Mountain View’s streets are shared by a lot of people moving in different ways. Commuters exit US-101 and Highway 85 onto Shoreline Boulevard, cyclists ride between the Stevens Creek Trail and the North Bayshore office parks, and diners and parked cars crowd Castro Street downtown. Local injury cases often come out of those conflicts, especially between drivers and people on bikes. This guide lists five attorneys who represent injured people in Mountain View, beginning with Bay Area Injury Law Firm, then answers questions about bike crashes, pre-existing conditions, and what not to post online after an injury.
Which attorneys handle personal injury cases in Mountain View?
These five represent people injured in Mountain View and nearby Peninsula and South Bay cities:
- Bay Area Injury Law Firm
- Bay Area Bicycle Law
- Bain Mazza & Debski
- Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos
- Joseph Nicholson
What should Mountain View 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 Mountain View and throughout Santa Clara County.
A large share of Mountain View’s commuters travel by bike, and the firm represents cyclists and pedestrians hit by vehicles. It also handles car, truck, and motorcycle collisions, crashes involving rideshare and delivery drivers, dog bites, and burn injuries. The firm takes catastrophic injury cases too, 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 their recovery and produces the records a claim relies on. Cases are handled on contingency, so no attorney fee is charged unless money is recovered. The office speaks Cantonese and Burmese.
2. Bay Area Bicycle Law
Bay Area Bicycle Law, led by Michael Stephenson, is a San Francisco practice that handles bicycle accident cases.
3. Bain Mazza & Debski
Bain Mazza & Debski is a personal injury firm in the San Francisco Bay Area.
4. Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos
Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos is a law firm serving the San Francisco Bay Area.
5. Joseph Nicholson
Joseph Nicholson is a San Francisco attorney whose practice includes personal injury and product liability litigation.
Who is at fault when a car door or turning driver hits a cyclist?
In most cases, the driver is. California Vehicle Code section 22517 prohibits opening a vehicle door on the side of moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe. The same section requires that the door be closed again without unnecessary delay. A driver or passenger who swings a door open into a cyclist on Castro Street has usually violated that statute. Under Evidence Code section 669, violating a safety statute can create a presumption of negligence.
Right-hook crashes follow similar rules. Under Vehicle Code section 21717, a driver turning right across a bike lane must enter the lane no more than 200 feet before the turn and only after making sure it is safe. A driver who cuts across a cyclist at the last second typically breaks that rule. Dashcam and helmet-camera footage is especially valuable in these cases, so save it right away.
Can you still recover if you had an injury before the crash?
Yes. California law allows recovery when a collision makes an existing condition worse. CACI No. 3927, California’s jury instruction on aggravation of a preexisting condition, tells jurors to compensate for the harm the crash added, not for the condition itself. CACI No. 3928 addresses what lawyers call the eggshell plaintiff. That is a person who is more easily injured because of age, a prior injury, or a medical condition. Under that instruction, a defendant is responsible for the full harm caused, even if a healthier person would have been hurt less.
Records from before the crash matter here. Treatment history showing your condition was stable, followed by records showing a clear change afterward, gives the strongest evidence of aggravation. Be upfront with your doctors and your attorney about prior injuries. Insurers will find them, and hiding them damages credibility.
Should you post about your injury on social media?
It’s safer not to. Insurers and defense attorneys routinely review claimants’ public posts, and courts generally allow relevant social media content to be requested in discovery. A photo from a friend’s barbecue, taken on a good day, can be presented as proof that your injuries aren’t serious. Even supportive comments from friends can create confusion about the timeline. Avoid posting about the crash, your recovery, or your activities until the case is resolved. Don’t delete existing posts, though, because destroying potential evidence can create legal problems of its own. Tightening your privacy settings is a reasonable step.
How should you choose an injury attorney?
Choose a lawyer who explains your deadlines clearly, tells you who will handle your case, and gives an honest view of it instead of promises. California Business and Professions Code section 6147 requires contingency agreements to be in writing, so ask how costs will be handled. Bring any camera footage, photos, and medical records from both before and after the crash to your first meeting.
If you were hurt in Mountain View or elsewhere in Silicon Valley, contact Bay Area Injury Law Firm to schedule a consultation with Joseph Chan, Esq. and talk through your next steps.
