San Francisco Personal Injury Law

Hurt in San Francisco? Talk to a Lawyer Who Wins.

The Herman Firm represents injury victims across San Francisco. Millions recovered. No fee unless we win your case.
Available 24/7 No Fee Unless We Win Free Consultation
$2M+ Largest Single Result
Millions Recovered for Clients
100% Contingency Fee Basis
24/7 Available to Take Your Call
Why San Francisco Cases Are Different

San Francisco accident claims do not behave like other Bay Area cases.

SF has the highest pedestrian and cyclist accident rates in the region. It has more rideshare vehicles per square mile than almost any city in the country. Its freeway interchanges produce some of the most complex multi-vehicle crashes in California. And SF Superior Court runs at its own pace, with its own judicial preferences and its own pool of defense firms.

The Herman Firm has been representing accident victims across the Bay Area for nearly 14 years. Attorney Michael D. Herman handles every case personally. There is no handoff to a paralegal, no high-volume settlement mill, and no rushed advice. Just a focused approach to building strong cases against well-funded insurance companies.

Cases We Handle in San Francisco

  • Car and rideshare accidents
  • Pedestrian and bicycle injuries
  • Motorcycle crashes
  • Commercial truck collisions
  • Slip and fall claims
  • Wrongful death
  • Workplace injuries
  • Hit and run accidents
  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist claims

Three things that actually shape your case.

01

Direct Attorney Access

You work with Michael Herman directly. Not a junior associate. Not a paralegal forwarding messages. When you call, you talk to the attorney handling your case.

02

Real Trial Experience

Insurance companies track which firms actually take cases to trial. We do. That changes what offers come in, and how seriously the other side takes a demand letter.

03

No Fee Unless We Win

Contingency fee representation. No retainer, no hourly billing, no out-of-pocket cost during your case. If we do not recover for you, you owe nothing.

Every type of San Francisco injury case we handle.

Real results across the categories that drive Bay Area injury claims. Past results are shown where available. Each case is different.

$2M Pedestrian Result

Pedestrian Accidents

SF has the highest pedestrian injury rate in the Bay Area. We fight crosswalk, hit-and-run, and intersection cases.

$1.9M Wrongful Death

Wrongful Death

Compassionate, focused representation for families after a fatal accident. Survival actions and wrongful death claims handled together.

$1.87M Truck Crash

Truck Accidents

Commercial truck cases on I-80, US-101, and SF surface streets. Federal regulations, multiple insurers, urgent evidence preservation.

$850K Uber Crash

Rideshare Accidents

Uber and Lyft cases in the city that invented rideshare. Three-period insurance coverage analyzed correctly.

$500K Motorcycle

Motorcycle Accidents

Riders face real bias from insurance adjusters. We push back hard, including on lane-splitting and left-turn cases.

$1.35M Premises Liability

Slip & Fall

Premises liability claims against property owners, businesses, and landlords across SF.

Bicycle Accidents

Dooring crashes, bike lane violations, and intersection collisions. Cyclists deserve aggressive representation.

$650K Workplace

Workplace Injuries

Workers’ comp plus third-party claims where applicable. Many injured workers have more than one path to recovery.

Car Accidents

From minor rear-end crashes to high-speed freeway collisions. Comprehensive auto accident representation.

San Francisco Specific

Where SF accidents happen, and why they matter.

Local knowledge is not marketing. It is filing requirements, judicial preferences, opposing counsel patterns, and the streets and corridors where cases actually originate.

Freeway Corridors

US-101, I-80, and I-280 generate the most serious multi-vehicle crashes. CHP usually responds, and trauma transport is often to ZSFG or CPMC.

High-Risk Streets

Market Street, Van Ness, 19th Avenue, and the Embarcadero see disproportionate pedestrian and cyclist injuries year after year.

SF Superior Court

Civic Center Courthouse at 400 McAllister handles personal injury litigation. The court has its own scheduling and motion practice.

Rideshare Density

SF has the highest concentration of Uber and Lyft vehicles in the Bay Area. Period 2 and Period 3 insurance disputes are routine.

MUNI and BART

Public transit cases trigger the six-month government claim deadline under California Government Code 911.2. Miss it and the case ends.

Bridges and Tunnels

Bay Bridge, Golden Gate, and Caldecott Tunnel approaches generate complex jurisdictional questions and often involve Caltrans claims.

