Waymo is now approved for driverless operation in Pasadena. When an autonomous vehicle injures you, there is no driver to hold accountable — there is a corporation whose legal team was building its defense before you left the scene. Our job is to make sure that advantage doesn't hold.
The crash happened in seconds. What follows is unlike any conventional car accident claim — the ER visit, the follow-up appointments, the missed work, and then the discovery that there is no individual driver to pursue. Instead, there is Waymo — a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. — or a vehicle manufacturer whose position is that the technology performed exactly as designed. These defendants do not settle out of inconvenience. They have permanent engineering teams, national defense counsel, and insurance infrastructure built to limit what injured people recover.
Waymo has been specifically approved by the California DMV for driverless testing and deployment in Pasadena and South Pasadena by name. That approval is current. Waymo robotaxis are operating on Pasadena streets now — on Colorado Boulevard through Old Town, along Lake Avenue, through the Fair Oaks corridor, and on the surface streets adjacent to the 210 Freeway that carry heavy pedestrian and cyclist traffic past Caltech, the Huntington Library, and the commercial blocks of Old Town. As of May 2026, Waymo is also deploying a new purpose-built vehicle — the Ojai — in the greater Los Angeles area, including the corridors through which Pasadena is served.
When a Waymo or other autonomous vehicle causes an accident in Pasadena, the evidence that determines who is responsible — sensor logs, camera footage, software event records, and over-the-air update history — is stored on the vehicle’s systems and in the company’s cloud infrastructure. It is proprietary. Getting access to it requires a formal preservation demand sent the day of the crash. Every day without one is a day the evidence becomes harder to obtain and easier for the company to characterize as protected.
You generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a claim (CCP §335.1). The clock starts the moment the crash happens.
01
In a conventional car accident, liability falls on the at-fault driver. When a Waymo robotaxi is operating without a human driver — as California DMV’s deployment approval permits — liability runs directly to Waymo and potentially to the vehicle’s manufacturer. California law allows you to pursue every responsible party simultaneously. Identifying all of them requires immediate action before evidence is overwritten or reclassified as proprietary.
02
If the autonomous system caused the crash through a sensor failure, software defect, mapping error, or a decision that fell below the standard of reasonable and lawful conduct under California traffic law, the manufacturer can be held liable under California product liability law. You do not need to prove negligence in the conventional sense — only that the product was defective and that defect caused your injury. This is often a stronger legal theory than negligence and is why these cases must be built differently from the start.
03
Waymo maintains $5,000,000 in third-party liability coverage per incident — covering passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers of other vehicles. That coverage exists. What is contested is whether Waymo acknowledges its vehicle caused the injury and what the full value of your injuries represents. Waymo does not settle casually. The case needs to be built for trial to move that number.
04
Under California Vehicle Code §38750 and the DMV’s autonomous vehicle testing regulations, manufacturers operating AVs in California must report every collision to the DMV within 10 days. These reports — along with the vehicle’s sensor data, camera footage, software event logs, and OTA update history — are discoverable in litigation. We request them the same day you retain us. Waiting makes them progressively harder to obtain.
California applies pure comparative fault in autonomous vehicle cases. Even if you were partially at fault — as a pedestrian, cyclist, or driver — you can still recover. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, not eliminated. AV companies aggressively argue contributory conduct to reduce payouts. An attorney challenges that position from the start.
2
years
from date of the accident
CCP §335.1
6
months
to file a government tort claim
* These are general deadlines. Always confirm your specific circumstances with an experienced attorney.
Every autonomous vehicle accident in Pasadena has a different liability structure, evidence profile, and corporate defendant. We handle all of them.
As a passenger in an active Waymo trip in Pasadena, the company's $5,000,000 liability policy is available to you automatically. You do not need to prove fault. What matters is the complete documentation of your injuries and whether Waymo's initial position — if they make one — reflects what the case is worth. Waymo does not make generous offers without the pressure of prepared litigation. We build the medical record, issue same-day preservation demands for the vehicle's data, and push back with a clear willingness to file.
