We handle personal injury cases from car and bike crashes to falls on public property. This page lists the Windsor facts that matter in those cases, each from the official source listed at the end. County-wide offices are on our page about personal injury cases in Sonoma County.

What happens after an injury in Windsor, step by step?

  1. Call 911 in an emergency; otherwise, report the incident to the Windsor police through dispatch at 707-565-2121.
  2. If the CHP handled a crash, its Santa Rosa Area office has the report.
  3. Request the report when it is ready; the people involved are entitled to it (Vehicle Code 20012).
  4. If the Town may be responsible, present the Town's claim form to the Town Clerk within six months (Government Code 911.2).
  5. The Town has 45 days to act (Government Code 912.4); a lawsuit, if needed, goes to Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa.

Who are Windsor's police, and how do I make a report?

The Windsor Police Department is staffed by Sonoma County Sheriff's Office employees through a negotiated contract between the County and the Town. The Town says the department has 20 full-time employees, including the chief, two sergeants, 14 officers, two traffic officers, a school resource officer and two civilian staff members, and that its work includes patrol, traffic enforcement and investigations.

To file a police report, the department asks you to call dispatch at 707-565-2121; in an emergency, call 911. The police department is at 9291 Old Redwood Highway, and its office line is 707-838-1234.

Who may get a copy of a crash report is set by Vehicle Code 20012: the drivers, the people injured, the vehicle owners and others with a proper interest. If the CHP handled the crash, the report comes from the CHP Santa Rosa Area office, 6100 LaBath Avenue, Rohnert Park. Our guide on how to get the crash report in Sonoma County compares the offices.

What does the Town of Windsor's claim form ask for?

A claim against the Town is made on the Town's "Claim for Money or Damages Against the Town of Windsor," addressed to the Town Clerk. Like every claim to a public entity, it must give the information Government Code 910 lists, and the Town's form asks for:

  • your name and mailing address, and where notices should be sent;
  • the date, time, place and circumstances of what happened;
  • a description of the injury, damage or loss, and the names of any Town employees who caused it, if known;
  • for a claim under $10,000, the amount and how it was calculated; for a claim over $10,000, no dollar amount, only whether it would be a limited or unlimited civil case;
  • witnesses, doctors and hospitals, and, after a vehicle crash, your insurance and vehicle details; and
  • for an accident, a diagram that marks where a Town vehicle was, where you were, and the point of impact.

The form warns that presenting a false claim with intent to defraud is a felony (Penal Code 72) and that the Town may seek its defense costs if a lawsuit is later found not to have been brought in good faith and with reasonable cause (Code of Civil Procedure 1038). One detail is out of date: the form, last revised in 2003, describes a limited civil case as $25,000 or less, while Code of Civil Procedure 85 now sets the line at $35,000.

Windsor Town Hall is at 9291 Old Redwood Highway, open Monday to Thursday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, 707-838-1000. For an injury, the claim is due within six months (Government Code 911.2), and the Town then has 45 days to act (Government Code 912.4). Our guide on how to file an injury claim against a city, county or the State covers each step. If a road condition or a public vehicle played a part in a crash, read what changes when a county vehicle, a public bus or a dangerous road is involved.

What do state crash numbers show for Windsor?

The California Office of Traffic Safety compares each city with others of similar size. Windsor is in Group D, cities of 25,001 to 50,000 people, with an average population of 25,669 in 2023. Its 2023 figures and ranks among the 93 cities in that group:

Category (2023)WindsorRank of 93
People killed or injured in all crashes3880
People killed or injured in alcohol-involved crashes474
Pedestrians killed or injured277
Bicyclists killed or injured364
Bicyclists under 15 killed or injured132
Speed-related crashes with deaths or injuries481
Hit-and-run crashes with deaths or injuries182

A rank of 1 means the highest, or worst, so Windsor sits near the better end of its group in most categories. The figures count only crashes within town limits, and a crash the CHP reports on a road it shares with the town does not count against the town.

How do the train and buses connect Windsor?

