Long Beach Personal Injury Lawyer | No Win, No Fee
- Top Rated Trial Firm
- Over $150 Million Recovered For Clients
- No Fees Unless We Win
Recent California Recovery
$14.6M jury verdict
Simone v. Estate of Bruce Jameson · California personal injury wrongful death verdict tried by Thomas Feher, Esq.
Founding Attorney, Feher Law APC
50+ jury trials to verdict · $150M+ recovered
Super Lawyers 2022-2026 · Best Law Firms 2025
From Tom Feher, Esq.
“Long Beach injury cases live or die on jurisdictional sorting in the first 30 days. The Port of Long Beach pulls in Jones Act and longshore claims, the I-710 truck corridor pulls in interstate-trucking federal-regulation issues, and a meaningful percentage of crashes involve city vehicles or Metro buses, which collapses the filing window from two years under CCP 335.1 to six months under Government Code 911.2. We treat every Long Beach intake as a venue and deadline puzzle before it is a damages puzzle.”
Thomas Feher, Esq. · Founding Attorney, Feher Law APC · 50+ jury trials to verdict · $150M+ recovered · Super Lawyers 2022-2026
If you were injured in Long Beach, California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives you two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit, and six months under Government Code section 911.2 if a public entity (the City, LA County, Metro, or Caltrans) was involved. Long Beach cases routinely settle between $25,000 and $2 million-plus depending on injury severity, with surgical orthopedic and spinal cases concentrated at the upper end because of treatment quality at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Feher Law has recovered $150 million-plus for California injury clients including a $14.6 million bicycle-collision verdict, and we accept Long Beach cases on full contingency. You pay nothing unless we win.
Key Takeaways
- Filing deadline. Two years from injury under CCP 335.1 for private defendants; six months under Government Code 911.2 if a public entity is involved.
- Typical settlement range. $25,000 to $2 million-plus in Long Beach, with catastrophic and wrongful-death cases routinely exceeding $5 million.
- Where it is filed. Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse (the Long Beach Courthouse) at 275 Magnolia Ave.
- Common misconception. Minor visible vehicle damage does not mean minor injury. Low-speed rear-end and side-impact crashes regularly produce real cervical, lumbar, and shoulder injuries that justify six-figure settlements when documented early.
- Feher Law results. $14.6 million bicycle-collision verdict, $150 million-plus total recovered, 50+ jury trials to verdict. You pay nothing unless we win.
If you were injured on the I-710, near the Port of Long Beach, or in a Metro Blue Line incident, get a free case review.
Talk to a Long Beach personal injury lawyer about your case. Call (310) 340-1112 – No fee unless we win your case.
Long Beach Personal Injury Settlement Ranges (2026)
The table below shows typical California settlement brackets for injuries we see in Long Beach. Specific value depends on liability, medical specials, lost earnings, available policy limits, and the venue judge or jury pool.
| Injury Severity | Typical Settlement Range | Treatment Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Whiplash / soft tissue, mild | $5,000 – $30,000 | 6 – 12 weeks chiropractic / PT |
| Whiplash / soft tissue, chronic | $50,000 – $150,000 | 6 – 18 months, injections |
| Broken bone, non-surgical | $25,000 – $75,000 | 3 – 6 months |
| Broken bone, surgical (ORIF) | $100,000 – $300,000 | 6 – 18 months, hardware |
| Spinal disc, injections only | $100,000 – $350,000 | 6 – 12 months |
| Spinal fusion surgery | $300,000 – $2,000,000+ | 12 – 24 months, permanent |
| TBI, mild | $50,000 – $250,000 | 6 – 18 months |
| TBI, severe | $1,000,000 – $10,000,000+ | Lifetime care |
| Wrongful death | $1,000,000 – $10,000,000+ | N/A |
What Makes Long Beach Personal Injury Cases Unique
Personal injury cases that arise in Long Beach share a set of local factors that change strategy.
Court venue. Most unlimited civil ($25,000+) PI complaints from Long Beach incidents are filed in the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse (the Long Beach Courthouse) at 275 Magnolia Ave. Pre-litigation negotiation happens before any court filing and resolves most cases without a lawsuit.
Medical treatment network. Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, St. Mary Medical Center, MemorialCare Miller Children’s are the primary trauma and follow-up treatment centers serving Long Beach. Treatment records from these facilities are well-documented and translate directly into stronger medical specials and pain-and-suffering arguments in negotiation.
