Angeles personal injury firm, where he represented injured people in motor vehicle collisions, dangerous property conditions, public entity cases and disputed liability matters. That background tells him what evidence moves a defense lawyer, and what they look for to justify paying less.
Jon stays directly involved from your first consultation through the resolution of your case, and works to reduce medical bills and liens so more of any settlement goes to you.
- Education: Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.); New York University (B.A.)
- Bar admissions: California, Texas and Massachusetts
- Community: member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the South Bay Bar Association
Prior Results
- $3.85 million: wrongful death settlement
- $700,000: car accident, back and neck injuries
- $400,000: slip and fall, knee injury
These results include matters personally handled by Jon Olsson at prior law firms and matters in which he participated as part of a legal team. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Read more about Jon Olsson, our approach, and prior results.
Torrance Crash and Traffic Data
OTS doesn’t count truck crashes separately, so the closest local measure is overall traffic and injuries. From 2019 through 2023, OTS estimated roughly 1.4 to 1.7 million vehicle miles traveled a day in Torrance, and the reported crashes it counts killed or hurt between 567 and 756 people each year. Torrance’s composite ranking stayed in the safer half of about 60 California cities of 100,001 to 250,000 people each year (OTS methodology).
| Year | Daily vehicle miles (Caltrans estimate) | People killed or injured (rank) | Composite rank | Cities ranked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,431,850 | 647 (32nd) | 53rd | 62 |
| 2022 | about 1,450,000 | 620 (41st) | 52nd | 61 |
| 2021 | 1,385,129 | 616 (36th) | 47th | 60 |
| 2020 | 1,470,000 | 567 (27th) | 51st | 61 |
| 2019 | 1,731,960 | 756 (29th) | 53rd | 59 |
In OTS rankings, No. 1 is the worst. The composite rank adds together OTS’s alcohol-involved, had-been-drinking driver (under 21 and 21 to 34), speed-related, nighttime and hit-and-run counts, and vehicle miles are Caltrans estimates. OTS counts only reported crashes on city streets and shared state highways; crashes the CHP reports, including any on the 405, are left out. As of October 2026, OTS’s 2023 rankings are the newest available.
Where Truck Traffic Concentrates in Torrance
North Torrance’s industrial corridor along 190th Street. The Torrance Refinery sits at 3700 W. 190th Street. Nearby, the City of Torrance reviewed a roughly 263,000-square-foot industrial warehouse at 2555 W. 190th Street, on land zoned for heavy manufacturing, that was planned with a trucks-only driveway on Crenshaw Place. Plant and warehouse driveways put heavy trucks into turning and merging traffic.
The 405. The 405 runs near the refinery in north Torrance. Crashes on the freeway are handled by the CHP rather than Torrance police, and most drivers in an injury crash must report it within 24 hours to the CHP or, inside city limits, the city police (Veh. Code § 20008).
Port-bound traffic. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handled more than 26,000 truck moves a day as of 2023, and those trucks share South Bay freeways and arterials with local traffic.
Designated truck routes. The City publishes a map of its city and state truck routes. Whether a heavy truck had strayed from a designated route can matter when Jon assesses fault.
Who Is Responsible for the Road, and Where Does the Claim Go?
Most truck claims are against the trucking company and follow the ordinary two-year deadline. When a road defect, a missing sign or a public vehicle contributed, a written claim goes to the responsible agency first, generally within six months.
| Where it happened | Responsible agency | Where the claim goes |
|---|---|---|
| City streets, or a crash with a City of Torrance vehicle | City of Torrance | Office of the City Clerk, 3031 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503, on the city’s signed claim form, by mail or in person. Faxed and emailed claims aren’t accepted |
| Pacific Coast Highway, Western Avenue and other state highways | State of California (Caltrans) | Caltrans’s district claims office for claims of $12,500 or less; larger claims go to the Government Claims Program |
| The 405 | State of California (Caltrans) | Same as above |
When it isn’t clear which agency maintains a stretch of road, Jon can present a claim to each one that may be responsible so the six-month deadline isn’t missed. To win against a public agency, you generally must show a dangerous condition that the agency created, or knew or should have known about in time to fix (Gov. Code § 835).
Who Pays After a Torrance Truck Accident?
Usually the motor carrier’s commercial liability insurer. Truck crashes often involve more than one business, so Jon looks at every company connected to the truck, its driver and its equipment.
| Situation | Who may pay |
|---|---|
| A company driver caused the crash while working | The trucking company, which is generally responsible for an employee’s driving within the scope of the job (CACI Nos. 3700 and 3720), through its commercial policy |
| The driver was an owner-operator leased to a carrier | The carrier as well: federal leasing rules require the lease to give the carrier exclusive possession, control and use of the truck, and complete responsibility for operating it, for as long as the lease lasts (49 C.F.R. § 376.12) |
| The truck carried fuel or hazardous materials | The carrier, under higher required minimums of $1 million or $5 million depending on the load (49 C.F.R. § 387.9) |
| Brakes, tires or another part failed | The manufacturer, under California product liability law (CACI No. 1200) |
| The truck’s coverage isn’t enough, or the driver left the scene | Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, if you have it. If the truck is never identified, the coverage generally requires physical contact, a police report within 24 hours and a sworn statement to your insurer within 30 days (Ins. Code § 11580.2) |
| A road defect contributed | The City or the State, through a government claim |
| Treatment bills before the case resolves | Your health plan or MedPay, either of which can ask to be repaid out of a settlement |
What Should I Do After a Truck Accident in Torrance?
