Car Accidents matters in San Mateo
Where San Mateo Car Crashes Happen
San Mateo sits in the heart of the Peninsula commute, and that constant flow of tech traffic concentrates collisions on a handful of predictable corridors. US-101 (the Bayshore Freeway) carries dense, fast-moving traffic past the Hillsdale, Third Avenue, and Peninsula Avenue interchanges, where merging conflicts and sudden slowdowns produce rear-end and chain-reaction wrecks. Interstate 280 (the Junipero Serra Freeway) runs along the western edge through curving, hill-shaded stretches near Crystal Springs that punish inattentive or speeding drivers. State Route 92 funnels Hayward-bound traffic toward the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, and the approach backs up badly at peak hours, setting up high-speed pileups.
On surface streets, El Camino Real (SR-82) strings together signalized intersection after signalized intersection, where left-turn and red-light collisions are common. Hillsdale Boulevard, B Street through downtown near Central Park, and Delaware Street carry heavy local traffic, mixing commuters, shoppers, and Caltrain station traffic into tight, busy blocks.
How California Fault and Damages Work
California follows pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your share of fault but is never eliminated, even if you were partly to blame. Insurers lean hard on this rule, often trying to pin extra blame on you to shrink what they owe, which is why preserving the police report, intersection or business camera footage, and prompt witness statements matters so much. California law lets you pursue both economic damages such as medical bills, future treatment, and lost wages, and non-economic damages such as pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. If the at-fault driver is uninsured or carries too little coverage, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may apply, and we review every policy in your household that could respond.
Deadlines and the San Mateo County Court
Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. If a public entity contributed to your crash, such as a city or county vehicle or a dangerous road condition maintained by Caltrans, Government Code section 911.2 requires a written claim within six months, a far shorter window that is easy to miss. Lawsuits arising from San Mateo crashes are filed in the San Mateo County Superior Court, with civil matters heard at the Hall of Justice in Redwood City. Attorney Ghazaryan investigates liability, coordinates with your medical providers, and negotiates with the adjusters so the insurer cannot pressure you into a quick settlement while you are still healing. We work on contingency, so there is no upfront cost and no fee unless we recover.
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.