Novato Highway 101 Crash Downs Power Lines, Cuts Power to Thousands

Published: August 2, 2026
By: Yaghmai Law Firm, APC

(Novato, CA) – A crash involving several vehicles on Highway 101 in Novato on Thursday morning tangled traffic, set off a series of fires and left thousands of customers without electricity.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the collision was reported at about 9:20 a.m. near the eastbound transition to Highway 37. CHP Officer Arthur Tellez said a woman driving a Jeep Cherokee was heading southbound when she hit one vehicle, lost control, and then hit a second. The second impact sent both cars off the roadway, Tellez said.

Officials said the Jeep also struck a power pole, sending live lines to the ground and igniting several small fires on both sides of the freeway. The downed lines damaged three additional vehicles and hit a bus, and the freeway was shut in both directions.

The fallen lines knocked out electricity to homes, businesses and traffic signals across southern Novato. PG&E spokesperson Megan McFarland said roughly 6,022 connections lost power at the peak of the outage, and that utility crews came to the scene to work alongside first responders. She said most affected connections had power restored by midday, and the CHP reported Highway 101 reopened around 1:15 p.m.

Tellez said the driver, a 44-year-old woman from Rohnert Park, was treated by paramedics and taken to MarinHealth Medical Center with minor injuries. He said the crash remains under investigation and that DUI was not a factor.

Analysis of the Novato Highway 101 Collision

The following is a general discussion of the legal framework that can apply to a multi-vehicle California freeway crash. It is not a conclusion about fault in this incident, which the CHP has said is still being investigated.

In California, drivers owe one another a duty of ordinary care under Civil Code section 1714, which provides that a person is responsible for injury caused to another by a lack of ordinary care. When a chain-reaction collision involves several vehicles, investigators commonly work to reconstruct the sequence of impacts and the speed and control of each vehicle. The Basic Speed Law, Vehicle Code section 22350, requires drivers to travel no faster than is reasonable and prudent for road, traffic and visibility conditions, and it is one of the standards a reconstruction may consider if evidence points to a speed question.

Where a driver is shown to have violated a safety statute, Evidence Code section 669 can allow a presumption of negligence if the violation proximately caused the kind of harm the statute was meant to prevent and the injured party was within the protected class. Because more than one vehicle and a bus were reportedly involved, any eventual civil case could also turn on how responsibility is apportioned. Civil Code section 1431.2 allocates non-economic damages among parties in proportion to each one's share of fault, and Civil Code section 3333 sets the general measure of tort damages as compensation for all detriment proximately caused. These principles apply only if liability is first established through the evidence.

What Those Affected Can Do

People hurt in a crash like this, as well as those whose vehicles or property were damaged, should obtain a copy of the CHP collision report and keep records of medical care, repair estimates and any losses tied to the outage. A driver in an injury crash must file a written report with law enforcement within 24 hours under Vehicle Code section 20008 and report to the DMV within 10 days under Vehicle Code section 16000 when there is injury or significant property damage. California's deadline to file most personal-injury lawsuits is generally two years from the date of injury under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, and shorter deadlines can apply where a public entity is involved. Because the facts of a multi-vehicle collision can be complex, it can help to speak with an attorney who can preserve evidence and explain your options. Were you, or someone you love, involved in this crash? A California car accident lawyer at Yaghmai Law Firm can explain your options and deal with the insurance companies for you. Call or text (888) 800-6731 or request a free case review.

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About the Author

Houtan Yaghmai, Esq., President & Managing Attorney of Yaghmai Law Firm, APC. California State Bar No. 298487. Speaks English, French, and Persian. The firm represents personal injury clients throughout Southern California – consultations by phone, text, or video, no office visits required.

This post was assembled with AI assistance from publicly reported news sources cited below. All California Vehicle Code references were verified against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Facts were re-checked via additional web searches before publication. This post is based on initial news reports and may be updated as new facts develop. Nothing in this article is legal advice. Yaghmai Law Firm, APC is not associated with the investigating agencies and does not represent any party named in this post unless explicitly stated.

Sources:
1. X_CA_LOCAL_NEWS – Mercury News: A single vehicle went off the road after 9 a.m. on Thursday near the Highway 37 eastbound transition and struck a power pole, causing a shutdown of 101 in both directions. mercurynews.com/2026/07/30/n…: https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/30/novato-freeway-crash-downs-power-lines-halts-traffic-causes-large-outage/?utm_campaign=mrf-twitter-mercnews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&mrfcid=202607306a6899c1b1cb157bb8720367