Pasadena's grid of surface streets — Colorado Boulevard through Old Town, Lake Avenue between the 210 and Del Mar, Fair Oaks Avenue through the residential and commercial corridors of South Pasadena — places Waymo vehicles in constant interaction with local traffic. Left-turn navigation at signalized intersections, pedestrian crossings at Colorado and Lake, and the dense commercial blocks of Old Town are the precise conditions where autonomous systems face their most demanding operating environments. When a Waymo vehicle causes a collision with your car in any of these corridors, liability runs directly to the company. We subpoena the sensor logs and camera footage immediately.
Old Town Pasadena generates some of the highest pedestrian volumes in the San Gabriel Valley — Colorado Boulevard between Fair Oaks and Marengo draws thousands of visitors daily. The Caltech campus and surrounding streets carry heavy cyclist and pedestrian traffic. The Huntington Library corridor along Allen Avenue and Oak Grove Drive brings pedestrian activity to residential streets adjacent to Waymo's approved operating zone. When an autonomous vehicle fails to yield at a crosswalk or misjudges a cyclist's path in a bike lane, proving it requires the vehicle's own data — data that only exists for a limited window without a preservation demand.
Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features operate on the 210 Freeway through Pasadena and on the city's surface streets. These cases involve both product liability against Tesla and potential negligence by the human driver who activated or failed to monitor the system. California requires Tesla to report AV-related crashes to the DMV — those reports, combined with the vehicle's event data recorder and Autopilot logs, form the evidentiary core of the claim. We build on both tracks simultaneously.
Autonomous delivery robots operate under California DMV permits in Los Angeles County communities. When one strikes a pedestrian on a Pasadena sidewalk or causes a cyclist to crash on a bike lane, the operating company and device manufacturer are both potentially liable. These cases settle aggressively when an attorney is involved.
Freeway incidents involving autonomous vehicles on the 210 through Pasadena are among the most serious in injury severity and the most complex in jurisdiction. CHP has jurisdiction on the 210, not Pasadena PD. If a Caltrans-maintained roadway condition contributed to the crash alongside an AV system failure, a six-month government tort claim deadline applies in addition to the AV company's liability exposure. We identify every layer from day one.
The attorney defending a Waymo claim is not a local insurance adjuster. It is a corporate legal team that handles these cases as part of a systematic process designed to minimize liability. Demand letters alone do not move these defendants. Trial preparation does. Every case we take is built from the first meeting as though it will be presented to a jury — because that is what actually produces a real offer from Waymo or a vehicle manufacturer.
You focus on your recovery. We handle everything else.
George works directly with every client from the first call through resolution — not a case manager, not a paralegal. When a corporation's legal team is moving on your case, you need your attorney on the line, not a voicemail queue.
Waymo's sensor logs, camera footage, and software event records are stored in systems the company controls. We send formal preservation demands the day you retain us. This is the most time-sensitive step in any Pasadena autonomous vehicle case — and the one most often delayed by attorneys who are not familiar with how AV evidence works.
If we don't recover for you, you owe nothing. Zero out-of-pocket cost to start. Our interests are aligned with yours at every point in the case.
Our office is at 613 E Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale — eight miles from Old Town Pasadena via the 134. We represent clients across the entire San Gabriel Valley corridor that Waymo's Pasadena deployment now covers.
California law allows injured victims to recover every category of loss caused by the autonomous vehicle and the company behind it. We build claims that account for all of them — including future costs that AV companies and their insurers never voluntarily include in initial positions.
After a self-driving car accident in Pasadena, multiple insurance policies may apply. Most people focus on Waymo’s policy — but that is not always the complete picture.
