Catastrophic Injury Lawyer in California
A catastrophic injury is one that permanently changes a person's life — a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or paralysis, amputation, or severe burn. These cases are different from ordinary injury claims because they must account for a lifetime of medical care, lost earnings, and changed circumstances. We handle California catastrophic injury claims with the depth they demand.
Facing a life-altering injury?
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What makes an injury catastrophic
A catastrophic injury is not just a serious one — it is an injury with permanent, life-altering consequences that will affect a person for the rest of their life. Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and paralysis, amputations, and severe burns are the classic examples. What sets these cases apart is not only the severity but the future: the ongoing medical care, the lost ability to work, the need for equipment and home modifications, and the toll on the whole family.
How we handle your California catastrophic injury claim
You focus on recovery and your family; we handle the rest. Because these cases turn on the future, we work with medical, economic, and life-care-planning experts to document the full, lifelong cost of the injury — not just the bills to date. We identify every responsible party and every source of insurance, since serious injuries can exceed a single policy. Every catastrophic injury matter starts with a free, confidential review. Se habla español.
Why work with Woods Law Group
Catastrophic cases carry the highest stakes and are defended the hardest, because insurers know the numbers are large. Having your own attorney levels the field. We take these cases on a contingency basis for clients we represent, which means no fee unless we recover, and we advance the substantial costs these cases require. You get straight answers, real communication, and a firm that treats your family's future as the priority.
How much is my catastrophic injury case worth? →
Common catastrophic injury cases we handle in California
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Amputation
- Severe Burns
- Disfigurement Scarring
- What Makes An Injury Catastrophic
- Life Care Planning
- Lost Earning Capacity
- Permanent Disability
- Settlement Value
Dealing with the insurance company
California deadlines and fault rules
In California, a catastrophic injury claim is generally subject to the standard two-year filing deadline, though a shorter deadline applies when a government entity is involved. Importantly, California does not cap damages in ordinary injury cases — the caps that exist apply to medical malpractice, not to a catastrophic injury from a car crash, a defective product, or unsafe property. That matters, because the value of these cases lies in the lifelong future care and losses.
- Filing deadlines (statute of limitations)
- Comparative fault in California
- Claims against a government agency
- Evidence that builds your claim
California injury law: deadlines, fault and caps
California injury law shapes your case in a few specific ways worth knowing early.
- Filing deadline: You generally have two years from the date of the injury to file — and only about six months to put a government entity on notice before you can sue.
- Fault: California follows pure comparative negligence, so you can still recover even if you were partly — or mostly — at fault, with your recovery reduced by your share of the blame.
- Damage caps: An ordinary California injury case has no cap on damages; medical-malpractice claims are the main exception.
- Uninsured drivers: California sets minimum auto-insurance limits and uninsured/underinsured-motorist rules that affect what coverage is available.
Free tools and guides
- Catastrophic injury FAQs
- Free downloadable guides
- Checklists
- Calculators & estimators
- Side-by-side comparisons
- Questions & answers
- Articles & explainers
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a catastrophic injury?
There is no single checklist, but the term generally means a permanent, life-altering injury — a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or paralysis, amputation, or severe burn — that will require ongoing care and change a person's ability to live and work. The permanence and the future needs are what set these cases apart.
How is a catastrophic injury case different from an ordinary injury claim?
The biggest difference is the future. These cases must account for a lifetime of medical care, lost earning capacity, equipment, and changed circumstances — not just the bills so far. That requires experts and careful planning, and the stakes and defense are far higher.
How much is a California catastrophic injury case worth?
It depends on the injury, the lifelong care and losses it causes, and the available insurance — and it is exactly what our attorneys and experts evaluate. These cases can be large because the future needs are large, but we do not quote a number sight unseen.
How much does a catastrophic injury lawyer cost?
We handle catastrophic injury claims on a contingency basis for cases we take, which means no fee unless we recover, and the initial review is always free. These cases are expensive to build, and we advance the costs. Cost should never stop your family from finding out where you stand.
Ready to find out where you stand?
The case review takes about two minutes. It's free and confidential, with no obligation.