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Serving Marin County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area from our San Rafael office. Synergist Law, P.C. is a boutique California personal injury firm led by Sami Sedghani, Pharm.D., J.D. — an accomplished trial attorney with clinical training. We represent people throughout California injured in serious car accidents.

Why clients hire Synergist Law for California car accident cases

Most California plaintiff firms are high-volume shops that generate revenue through case count rather than depth of work on individual files. That model is adequate for simple cases with clear liability and modest injuries, but it predictably underperforms when the facts get complicated — a plaintiff with a pre-existing condition, a defense IME that attacks the diagnosis, a hit-and-run requiring UM/UIM litigation, a commercial-vehicle collision, a disputed-causation case, or any claim large enough that the defense invests seriously in beating it.

Synergist Law is a different structure. Caseload is intentionally limited. Sami handles discovery personally — written discovery, depositions, expert workup, medical records review — rather than delegating to paralegals working from templates. The firm’s clinical background (Doctor of Pharmacy from UCSF before law school) is directly relevant to the medicine the defense will contest at trial: biomechanics, orthopedic causation, concussion and mild TBI, chronic pain, pharmacology, and the kind of specialized clinical issues that defeat cases when plaintiff counsel cannot speak the vocabulary.

Sami is a published California appellate attorney (Osaze v. Aparicio-Gee, First Appellate District, Division Two, September 2026), which is a meaningful indicator of a plaintiff’s willingness to carry contested matters all the way through. The firm takes cases to trial and to appeal when the facts and the law support it.

Types of California car accident cases we handle

  • Rear-end collisions — including the “minor impact soft tissue” (MIST) cases where defense biomechanical experts argue the forces were insufficient to produce the claimed injuries
  • Intersection and left-turn collisions — including comparative-fault disputes under Li v. Yellow Cab Co.
  • Head-on collisions and crossover-median crashes
  • Hit-and-run collisions — handled through the injured person’s own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage
  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) claims
  • Rideshare collisions — Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, and other TNC and gig-economy driver cases
  • Scooter and shared-mobility accidents — Lime, Spin, Bird, Lyft Bay Wheels, Veo, and other e-scooter and e-bike programs
  • Commercial vehicle and delivery driver collisions — FedEx, UPS, Amazon DSP, OnTrac (see our truck accident page)
  • Government vehicle collisions — Caltrans, municipal, transit, with the six-month Government Claims Act deadline under Gov. Code § 911.2
  • Multi-vehicle pile-ups
  • DUI collisions — including punitive-damages exposure under Civil Code § 3294
  • Pedestrian and bicyclist collisions
  • Catastrophic-injury auto cases — TBI, spinal cord/paralysis, amputations, CRPS, and wrongful death

California car accident law

Statute of limitations

Personal injury claims from a California car accident must be filed within two years from the date of the collision under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. Three years for property damage under § 338. Wrongful death from a fatal collision has a two-year limitations period under § 335.1 running from the date of death. Claims against a California public entity require a written government tort claim within six months under Government Code § 911.2.

California comparative negligence

California follows a pure comparative negligence rule under Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804. Recovery is reduced by the plaintiff’s percentage of fault but not barred, even if the plaintiff was more than 50 percent at fault.

Proposition 213

California Civil Code § 3333.4 bars a driver operating without state-mandated liability insurance from recovering non-economic damages (pain and suffering, emotional distress). The same bar applies to drivers under the influence. Economic damages remain recoverable. Prop 213 does not apply to passengers, pedestrians, or cyclists.

California minimum insurance limits

Effective January 1, 2025: $30,000 per person / $60,000 per accident / $15,000 property damage. For serious-injury cases against minimum-limits defendants, the plaintiff’s own UIM coverage frequently provides more compensation than the at-fault driver’s policy.

What to do after a car accident in Marin County

  1. Call 911 if anyone is injured.
  2. Request a police report (CHP, San Rafael PD, Novato PD, Mill Valley PD, Sausalito PD, Tiburon PD, Marin County Sheriff). Note the report number.
  3. Document the scene — photograph damage, final rest positions, skid marks, debris, traffic controls, visible injuries, context.
  4. Collect driver and witness information.
  5. Preserve dashcam and nearby surveillance footage — business and residential footage along Marin’s main corridors (US 101, San Pedro Road, Sir Francis Drake, Lucas Valley Road) is routinely overwritten within days.
  6. See a doctor the same day or the next day.
  7. Notify your own insurance carrier — but do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s carrier before consulting an attorney.
  8. Keep every medical record, bill, and receipt.
  9. Consult an attorney before signing anything.

Common injuries from California car accidents

Damages recoverable in a California car accident case

  • Economic damages — past and future medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage, out-of-pocket costs
  • Non-economic damages — pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium
  • Punitive damages — under Civil Code § 3294 for fraud, malice, or conscious disregard for safety; most commonly in DUI cases

How insurance carriers defend California car accident cases

  • The MIST defense — biomechanical experts arguing collision forces were insufficient; emphasis on property damage dollars; scrutiny of treatment gaps; defense medical review; surveillance video
  • Independent Medical Examination (IME) under California Code of Civil Procedure §§ 2032.010–2032.650
  • Pre-existing condition attacks — California’s eggshell plaintiff doctrine allows aggravation damages but requires documentation
  • Causation attacks in CRPS and chronic-pain cases — see CRPS FAQ
  • Social media and physical surveillance

Fee structure — contingency representation

Contingency fee basis — the specific percentage, stage-based structure, and cost allocation are documented in a written engagement agreement before representation begins, as required by Business & Professions Code § 6147. Initial consultation is free. Case costs are advanced and reimbursed from the recovery.

Marin County and Bay Area service area

San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, Larkspur, Corte Madera, Tiburon, Sausalito, San Anselmo, Fairfax, Ross, Kentfield, and West Marin. Also throughout the Bay Area — San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Mateo County, Sonoma County, Napa County, and Solano County. Catastrophic-injury and wrongful-death matters handled statewide.

Frequently asked questions about California car accident cases

What is the statute of limitations for a California car accident claim?

Two years from the date of the collision under CCP § 335.1. Six months for claims against a California public entity under Gov. Code § 911.2.

Can I recover damages if I was partly at fault?

Yes — California follows pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab Co.

What if the at-fault driver has no insurance?

Your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is typically the primary source of compensation.

What is Proposition 213 and does it affect my case?

Prop 213 (Civil Code § 3333.4) bars uninsured drivers and drivers under the influence from recovering non-economic damages. It does not apply to passengers, pedestrians, or cyclists.

Should I give the other driver’s insurance company a recorded statement?

Generally no — not before consulting an attorney.

How much does it cost to hire a car accident lawyer in California?

Contingency fee — generally no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation. Initial consultations are free.

Related reading

Discuss your California car accident case

If you were seriously injured in a car accident in Marin County or elsewhere in California, we offer a confidential case evaluation at no cost. Call (415) 835-4448 or use our contact form. Our office is at 1299 4th Street, Suite 301, San Rafael, CA 94901.

(415) 835-4448