California Accident & Catastrophic Injury Law Firm

Under California Civil Code section 1714, you may have a personal injury claim when another driver, trucking company, public agency, property owner, or product manufacturer causes a serious injury or death through negligence or a defective condition. You do not need to prove fault before calling. During a free case review, a GJEL trial lawyer evaluates liability, insurance coverage, medical impact, and whether a California personal injury claim makes financial sense for your family.

Do not sign a property or bodily injury release, medical authorization, or early settlement check before an attorney reads the paperwork. Signing a general release under California Civil Code section 1542 usually closes your claim forever, even if an MRI or specialist later reveals a spinal disc herniation, surgery need, or traumatic brain injury. California law does not require you to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer.

An insurance adjuster’s fault opinion is not binding under California law. California follows pure comparative negligence (CACI No. 405), which means an injured person can still recover damages even if they shared 20%, 50%, or more of the blame, reduced only by their actual percentage of fault. Our investigators pull scene video, event data recorders, and witness statements in disputed car accident, motorcycle, and intersection crashes to challenge unfair fault assignments.

Call a lawyer immediately because filing deadlines in California are strict. Most personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within two years under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. However, claims involving a public transit agency, city vehicle, or dangerous public road generally require a written government tort claim within six months under Government Code section 911.2. Minor plaintiffs and delayed-discovery cases follow special tolling rules explained in our lawsuit timeline guide.

You may still have substantial recovery options even when a hit-and-run driver flees or carries only California’s minimum liability limits. Under California Insurance Code section 11580.2, your own Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) policy, or a resident relative’s auto policy, can cover medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering without raising your rates. Our underinsured motorist lawyers also investigate commercial employers, rideshare policies, and roadway defects.

In California, you have the right to change personal injury attorneys or seek a second legal opinion at any stage before settlement. Switching firms does not increase your total contingency fee: when a new firm takes over, the prior firm and current firm split a single legal fee based on work performed. GJEL’s trial lawyers regularly review complex cases that high-volume settlement mills declined to litigate.

Yes. When someone is hospitalized with a catastrophic brain, spinal, or orthopedic injury, a spouse, parent, or adult child often makes the first call so evidence is preserved immediately. In fatal accidents, California Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 grants surviving spouses, domestic partners, children, and qualifying dependent relatives standing to bring a California wrongful death claim alongside a survival action. We meet families at home or in the hospital statewide.

Hiring GJEL costs nothing upfront. We handle every case on a contingency fee basis, advancing all investigation, accident reconstruction, medical expert, and court costs, and you pay no attorney’s fee unless and until we win money for you. Founded in 1972, our firm has recovered more than $980 million with a 99% success rate across 17 California offices in the Bay Area, Northern California, and the Central Valley.