Question 1

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in California?

Accepted Answer

Many California personal injury lawsuits against a private party must be filed within about two years (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). A claim for damage to property often has a three-year period (Code of Civil Procedure § 338). Those are different clocks. If a public entity may be involved — the City of Santa Clarita, the County of Los Angeles, Caltrans, a school district, or public transit — a written claim generally must be presented not later than six months after the claim accrues (Government Code § 911.2). That presentment step is not the same as filing a lawsuit. How to present the claim is on California government injury claims. An open insurance claim does not pause a lawsuit clock. Talking to an adjuster is not the same as meeting a filing deadline. A typical job injury is a workers’ compensation matter with its own timing. See Hurt at work in California and California workers’ compensation FAQ. This page does not inventory exceptions. Dates depend on the facts. If the window might be short, a confidential review is more useful than guessing.

Question 2

What should I do after a crash or injury in Santa Clarita?

Accepted Answer

Get to a safe place if you can. Call 911 if anyone is hurt or the scene needs police or EMS. Photograph vehicles, plates, the scene, injuries, lights, and signs. Exchange names, insurance, and contact information. Get a medical check even if you feel fine. Do not apologize or guess about fault at the scene. Do not post about the crash. On I-5, SR-14, or a Valencia surface street, write the location down in words a local would recognize. “Santa Clarita” alone is thinner than an exit, an intersection, or an on-ramp. Scene steps are on What to do after a car accident. Local follow-through in this valley is on After a crash in Santa Clarita.

Question 3

Should I give a recorded statement to the insurance company?

Accepted Answer

Treat the other driver’s insurer and your own insurer as different conversations. You can decline a recorded statement from the other side until you understand what you are being asked. You do not have to guess about speed, lights, or how you feel. Your own policy can include duties to give notice or cooperate. This page does not recite those duties. Read the policy, or have the facts reviewed, before you treat “decline” as applying to your own carrier the same way it applies to the other side. More detail is on Talking to insurance after a crash.

Question 4

What if I was partly at fault for the accident?

Accepted Answer

California uses a pure comparative-negligence rule. If you were partly at fault, a recovery can be reduced by your share of the fault. It is not automatically barred because you were not 0% at fault. Example only: if a finder of fact treated a claim as $100 of harm and treated you as 20% at fault, the remaining 80% would be the reduced figure in that hypothetical. That is not a prediction about your crash, and it is not a statement of what any case is worth. Fault is a fact question. Do not guess it into a recorded statement.

Question 5

How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?

Accepted Answer

For qualifying personal injury matters, this office works on a contingency fee: there is no attorney fee unless there is a recovery. Costs may still apply. The written fee agreement sets the terms. This page does not publish a fee percentage. A confidential review does not create an attorney-client relationship. That relationship exists only after a written agreement is signed.

Question 6

Should I accept the insurance company’s first settlement offer?

Accepted Answer

An early offer can come with a release. Signing a release can end the claim before the medical picture is clear — before you know whether a headache, neck pain, or time off work is going to last. This page does not say every first offer is “low.” It does say that speed is not the same as a complete picture. If you do not understand a document, that is a reason to pause, not a reason to guess.

Question 7

What compensation can I recover in a California personal injury case?

Accepted Answer

California personal injury damages are often discussed in two groups. Economic damages are the money items that can be documented: medical bills, future care that is reasonably needed, lost wages, and property damage. Non-economic damages are the human items: pain, inconvenience, and the effect on daily life. They are real categories in the law. They are not a published dollar range. This page does not give settlement ranges and does not quote past results. Nothing here is a promise about any category, or any amount, in your case.

Question 8

How long does a personal injury case take?

Accepted Answer

It depends on treatment, liability, the insurers, and whether the matter is negotiated or filed as a lawsuit. Some matters move while treatment is still underway and the insurers are exchanging records. Others take longer if care continues, if fault is disputed, or if a case is filed in court. Those are possibilities, not a schedule for your facts. This office does not promise to be faster than anyone else.

Question 9

What if the other driver has no insurance, fled, or only carries minimum limits?

Accepted Answer

Look at more than the other driver’s liability policy. Your own policy may include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM), and it may include medical payments (MedPay). Other people or companies can sometimes be in the facts — an employer, an owner, a different vehicle. A hit-and-run still calls for a report if one is taken, photos, and witness names. Do not invent a report later. California’s minimum auto liability limits for many private-passenger policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025 are $30,000 for bodily injury to one person, $60,000 per accident, and $15,000 for property damage (Vehicle Code § 16056, as amended by SB 1107). Minimum limits are a legal floor for the policy, not a measure of anyone’s injuries. This is general context, not a prediction of what is available on a given policy.

Question 10

Do I need a lawyer after a crash or injury — and when should I call?

Accepted Answer

You do not have to hire this office, or any office, to ask a first question. A confidential review is often useful when: - injuries need more than a quick check - fault is disputed, or the other driver left - a commercial vehicle, a public entity, or uninsured/underinsured coverage may be in the facts - an insurer is pushing a recorded statement or a fast check and release - you are missing work A job injury can be a workers’ compensation claim and, in some fact patterns, also involve a third party other than the employer. Those are not always the same clock. See Hurt at work in California and California workers’ compensation FAQ. If you want this office to look at the facts, start a confidential review at lloydleelaw.com or call (661) 480-2420. Bring the date, a specific location, photos, any report number, and what you have already told an insurer. Meetings are by appointment at 25050 Ave Kearny #107, Valencia. Lloyd Lee reviews qualified inquiries. If this office can help, you get a clear follow-up. If it cannot, you are told that too. General information about California law. Not legal advice. Not about any one case. No attorney-client relationship until a written agreement is signed. This page is attorney advertising. In contingency matters there is no attorney fee unless there is a recovery. Costs may still apply. Lloyd Lee Law · 25050 Ave Kearny #107, Valencia, CA · (661) 480-2420 · lloydleelaw.com

California Personal Injury Frequently Asked Questions