If you were hurt in a car accident in San Francisco, GJEL Accident Attorneys can help. We have represented injured people across the Bay Area since 1972, recovering more than $980 million for our clients with a 99% success rate. Call (415) 986-4777 for a free case review. You pay nothing unless we win, and our phones are answered 24/7, and San Francisco office visits at 883 Sacramento St are available by appointment.
Representative San Francisco & Bay Area Car Accident Results
These are real GJEL car and motor vehicle accident results from San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, with the venue and attorneys noted:
- $285,000: pedestrian struck by an uninsured driver near Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Attorney Jim Larsen used expert and eyewitness testimony to recover the full limits of the client’s underinsured motorist coverage after the at-fault driver proved to be uninsured. Read the case.
- $1,000,000: married couple injured in a rush-hour chain-reaction collision on I-680 in Dublin (January 2021). Attorney Andy Gillin personally took their call and began the intake; attorneys Jim Larsen and Andy Gillin then handled the case through settlement. Read the case.
- $300,000: client injured in an Oakland car accident; managing attorney Andy Gillin took the case after the insurer disputed the claim. Read the case.
- Insurance policy limits: husband and wife injured in a multi-vehicle accident on I-80 in Richmond; attorneys Gillin and Larsen established fault and secured the maximum available recovery. Read the case.
Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Every case is different.
The Attorneys Handling San Francisco Car Accident Cases
Andy Gillin is GJEL’s managing partner, and Jim Larsen is a GJEL partner. The results above carry their names, from establishing fault in multi-vehicle collisions to recovering uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits. A GJEL attorney evaluates every serious injury inquiry and remains directly involved in case strategy, negotiations, and litigation.
What to Do After a Car Accident in San Francisco
If anyone is hurt, call 911 right away. In San Francisco, SFPD prepares a collision report when someone is injured or the crash involves a hit-and-run or DUI. For minor collisions with property damage only, officers may not take a report, so photograph the vehicles, the scene, and all documents, and exchange complete information with every driver involved.
Separately, California law requires you to file an SR-1 report with the DMV within 10 days if anyone was injured or killed or property damage exceeds $1,000. This obligation applies whether or not police responded to your crash. Get medical attention promptly even if you feel fine. Some serious injuries take days to appear, and prompt treatment creates the medical record your claim will depend on. Then talk to a lawyer before giving any recorded statement to an insurance company.
Accident reports in San Francisco are generated by the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), headquartered at 1245 Third Street. Traffic collision reports are processed through the SFPD’s Crime Information Services Unit, and we know how to request, interpret, and use these reports to build a strong case.
For accidents on freeways, bridges, and state highways, including the Bay Bridge, I-80, I-280, and Highway 101, the California Highway Patrol’s San Francisco Area office at 455 8th Street handles the investigation. The CHP’s Golden Gate Division oversees all Bay Area freeway enforcement, and we’ve worked with their reports and investigators on countless cases involving bridge and highway collisions.
Fault and Insurance in San Francisco Car Accidents
California is an at-fault state: the driver who caused your crash (and their insurer) is responsible for your damages. Under pure comparative negligence, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you are not barred from recovery unless you were 100% to blame. If you were 10% at fault, you still recover 90% of your damages.
When the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little, your own policy may cover you. California Insurance Code Section 11580.2 requires insurers to offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and governs how these claims are made. In our $285,000 Golden Gate Park case above, the at-fault driver was uninsured, and we recovered the full limits of the client’s underinsured motorist coverage. These claims are winnable, but insurers fight them, and the way you document your case matters from day one.
Car Accidents We Handle in San Francisco
- Intersection and red-light collisions: the majority of the city’s injury crashes happen at intersections.
- Rideshare accidents: Uber and Lyft crashes involve layered commercial policies that change with the driver’s app status.
- Crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists: drivers may be liable when they fail to yield, speed, or drive distracted, and because California applies comparative fault, the evidence surrounding the collision matters. Victims often also have UM/UIM options they don’t know about.
- Multi-vehicle and chain-reaction collisions: like our $1M rush-hour case, these require establishing the sequence of impacts to assign fault correctly.
- Crashes involving Muni or city vehicles: claims against the SFMTA, the City and County of San Francisco, or other public entities follow special rules, including a government claim that generally must be filed within six months.
- Hill, fog, and rail-track crashes: San Francisco’s grades, weather, and streetcar tracks create hazards that factor into fault analysis.