Collision hotspots. Our internal claim volume shows Pacific Coast Highway at Cherry Ave, 7th St at Long Beach Blvd, the I-710 / I-405 interchange, Anaheim St at Atlantic generate the highest collision frequency in Long Beach. The dominant freeway exposure for Long Beach drivers is I-405 (San Diego Freeway), I-710 (Long Beach Freeway), SR-22 (Garden Grove Freeway), SR-1 (Pacific Coast Highway).
For an overview of California PI filing deadlines see our complete statute of limitations guide.
California Statutes That Govern Long Beach PI Cases
The same handful of California statutes govern most Long Beach personal injury cases, regardless of how the injury happened.
- CCP 335.1 (two-year statute of limitations). Two years from the date of injury for assault, battery, and most negligence-based personal injury claims. Read CCP 335.1.
- Civil Code 1714 (general duty of care). Every person is responsible for injury caused by their want of ordinary care or skill. Read Civil Code 1714.
- Vehicle Code 22350 (basic speed law). No person shall drive at a speed greater than is reasonable for conditions.
- Vehicle Code 22107 (unsafe turning movement). Frequent basis of liability in Long Beach left-turn and lane-change collisions.
- Vehicle Code 21950 (right-of-way at crosswalks). Drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked and unmarked crosswalks. Strong liability evidence in pedestrian-versus-vehicle cases.
- Government Code 911.2 (six-month public-entity claim deadline). If the at-fault party is the City, LA County, Metro, or Caltrans, the administrative claim must be filed within six months. Missing this deadline ends the case.
- Civil Code 3294 (punitive damages). Allows punitive damages where the defendant acted with malice, oppression, or fraud. Drunk-driving cases regularly support a Civil Code 3294 claim.
Port, Truck Corridor, and Maritime Injuries in Long Beach
Long Beach personal injury cases are shaped by two infrastructure realities most LA-area cases never encounter: the Port of Long Beach and the I-710 truck corridor.
Port of Long Beach injuries. The Port is the second-busiest container port in North America, and dockworker, truck driver, and contractor injuries on Port property trigger overlapping bodies of law: the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for dockworkers, the Jones Act for crew members of vessels in navigation, general maritime law for passengers and visitors, and standard California PI law for landside injuries. Choosing the wrong lane within the first 60 days can cost a client six figures in recoverable damages. We coordinate with maritime co-counsel when the case calls for it.
I-710 truck corridor and the I-405 / I-710 interchange. Roughly 40,000 trucks per day move containers between the Port and the inland warehouses via the I-710. Truck-versus-passenger-car collisions on the I-710 and at the I-710 / I-405 interchange are a recurring docket item. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 CFR Parts 380-399) apply on top of California Vehicle Code, opening claims against the motor carrier, the driver, the broker, and sometimes the shipper. Commercial trucking policies typically start at $1 million and frequently stack to $5 million or higher, materially raising the settlement ceiling versus a passenger-car case.
Beach, bike path, and waterfront falls. Belmont Shore, the Long Beach Boardwalk, Shoreline Village, and the Aquarium of the Pacific produce a steady stream of premises-liability and bicycle-versus-pedestrian claims. For collision-specific brackets see our California car accident page.
Talk to a Long Beach personal injury lawyer.
Free 30-minute case evaluation. No obligation. Call (310) 340-1112 – No fee unless we win your case.
Settlement Value Drivers in Long Beach
What separates a $50,000 Long Beach case from a $500,000 Long Beach case is usually not the accident itself. It is documentation and liability strength.
- Medical specials. Total billed medical costs from Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and follow-up providers. Surgical interventions, injections, and prolonged PT all increase the multiplier.
- Lost earnings and future earning capacity. W-2 wage loss is straightforward; self-employed and equity-comp losses require a forensic accountant and routinely add $250,000-plus to the demand.
- Liability clarity. A police report citing the at-fault driver for a Vehicle Code violation (22350, 22107, 21950, 23152) is worth six figures in negotiation leverage.
- Available policy limits. A $50,000 minimum-policy driver caps recovery there absent UM/UIM coverage or an additional defendant (employer, rideshare, dram shop).
- Venue. Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse (the Long Beach Courthouse) at 275 Magnolia Ave jury pools and judge assignments affect settlement value materially. Carriers price cases differently for different LA Superior Court branches.
Filing Deadlines and Procedural Steps for Long Beach Cases
Procedural deadlines drive Long Beach personal injury cases more than most clients realize. Missing a deadline ends the case regardless of merit.
- Day 0 to 7. Seek medical evaluation at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center or an urgent-care clinic. Document every symptom. Preserve photos, dashcam, witness contact info.
- Day 7 to 30. Notify your auto carrier, do not give a recorded statement to the at-fault carrier without counsel, and retain counsel. Spoliation letters go out to commercial defendants.
