A San Francisco resident is taking legal action against the city and county, claiming negligence for failing to maintain safe public roadways. On November 25, 2024, James Williamson filed a complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, against the City and County of San Francisco. The lawsuit alleges that their negligence led to his severe injuries after encountering a hazardous pothole while riding a bicycle.
The incident occurred on April 11, 2024, when Williamson was cycling near Harrison Street and 14th Street in San Francisco. As he navigated through 15th Street and Caledonia Avenue, he unexpectedly hit a large pothole that caused him to be thrown off his bike. This resulted in significant injuries, including a torn rotator cuff tendon. Williamson claims that the defendants failed in their duty to maintain the roadway in a reasonably safe condition by not addressing known hazards like the pothole. According to Government Code § 835, this constitutes a dangerous condition of public property.
Williamson's complaint further accuses the City and County of San Francisco and unnamed parties (DOES 1 through 20) of negligence for not properly installing, inspecting, or repairing the pothole. He asserts that these failures created a hazardous condition that posed an unreasonable risk to users of the roadway. Despite serving a written government claim as required by California law before filing suit, Williamson's claim was rejected or deemed rejected by the defendants.
The lawsuit seeks both economic and non-economic damages for Williamson's physical pain, mental suffering, medical expenses, loss of earnings capacity, and other related costs. He argues that these damages were directly caused by the defendants' negligent actions or omissions regarding road maintenance. In addition to monetary compensation exceeding jurisdictional limits, Williamson requests prejudgment interest and coverage for legal costs incurred during litigation.
Representing James Williamson are attorneys Erik Pogosyan and Valter Malkhasyan from Malk & Pogo Law Group LLP. The case is identified under Case No. CGC-24-620091 with proceedings assigned within the Superior Court of California for San Francisco County.