Long Beach Accident Guide
If you were hurt in a crash in Long Beach, this guide shows where to get your police report, how to file a claim against the City of Long Beach or Los Angeles County, which intersections and freeways see the most crashes, and the deadlines that matter. Each fact links to the official source.
How do I get a police accident report in Long Beach?
Long Beach has its own police department, so crashes on city streets are LBPD reports, not LAPD or Sheriff reports. CHP covers freeways. Mail or hand deliver LBPD’s request form with a $30 processing fee. Processing time varies and can take up to about six months. CHP reports are online or by CHP 190 form.
| Agency | How to request | Wait, fee, and rules |
|---|---|---|
| LBPD (city streets in the City of Long Beach) | Mail or hand deliver the Application for Release of Traffic Collision and/or Crime Report, linked on LBPD’s Request a Police Report page, to Long Beach Police Department, Attn: Information Management Division, 400 West Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802. | Fee: $30, nonrefundable (crime victims are exempt). By mail, include a copy of photo ID and pay by check or money order. Law offices need a signed client authorization; insurers need a policy or claim number. Status: PD-RequestStatus@longbeach.gov. Source: LBPD: Request a Police Report |
| CHP (freeways and state highways) | Online: CHP Online Crash Report System. In person or mail: CHP 190 form (PDF) to any CHP Area office. | Online reports are usually ready about 8 business days after the crash. Fee: $10 for 1 to 25 pages, $10 more per added 25 pages; check or money order. Attach a copy of your ID or have the form notarized. Source: CHP: Request a Crash Report; CHP 190 instructions |
For crashes in the City of Los Angeles or in unincorporated LA County, see our Los Angeles Accident Guide. If the report gets the facts wrong or blames you, read what to do when a California collision report blames you.
Who is allowed to get a copy of the crash report?
California limits crash reports to people with a proper interest. That includes drivers, injured people, passengers, vehicle or property owners, parents of injured minors, guardians, and their lawyers or insurance companies. You will usually need ID and the report number, date, and location. A lawyer can request it for you.
- The rule is in Vehicle Code §20012.
- Have the date, time, location, names, and report or case number if you have it.
How do I file a claim against the City of Long Beach?
File a Claim for Damages with the Long Beach City Clerk within six months of an injury. You can submit the claim online, or mail or deliver the form to the City Clerk at 411 West Ocean Boulevard. The claim then goes to the City Attorney’s office, and a liability claims adjuster contacts you to confirm receipt.
| Way to file | Details |
|---|---|
| Online | City of Long Beach online Claims for Damages form. |
| Mail or in person | Download the form from the City Clerk’s Claim Form page and send it with your documents to City Clerk, 411 West Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802 (City Hall, lobby level). |
| Questions | City Clerk: (562) 570-6101 or cityclerk@longbeach.gov. |
Source: City Clerk: Claim Form; City Attorney: How to File a Claim. Tripped on a broken city sidewalk? See suing a California city or county over a broken sidewalk.
How do I file a claim against Los Angeles County?
Mail or hand deliver a signed claim to the Executive Officer of the Board of Supervisors, Attention: Claims, 500 West Temple Street, Room 383, Los Angeles. Use one form for each injured person. Injury claims are due within six months. The claims unit answers questions but does not give legal advice.
- Form: County of Los Angeles Claim Form (PDF). Instructions: Board of Supervisors: Claims for Damages.
- Phone: 213-974-1440 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or ExecutiveOffice@bos.lacounty.gov.
Other public agencies
| Agency | How to file |
|---|---|
| Caltrans (state highways) | Claims of $12,500 or less for injury or personal property: form DOT LD-0274 to the Caltrans district claim office listed on the Caltrans page. Larger claims go to DGS. Caltrans: Submit a Damage Claim |
| Other State agencies | DGS Government Claims Program ($25 fee or fee waiver request). DGS: File a Claim |
What is the timeline for a government claim in California?
For an injury, you generally have six months to file the claim. The agency then has 45 days to act, and silence counts as a denial. After a written denial you usually have six months to sue. If no proper written notice is sent, the lawsuit deadline is generally two years.
| Stage | Usual deadline | Law |
|---|---|---|
| 1. File the claim | Within 6 months of the injury | Gov. Code §911.2 |
| 2. Missed it? Ask to file late | Within a reasonable time, no later than 1 year | Gov. Code §911.4 |
| 3. Agency decides | 45 days; no answer counts as a denial | Gov. Code §912.4 |
| 4. File the lawsuit | 6 months after written denial notice; 2 years if no proper notice | Gov. Code §945.6 |
| 5. Late claim denied | Ask the court for relief within 6 months | Gov. Code §946.6 |
Exceptions can shorten or lengthen these dates. For the general two-year rule and other deadlines, read how long you have to file a personal injury claim in California.