SMART's Windsor station is at 464 Emily Rose Circle, with its parking lot at 8900 Windsor Road. Sonoma County Transit Route 60 links the station with Healdsburg and Cloverdale to the north and Santa Rosa to the south, Route 62 links it with the Sonoma County Airport, Larkfield-Wikiup and Santa Rosa, and Route 66 is local Windsor service. A Caltrans Park and Ride lot is at 847 Airport Boulevard, Windsor. SMART is a public transit district, so an injury claim against it starts with the six-month written claim.

What changes the answer in Windsor?

Who owns the road or vehicle. A Town street or Town vehicle means a claim to the Town, a county road means a claim to the County, and a state highway means a claim to the State. A public entity is liable for injuries its employees cause within the scope of their work, where the employee would be liable (Government Code 815.2).

How much the claim is worth. For a claim under $10,000, the claim states the amount and how it was calculated; over $10,000, it gives no dollar amount and says only whether it would be a limited or unlimited civil case (Government Code 910).

Whether a Town vehicle was involved. The Town's form asks for a diagram showing the Town vehicle, your position and the point of impact, so photographs and measurements from the scene become part of the claim.

Whether the claim is late. After six months, an application to present a late claim must be made within a reasonable time and no later than one year (Government Code 911.4).

What could this look like? An example

For example, imagine a driver whose car is struck at a Windsor intersection by a Town maintenance truck. Windsor police respond through Sheriff's dispatch and write a report.

The driver would request the report, then fill out the Town's claim form: name and address, the date, place and circumstances, the injuries and losses, and the diagram marking the Town truck, the driver's car and the point of impact. If the losses are over $10,000, the claim leaves the dollar amount blank and checks limited or unlimited civil case. The form goes to the Town Clerk within six months. If the Town rejects it in writing, a lawsuit generally must follow within six months (Government Code 945.6). Our guide on the first 30 days after a car accident in Sonoma County covers the reports and insurance steps that run at the same time. The example is made up to show the steps.

What mistakes do people make with Windsor claims?

  • Writing a dollar figure over $10,000 on the claim, when the law says to leave it out and state only limited or unlimited.
  • Relying on the form's old $25,000 line between limited and unlimited cases instead of today's $35,000.
  • Skipping the accident diagram the Town's form asks for.
  • Planning a Friday visit to Town Hall, whose posted hours are Monday to Thursday.
  • Assuming every road in Windsor belongs to the Town, when some may belong to the County or the State.

What should I do this week?

  1. Call Windsor police dispatch, 707-565-2121, to make or follow up on a report, and write down the report number.
  2. Photograph the scene from several angles, including signs, signals and road surface.
  3. Sketch the scene while you remember it; the Town's form asks for a diagram.
  4. Ask your doctors for records in writing; copies are due within 15 days (Health and Safety Code 123110).
  5. If a sidewalk, not a road, caused a fall, read who is responsible for a sidewalk trip and fall.
  6. Put the six-month claim date on your calendar.

Frequently asked questions about Windsor injury cases

Are Windsor police officers Sheriff's deputies?

The Town says its police department is staffed by Sonoma County Sheriff's Office employees through a contract between the County and the Town.

Does my claim need a dollar amount?

Only if it is under $10,000. Over that, the claim gives no amount and says whether it would be a limited or unlimited civil case (Government Code 910).

What if the Town never answers my claim?

If the Town does not act within 45 days, the claim is treated as rejected on the last day of that period (Government Code 912.4). The time to sue then depends on whether written notice was given (Government Code 945.6).

Does the CHP handle crashes in Windsor?

The CHP Santa Rosa Area office serves most of Sonoma County, so a crash it responds to near Windsor is reported there. Inside the town, Windsor police may take the report.

Can I get the report if I was a passenger?

Yes. Vehicle Code 20012 entitles the people injured, as well as the drivers and owners, to the crash report.

Where would a Windsor injury case be filed?

For an injury, the superior court of the county where it happened, or where a defendant lives, is a proper court (Code of Civil Procedure 395). For an injury in Windsor, that includes Sonoma County Superior Court, which handles civil cases at 3055 Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa. The steps a case goes through there are in what to expect at Sonoma County Superior Court. Nearby, Healdsburg has its own page. So does Santa Rosa, where both courthouse buildings are.

If you or a loved one has been injured in Windsor, contact Young Law Group today at (707) 343-0556 or through our contact page to schedule your free consultation and learn how we can help.

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