Recovery in a personal injury case turns on three things: liability, damages, and the insurance side of the file.
California is a fault-based state. The driver who caused the crash — and their insurance carrier — is responsible for the resulting damages. Common car accident claims involve rear-end collisions, intersection crashes, lane-change accidents, and hit-and-run cases where uninsured motorist coverage applies.
What we handle in these cases.
The strength of a personal injury case comes down to how quickly the evidence is preserved, how the medical treatment is documented, and how the insurance carrier's defense is anticipated.
- Property damage and total-loss recovery
- Medical bills, past and future
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering and general damages
- Uninsured / underinsured motorist claims
- Bad-faith insurance carrier conduct
What California law says.
California requires minimum liability insurance coverage of $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident (increasing to $30,000/$60,000 in 2025 under SB 1107). Statute of limitations for personal injury is 2 years from the date of the crash.
If you were injured and receiving medical treatment, do not talk to the other party's insurance adjuster before you talk to a lawyer. Recorded statements early in a case rarely help the injured person.
How the case actually gets built.
Every case John accepts follows the same structural approach. Preserve the evidence early. Interview witnesses while memory is fresh. Get the documentary record — HR file, medical records, police reports, ELD data, surveillance video — under a preservation letter before it disappears. Frame the case for trial from day one, even if it settles at mediation months later.
On the personal injury side, the case is built around the medical record, the liability investigation, and the insurance-carrier file. We coordinate with treating providers, retain accident reconstructionists when warranted, and file the demand letter only after the file is complete.
Fees and timeline.
Personal injury cases are handled on contingency: no fee unless we recover. The percentage is set in the retainer agreement at the outset. Costs of investigation, experts, and litigation are advanced by the firm.
The insurance company is not on your side. It is on its side. Everything downstream of that fact needs a lawyer.
Ready to talk?
Consultations are free and confidential. When you call the firm, you speak with John. Same-day response. Se habla español.