Rear-ended on the 134. T-boned in Glendale. A freeway pileup on the 5. The other driver’s insurance company calls within a day, sounding helpful, hoping you’ll take a fast check before you know what your injuries actually are. Don’t. Talk to us first — it’s free, and it’s the single best thing you can do for your case.
What we do for you
- Take over every call from the insurance companies — theirs and yours.
- Get you to doctors who treat now and get paid from the settlement later, so you’re not choosing between care and bills.
- Handle the property-damage claim for your car, including rental and total-loss disputes.
- Collect the evidence that decides these cases: the police report, dashcam and traffic-camera footage, phone records, event-data-recorder downloads, witness statements.
- Find every available policy — the other driver’s, any employer’s, your own uninsured/underinsured coverage — because one policy is rarely enough for a serious injury.
- Negotiate for full value, and file suit when the insurer won’t pay it.
What your case may be worth
No honest lawyer can give you a number on the first call. What we can tell you is what California lets you recover, and we’ll give you a realistic range once we’ve seen your medical records and the facts.
- Medical bills, past and future — ER, surgery, physical therapy, imaging, medication.
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity if you can’t return to the same work.
- Pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life — the largest part of most serious-injury recoveries.
- Property damage, rental costs, and diminished value of your vehicle.
- Punitive damages in cases involving drunk, high, or egregiously reckless drivers.
Deadlines that can end your case
- Two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in California (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss it and the claim is gone, no matter how strong.
- Six months if a government entity is involved — a city bus, a public road defect, a county vehicle, a school. You must file an administrative claim first (Government Code §911.2), and that clock is unforgiving.
- Your own insurance policy may require notice within days for uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. We handle that notice for you.
What to do now
The first 48 hours matter more than any other window in a car accident case.
- Get medical care first. Even if you feel okay. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap in treatment is the first thing an adjuster uses against you.
- Report it. Police report for a crash; incident report to the property or business for a fall. Get a copy or the report number.
- Photograph everything. The scene, vehicles, hazards, your injuries, and anything that changes quickly (weather, lighting, a wet floor).
- Get names. Witnesses, the other driver, the store manager. People vanish fast.
- Don’t give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer, and don’t sign anything, before you’ve talked to a lawyer.
- Call us. (818) 230-8380, any hour. We take it from there.
Questions we hear most
The other driver had no insurance. Do I still have a case?
Often, yes. If you carry uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage — and most California drivers do — your own policy steps in, and we pursue it the same way we’d pursue the at-fault driver’s. California’s minimum liability limits rose in 2025, but they are still far below the cost of a serious injury; UM/UIM is how the gap gets closed.
The insurance company says I was partly at fault.
California uses pure comparative negligence: your recovery is reduced by your share of fault, not eliminated. Adjusters routinely overstate that share. We push back with the evidence.
How long does a car accident case take?
Most settle within several months to about a year, once your treatment is finished and we know what your injuries are. Cases that go to litigation take longer — and we’ll tell you honestly when that’s the right call.
Hurt in an accident? Talk to us before you talk to the insurance company.
Free case review, any hour, English or Spanish. No fee unless we win.
This page is general information about California law, not legal advice about your situation. Every case is different. Talk to an attorney about yours — the consultation is free.