Serious Injury Lawyer for Los Angeles and Orange County

Some injuries heal. Others change what the rest of your life costs. A traumatic brain injury, a spinal cord injury, a fracture that needs plates and screws, a burn, an amputation, or the death of a family member turns an insurance claim into a decades-long math problem. Fred Yadegar represents seriously injured people and grieving families across Los Angeles County and Orange County, and he builds these cases around the future, not just the bills that have arrived so far.

The injuries that change everything

Traumatic brain injury. Concussions that don’t resolve, memory loss, personality changes, and cognitive deficits that cost people their careers. TBI is often invisible on a standard CT scan, which is exactly why insurers dismiss it.

Spinal cord injury. Partial or complete paralysis, loss of bladder and bowel function, chronic pain, and a lifetime of equipment, attendant care, and home modifications.

Fractures requiring surgery. Plates, rods, screws, fusions, and joint replacements, followed by hardware removal, arthritis, and revision surgeries years later.

Burns. Grafts, contracture releases, scarring, and psychological trauma, with treatment that can span years.

Amputation. Prosthetics that wear out and need replacing, phantom pain, and a body that breaks down faster to compensate.

Wrongful death. When the injury is fatal, California law gives the surviving spouse, domestic partner, children, and in some cases other dependents a claim for their loss (Code Civ. Proc. §377.60).

Why these are not “quick settlement” cases

A typical injury claim settles once treatment is done and the bills are added up. A serious injury case can’t work that way, because the biggest costs haven’t happened yet. Settling a spinal cord case in month six means guessing at fifty years of care and being wrong in the insurer’s favor.

Instead, these cases are built on a life-care plan: a projection, prepared by physicians and a certified planner, of every medical and support need for the rest of your life, priced out year by year. Surgeries, medications, therapy, equipment, attendant care, home and vehicle modifications, and the replacement schedule for all of it. Alongside that comes a lost earning capacity analysis: not just wages missed so far, but what you would have earned over a career you can no longer have, with an economist to bring the total to present value.

California places no cap on damages in an ordinary injury case; the MICRA limits apply only to medical malpractice. Non-economic damages for pain, disfigurement, and the loss of a normal life are real damages, and in serious cases they are a major part of the claim. Punitive damages are available only for malice, oppression, or fraud, such as a drunk driver or a company that knowingly ignored a danger (Civ. Code §3294).

Finding enough coverage

The hardest problem in a serious injury case is often not proving fault. It’s finding enough insurance to pay a claim that exceeds a $30,000 minimum policy (Ins. Code §16056) many times over. Fred looks at every layer: the at-fault driver’s policy, any employer whose business the driver was on, the owner of the vehicle, umbrella policies, your own underinsured motorist coverage (Ins. Code §11580.2), and, in a road or premises case, the public entity or property owner whose negligence contributed. Where a government entity is involved, the six-month claim deadline applies (Gov. Code §911.2). Our insurance company disputes page covers what happens when your own carrier resists a UIM claim.

Medical treatment while the case is pending

Serious injuries need serious treatment, and many people are uninsured, underinsured, or unable to work while it happens. In appropriate cases, Fred can help coordinate treatment with providers who agree to be paid from the eventual recovery, known as treating on a lien. It may be possible, depending on the injury, the coverage available, and the provider. It is not a substitute for using your own health insurance where you have it, and liens are typically negotiated at the end so that more of the recovery stays with you. Ask about it on the first call.

What to do right now

• Follow every medical recommendation and keep every appointment. Gaps in care become arguments about severity.
• Pick one family member to handle communications, and route all insurer contact through them or through Fred.
• Do not give recorded statements or sign medical authorizations for the other side’s insurer. Broad authorizations let them dig through your entire history.
• Keep a daily journal: pain, sleep, what you couldn’t do, who had to help.
• Save every bill, explanation of benefits, prescription receipt, and mileage log.
• Photograph injuries as they heal, including scars and hardware.
• Gather employment records: pay stubs, reviews, promotion history, and your job description.
• In a wrongful death case, ask that the vehicle and personal effects be preserved, and speak to a lawyer before speaking to the insurer.

Wrongful death and survival claims

When a crash or fall kills someone, the family’s claim under Code Civ. Proc. §377.60 covers the financial support the person would have provided, funeral and burial expenses, and the loss of their love, companionship, and guidance. A separate survival claim (Code Civ. Proc. §377.30) belongs to the estate and covers losses the person suffered before death. Both are subject to the two-year deadline (Code Civ. Proc. §335.1) and, if a government entity is involved, the six-month claim rule. Who may file, and in what order, gets complicated with blended families and estranged relatives. Fred sorts that out before the insurer uses it to delay.

Why call Fred

A serious injury case is a build, not a form. Fred Yadegar assembles the medical experts, the life-care planner, and the economist, finds the coverage, and refuses to settle a lifetime of costs for a number that only covers the first year. He represents catastrophically injured people and their families in Los Angeles and Orange County on a contingency fee, with no upfront cost, and case costs may be advanced. If you don’t get paid, we don’t get paid. Start with our car accidents or pedestrian accidents pages if you want the crash basics first, then call.