San Mateo Rear-End Accident Lawyer
They Hit You From Behind. Now Make Them Pay for What Followed.
The driver behind you is usually the one at fault. The harder fight is proving that the crash caused your whiplash, back pain, or head injury. Our attorneys build that link for people hurt in San Mateo rear-end collisions.
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Fault Is Usually Clear. Your Injuries Need Proof Too.
Rear-end crashes are among the most common collisions on the road, and they often leave injuries like whiplash and other soft tissue damage that don’t show on a bumper. When the medical bills arrive and your car is in the shop, the question becomes simple: who pays?
Under California’s at-fault system, the driver who caused the crash pays, usually through their insurance. In most rear-end collisions, that’s the driver who hit you. You may have a claim if:
The driver behind you was tailgating or following too closely
They didn't slow down for rain or slick roads
They were distracted and missed your brake lights
The impact pushed you into another car or out of control
What the insurer will question is not who hit whom, but whether that impact really caused your injuries. That’s the part we prove.
After You're Rear-Ended in San Mateo
Call the police, even for a "small" crash.
A report records the impact and any ticket issued, and a ticket can matter a great deal to your claim.
Photograph the damage and the road.
Both bumpers, the weather and road surface, and where the cars came to rest all help show how the crash happened.
Ask about cameras right away.
Dash cams, phones, and nearby businesses may have recorded the collision. Footage is often overwritten within days.
Get examined, even if you feel fine.
Whiplash and other neck and back injuries often surface hours or days later. A prompt exam connects them to this crash.
Follow your treatment plan.
Gaps in care are the insurer’s favorite argument that you weren’t really hurt, or that something else caused your pain.
Send the insurer to us.
The rear driver’s adjuster may call quickly with a “minor impact” offer. Don’t accept or sign anything before we review it.
What Your Rear-End Claim Should Cover
Medical bills, including care that starts late
Exams, imaging, physical therapy, and follow-up for whiplash and soft tissue injuries, plus head or neck injuries that need extended treatment.
Your car
Repair or replacement of your vehicle, and related costs while it’s off the road.
Lost wages
Time you miss from work while you recover, and any lasting effect on what you can earn.
Pain and suffering
The stiffness, headaches, lost sleep, and daily limits that follow a rear-end crash, often the part insurers undervalue most.
How We Connect the Crash to Your Injuries
Every injury claim has to show two kinds of cause. The first is cause-in-fact, the “but for” test: you would not have been hurt but for the other driver’s conduct. The second is proximate cause: it was reasonably foreseeable that driving that way could cause the kind of injury you suffered. Whiplash from a rear-end impact is a textbook example of both.
We build the proof from every source available:
- Police reports, including any citation issued to the rear driver
- Medical records that trace your symptoms from the first exam onward
- Eyewitness accounts of the crash and the moments before it
- Cell phone and surveillance video, reviewed frame by frame when it exists
- Photos of both vehicles and the scene
When the rear driver was ticketed for breaking a traffic law, we can also rely on negligence per se: the violation itself can establish that they breached their duty to drive safely, so the case focuses on your injuries.
Rear-End Crashes and California Law
The rear driver is usually responsible
In most rear-end collisions, the driver who strikes the car in front is at fault, and under California’s at-fault system that driver’s insurer pays.
A ticket can do the heavy lifting
If the rear driver was cited for breaking a traffic law, negligence per se can establish that they breached their duty. You then need to show the crash caused your injuries.
Shared fault reduces, never bars
If the insurer claims you stopped suddenly or share some blame, California’s pure comparative negligence rule only reduces your compensation by your share.
Two years to file a lawsuit
You generally have two years from the date of injury. Footage and witness memories fade long before then.
What Our Clients Say
I honestly recommend contacting the firm and working with Jimin. She was direct, very efficient, and professional. My case moved fast and to our favor. Jimin and her team were…
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I was introduced to Jimin through a friend after we had a bumper accident on a highway. Jimin came to us directly and very clearly explained the whole process, as…
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Jimin is extremely straightforward, confident, and detailed. Do not judge her by her young looks! She's very knowledgeable and experienced. I experienced my first major car accident and needed a…
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San Mateo Rear-End Accident FAQs
Who pays after I'm rear-ended?
Usually the driver who hit you, through their liability insurance. California is an at-fault state, so the person responsible for the crash pays for the damages it caused, including your medical bills and vehicle damage.
The insurer says my injuries aren't from the crash. How do you answer that?
With causation evidence: a prompt medical exam, consistent treatment records, and proof that you would not have been hurt but for the other driver’s conduct. That’s why seeing a doctor early and following through matters so much.
What does "negligence per se" mean in a rear-end case?
If the rear driver was ticketed for breaking a traffic law, that violation can establish that they breached their duty to drive safely. It narrows the dispute to how badly you were hurt.
What causes most rear-end collisions?
Tailgating and following too closely, failing to slow down for wet or slippery roads, and distraction that causes a driver to miss the brake lights ahead.
I was pushed into the car ahead of me. Am I at fault for that?
Generally no. When an impact from behind forces you into another vehicle, the driver who started the chain is usually the focus of the claim. Each driver’s share of fault is weighed under comparative negligence, and we sort out who is responsible for what.
Can I still recover if I'm partly at fault?
Yes. California reduces your compensation by your share of fault; it doesn’t eliminate it.
How long do I have to file a lawsuit?
Generally two years from the date of injury. Start well before that, while footage and witness memories are still available.
What does hiring you cost?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency; you pay a fee only if we recover for you.
Get Your Free, Confidential Case Review, 24/7
Whiplash can take days to show up, and the insurer is building its file from day one. Call now or send the form; we respond fast, 24/7, in English, Spanish, or Korean. Your consultation is free and confidential. No fee unless we win.
Call (408) 256-2871Free Case Review
Solution Now Law Firm
1253 Park Ave
San Jose, CA 95126
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