- Day 30 to 180. If a public entity is potentially liable (City of Long or LA County or Caltrans or Metro), file the Government Code 911.2 administrative claim within six months of injury.
- Month 6 to 18. Medical treatment progresses to maximum medical improvement (MMI). Demand package is built once MMI is reached.
- Month 18 to 24. If pre-suit negotiation does not produce an acceptable offer, file the complaint at Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse (the Long Beach Courthouse) at 275 Magnolia Ave before the CCP 335.1 two-year deadline.
What to Expect When You Work With Feher Law
Long Beach cases run through the Long Beach Courthouse, with Government Code 911.2 six-month claims triage for Metro and city-vehicle defendants that we screen in intake. Once retained, here is what the next 12 to 18 months look like.
- Free case evaluation: We review your accident, medical care, and police report at no cost. We tell you whether the case is viable and what range it is likely to land in.
- Investigation and evidence preservation: We send spoliation letters to commercial defendants, obtain surveillance footage from nearby businesses, interview witnesses, and pull police records and 911 audio.
- Medical documentation and treatment coordination: We coordinate with your treating physicians at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center or other providers, request full charts (not summary records), and identify gaps that need supplementation before demand.
- Demand and negotiation: Once you reach maximum medical improvement, we build a demand package with medical specials, lost earnings, pain-and-suffering analysis, and liability narrative. Most cases resolve here.
- Litigation if needed: If the carrier will not pay fair value, we file in Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse (the Long Beach Courthouse) at 275 Magnolia Ave before the CCP 335.1 deadline. Feher Law has tried 50+ jury cases to verdict. Carriers know that and price accordingly.
Why Long Beach Personal Injury Clients Choose Feher Law
Long Beach personal injury cases are dominated by Port of Long Beach trucking and I-710 corridor crashes, with Metro Blue Line incidents and city-vehicle collisions on top. That defendant mix triggers Government Code 911.2 six-month claims deadlines we screen in the first call, plus Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations work on commercial-truck files. Treatment routes through Long Beach Memorial and St. Mary, and venue typically sits at the Governor George Deukmejian (Long Beach) Courthouse. We have the maritime, trucking, and public-entity workflows already built.
That local focus sits on top of firm-wide results. Feher Law APC has recovered more than $150 million for California injury and employment clients, including a $14.6 million verdict in Simone v Estate of Bruce Jameson and 50+ jury trials taken to verdict. Founding attorney Thomas Feher, Esq. has been named a Super Lawyer 2022-2026. Long Beach cases are accepted on full contingency: you pay nothing unless we win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Two years from the date of injury under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Six months under Government Code section 911.2 if the City of Long Beach, the Port of Long Beach, LA County, or Long Beach Transit was involved. The shorter government-claim deadline catches a lot of Long Beach claimants because the city vehicle fleet (police, fire, public works) is large.
The Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse at 275 Magnolia Avenue handles civil cases for South LA County including Long Beach, Signal Hill, and parts of San Pedro. Most Long Beach injury complaints are filed there rather than at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown. The Deukmejian Courthouse is a 2013 facility with full electronic filing.
Both, in many situations. Dockworkers are usually covered by the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) rather than state workers' comp, and crew members of vessels fall under the Jones Act. If a third-party vendor, equipment manufacturer, or different employer's worker caused the injury, you can pursue a parallel third-party personal-injury claim with pain-and-suffering damages on top of LHWCA or Jones Act benefits.
Long Beach truck cases settle materially higher than passenger-car cases because commercial policies typically start at $1 million and stack up through brokers and motor carriers. Moderate injuries with surgery commonly land in the $250,000 to $1 million range, severe injuries (spinal fusion, TBI, amputation) commonly land $1 million to $5 million+, and wrongful death routinely exceeds $2 million with adequate liability proof.
Pacific Coast Highway through Long Beach is State Route 1 (a Caltrans-maintained state route), so a dangerous-condition claim would be against the State of California rather than the City of Long Beach. Government Code 911.2's six-month claim deadline still applies. Police reports for PCH collisions are usually written by the California Highway Patrol rather than Long Beach PD.
Yes. Long Beach is one of the most bike-friendly cities in LA County, and the Shoreline Pedestrian Bicycle Path generates regular collision and dangerous-condition claims. Cyclists in California have the same rights as motorists under Vehicle Code 21200, and comparative-fault percentages are negotiable. See our California bicycle accident page for recovery brackets.
Ready to talk about your Long Beach case?
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Last reviewed by Thomas Feher, Esq. – May 2026