We identify every potentially applicable coverage layer in every case. Missing one is leaving real money behind.
| Court House Lawyers | Typical PI Firm | |
|---|---|---|
|
Case Review |
Same day, often within hours |
2–3 business days |
|
Attorney Access |
You speak directly with the attorney on your case |
Routed through a case manager or paralegal |
|
Waymo-Pasadena Knowledge |
We know Waymo is DMV-approved for Pasadena and South Pasadena specifically — and what that means for your claim |
Most firms serving Pasadena were unaware of Waymo’s specific local deployment approval |
|
Evidence Preservation |
Same-day preservation demands for sensor data, camera footage, software logs, and DMV incident reports |
Often delayed — AV proprietary data becomes harder to access with every passing day |
|
Liability Investigation |
We identify every responsible party: AV operator, manufacturer, third-party driver, government entity |
Many firms pursue only the most obvious defendant |
|
Data Strategy |
We treat the vehicle’s own sensor and event log data as the primary evidence source and the starting point for challenging the company’s liability position |
Most general PI firms are not built to subpoena or evaluate proprietary AV system data |
|
Trial Readiness |
Every case prepared for trial; Waymo and AV companies know it |
Settlement-only firms get consistently lower offers from corporate tech defendants |
|
Fees |
No win, no fees. Period. |
Can say the same, but watch for hidden costs at settlement |
George Mkrtchyan
Managing Attorney
George Mkrtchyan is the Managing Attorney of Court House Lawyers, a Glendale-based personal injury firm eight miles from Old Town Pasadena. Over the past decade, George has recovered millions for clients in car accident, rideshare, pedestrian, and product liability cases across Glendale, Pasadena, and Los Angeles County — including cases involving major corporations, government entities, and insurers who denied all liability until litigation made the alternative more expensive.
Before opening Court House Lawyers, George worked at a large Century City firm where he saw firsthand what happens when cases are treated as volume: files sit untouched, clients go months without updates, and cases settle for far less than they are worth because no one built them properly. He opened Court House Lawyers so every client speaks directly with the attorney on their case — not a paralegal, not a case manager — and every case is prepared as though it is going to trial.
Autonomous vehicle cases are personal injury cases with a more sophisticated defendant. The same core principles apply: preserve the evidence immediately, build the medical record completely, identify every liable party and every coverage layer, and be prepared to litigate if the offer doesn’t reflect the case’s actual value. The fact that Waymo is now operating specifically in Pasadena and South Pasadena makes this a local issue — not an abstract technology question.
“Waymo is approved for your streets specifically. When their vehicle injures you, they will use their own data to argue their technology was not at fault. Our job is to make sure the independent evidence tells the real story.”
Personal Injury · Car Accident
Client was initially assigned 85% fault in a left-turn collision. After George and case manager Grant Abadzhyan took over, the fault assignment was reversed to zero and the client recovered full compensation.
Personal Injury · Car Accident
Three people were injured in the same accident, each with separate representation. George Mkrtchyan and Grant Abadzhyan secured the largest individual recovery of the three — the result of thorough early documentation and a faster demand strategy.
Personal Injury · Rideshare
Client injured in an Uber accident initially received nothing from the insurer. Court House Lawyers secured a $35,000 settlement within 30 days of filing a lawsuit.
Personal Injury · UIM Arbitration
Out-of-state underinsured motorist policy. The insurer refused to pay fairly. Court House Lawyers demanded arbitration and secured the full policy limits for the client.
Personal Injury · Government Entity
A wheelchair-bound client was thrown forward when a Metro conductor slammed on the brakes. Metro denied the claim outright. Court House Lawyers filed, obtained the conductor’s own footage — including a statement caught on Metro’s camera — and settled for $35,000.
Personal Injury · Car Accident
Client was offered $500 after a school bus accident. Court House Lawyers filed suit and recovered $50,000 — 100x the original offer.
Past results are specific to the facts of each case and do not guarantee future outcomes. Every matter is evaluated on its own merits.
