Car Accidents matters in Davis
Where Davis car crashes happen
Davis sits at the western edge of Yolo County where Interstate 80 cuts across the south side of town. The I-80 interchanges at Richards Boulevard, Mace Boulevard, and the Olive Drive on-ramps are recurring trouble spots, with backups, sudden merges, and high closing speeds that turn rear-end taps into injury crashes. State Route 113 runs north from I-80 along the west edge of the UC Davis campus, carrying commuter traffic toward Woodland and Sacramento International Airport. When fog rolls in off the Yolo Bypass in late fall and winter, the SR-113 and I-80 stretches become some of the most dangerous miles in the county.
Inside the city, the surface arterials carry their own risk. Russell Boulevard, Covell Boulevard, Fifth Street, and Anderson Road see heavy student, faculty, and commuter volume, especially at the start and end of each UC Davis quarter. Downtown intersections near the Amtrak depot and the G Street corridor mix turning cars, cyclists, and pedestrians in tight quarters.
What to do after a Davis collision
Call 911 if anyone is hurt. Davis Police or the CHP (for I-80 and SR-113) will document the scene. Get checked at Sutter Davis Hospital on Pole Line Road or the UC Davis student health center if you are a student. Adrenaline masks soft-tissue and concussion symptoms, so a same-day exam protects both your health and your claim. Photograph the vehicles, the roadway, skid marks, and any signal or signage, and collect the other driver's insurance and the names of witnesses.
How a California car accident claim works
California is an at-fault state, so the driver who caused the crash (through their insurer) is responsible for your medical bills, lost wages, vehicle damage, and pain and suffering. California also follows pure comparative negligence, which means even if you are found partly at fault, you can still recover, reduced by your percentage of responsibility. Insurers know this and often try to shift blame early, which is why it helps to have counsel speaking for you before you give a recorded statement.
Filing in Yolo County
Lawsuits arising from Davis crashes are filed in the Yolo County Superior Court in Woodland, a short drive up SR-113. Most claims resolve through negotiation with the insurer and never reach a courtroom, but preserving the option of trial keeps the carrier honest. MMG Law Firm handles each step, and the firm serves clients in English, Armenian, and Russian.
Why work with a local-focused firm
Davis crashes are not all the same. A rear-end collision crawling through the Richards Boulevard underpass is a very different case from a high-speed wreck on the open I-80 causeway in fog. Knowing the roads, the local CHP and Davis Police reporting practices, and how Yolo County juries view these cases helps us frame your claim accurately. MMG Law Firm gives every Davis client direct attorney attention rather than passing the file to a call center, and consultations are available in English, Armenian, and Russian so you can explain what happened in the language you are most comfortable speaking.
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.