Catastrophic Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles

Who is liable for a catastrophic injury, and how is the claim proved?

Liability depends on how the injury happened, and a serious case often has more than one responsible party, each with its own insurance. Common sources include a negligent driver, an employer, a property owner, a contractor, a manufacturer of a defective product, and a public entity responsible for a dangerous condition of public property under Government Code section 835. Where someone broke a safety statute, Evidence Code section 669 can create a presumption of negligence. The injuries covered by this page include:

• Traumatic brain injury, from the clearly severe to the mild injuries that insurers dispute hardest.
• Spinal cord injury and paralysis, where accessible housing, equipment and attendant care run for a lifetime.
• Amputation and limb loss, including prosthetics, which are replaced on a cycle.
• Severe burns, where grafting, contracture and revision surgery continue long after the file would normally close.
• Loss of sight or hearing, and multiple trauma and organ damage, where several serious injuries interact.

California follows pure comparative fault, so partial responsibility reduces a recovery by your share and does not end the claim. Under Civil Code section 1431.2, each defendant answers for non-economic damages only in proportion to its own fault, which makes identifying every responsible party matter even more.

What insurance may pay in a catastrophic injury case?

Minimum liability limits in California are $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident since 1 January 2025. A serious injury can use that up in the first week of hospital care, and if the case stops at the minimum policy the family keeps the bill and the lifetime of care. So a large part of the work is a search:

• An employer’s policy, if the at-fault person was working, and a commercial policy behind a company vehicle.
• Umbrella and excess policies that nobody mentions.
• Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and medical payments coverage.
• Property owner and contractor policies when the injury happened on a site.
• A manufacturer or a public entity, where a defective product or a dangerous condition is involved.

Each layer is a separate claim with its own clock. Reimbursement claims from Medi-Cal, Medicare or the hospital are negotiated at the end, and reducing them changes what the family keeps.

What compensation can you recover for a catastrophic injury?

• Medical expenses, past and future, including surgery, rehabilitation, equipment, accessible housing and attendant care.
• Lost earnings and loss of future earning capacity, addressed by a vocational consultant.
• Family caregiving. A relative who left work to provide care supplies services with a market value, and that care can be claimed even when it is given out of love.
• Pain, suffering and emotional distress, and the loss of enjoyment of life.
• Punitive damages under Civil Code section 3294 where the defendant acted with malice, oppression or fraud.
• Wrongful death damages under Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 for family members when an injury proves fatal.

No outcome can be promised. The value of a catastrophic claim turns on the injury, the prognosis, the care needed, the insurance available and the evidence on fault.

The first offer sounded large. Why not take it?

Because an early offer is measured against the bills that exist, and in a catastrophic case those are a small fraction of the total cost. The figure that matters is the one produced after a life care plan and an economist have put a number on the decades ahead. A settlement cannot be reopened, so resolving early means the person living with the injury carries the cost of an estimate being wrong.

How long will a catastrophic injury case take?

Longer than an ordinary injury claim, usually more than a year and sometimes considerably more. The claim cannot be valued until the medical picture is stable enough for a reliable prognosis. Money needed in the meantime can come from medical payments coverage, health insurance, disability benefits and providers prepared to wait, without settling early.

How long do you have to file a catastrophic injury claim?

• Two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1.
• Three years for property damage, under Code of Civil Procedure section 338.
• Six months to present a written claim if a public entity is involved, under Government Code section 911.2. This shorter deadline governs.

Other facts can shorten or extend these periods, so have your date confirmed at the start.

How much does a catastrophic injury lawyer cost in Los Angeles?

No fee unless there is a recovery. Broukhim Legal PC takes catastrophic injury cases on a contingency fee, so there is nothing to pay up front and the fee is paid out of what is recovered. If nothing is recovered, no fee is owed. The fee agreement is put in writing and signed before any work starts, as Business and Professions Code section 6147 requires, and it explains how the costs of running the case are handled. Your first conversation is free, confidential and carries no obligation.

Personal injury lawyers across Los Angeles County

Broukhim Legal PC represents people with serious injuries throughout Los Angeles County from its office at 550 S Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles. Each city page sets out the courthouse an incident in that city is filed in, how a claim against that city is presented and the deadlines that apply:

See all locations we serve, or tell us what happened for a free case review.

Meet your Los Angeles catastrophic injury lawyer

Bejan Broukhim, Founder and Lead Attorney
State Bar of California, license number 183036

Bejan Broukhim brings years of California legal experience to injury and mass tort cases and personally reviews each one. He earned his J.D. at the University of West Los Angeles School of Law, served as a judicial extern in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the Van Nuys Superior Court, and appeared in preliminary hearings as a certified law clerk with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Every case is prepared from day one as though it will go to trial.

Office: 550 S Hill Street, Suite 1390, Los Angeles, CA 90013, serving all of Los Angeles County and California. Get directions