Tell us what happened, which vehicle and company were involved, your injuries, and what information you have. We will tell you what the case is worth, who is potentially liable, what evidence needs to be preserved immediately, and exactly what to do next — even if you decide not to hire us.
George handles your case. Not a junior associate. Not a case manager. The attorney you speak with on day one is the attorney who takes the case to resolution. In a claim against a corporation whose legal team processes these cases systemically, that continuity matters.
Waymo's sensor data, camera footage, and software event logs are held in systems the company controls. We send formal preservation demands the day you retain us. In Pasadena, where Waymo holds a specific DMV deployment approval, the regulatory paper trail is an additional evidence source we request at the same time.
AV accidents in Pasadena can involve Waymo, the vehicle manufacturer, a third-party driver, and in some cases a government entity if a road condition or signal failure contributed. We identify every defendant and every insurance policy from the start.
We document your injuries, medical costs, lost income, and pain and suffering — and present that to every applicable insurer with full case preparation and a clear willingness to file in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
If you need specialist care and cannot afford it upfront, we connect you with experienced providers in Pasadena, Glendale, and the surrounding area who treat accident victims on a lien basis — no cost until the case resolves.
If the manufacturer or insurer refuses to pay what the case is worth, we file. Every case is prepared from the first meeting as though it will be tried. That preparation is what changes what autonomous vehicle defendants are willing to offer before it gets there.
No upfront costs of any kind. No hourly billing. If we don't recover for you, you owe us nothing.
California requires AV operators to file a collision report with the DMV within 10 days of any accident. We request that report the same day you retain us — it is one of the most important pieces of early evidence in any autonomous vehicle claim and is available on a shorter window than most people realize.
We talk through the incident, which vehicle and company were involved, your injuries, and the information you have. You walk away knowing what your claim is worth, who is potentially liable, and what evidence needs to be preserved before another day passes.
We send same-day requests for the autonomous vehicle's sensor data, camera footage, pre-crash event logs, and the DMV incident report filed by the manufacturer. We also request any available surveillance footage from the crash location. Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue, and the Old Town Pasadena corridors all have significant commercial camera coverage — that footage disappears fast.
We identify every potentially liable party — the AV operator, the software developer, the hardware manufacturer, any human safety driver, and any third-party driver or government entity whose conduct contributed. Each may carry separate insurance coverage and separate legal exposure.
We build a complete picture of your injuries — current treatment costs, future care needs, impact on your ability to work, and the full non-economic toll. In cases involving serious injury, we work with medical experts to project long-term costs accurately.
We send a comprehensive demand to every applicable insurer and corporate defendant. We push back against lowball responses with complete documentation, applicable product liability case law, and a clear willingness to litigate.
If any defendant refuses to pay what the case is worth, we file in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Waymo and similar defendants respond to the credible threat of a Pasadena-area jury evaluating their technology's performance on Pasadena's actual DMV-approved operating streets. We are prepared to take it there.
* These are general deadlines. Always confirm your specific circumstances with an experienced attorney.
Even as a pedestrian crossing Colorado Boulevard or a cyclist on the Pasadena bike network, your own auto policy may cover you after a self-driving car accident.
Yes. Waymo holds a California DMV driverless deployment approval specifically for Pasadena and South Pasadena, and is fully subject to California personal injury law. If the vehicle’s operation caused your injury, you have a direct claim against Waymo LLC. That claim typically runs through Waymo’s $5,000,000 commercial liability policy, though direct litigation against the company is available when necessary. Waymo is a sophisticated defendant that defends these cases with engineering teams and national counsel — which is exactly why the case needs to be built for trial from the moment you retain an attorney.
Depending on what caused the crash, responsibility can fall on Waymo LLC for the vehicle’s operational decisions, the vehicle’s hardware manufacturer if a component failure contributed, or a third-party driver whose conduct forced the vehicle into the collision. California’s pure comparative fault system allows you to pursue every responsible party simultaneously. Identifying all of them — and the insurance coverage behind each — is the first job of an autonomous vehicle attorney, and it must happen quickly before evidence disappears.
