Truck Accidents matters in San Mateo
Why San Mateo Truck Crashes Are Different
Commercial trucks move freight through San Mateo every day, feeding warehouses, retail along El Camino Real (SR-82), and the bridge corridor. US-101 (the Bayshore Freeway) is the spine of that traffic, and the merging zones near Hillsdale Boulevard and Peninsula Avenue are where loaded tractor-trailers and delivery rigs collide with commuter cars. State Route 92 carries heavy trucks toward the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, and the congested approach at the US-101 interchange forces sudden braking that a fully loaded truck simply cannot perform as quickly as a passenger vehicle. Interstate 280 sees commercial traffic on its curving grades near Crystal Springs, where a jackknife or rollover can shut down lanes for hours.
A truck's size changes everything about the crash. The same physics that make these collisions so destructive also make the cases more complex, because the evidence that proves fault often sits inside the truck and the company's records.
Federal Rules, Black Boxes, and Commercial Insurance
Interstate trucking is governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. FMCSA hours-of-service rules limit how long a driver can be behind the wheel, and violations of those limits are a frequent cause of fatigue-related crashes. Modern trucks carry an electronic control module, or black box, that records speed, braking, and throttle data in the seconds before impact, and the carrier is required to keep logs, inspection records, and driver qualification files. That evidence can be overwritten or lost if it is not preserved quickly through a spoliation letter, so early legal action matters.
Commercial trucks also carry far larger insurance policies than ordinary cars, often a million dollars or more, and multiple parties may share liability: the driver, the motor carrier, a separate trailer owner, a maintenance contractor, or a cargo loader. We identify every responsible party and every policy that could respond. California's pure comparative negligence rule still applies, so your recovery is reduced only by your share of fault and never eliminated.
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 such as a city, the county, or Caltrans contributed through a dangerous road condition or a government-owned vehicle, Government Code section 911.2 requires a written claim within six months. Truck crash lawsuits arising in San Mateo are filed in the San Mateo County Superior Court, with civil matters heard at the Hall of Justice in Redwood City. Serious truck-crash injuries are often treated at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in nearby Burlingame, with the most severe trauma transferred to Stanford. Attorney Ghazaryan moves fast to preserve the black-box data and carrier records, and we work on contingency, so there is no fee unless we recover.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with truck accidents
Truck cases are won or lost in the first days, so Mihran M. Ghazaryan moves immediately to preserve the evidence — the electronic logging device, the driver's hours-of-service records, and the truck's onboard data — before it can be overwritten. He identifies every responsible party (driver, carrier, broker, and their separate insurers) and applies the federal motor-carrier rules that govern these cases, building the claim for the larger exposure a commercial policy carries.
Types of truck accidents we handle
Tractor-trailer and 18-wheeler crashes
Often involve fatigue, improper loading, or maintenance failures. We send a preservation letter immediately and pursue ELD and ECM data.
Delivery-truck and box-truck collisions
Last-mile delivery has driven a surge in inexperienced drivers under tight schedules. Liability often runs to the carrier, not just the driver.
Underride and override collisions
Catastrophic injury cases. Vehicle conspicuity, guard equipment, and applicable FMCSA standards all matter.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every truck 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
- Call 911 and request medical evaluation on scene.
- Photograph the truck — license plate, USDOT number, MC number, trailer markings.
- Get the trucking company's name, not just the driver's.
- Save any clothing or vehicle parts as evidence.
- Contact us before speaking with the trucking company's insurer or a 'rapid response' team.
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.