# What if a public bus or city vehicle hit me?

Canonical: https://californiapersonalinjurylaws.com/guides/bus-or-city-vehicle/

Reviewed by Andrew (Andy) R. Gillin; publisher reported approval on 2026-11-04. Original review date was not supplied.

## Short answer

A crash with a public vehicle has special claim rules. You may need to act much sooner than in a claim against a private driver.

## Hypothetical example

A city vehicle hits a cyclist while the driver is at work.

## How the rule works

Government claim presentment is a step that may come before a lawsuit. It is separate from reporting the crash to the bus operator. Sending notice to the wrong party can raise problems.

## What can change the answer

A bus may be run by a public agency or a private business. That can affect the rules. You need to check who ran it.

## A useful next step

Save the bus or vehicle number. Find the operator’s name. Check government-claim time limits right away.

## Court decisions behind this answer

### State of California v. Superior Court (Bodde) (2004)

32 Cal.4th 1234, slip op., p. 1. Before suing a public agency, a person may need to send it a formal claim. The court required the lawsuit to address that step or a valid excuse.

Limit: This does not list every deadline. It does not excuse a late claim.

Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2004/s114171.html

### Cabral v. Ralphs Grocery Co. (2011)

51 Cal.4th 764, slip op., pp. 1–3. The court rejected a broad no-duty rule for a truck stopped beside a freeway. Drivers still had to use ordinary care.

Limit: It did not hold that every roadside stop is careless. The facts matter when deciding breach and cause.

Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2011/s178799/

## Sources

- [Government Code § 911.2 — Presenting a government claim](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=911.2.)
- [Government Code § 945.6 — Time to sue a public entity](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=945.6.)
- [California Civil Code § 1714 — Responsibility for harm](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=1714.)
- [State of California v. Superior Court (Bodde) (2004) 32 Cal.4th 1234](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2004/s114171.html)
- [Cabral v. Ralphs Grocery Co. (2011) 51 Cal.4th 764](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2011/s178799/)

General information, not legal advice.