- Call 911 and get medical care the same day. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is a Level I trauma center.
- Photograph the truck’s markings. Federally regulated carriers must display their name and USDOT number on both sides of the truck (49 C.F.R. § 390.21T). Also photograph the trailer number, license plates, the scene and your injuries.
- Make sure the crash is reported: Torrance police handle city streets, and the CHP handles the 405. Most drivers in a crash that hurts or kills someone must report it within 24 hours; the statute makes an exception for common carrier vehicles (Veh. Code § 20008).
- Get the driver’s information, including their name and home address, license number, the truck’s VIN and insurance details (Veh. Code § 16025), plus the name of the company the driver works for.
- Collect witness names and ask nearby businesses to save video before it’s recorded over.
- Send the DMV an SR-1 report within 10 days when the crash hurt anyone or caused more than $1,000 in damage.
- Call a lawyer before talking to the trucking company’s insurer. An early preservation letter can keep the driver’s logs and the truck’s electronic data from being discarded.
How to Get the Police Report for a Torrance Truck Crash
For a crash on Torrance streets, most reports can be bought online through LexisNexis after the Torrance Police Department releases them, which takes at least 15 days. If you’d rather skip the online fee, send or drop off a written request to the Records Division at 3300 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503; copies cost $18. Hit-and-run and fatal crash reports can take longer. Drivers, injured people, vehicle owners and their attorneys are among those entitled to a copy (Veh. Code § 20012).
For a crash on the 405, request the CHP’s report through its online crash portal or with form CHP 190. Olsson Law can request either report for you.
How Jon Builds a Torrance Truck Accident Case
- Preserve the carrier’s records: an early written demand that the company keep the driver’s electronic logs, hours-of-service records and supporting documents, which it otherwise needs to hold only six months.
- The driver’s history: the driver qualification file the carrier must maintain (49 C.F.R. § 391.51) and any post-crash drug and alcohol test results (49 C.F.R. § 382.303).
- The truck’s condition: inspection, repair and maintenance records (49 C.F.R. § 396.3), and the truck itself when brakes or tires are in question.
- The company’s safety record: the carrier’s roadside inspection, crash and investigation data in FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System.
- Coverage: all insurance that may apply: the carrier’s, a leasing carrier’s and your own UM/UIM.
- Resolution: a documented demand, then suit if the insurer won’t pay a fair amount. New injury cases in Los Angeles Superior Court are filed in the judicial district where the incident occurred. The Southwest District’s Torrance Courthouse, at 825 Maple Avenue, covers the part of Torrance west of Western Avenue.
Learn more about truck accident claims.
Torrance Truck Accident FAQs
The Truck Driver Says He’s an Independent Contractor. Can I Still Claim Against the Trucking Company?
Often, yes. When an owner-operator leases a truck to a licensed carrier, federal rules require the lease to make the carrier responsible for operating it while the lease is in effect. The lease, the carrier name on the truck and the shipping papers usually show which company was in charge.
How Much Insurance Does a Semi-Truck Have?
At least $750,000 for a for-hire interstate carrier hauling general freight in a truck rated 10,001 pounds or more, and $1 million or $5 million for many fuel and hazardous loads. The actual limit can be higher, so Jon gets the policy itself to confirm what’s available.
Can the Trucking Company Get Rid of the Driver’s Logs?
Federal rules require carriers to keep drivers’ duty-status records and supporting documents for six months. After that, they may be discarded in the normal course of business, which is why a preservation demand should go out early.
I Was Hit by a Truck on the 405 in Torrance. Who Handles It?
The CHP investigates freeway crashes, so its report is the one you’ll need. The claim against the driver and carrier follows the two-year deadline; a claim that the freeway itself was unsafe goes to the State, generally within six months.
What If a City of Torrance Truck Hit Me?
You must first present a signed claim to the Torrance City Clerk, generally within six months. If the city rejects it in writing, you usually have six months from that notice to file suit (Gov. Code § 945.6).
What Does a Truck Accident Lawyer Cost?
You pay nothing to start. The fee is an agreed share of whatever is recovered, so without a recovery there’s no attorney’s fee. State law requires a written contingency agreement (Bus. & Prof. Code § 6147).
Talk to a Torrance Truck Accident Attorney
A trucking company can discard its driver’s logs after six months, and claims against the city or the State are generally due in that same window. For a free consultation, call Jon Olsson at (310) 304-4756 or contact us online. You owe no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Jon also handles car accident claims in Torrance and represents injured people across Torrance, Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes.
This page provides general information about truck accident claims in Torrance. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Deadlines and rules can change and may depend on the facts of your case.