The first priority is evidence. Waymo’s vehicles generate continuous sensor, camera, and event log data — and California’s DMV reporting requirements mean the company must file a formal collision report within 10 days. That creates a paper trail, but the raw vehicle data is proprietary and requires a formal preservation demand and often a subpoena to access. As a passenger, you are covered under Waymo’s $5,000,000 liability policy automatically — the question is the full value of your injuries and whether the company acknowledges the vehicle was responsible. Call an attorney before speaking with anyone from Waymo.
California law holds autonomous vehicle operators to the same traffic standards as human drivers — the vehicle must operate reasonably and lawfully under the circumstances. When an AV fails that standard, the operator of the vehicle, and potentially the manufacturer of a defective component or software system, are liable. California product liability law provides a parallel path to recovery that does not require proving negligence in the conventional sense — only that the product was defective and caused the injury.
Yes. Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features have been the subject of product liability litigation in California. A claim typically involves both product liability against Tesla and potential negligence by the human driver who activated the system or failed to monitor it. California requires Tesla to report AV-related crashes to the DMV, creating a formal record, and the vehicle’s own event data recorder and Autopilot logs are central evidence. We pursue both liability tracks simultaneously
Nothing upfront and nothing unless we win. Our fee comes from the recovery at the end of the case. If we do not recover for you, you owe nothing. Call our Glendale office and we will tell you what the case is worth before you decide anything.
Report the accident immediately. On Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue, and Pasadena's surface streets, the Pasadena Police Department responds. On the 210 Freeway through Pasadena, CHP has jurisdiction. Make sure the responding officer documents that the vehicle was operating autonomously and records the company name and vehicle ID in the incident report — this is the first official record of the incident.
There is no human driver to exchange information with in a fully driverless Waymo. Photograph the vehicle's external ID numbers, company markings, and sensor array — the lidar units, cameras, and radar equipment visible on the exterior. Note whether any sensors appear damaged, dirty, or obstructed. Document the vehicle's position and any external damage before it moves.
Some AV test vehicles still carry a human backup driver. If one was present, get their name, employer, and contact information. If the vehicle was fully driverless, confirm that fact and note it in your account.
Vehicle positions, property damage, skid marks, traffic signals, road conditions, and your visible injuries — all before anything is moved. Along Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue, and Old Town's commercial corridors, note the locations of nearby surveillance cameras. That footage disappears within days and is often the most important independent evidence in the case.
A Waymo or manufacturer representative may arrive at the scene or contact you shortly after. Do not give a statement. Do not sign anything. Tell them you have retained legal representation.
Go to the emergency room or urgent care even if pain is not immediately severe. Adrenaline masks injury. A documented same-day medical assessment is critical evidence and establishes the timeline of your injuries. Follow every follow-up recommendation.
Names and phone numbers of anyone who saw the crash or saw the vehicle behaving erratically before impact. Along Colorado Boulevard and Old Town's commercial corridors, bystander accounts establish what the vehicle was doing independently of the company's own sensor data — and can be critical if Waymo disputes liability.
Call (818) 293-8293 Free, same-day review from our office at 613 E Glenoaks Boulevard, Glendale. We tell you what evidence to preserve, who is liable, and what your claim is worth before you speak with anyone from the company involved.
10
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND SUCCESS
Trusted Pasadena self-driving car accident attorney holding Waymo, Tesla, and autonomous vehicle companies accountable — recovering full compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and everything the crash took from you.
You didn’t cause this. You shouldn’t be the one paying for it. Uber, Lyft, and Waymo have legal teams working on your case before you’ve left the scene.
From our Glendale office, we represent rideshare accident victims across California — including Glendale, Los Angeles, Burbank, Pasadena, the San Fernando Valley, and statewide. The earlier we get involved, the stronger your case.
Call today. The review is free and there is no obligation.
