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What to gather before you contact a San Mateo injury lawyer

None of this is required to start. It simply makes the first conversation faster.

• The police or CHP report number — San Mateo PD and the California Highway Patrol both issue a report number at the scene. If nobody gave you one, the collision may still have been documented; the agency that responded can confirm.
• Insurance information for every vehicle involved — carrier name and policy number for the other driver, and your own declarations page. Your own policy matters even when you were not at fault, because uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage under Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2 is often the only coverage that responds.
• Names and numbers of any witnesses — independent witnesses are the fastest thing to lose. People move, numbers change, and memory fades within weeks.
• Photographs — vehicle damage, the roadway, skid marks, signage, lighting, weather, and any visible injuries. Photographs taken the same day carry weight that later photographs do not.
• Your medical providers so far — the emergency department, urgent care, primary care physician, or chiropractor you have seen, and the dates. Gaps in treatment are used by adjusters to argue an injury was minor.
• The date of the collision — California's general deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit is two years under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1, and claims against a public entity require an administrative claim within six months under Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2. The date determines which applies.