Reporting & What You Can Do in California
There is no single right way to respond to what happened, and whatever you did or did not do was okay. If it helps, here are some steps you can consider — entirely at your pace, with your safety and comfort first.
Your safety and support come first
Getting to a safe place and reaching out for support — a trusted person, a medical provider, or a confidential survivor hotline — comes before anything legal. Medical care is available to you regardless of whether you report, and it can also support your health and any future claim.
What can help a claim, if you choose
If and when you are ready, things like the ride record in the app, messages, and any details you remember can help — but you do not need to have preserved anything, and you do not need to have reported it. A claim can still be possible either way.
How we help
Whenever you are ready — today or much later — we can explain your options confidentially and take on the work from there. The conversation is free and private. Se habla español.
Frequently asked questions
I did not save anything or report it. Is a claim still possible?
Often, yes. You do not need to have preserved evidence or reported it to explore a claim. Much can be reconstructed later, and we can explain what is possible in a private conversation, without pressure.
California law — what people ask
How long do I have to file an injury claim in California?
Generally two years from the date you were hurt. If a government entity is involved — a city vehicle, a public road, a public hospital — you usually have to present a formal claim to that agency within roughly six months before you can sue at all, which catches people out far more often than the two-year date.
Can I still recover if I was partly at fault in California?
Yes. California uses pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault rather than barred — even if your share turns out to be the larger one. There is no cutoff percentage that ends a claim here.
Does California cap what I can recover?
Not in an ordinary injury case. Medical-malpractice claims are the main exception, where non-economic damages are limited by a cap that steps up over time. For most claims — car crashes, falls, defective products — there is no statutory ceiling.
What if more than one person was responsible?
California splits the analysis: defendants can be jointly responsible for your economic losses such as medical bills and lost income, while non-economic damages like pain and suffering are apportioned to each defendant by its own share of fault.
The driver who hit me had no insurance. What now?
Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage is usually the answer, and it commonly applies to hit-and-run collisions as well. Check every policy in the household, not only the one covering the car you were in.
Will the jury hear that my health insurance paid my bills?
Generally not. California follows the collateral source rule, so a wrongdoer does not get credit for insurance you paid for. How your medical damages are measured is a separate and often contested question.
Injury law in California
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.
Related topics
This is general information about California injury law, not legal advice. Every case is different.
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