By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
Burned because of someone else?
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Because there is no burn unit in the county, a serious Riverside burn often means a transfer, and the records from both hospitals matter. This page covers that and the 2026 change in where civil cases are filed. Burn degrees and skin grafts are explained in our burn injury lawyer guide, and statewide law is on the California burn injury page.
Where a Riverside burn case is filed
The Riverside Historic Courthouse at 4050 Main Street in downtown Riverside serves civil and probate cases (Riverside Superior Court). Starting August 1, 2026, the court began filing unlimited civil cases from Lake Elsinore, Hemet, Winchester, Homeland, Wildomar and Murrieta at the Historic Courthouse as well (Riverside Superior Court announcement). A burn lawsuit seeking more than $35,000 is an unlimited civil case, so a burn case from those cities is now filed downtown as well.
Where Riverside burn patients are treated
| Hospital | City | Role |
|---|---|---|
| HCA Riverside Community Hospital | Riverside | Level I trauma center |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center | Moreno Valley | Level I trauma center, with a pediatric trauma designation |
| Edward G. Hirschman Burn Center, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center | Colton | Burn center serving Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside and Mono counties; listed by the ABA as another burn center and designated locally for adults |
| UCI Health Regional Burn Center | Orange | ABA-verified, adults and children |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center Regional Burn Center | Los Angeles | ABA-verified, adults and children |
Sources: Riverside County EMS Agency trauma program, California EMSA trauma center list, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center fact sheet, ABA Find a Burn Center, California EMSA burn center list, Dec. 2, 2025.
The UCI center is the only ABA-verified burn center in Orange County and admitted 281 adults and 98 children in 2024 (UCI Health). When a Riverside patient is moved between a trauma center and a burn center, the transfer records show how fast the burn was treated and how bad it was on arrival. We request those records from every hospital involved. Our burn center directory lists all verified centers in California.
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Tell us what happened. We will tell you plainly whether there is a case and what to do next. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Fire service in Riverside
The City of Riverside has its own fire department, the Riverside Fire Department. The county’s fire agency, CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department, responded to 204,010 incidents in 2024, including 6,426 fire responses (CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire 2024 annual report). Which agency responded matters, because the incident report and any fire investigation file come from that agency.
Two recent Riverside fires show the kinds of hazards in the city:
- Apartment fire from a contractor’s torch. On May 29, 2026, fire broke out at the University Riverside Gardens apartment complex near Iowa and University avenues. About 150 people were displaced. Fire officials believed it was accidental: a contractor repairing plumbing with a torch ignited a fire inside a wall (ABC7, May 29, 2026). No injuries were reported, but when contractor work starts a fire that does burn someone, the contractor and the property owner can both be responsible.
- Industrial yard fire by the I-215. On March 16, 2026, a fire that started in a metal shop spread to a pallet yard near Main Street and Garner Road, between the Santa Ana River bottom and Interstate 215. The Riverside Fire Department fought the four-alarm fire, and no injuries were reported (ABC7).
Warehouses and freight in the Inland Empire
The Inland Empire has more than 3,800 warehouses covering more than 1 billion square feet, with more than 450 others proposed or approved, KQED reported in 2023. A researcher quoted in the same story estimated 200 million truck trips to and from those warehouses each year, about 600,000 a day (KQED, April 2023).
Warehouse work carries its own burn risks, from battery charging stations and propane-powered forklifts to fires in stacked goods. On the road, a truck crash on the I-15, I-10 or I-215 can end in a fuel or battery fire. Our page on vehicle fires covers crash burns and the trucking rules that apply.
If you were burned at work, workers’ compensation is only part of the picture. California lets an injured worker sue anyone other than the employer whose negligence caused the injury, such as the maker of a charger or forklift that failed (Cal. Labor Code § 3852). See our workplace and refinery burns page.
Burns at home
Among burn center admissions in the American Burn Association’s 2025 summary report, 61% of the incidents happened at private residences (ABA burn incidence fact sheet). If a landlord controls the water heater in your rental, its temperature setting is one of the first things we check after a scald. Our scald burns page explains how fast hot water and drinks burn skin.
California deadlines for a Riverside burn claim
| Situation | Deadline | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Most burn lawsuits | Two years from the injury | CCP § 335.1 |
| Burn caused by the City of Riverside, Riverside County, RUHS or another public entity | Written claim within six months | Gov. Code § 911.2 |
| You were partly at fault | Recovery reduced by your share, not barred | Li v. Yellow Cab Co. |
For car, truck and pedestrian claims in the county, see our Riverside County accident lawyer page.
Talk to a Riverside burn injury attorney
If you were hurt in Riverside, Moreno Valley, Perris or another Riverside County city and were moved to Colton, Orange or Los Angeles for burn care, call Beverly Law at (310) 552-6959 for a free, confidential review in English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Common questions
Is there a burn center in Riverside?
No Riverside County hospital appears on the American Burn Association’s burn center list. Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton says its burn center serves Riverside County, and ABA-verified centers nearby include UCI Health in Orange and LA General in Los Angeles.
Which Riverside hospitals are Level I trauma centers?
HCA Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside and Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley.
Where is a Riverside burn lawsuit filed?
In the Riverside County Superior Court. The Historic Courthouse at 4050 Main Street handles civil cases, and since August 1, 2026 it also takes unlimited civil filings from Lake Elsinore, Hemet, Murrieta and three other communities.
I was burned at a warehouse job. Can I sue?
Possibly. Besides workers’ compensation, you may have a claim against a company other than your employer, such as the maker of a charger or forklift that failed.
How long do I have?
Generally two years. If a public agency is involved, a written claim is due within six months.
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Burn injury lawyer — Beverly Law
If you or your child was burned because of someone else in California, Texas and Washington, talk to a burn injury attorney. Free, confidential, English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Related pages
Sources
- riverside.courts.ca.gov/location/riverside-historic-courthouse
- riverside.courts.ca.gov/news/riverside-superior-court-announces-civil-filing-locati
- rivcoems.org/Programs/Trauma
- emsa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2025/08/California-Designated-A
- arrowheadregional.org/documents/N12452-ARMC-Fact-Sheet-Combined.pdf
- ameriburn.org/burn-care-team/resources/find-a-burn-center
- emsa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2025/12/CA-ABA-Verified-and-LEM
- ucihealth.org/about-us/news/2025/04/burn-program-accreditation
- rvcfire.org/pdf/annualreport/2024%20Annual%20Report.pdf
- abc7.com/post/large-fire-erupts-riverside-apartment-building-sending
- abc7.com/post/riverside-fire-crews-battling-4-alarm-blaze-2-firefigh
- kqed.org/news/11947691/we-were-surrounded-fighting-to-curb-the-wareh
- ameriburn.org/resources/burn-incidence-fact-sheet/
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml
- scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/li-v-yellow-cab-co-27850
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.