Car Accidents matters in Fresno
Fresno sits at the crossroads of some of the busiest freight and farm corridors in California, and that traffic mix makes its roads particularly dangerous. Highway 99 carries an enormous volume of trucks and agricultural vehicles through the heart of the city, and the surface arterials feeding it move fast. When a crash happens here, injuries are frequently serious and the at-fault driver's insurer moves quickly to limit what it pays.
MMG Law Firm is based in Glendale and represents injured people in Fresno and throughout California. Much of a car-accident case is handled by phone, email, and secure document exchange, with court appearances in the county where the crash occurred.
Why Fresno roads produce serious crashes
Several features of the local road network drive the risk:
- Highway 99, the Central Valley's main truck and agricultural corridor, where speed differentials and heavy vehicles make collisions severe.
- Highway 41 (Yosemite Freeway), Highway 168 (Sierra Freeway), and Highway 180, which funnel commuter and through traffic across the city.
- Wide, fast surface arterials such as Shaw Avenue, Blackstone Avenue, Cedar Avenue, and Kings Canyon Road.
- Heavy agricultural truck traffic and the added congestion near Fresno State.
Proving fault in an at-fault state
California is an at-fault state: the negligent driver is responsible for the injuries they cause. The state also applies pure comparative negligence, meaning your compensation is reduced by your share of fault but is not eliminated even if you were partly to blame. Insurers routinely try to shift blame onto the injured person to cut their payout. Evidence such as the police report, scene photos, vehicle damage, electronic data from the vehicles, and witness accounts helps establish what actually occurred.
How insurers try to pay you less
Recorded statements
An adjuster may call soon after the crash asking for a recorded statement. You are generally not obligated to give one to the other driver's insurer, and early statements are often used to twist your words later.
Lowball offers
Insurers frequently make a fast, low offer before the full scope of your injuries is clear, hoping you will settle and waive future claims.
Uninsured drivers
If the at-fault driver had no insurance or not enough, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may apply. These claims come with their own requirements.
Compensation after a Fresno crash
A claim can seek both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include medical expenses, future treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and vehicle damage. Non-economic damages address pain, suffering, and the impact on your everyday life. Outcomes depend entirely on the facts of each case, so we do not guarantee results or quote amounts. Medical liens and insurance reimbursement are commonly part of finalizing a case.
Deadlines and the Fresno courthouse
Under California law you generally have two years from the date of the collision to file a personal-injury lawsuit (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). When a government vehicle or a hazardous road condition is involved, a written claim must usually be presented to the public entity within about six months (Government Code §911.2). Fresno car-accident cases are handled by the Fresno County Superior Court at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse. Once a deadline passes, even a strong case can be lost.
How MMG Law Firm helps Fresno clients
We handle Fresno matters remotely from Glendale and appear in Fresno County court when the case calls for it. Our consultations are free and offered in English, Armenian, and Russian, and we take cases on contingency, so there is no fee unless we win.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with car accidents
When you hire MMG Law Firm, attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan handles your case personally — not a case manager you never meet. He reviews the police report and your medical records himself, takes over every call with the adjuster, and looks for coverage others miss, including your own uninsured/underinsured-motorist policy. He also manages the medical liens that can quietly eat into a recovery, so more of any settlement stays with you.
Types of car accidents we handle
Rear-end and stop-light collisions
Often clearer on liability, but insurers still routinely dispute injury causation in low-speed impacts. We pair the medical record with biomechanical context to defeat that argument.
Intersection and left-turn crashes
Disputed-fault claims where the right-of-way analysis matters. Reconstruction, signal timing, and witness statements drive the result.
Hit-and-run and uninsured-motorist
We work directly with your own UM/UIM coverage when the at-fault driver flees or has no insurance, and we make sure your insurer treats you as the customer, not the adversary.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every car accident claim is different, but California law allows injured plaintiffs to seek several categories of damages. We build each one with documentation — medical records, wage statements, expert opinions — so nothing is left on the table.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and the future treatment your providers say you'll need.
Lost wages
Income you lost while recovering — and, where the injury affects your ability to work, diminished future earning capacity.
Pain and suffering
Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and the ways the injury has changed how you live day to day.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other property damaged in the incident.
Out-of-pocket costs
Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, household help, and the other expenses an injury forces on you.
How we work
- 1
Free, no-pressure consultation
We listen first. We answer your questions. There is no fee for the initial conversation — and you decide whether to engage us at the end of it.
- 2
Investigation and evidence preservation
Police reports, scene photos, witness statements, vehicle data, surveillance video, medical records. The earlier we collect, the harder it is for the other side to reshape the story later.
- 3
Treatment, demand, and negotiation
We coordinate with your providers, document the full extent of damages — medical, lost income, pain — and present a demand backed by evidence. We push back firmly when an insurer lowballs.
- 4
Litigation when necessary
Most matters settle. When an insurer refuses to be reasonable, we file. Preparing every case as if it will be tried is what makes the settlement number move.
What to do right away
- Get medical attention even if you feel okay — adrenaline masks injury for hours.
- Document the scene with photos before anyone moves the vehicles, if it is safe.
- Get the other driver's name, license, plate, and insurance info.
- Write down what witnesses saw and how to reach them.
- File a report with the responding agency (or, for minor crashes, with DMV via SR-1 within 10 days).
- Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance before talking to a lawyer.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Deadlines that matter
Most California personal-injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss the window and the court will almost always dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.
Claims against government entities are much shorter — generally a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Crashes involving city vehicles, public buses, or dangerous public-road conditions can fall under this rule.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.