Why would Fresno County court handle my case instead of a Selma court?

Because the trial court listed for this area is the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno. Selma is a city within Fresno County, and civil injury cases are handled through that county court system.

I live in Selma but was injured outside the city. Which page matters more?

Usually the page for the place where the crash happened is more useful, because the investigating agency, crash report process, and court depend on the location of the collision, not your home address.

If CHP investigated, how do I get the report?

The claims data says CHP releases a crash report only to a party of interest, such as a driver, passenger, pedestrian, cyclist, vehicle owner, property owner, parent or guardian of a minor, legal representative, or insurer with a valid claim. The listed options are the CHP Crash Portal or form CHP 190 submitted to the CHP Area office that filed the report.

What if the crash was on a Selma street instead of a state highway?

The claims record says crashes on city streets rather than state highways are held by the local police department instead. In Selma, that means starting with the Selma Police Department rather than CHP.

Fresno County

Selma, California car accident claims

If you were hurt in or near Selma, the next steps often run through county or state systems rather than the city alone. Selma has its own police department, but Fresno County claims may involve the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol, and the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno.

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Who responded

Agencies that respond to crashes in Selma

Which agency attended determines who to contact about an incomplete or incorrect report.

Selma Police Department

City police

Fresno County Sheriff's Office

County sheriff

California Highway Patrol

State patrol

Your crash report

How to get your Selma crash report

Where to request it: https://www.chp.ca.gov/traffic/request-a-crash-report/

Venue

Courts that hear Fresno County civil cases

Superior Court of California, County of Fresno

General civil claims

Local factors

County systems matter more than city lines

In Selma, the city may be where you live, but a crash claim often turns on county and state infrastructure. Selma has the Selma Police Department, yet many cases also involve the Fresno County Sheriff's Office or the California Highway Patrol, depending on where the collision happened and which agency investigated it. If you need the report, the page's report section matters because CHP releases reports only to a party of interest and directs requests through its Crash Portal or form CHP 190.

The court side is county-based. Civil injury cases from this area are handled in the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno, not a separate Selma courthouse. That matters if you are gathering records, checking filing requirements, or deciding whether a government claim deadline applies, because the page already shows California's 24-month personal injury deadline and 6-month government claim deadline.

The commute issue is common here: you can live in Selma and be injured somewhere else, and the claim usually belongs to the place where the crash happened, not where you sleep at night. A collision on a state highway may be investigated by the California Highway Patrol; a crash on a Selma street may be held by the Selma Police Department instead. For broader context, Fresno County recorded 139 fatal crashes and 152 fatalities in 2023, according to NHTSA's FARS national file, which is one reason it is important to identify the correct agency and court from the start.

California law

How fault is allocated in California

California follows pure comparative negligence. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, but it is never barred entirely — even a claimant found 90% responsible recovers the remaining 10% of their damages. This is more favourable to injured people than the modified rules used in states such as Florida and Texas.

Deadlines

California filing deadlines

Missing a deadline generally ends a claim regardless of how strong it is. Government claims are on a much shorter clock than ordinary claims.

2 years

Personal injury

2 years

Wrongful death

6 months

Claim against a government agency

Reviewed 2026-07-29. Not yet reviewed by a licensed attorney. This is general information, not legal advice.

Case types

Claims we can estimate in Selma

Auto accident Personal injury Medical malpractice Workplace injury Product liability Wrongful death

Local questions

Selma questions

It depends on where the crash happened. On Selma city streets, the Selma Police Department may handle it. In other parts of Fresno County, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office may be involved. On state highways, the California Highway Patrol may investigate.

Transparency

Sources and review dates

Every figure on this page traces to one of the sources below. Geography and population come from the U.S. Census Bureau.

U.S. Census Bureau — Selma place GEOID 0670882, population 24,505 (2024 Population Estimates), land area 5.941 sq mi (2023 Gazetteer).
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national file · reviewed 2026-07-30
HIFLD Local Law Enforcement Locations, derived from the BJS Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (2008), imagery-validated to 2018 · reviewed 2026-07-30
California Courts — Superior Courts, unified by Proposition 220 (1998) · reviewed 2026-07-30
Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 335.1 — Two-year limitations period for injury or death · reviewed 2026-07-29
Cal. Civ. Code § 1431.2 — Several liability for non-economic damages (Proposition 51) · reviewed 2026-07-29
Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2 — Six-month claim presentation deadline · reviewed 2026-07-29
Cal. Veh. Code § 16056 — Financial responsibility minimums (30/60/15 from 1 Jan 2025) · reviewed 2026-07-29
California DMV — Insurance requirements · reviewed 2026-07-29
Cal. Civ. Code § 3333.2 (as amended by AB 35) · reviewed 2026-07-29
Cal. Civ. Code § 3333.4 — Limitation on recovery of non-economic damages · reviewed 2026-07-29

About this page

State law on this page was last reviewed 2026-07-29 and has not been reviewed by a licensed attorney. It is general information, not legal advice for your situation.

Local commentary on this page was prepared 2026-07-31 and checked automatically against the sources cited on this page. It has not been individually reviewed by a person.

We do not publish attorney profiles or rankings, and nothing on this page recommends or endorses any attorney. CaseValuation.com is operated by LuxeLaw LLC, which is not a law firm.

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