By 
Santa Clara packs a lot into a small area. Levi’s Stadium and a major amusement park draw large crowds, Santa Clara University sits near downtown, and US-101, Lawrence Expressway, and San Tomas Expressway carry heavy commuter traffic. Injury cases here often involve event-day congestion, crowded venues, and busy expressway intersections. This guide lists five attorneys who represent injured people in Santa Clara, beginning with Bay Area Injury Law Firm. After the list, it answers questions about injuries on amusement rides, at large events, and how insurance payments affect a claim.
Which attorneys handle personal injury cases in Santa Clara?
These five represent people injured in Santa Clara and the surrounding South Bay:
- Bay Area Injury Law Firm
- Car Accident Lawyer Daniel Kim
- Samer Habbas & Associates
- Wilshire Law Firm Injury and Accident Attorneys
- The Accident Guys
What should Santa Clara residents know about each attorney?
1. Bay Area Injury Law Firm
Bay Area Injury Law Firm is a personal injury practice based in Daly City. It was founded and is led by principal attorney Joseph Chan, Esq., a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. California attorneys are licensed statewide, so the firm can represent people injured in Santa Clara and anywhere in Santa Clara County.
The firm handles car, truck, and motorcycle collisions, and it represents pedestrians and cyclists hit by vehicles. On event days, rideshare traffic around stadium and venue drop-off zones is heavy, which makes the firm’s work on rideshare and delivery-driver crashes relevant here. It also takes dog bite and burn injury cases, along with catastrophic injuries, meaning injuries serious enough to permanently limit a person’s ability to work or live independently.
Clients get help finding appropriate medical care early, which supports recovery and creates the records a claim depends on. Cases are handled on contingency, so no attorney fee is charged unless money is recovered. The office speaks Cantonese and Burmese.
2. Car Accident Lawyer Daniel Kim
Car Accident Lawyer Daniel Kim is a San Jose practice that handles auto accident cases.
3. Samer Habbas & Associates
Samer Habbas & Associates is a personal injury firm serving the Bay Area.
4. Wilshire Law Firm Injury and Accident Attorneys
Wilshire Law Firm is a California firm with multiple offices, including one in Oakland.
5. The Accident Guys
The Accident Guys is an accident injury firm serving the San Francisco Bay Area.
Who is responsible if you are hurt on an amusement park ride?
The operator usually is, and California holds ride operators to a high standard. In Gomez v. Superior Court (2005), the California Supreme Court held that an amusement park operating a roller coaster can be treated as a common carrier. A common carrier is a business that transports people and owes them the utmost care and diligence under Civil Code section 2100, which is a higher duty than ordinary negligence requires. Rides at permanent parks are also subject to state inspection under the Permanent Amusement Ride Safety Inspection Program, administered by Cal/OSHA under Labor Code section 7920 and the sections that follow.
Report the injury to park staff before leaving, get a copy of the incident report, and photograph any posted warnings or restraint problems. Inspection records and maintenance logs can later show whether a ride had known problems.
Can a venue be liable if you are assaulted at an event?
Sometimes. It depends on whether the attack was foreseeable. Property owners generally aren’t responsible for crimes committed by strangers. California courts do impose a duty to take reasonable security measures when prior incidents or other circumstances made the danger foreseeable, and the California Supreme Court described this framework in Ann M. v. Pacific Plaza Shopping Center (1993). A venue with a history of parking lot assaults may have to show it used adequate lighting, staffing, or security patrols.
Victims of violent crime may also qualify for help from the California Victim Compensation Board. The board can reimburse medical bills, counseling costs, and lost income when other sources don’t cover them. Filing a police report is usually required to apply.
Does it matter that your own insurance already paid your medical bills?
The defendant generally can’t reduce what it owes because your health insurance or other benefits paid your bills. This is called the collateral source rule. The California Supreme Court affirmed it in Helfend v. Southern California Rapid Transit District (1970), reasoning that an at-fault party shouldn’t benefit from the injured person’s foresight in buying insurance.
The rule has limits. Under Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions (2011), past medical damages are usually capped at the amounts actually paid rather than the full billed charges. Your health plan may also have a right to be reimbursed from the settlement, a process called subrogation. Review your plan’s terms early, because reimbursement claims affect how much of a settlement you actually keep.
How should you choose an injury attorney?
Choose a lawyer who explains your deadlines clearly, tells you who will handle your case, and gives a realistic assessment instead of promises. California Business and Professions Code section 6147 requires contingency agreements to be in writing, so ask how costs and insurance reimbursement claims will be handled at settlement. Bring your incident report, photos, and insurance cards to the first meeting.
If you were injured in Santa Clara or anywhere in Silicon Valley, contact the Bay Area Injury Law Firm to schedule a consultation with Joseph Chan, Esq. and understand your options.
Comments