Real cases. Real numbers.

A sample of past recoveries by The Herman Firm. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, but they show the firm’s track record on the cases that matter.

$2.0M Pedestrian

Pedestrian struck by vehicle, defense alleged client stepped into traffic.

$1.9M Wrongful Death

Recovery for surviving family after a fatal collision.

$1.87M Truck Crash

Spine injury despite defense argument of minor impact.

$1.35M Dangerous Condition

Premises liability case involving an unsafe property condition.

$1.0M Pedestrian Fatal

Wrongful death involving a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.

$850K Uber Crash

Rideshare collision involving complex insurance coverage analysis.

$650K Workplace Injury

Third-party workplace claim outside the workers’ comp system.

$500K Motorcycle

Motorcycle accident with significant injuries to the rider.

Each case is unique. Past results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of future cases.

From free case review to final recovery.

1

Free Case Review

We listen, ask questions, and give an honest assessment of your case.

2

Investigation

We preserve evidence, secure footage, and document the full scope of damages.

3

Medical Coordination

We help you get treatment without paying up front through medical liens when needed.

4

Insurance Negotiation

We handle every communication with insurers and push back on lowball offers.

5

Settlement or Trial

Most cases settle. When they do not, we are prepared to take them to a jury.

Founding Attorney

Michael D. Herman

  • Founder, The Herman Firm
  • Licensed California Attorney
  • Personal Injury Litigation Focus
  • Trial Experience Across the Bay Area
  • Direct Client Representation
Meet Your Attorney

An attorney who actually handles your case.

Michael D. Herman founded The Herman Firm to do personal injury law differently. No high-volume settlement factories, no junior associates handed your file, no hiding behind an intake team.

When you call about a San Francisco accident, you talk to the attorney who will represent you. Every case gets focused attention, real preparation, and the willingness to take it to trial if that is what the case needs.

That approach has produced settlements and verdicts in the millions across pedestrian, motorcycle, truck, rideshare, and wrongful death cases throughout the Bay Area.

Questions San Francisco accident victims actually ask.

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in California?

California Code of Civil Procedure 335.1 gives you two years from the date of the accident to file most personal injury claims. Claims against government entities (City of San Francisco, MUNI, BART, Caltrans) require a formal claim within six months under Government Code 911.2. Missing either deadline almost always ends the case.

Does The Herman Firm represent clients in San Francisco?

Yes. We represent accident victims throughout San Francisco, the Bay Area, and Northern California. Michael Herman can meet with you at our office, at your home, or at the hospital where you are receiving care.

What does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?

Nothing up front. The Herman Firm works on a contingency fee basis, which means we only get paid if we recover compensation for you. The fee is a percentage of the settlement or verdict, not an hourly bill. If we do not win, you owe nothing.

What if the other driver is uninsured?

If you carry uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on your own auto policy, that coverage may pay your claim even when the at-fault driver has no insurance. This is technically a claim against your own insurance company, which often surprises people. We handle these claims regularly.

What if my accident happened on a freeway like US-101 or I-80?

Freeway crashes in San Francisco are typically investigated by California Highway Patrol rather than SFPD. These cases often involve higher speeds, more vehicles, and more complex insurance disputes than surface street accidents, which means evidence preservation and accident reconstruction become especially important.

What if I was partly at fault for the accident?

California follows pure comparative negligence. You can still recover compensation even if you were partly at fault. Your recovery gets reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance companies routinely argue you share blame to lower their payouts, which is one of the most important reasons to have an attorney involved early.

Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company before calling a lawyer?

No. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and statements made early routinely get used to reduce or deny claims. Politely decline, take their name and claim number, and let your attorney handle the rest.

How long do San Francisco personal injury cases take?

Every case is different. Clear-fault cases with full medical recovery sometimes resolve in three to six months. Cases involving serious injuries, disputed liability, government entities, or commercial defendants can take a year or more. The biggest variable is the length of medical treatment, since no case should settle until injuries are fully understood.

Free Consultation

Hurt in San Francisco? Talk to The Herman Firm today.

Same-day callbacks. Attorney Michael Herman handles every case personally. No fee unless we win your case.

Available 24/7  ·  No Fee Unless We Win  ·  Free Consultation