How the firm helps in La Palma
La Palma injuries happen where the 91 meets Valley View Street and the city’s main avenues.
The 91 runs through La Palma. The city’s streets include La Palma Avenue, Valley View Street, Walker Street, and Moody Street, and students attend schools in five districts: Anaheim Union High, Buena Park, Centralia, Cypress, and Fullerton Joint Union High. The claims that follow are freeway and street collisions, falls at businesses and public places, and the brain injuries that can come with them.
Kyle J. Scott, admitted to the State Bar of California in 1991, founded Kyle Scott Law in 2003. The firm has no La Palma office; it represents La Palma clients from its office in Tustin, and also people hurt in nearby Buena Park, Cypress, and Los Alamitos. Every claim starts with a free, confidential review of what happened, who controlled the road or property, which insurance applies, and which deadlines are already running.
The 91
The California Highway Patrol’s Westminster Area office, whose patrol area includes the 91, investigates freeway crashes. They often involve several vehicles and insurers, so the CHP report and vehicle data are requested early.
La Palma Avenue, Valley View Street, and Walker Street
The La Palma Police Department, a city department, investigates crashes on city streets. Its Records Unit takes report requests in person, by mail, or by telephone, and the city advises waiting a few days after an incident before asking.
Central Park and public property
La Palma Community Center & Central Park is on Walker Street, where the city lists events such as Concerts in the Park. The city and the school districts are public entities: a claim against one generally must be presented within six months (Government Code § 911.2).
Dog bites in La Palma
La Palma contracts with the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority (SEAACA), not OC Animal Care, and SEAACA says all bites are legally reportable. Under Civil Code § 3342, a dog’s owner is liable for bite injuries suffered in a public place or while lawfully on private property, even if the dog never bit anyone before.
Cases the firm reviews
Common La Palma injury matters.
Courts, hospitals, and reports
Where a La Palma case actually happens.
The facts of a claim live in specific places: the courthouse where it would be filed, the hospitals that hold the treatment records, and the agencies that wrote the report. Knowing them from day one shortens everything that follows.
Legal guides
Answers to questions La Palma clients ask.
Common questions
Questions from La Palma clients.
Where would a La Palma injury case be filed?
In the Orange County Superior Court, which hears civil cases from across the county at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana; cases designated complex go to the Civil Complex Center. La Palma’s criminal and traffic cases are filed at the North Justice Center in Fullerton — including a charge against a driver who caused a crash — but the injury claim is a separate civil case, and many resolve with the insurer before any lawsuit is filed.
How do I get the police report for a La Palma crash?
It depends on where the crash happened. The La Palma Police Department handles collisions on city streets; its Records Unit takes report requests in person, by mail, or by phone, and the city suggests waiting a few days after the incident. Crashes on the 91 are handled by the California Highway Patrol’s Westminster Area office. Either way, keep the report number you were given at the scene.
A dog bit me in La Palma. Who takes the report?
La Palma contracts with the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority (SEAACA), not OC Animal Care, so the bite is reported to SEAACA, which says all bites are legally reportable. Under California Civil Code section 3342, a dog’s owner is liable for bite injuries suffered in a public place or while lawfully on private property, even if the dog never bit anyone before. Get medical care and the owner’s name and insurance information.
I hit my head in a La Palma crash or fall. What should I do?
Get medical care first. The CDC lists danger signs that need emergency care right away, such as a headache that gets worse and does not go away or repeated vomiting, and it notes that a mild brain injury or concussion can be present even when tests do not show it. Nearby hospitals include La Palma Intercommunity Hospital, in the city, and UCI Health — Los Alamitos. Keep every record, and ask family or coworkers to note changes in memory, mood, or concentration, because a brain injury claim depends on documenting them over time.
How long do I have to bring a claim?
Generally two years from the injury to file a lawsuit (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). If the City of La Palma, the State, or a school district may be responsible — a city street or park, a freeway, a campus — a written government claim is generally due within six months (Government Code section 911.2). Claims against a doctor or hospital follow a separate rule with its own time limits (Code of Civil Procedure section 340.5).
This page provides general information, not legal advice. A consultation is needed to evaluate the facts, deadlines, parties, and law that may apply to a specific matter.
Sources
Official sources.
The figures and rules of law on this page come from these official sources.
- California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 (two years to sue for personal injury)
- California Government Code § 911.2 (six-month claim period)
- California Code of Civil Procedure § 340.5 (claims against health care providers)
- California Civil Code § 3342 (dog bites)
- Orange County Superior Court — Court Designation List (which justice center hears each city’s cases)
- California Highway Patrol — Westminster Area office
- CDC — signs and symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury and concussion
- CDC — about mild traumatic brain injury and concussion
- City of La Palma — Police Department
- City of La Palma — Communications and Records (collision report requests)
- City of La Palma — street medians (La Palma Avenue, Moody Street, Walker Street)
- City of La Palma — schools and other public agencies
- City of La Palma — Recreation and Community Services (Community Center & Central Park)
- City of La Palma — animal control services
- Southeast Area Animal Control Authority — animal bites
- OC Animal Care — cities served by Field Services
Practice areas
Cases Kyle Scott Law handles for La Palma clients.
Every type of case we handle for La Palma clients.
- Personal Injury
- Car Accidents
- Slip & Fall
- Medical Malpractice
- Elder Abuse & Neglect
- Dog Bites
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Sexual Harassment & Abuse
- Wrongful Death
- School Liability
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Rideshare Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Burn Injury
- Bus & Transit Accidents
- Catastrophic Injury
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Drunk-Driver Accidents
- Government Liability
- Hit-and-Run Accidents
- Insurance Bad Faith
- Premises Liability
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Sports Injury
- All Orange County areas we serve