Personal Injury Claims From Car Accidents in California

A clinician examining a seated patient’s knee in a bright treatment room — Photo: Yury Kirillov / Unsplash

“Personal injury” is the legal category for claims that someone’s negligence hurt you. This site covers one part of it: injuries from motor vehicle collisions in California. We do not cover slip-and-fall, medical malpractice, product defects unrelated to vehicles, dog bites or workplace injuries; the firm concentrates on motor vehicle cases.

What a California injury claim requires

Duty and breach: every driver owes a duty of ordinary care (Civil Code § 1714); violating a Vehicle Code rule or driving carelessly breaches it.
Causation: the breach caused your injury, including aggravation of a pre-existing condition.
Damages: medical expenses (amounts actually paid or owed), lost earnings and earning capacity, and non-economic damages for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. California has no cap on these in vehicle cases.
Comparative fault: your own share of fault reduces, but does not bar, recovery. How fault is decided.

Injury guides

What each injury involves medically, how it is documented and how insurers evaluate it.

Whiplash and Neck InjuriesThe most common car accident injury, and the most frequently disputed.Back InjuriesLumbar and thoracic injuries that range from strains to disc herniations and vertebral fractures.Herniated DiscsDisc injuries in the neck or lower back that can press on nerves and require injections or surgery.Traumatic Brain InjuriesFrom concussion to severe injury. Often invisible on scans, life-altering in effect.Concussions (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury)The most common brain injury in crashes. Usually temporary, sometimes not, and often under-documented.Spinal Cord InjuriesInjuries causing partial or complete loss of movement and sensation. Among the most costly of all injuries.Fractures and Broken BonesObjective, imageable injuries that range from a simple wrist fracture to a shattered pelvis.Shoulder and Knee InjuriesJoint injuries from bracing, seat-belt loading and dashboard contact. Often diagnosed weeks later.Soft Tissue InjuriesSprains, strains and contusions. Real injuries that insurers treat with skepticism.Catastrophic InjuriesInjuries that permanently change a person’s ability to work and live independently.Wrongful Death After a Fatal Car AccidentWhen a crash takes a life, California law gives specific family members a claim.

Paying for care and resolving the claim

Who Pays Medical Bills After a Car Accident in California?Health insurance, med-pay, liens and reimbursement rights explained.Car Insurance Claims After an Accident in CaliforniaWhich coverage pays for what, the rules insurers must follow, and the decisions that cost people money.An Uninsured Driver Hit Me. Now What?California has one of the highest uninsured-driver rates in the country. Here is how recovery works.California Car Accident Claim DeadlinesEvery deadline that can end a claim, from 10 days to two years.Low-Speed Collision, Real InjuryWhy a lightly damaged bumper does not mean an uninjured neck, and how to prove it.

When an attorney makes a difference

Minor injuries with clear fault are often handled directly with the insurer. An attorney typically adds value when the injury is significant or ongoing, when imaging shows disc or joint injury, when fault or causation is disputed, when the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured, when a commercial vehicle, rideshare or public entity is involved, or when liens and future medical needs complicate settlement. California injury attorneys generally work on contingency. How the firm reviews your inquiry.

Personal Injury Claims From Motor Vehicle Accidents

What a California injury claim requires

Injury guides

Paying for care and resolving the claim

When an attorney makes a difference

Hurt in a California accident?