What are the most dangerous intersections in Long Beach?
In LBPD collision records for 2022 through 2024 in the state’s crash database, the intersections with the most reported crashes were Artesia Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue, Artesia and Long Beach Boulevards, and Pacific Avenue and Willow Street. Several of the top ten are on Artesia Boulevard, Anaheim Street, and Long Beach Boulevard.
| Rank | Intersection | Reported collisions, 2022 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artesia Blvd and Atlantic Ave | 54 |
| 2 | Artesia Blvd and Long Beach Blvd | 50 |
| 3 | Pacific Ave and Willow St | 50 |
| 4 | 7th St and Redondo Ave | 44 |
| 5 | Anaheim St and Long Beach Blvd | 43 |
| 6 | Anaheim St and Redondo Ave | 43 |
| 7 | Anaheim St and Walnut Ave | 38 |
| 8 | 7th St and Ximeno Ave | 37 |
| 9 | Downey Ave and South St | 37 |
| 10 | Long Beach Blvd and Willow St | 36 |
Method: Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) collision records in the CHP Crash Reporting System (CCRS), January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024, counting crashes coded at the intersection itself (no distance from the cross street), combining both street orders and spelling variants, and leaving out freeway ramps. These are only the reports LBPD submitted to the state database, not every crash, and ties are listed alphabetically. Data pulled October 27, 2026 from CCRS on the California Open Data Portal.
Many of these crashes involve people walking or riding. See your rights after being hit by a car as a pedestrian and who pays after a bicycle or e-bike crash. If the driver fled, read what happens after an uninsured or hit-and-run crash.
Which Long Beach freeways have the most crashes?
In CHP crash records for 2024 within Long Beach city limits, I-405 had the most freeway crashes, followed by I-710, SR-91, and I-605. I-405, I-710, and SR-91 together accounted for most freeway crashes CHP reported in the city that year, and I-710 had the most deaths.
| Freeway | Crashes | People injured | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-405 | 761 | 271 | 1 |
| I-710 | 698 | 264 | 8 |
| SR-91 | 318 | 128 | 0 |
| I-605 | 61 | 26 | 2 |
Method: CHP Crash Reporting System (CCRS) records for calendar year 2024 where the city is Long Beach and the crash is marked as on a freeway, grouped by route (both directions). CCRS reflects CHP reports, and recent data can change as reports are reviewed. Data pulled October 27, 2026 from CCRS on the California Open Data Portal.
Freeway crashes often involve big rigs and rideshare drivers. See our pages on California truck accidents and rideshare accident claims.
Do I need to report the crash to the DMV?
Yes, if anyone was hurt or killed, even slightly, or property damage was over $1,000. Each driver must file form SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days, even if police made a report. Your insurance agent, broker, or lawyer can file it for you. Skipping it can lead to a license suspension.
- File online or on paper: DMV: Report of Traffic Accident (SR-1). Law: Vehicle Code §16000.
- If someone was hurt, a written report to CHP or the city police is also due within 24 hours: Vehicle Code §20008.
Where do I file an injury lawsuit in Long Beach?
Long Beach injury lawsuits are filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. New personal injury cases are filed in the judicial district where the crash happened, and Long Beach is in the court’s South District. The South District courthouse is the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, 275 Magnolia Avenue. Confirm with the Filing Court Locator.
- Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse: 275 Magnolia Ave., Long Beach, CA 90802. Source: LA County Location Directory: Long Beach Courthouse
- Rule for personal injury cases: LA Superior Court general order on personal injury cases (PDF). Find your courthouse: LA Superior Court Filing Court Locator.
What should I do next after a Long Beach crash?
Get medical care, keep every bill and record, request the crash report, and write down your deadlines. File a government claim within six months if a public agency may share blame. Tell your insurer promptly, but think before giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer about your injuries.
- Step by step: what to do after a car accident in California.
- How value is judged: what your California personal injury case may be worth.
- Low policy limits: how underinsured motorist coverage works in California.
- By crash type: car accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, and rideshare accidents.
- Forms you may need: California injury forms, insurer claim lines, medical records, and liens.
- Other cities: see all California accident guides.
Deadlines and next steps depend on facts this page can’t see. You can talk with Geller Legal about your options. Call 213-770-4870. No fee unless we recover.*
Contact Geller LegalCall 213-770-4870*Under our written contingency fee agreement, if there is no recovery you owe no attorney fees and do not have to repay the case costs we advanced. Medical bills and other non-litigation expenses remain your responsibility. Offices in Los Angeles and Oakland.
This page is general information about California law and Long Beach procedures, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees, forms, and agency procedures change; confirm with the linked official source. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney advertising. Geller Legal, a dba of The Geller Firm, Inc.