Car Accident

Pain and suffering in California car-accident settlements typically equals 1.5x to 5x medical specials for soft-tissue and moderate injuries, and 5x to 10x for surgical or catastrophic injuries. There is no statutory cap on non-economic damages in California PI cases outside the MICRA medical-malpractice context. In our practice, pain-and-suffering awards run $10,000 to $50,000 for

California Lyft passenger accident settlements typically range from $25,000 to $1 million+, accessing Lyft’s $1 million third-party liability policy when the driver is logged into the app and carrying passengers. Severe cases involving traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or wrongful death routinely reach the policy limit and may pursue additional defendants. Most moderate cases

From Tom Feher, Esq. “T-bone settlements are where I see clients accept the lowest offers relative to actual case value. The collision looks minor on the police report because closing speeds are lower than head-on. But the door has no crumple zone. The pelvis, hip, and lumbar injuries we document are routinely catastrophic, and the

From Tom Feher, Esq. “The single most common question we get from California car accident clients isn’t about case value, it’s about cost. The answer is structural: 33 percent pre-litigation, 40 percent after suit is filed, no money out of pocket. What clients don’t initially understand is that we advance every cost: investigation, experts, depositions,

In a California rear-end collision, the rear driver is presumed at fault under Vehicle Code 22350 (basic speed law) and 21703 (following too closely), but the presumption is rebuttable when the lead driver brake-checked, had non-functioning brake lights, made an unsafe lane change under Vehicle Code 22107, or stopped illegally. California’s pure comparative fault rule,

From Tom Feher, Esq. “Whiplash cases are systematically undervalued because plaintiffs feel fine at the scene and decline ER evaluation. By the time symptoms peak 48 to 72 hours later, the evidentiary gap is permanent. Carriers exploit the gap by framing delayed-onset symptoms as unrelated. The cases we recover the most on are those where

A car accident settlement in California typically takes anywhere from 6 months to 3 years to resolve. In many cases, it can take even longer, depending on the personal injury case’s complexity and whether or not it goes to trial.  Common factors that can influence the length of time it takes to reach a car

From Tom Feher, Esq. “The 30-day rule we apply to California auto cases isn’t legal advice, it’s practical leverage analysis. The strongest negotiation position exists before the statute of limitations clock approaches deadline, before witness memory fades, and before the carrier’s case file is fully built. Clients who consult counsel within 30 days have meaningfully

Average drunk-driving accident settlements in California run higher than typical crash cases because punitive damages are available under Civil Code 3294 when the driver acted with malice, which DUI conduct usually establishes. In our practice, drunk-driver cases range from $50,000 to $250,000 for moderate injuries and $500,000 to $5 million for severe injury or wrongful

Yes, you can sue a hit-and-run driver in California once they are identified, and you can simultaneously pursue your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage which is required by Insurance Code 11580.2 unless waived in writing. Hit-and-run is a misdemeanor under Vehicle Code 20002 (property only) or a felony under Vehicle Code 20001 (injury or death),