LA Metro Bus Accident Claim: How to File, Deadline, Form and Mailing Address (Updated November 2026)

By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.

Who can file a claim against LA Metro

LA Metro is the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). It is a public entity, so before anyone can sue it for money over a crash or injury, a written claim has to be presented and acted on, or deemed rejected (Gov. Code § 945.4). That applies to everyone hurt, whatever their role in the accident:

Make sure it was a Metro vehicle. Many other buses run in Los Angeles County, and other bus lines belong to other agencies: city transit systems, school districts and private companies. Each one has its own claim office. A claim sent to the wrong agency may not count (DiCampli-Mintz v. County of Santa Clara (2012) 55 Cal.4th 983). The name on the side of the bus, the line number and your TAP receipt help pin it down. School buses: see LAUSD claims. City vehicles: see City of LA vehicle accidents. Not sure: which agency do I file with.

Deadline for a Metro claim

Six months from the accident for personal injury, wrongful death or damage to personal property such as your car, and one year for other claims (Gov. Code § 911.2). The six months usually starts on the day of the accident (Gov. Code § 901). Count to the same date six calendar months later: an accident on March 15, 2026 means a claim due by September 15, 2026. If that date does not exist in the month, use the month’s last day. Do not count on a weekend or holiday extending it.

The claim deadline comes well before the usual two-year statute of limitations for injury cases. Compare our personal injury statute of limitations page and government claim deadline page.

Where and how to file a claim with Metro

The address, as Metro’s Legal Services page gives it (metro.net):

LACMTA, Legal Services, One Gateway Plaza, Mail Stop 99-PL-4, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952

Questions: 213-922-7644, or claims@metro.net for inquiries only. Metro’s page lists walk-in hours only for subpoenas, not for claims, so call before going in person. No filing fee is mentioned.

We send Metro claims by U.S. certified mail with a return receipt. Under state law, a properly mailed claim counts as presented on the day it is deposited in the mail (Gov. Code § 915.2), and the certified mail slip proves that date.

The Metro claim form, in English and Spanish

Metro links two versions of its claim for damages form from the Legal Services page:

• English: metro.net/claimfordamages
• Spanish: metro.net/claimfordamagesesp

Whatever form you use, the claim must show your name and address, where notices should go, the date, place and circumstances, a general description of the injury, the employees involved if known, and the amount. If the amount is over $10,000, leave the figure out and say whether it would be a limited civil case (Gov. Code § 910). Sign it (§ 910.2); claims signed on or after January 1, 2027 must also declare that, upon information and belief, the contents are true and correct (AB 2529).

Describe the facts fully. A later lawsuit can add legal theories, but its facts must be fairly reflected in the claim (Stockett (2004) 34 Cal.4th 441). If Metro thinks the claim is missing something, it can send a notice of insufficiency within 20 days (Gov. Code § 910.8); if it does not, it generally waives those defects (§ 911).

What to send with a Metro claim

• The bus or train line, the vehicle number if you saw it, the direction of travel, the stop or station, and the time.
• Your TAP card number or receipt, which can show you were on board.
• Photos of the scene, the vehicles and your injuries.
• The police report number. People involved in a crash, and their attorneys, can get the full report from the agency that took it (Veh. Code § 20012).
• Medical records, itemized bills and proof of lost pay.
• Repair estimates and photos of your car.
• Witness names and phone numbers.

Ask Metro in writing to keep any video from the bus, train or station. More: documents checklist.

What happens after you file

Metro says to “allow 2-3 weeks for review and to receive a response on next steps” (Metro Legal Services). The legal deadline is longer: Metro has 45 days after the claim is presented to act on it. If it does nothing in that time, the claim is treated as rejected on day 45 (Gov. Code § 912.4). It can reject, pay, pay in part or settle (§ 912.6). A written rejection must warn you of the six-month deadline to sue (§ 913).

How often Metro pays bus claims. NBC4’s I-Team reported these figures in “LA Metro bus hit man’s car but the agency wouldn’t pay his claim,” by Christine Roher and Carolyn Johnson, published January 24, 2024 (NBC Los Angeles):

The 2023 numbers cover only part of the year. A denied claim can still go to court. See what happens after you file.

If Metro denies your claim

You have six months from the date Metro mailed or handed you the rejection notice to file suit, with no extra days for mailing (Gov. Code § 945.6; § 915.2(b)). If no proper notice was sent, the deadline is two years from the accident. The lawsuit can name the bus or train operator too, but the same deadlines apply, and a late claim against Metro generally bars the suit against the operator as well (Gov. Code § 950.2; § 950.6). The complaint must plead that the claim was presented (Bodde (2004) 32 Cal.4th 1234).

For more on suing a transit agency, see bus accident lawsuit: who do you sue and when and claim denied.

Missed the six-month deadline

If six months have passed, you can apply to Metro for leave to present a late claim. The application must be made within a reasonable time and no later than one year after the accident, state the reason for the delay, and attach the proposed claim (Gov. Code § 911.4). Metro must decide within 45 days, and must grant it in listed situations such as excusable neglect without prejudice, a minor claimant, incapacity, or death during the claim period (§ 911.6). If it denies the application, you have six months to petition the Superior Court (§ 946.6). If Metro gets a late claim with no application, it can return it within 45 days; if it does not, it waives the lateness defense (§ 911.3). See late claims.

Common Metro accident claims

• Bus hits a car. Lane changes, turns and pulling away from the curb. Our news desk covered a crash between a Metro bus and a car on Sherman Way in Reseda.
• Passengers hurt on board. Falls when the bus brakes hard or starts before a rider is seated, and injuries in collisions.
• Pedestrians and trains. We reported on pedestrians struck by Metro trains on Long Beach Boulevard in Long Beach and at Fillmore Station in Pasadena. See also our Los Angeles pedestrian accident page.
• Stations, platforms and stops. Metro can be liable for a dangerous condition of its property if it created the condition or had notice in time to fix it (Gov. Code § 835). Public entity liability exists only where a statute provides it (§ 815), and Metro answers for its employees’ negligence on the job (§ 815.2).
• Where a stop is placed. In Bonanno v. Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (2003) 30 Cal.4th 139, the California Supreme Court held that a bus stop’s location can be a dangerous condition when it forces riders to cross a dangerous intersection to reach it. The ordinary risk of traffic on the way to a stop is not enough by itself (Bonanno).

Our California bus accident lawyer page covers transit, school and charter buses statewide, and how to file a claim after a bus accident covers other transit agencies.

How to check on a Metro claim

Metro says to expect a response on next steps in two to three weeks. If you hear nothing, email claims@metro.net (inquiries only, not filing) or call 213-922-7644 with your name, the date of the accident and the line or vehicle number. Keep your certified mail receipt. Count 45 days from the date you presented the claim; if Metro has not acted by then, the claim is deemed rejected and the suit deadlines in the table above apply. More: claim status.

Related pages

• Claim against the City of Los Angeles
• Claim against Los Angeles County
• Caltrans and State claims
• LAUSD injury claims
• Which agency do I file with?
• City vehicle accidents
• Government claim deadline
• Late claims
• Bus accident lawsuit
• How to file a claim after a bus accident in California
• California bus accident lawyer
• City or county vehicle hit me
• Los Angeles accident lawyer

Common questions

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.