Deadlines for San Francisco Car Accident Claims
Most California car accident injury claims must be filed within two years of the crash (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1). But important exceptions apply: if your crash involved Muni, a city vehicle, or another government entity, you generally must present a government claim within six months before you can sue. Waiting costs evidence either way. Skid marks fade, camera footage is overwritten, and witnesses move.
Where Car Accidents Happen Most in San Francisco
A large share of San Francisco’s injury collisions happen at intersections. The city logs every reported crash in the Traffic Crashes Resulting in Injury dataset from DataSF. We’ve represented clients hurt at many of San Francisco’s most dangerous locations, and we know the patterns that cause these crashes.
The intersection of Octavia Boulevard and Market Street appears again and again in the city’s injury-collision data. This is where multiple lanes converge near freeway access ramps, and high traffic volume creates a volatile mix of merging vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. We’ve handled cases at this intersection involving everything from rear-end collisions to serious bicycle accidents.
Van Ness Avenue and Market Street is another collision hotspot. Van Ness serves as a major north-south corridor, and where it meets Market Street’s dense traffic flow, the risk of a serious car crash goes up dramatically. The broader Van Ness Avenue corridor, including its intersection with Geary Boulevard, sees pedestrian and vehicle collisions tied to high speeds and frequent bus stops. Market Street carries some of the city’s heaviest mixed traffic. It runs through Downtown, the Civic Center, and the Financial District, carrying buses, cars, bikes, scooters, and pedestrians simultaneously. The SFMTA has implemented car-free stretches and automated speed enforcement along portions of Market Street, but collisions remain frequent, particularly near the 5th Street intersection where pedestrian density is especially high.
Geary Boulevard is one of San Francisco’s busiest east-west roads. Constant commuter traffic, frequent bus stops, and drivers accelerating between lights create a pattern of sudden braking and rear-end crashes along the entire stretch. 19th Avenue functions more like a freeway running through residential neighborhoods, connecting to Highway 280 with fast-moving traffic that makes pedestrian crossings especially perilous.
The Mission District, particularly around Mission Street and 16th Street, sees a dangerous mix of buses, rideshare vehicles, and heavy foot traffic. On the freeway side, the approach to the Bay Bridge toll plaza on I-80 funnels dense merging traffic. Tight merges, high speeds, and unpredictable traffic flow cause frequent rear-end and sideswipe accidents.
Highway 101 through San Francisco presents similar challenges, with lane-weaving, congestion, and sharp curves that catch unfamiliar drivers off guard. The Fell Street and Divisadero Street intersection is a frequent site of collisions involving left turns and bike lanes, while Lombard Street’s famous curved section attracts tourist traffic that creates sudden, unpredictable stops.
If you were hurt at any of these locations or anywhere else in San Francisco, our attorneys know the specific road conditions, traffic patterns, and contributing factors that may have played a role. That local knowledge strengthens every case we build.
San Francisco Car Accident FAQs
How much do San Francisco car accident lawyers charge?
GJEL works on contingency: no fee unless we recover compensation for you. The consultation is free, and we advance case costs.
What if the other driver doesn’t have insurance?
Your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply (Ins. Code § 11580.2), and underinsured motorist coverage fills the gap when the at-fault driver’s limits are too low. We review every applicable policy (yours and theirs) to find each avenue of recovery.
Should I talk to the insurance company after my crash?
Report the crash to your own insurer, but don’t give the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement before talking to a lawyer. Adjusters are trained to lock in statements that reduce what they pay.
How long do I have to file?
Generally two years from the crash date, but only six months to present a claim if a government vehicle or agency (including Muni) is involved. Call early either way; the strongest cases are built in the first weeks.
What is my San Francisco car accident case worth?
It depends on your injuries, treatment, lost income, and fault allocation. The results above show the range real cases reach. For a rough starting point, try our car accident settlement calculator, then call for a real evaluation.
Talk to a San Francisco Car Accident Lawyer Today
Call (415) 986-4777 or visit our San Francisco office at 883 Sacramento St, Apt A, San Francisco, CA 94108. The consultation is free and there is no fee unless we win. You can also learn more about our San Francisco personal injury lawyers, or explore related local pages: San Francisco motorcycle accidents, San Francisco truck accidents, San Francisco bicycle accidents, fatal car accidents in San Francisco, and what to do after a San Francisco accident. For statewide help, see our California car accident lawyers.
Substantively updated July 2026.
