Car Accidents matters in San Rafael
Where San Rafael Car Accidents Happen
San Rafael sits at the crossroads of Marin County traffic, and most of the serious collisions we see follow predictable patterns tied to the city's roads. US-101 cuts straight through town, and the stretch through the Central San Rafael and Terra Linda interchanges is a frequent site of rear-end and merging crashes, especially during the morning and evening commute toward the Golden Gate Bridge. The I-580 connection to the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge funnels heavy East Bay traffic onto local streets, and the approach near the toll plaza and Bellam Boulevard sees its share of high-speed, multi-vehicle wrecks.
Downtown, Fourth Street carries dense pedestrian and turning traffic through the commercial core, where distracted drivers and sudden stops cause low-speed but injury-producing collisions. The Canal district, with its tight residential streets and parking pressure, produces side-impact and backing crashes. To the west, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard carries fast-moving traffic toward Ross and San Anselmo, and its curves and intersections are a recurring problem area. Knowing exactly where and how your crash happened helps us reconstruct fault and hold the right driver accountable.
What To Do After a Crash in San Rafael
If you can, call 911 and ask for a police report — the San Rafael Police Department or CHP response creates an official record that insurers rely on. Get checked at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae even if you feel only shaken; adrenaline masks soft-tissue and concussion symptoms, and a documented early exam ties your injuries to the collision. Photograph the vehicles, the roadway, skid marks, and any signage or signals. Collect names and numbers of witnesses before they leave the scene.
Be cautious with the other driver's insurer. Adjusters often call within days offering a quick, low settlement before you know the full extent of your injuries. You are not required to give a recorded statement, and a brief, friendly call can still be used against you.
How California Law Affects Your San Rafael Claim
California follows a pure comparative negligence rule, meaning you can recover even if you were partly at fault, with your award reduced by your percentage of responsibility. Insurers exploit this aggressively, so building a clear liability picture matters. Most car accident injury claims must be filed within two years of the crash under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a city, county, or other public entity contributed — for example, a dangerous road condition or a government vehicle — you may have only six months to file a government claim under Government Code section 911.2, a much shorter window.
Marin County civil lawsuits are filed and heard at the Marin County Superior Court at the Civic Center on North San Pedro Road. Most cases settle without trial, but a firm that prepares every file as if it will go before a Marin jury tends to negotiate from a stronger position. MMG Law Firm investigates promptly, works with your treating providers, and pursues the policy limits your injuries warrant.
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.