Personal Injury
San Francisco Car and Auto Accident Claims
Auto accident claims in San Francisco, handled by the attorney you hire. Susan F. Reyes has been licensed to practice law in California since 1990.
What a car accident claim actually turns on
Two questions decide most auto accident claims: who was responsible, and what the injury genuinely cost. Everything else — the correspondence, the medical records, the negotiation — exists to answer those two properly.
Responsibility is rarely settled by who says what at the roadside. It is established by the physical evidence, the vehicle damage, the road layout, any report that was made, and the accounts of people who had no reason to shade the story. That evidence is easiest to gather in the first weeks and hardest to reconstruct after months.
Deadlines, and why they come up in the first conversation
The general deadline for a personal injury claim in California is two years from the date of the collision. That sounds like a comfortable margin and often is not, because the work that makes a claim viable happens well before the deadline itself.
In San Francisco specifically
San Francisco collisions have their own texture. Steep grades and blind crests change what a driver could see. Streets shared with Muni tracks, cyclists and pedestrians alter right-of-way. Parking-lane movements and door openings feature heavily. These details are worth capturing precisely, because they are the ones an insurer’s adjuster reading a file two hundred miles away will not know to ask about.
If proceedings become necessary, a San Francisco claim is filed in the San Francisco Superior Court.
Questions
Common questions
- How long do I have to bring a car accident claim in California?
- Two years from the date of the collision is the general deadline for a personal injury claim in California. If a city, county or state vehicle was involved, a written claim usually has to be presented to that public entity within six months, which is a very different timetable. Confirm which applies to your situation as early as you can.
- The other driver’s insurer has offered to settle. Should I accept?
- An early offer is usually made before anyone knows what the injury will cost. Once a claim is settled it is normally settled for good, including for treatment you have not had yet. It is worth understanding the full picture — including any treatment still to come — before agreeing to a figure.
- What if the driver who hit me was uninsured?
- That depends on your own policy and on who else may share responsibility for the collision. It is a question worth asking early, because the answer often changes which claim is worth pursuing.
- Do I need a police report to bring a claim?
- A report helps, but its absence does not end a claim. Other evidence — photographs, medical records, witness accounts, vehicle damage — can establish what happened. If a report was made to the San Francisco Police Department, obtaining a copy early is sensible.
- What does it cost to have Susan look at my case?
- Telephone the office to discuss your situation and the fee arrangement that would apply. Fee terms are explained clearly before any engagement begins.
Consultation
Talk to Susan about your collision
Every matter begins with a conversation about what happened and what your options are. You will speak with Susan F. Reyes directly.