Brain & Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer in California & Los Angeles

Mild TBI cases (concussions with no long-term symptoms) settle in the $20,000 to $80,000 range. Moderate TBI with documented cognitive impairment runs $250,000 to $1 million. Severe TBI requiring lifelong care routinely exceeds $5 million. The case value tracks future medical and care costs.

Settlement values track the level of paralysis. Incomplete paralysis cases settle $500,000 to $2 million. Complete paraplegia averages $2 million to $5 million. Complete quadriplegia ranges $5 million to $10 million or more because of the lifelong care, equipment, and home modification needs.

Two years from the date of the injury under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. The discovery rule may extend the deadline if cognitive symptoms were not reasonably discoverable until later. Government entity claims require a tort claim notice within six months.

Yes. Delayed symptom presentation is common with TBI and does not bar a claim. We work with neurologists and neuropsychologists to document the causal connection between the accident and the symptoms. Imaging through DTI MRI can show injury that standard CT scans miss.

Neurologists and neurosurgeons for diagnosis, neuropsychologists for cognitive testing, life-care planners for future care costs, vocational economists for lost earning capacity, and biomechanical engineers for crash causation. These cases routinely use 6 to 10 experts.

A life care plan is a written projection of every medical service, therapy, equipment, and accommodation you will need over your lifetime, with costs. It is the single most important document for valuing a catastrophic case. Without it, juries undervalue future damages.

It depends on severity and your prior occupation. Loss of earning capacity is a separate damages category from lost wages. A vocational expert quantifies your reduced earning capacity over your remaining work-life expectancy. Lost earning capacity often dwarfs medical damages in young plaintiff cases.

12 to 36 months. We do not negotiate before maximum medical improvement, which can take 12 to 18 months in catastrophic cases. The cases that go to trial typically take 24 to 36 months total.

We pursue every available source: the at-fault driver's policy, your own UM/UIM, umbrella policies, employer vicarious liability, and product liability against any defective component. In catastrophic cases we often stack three or more policies.

Yes. The diagnostic record must be built by a neurologist or neurosurgeon. Defense lawyers attack pre-attorney records aggressively. We refer to qualified neurologists who can build a complete clinical picture and who hold up under deposition.