Injured
in
a
car
or
a
truck
accident in
California?
Talk to us before you talk to them.
Your information is private and protected. We’ll only contact you about your crash — no spam, no obligation.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (415) 645-5845
Three things the other driver’s insurer wants from you
Their adjuster is not neutral and does not work for you. Every one of these is a normal, legal request — and every one of them is easier to answer once someone is in your corner.
A recorded statement
You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company. It is taken early, while you are still finding out how hurt you are, and it gets quoted back to you months later.
A quick early offer
An offer that arrives before you have finished treating is an offer made before anyone knows what your injuries cost. Accepting it generally ends the claim — including for treatment you have not had yet.
A blanket medical release
A broad authorization can open your entire medical history, not just the treatment for this crash. Old injuries then get used to argue that this one did not cause what you are feeling.
Takes about a minute. No cost, no obligation.
A truck crash is not a car crash with a bigger vehicle
Commercial carriers are governed by federal rules that ordinary drivers are not. That creates evidence an ordinary claim never has — and it does not sit around waiting.
- The truck records what the driver was doing Electronic logging devices and engine control modules capture hours of service, speed, and braking. Carriers are only required to retain some of that data for limited periods.
- More than one company can be responsible The driver, the motor carrier, the broker who arranged the load, the company that loaded it, and the shop that maintained the truck are all potentially in the picture.
- Their team is already working Large carriers and their insurers routinely send investigators to serious crash scenes the same day. Nothing stops that — it just means the other side starts first.
need only be kept
for months
Illustration only — retention periods vary by record type and carrier. Not a countdown on your claim.
There is a clock, and it started the day of the crash
Miss the deadline and the claim is generally gone, no matter how strong it was. These are the two that catch people out.
2 years
Most personal injury claims
California generally gives you two years from the date of the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. Evidence — camera footage, witness memory, skid marks — disappears long before that.
Cal. Code of Civil Procedure § 335.16 months
If a government vehicle was involved
Crashes involving a city, county, or state vehicle generally require a written claim to be presented to that public entity within six months — long before the two-year deadline matters.
Cal. Government Code § 911.2General information about California law, not legal advice about your situation. Deadlines vary with the facts — only a lawyer reviewing your case can tell you which apply to you.
Three steps, and you are never charged to find out
Answer a few questions
About a minute. What happened, when, and how you were hurt. No documents needed.
A case manager calls you
A real person, on the phone, to go through the details and answer what you want to ask.
A California law firm reviews it
If they take the case, you pay nothing up front and no fee unless they recover for you.
Questions people actually ask
The review is free. Injury cases are generally handled on contingency, which means no fee unless money is recovered for you. Case costs and the exact fee are set out in the firm’s written agreement before you sign anything.
That is what uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage exists for, and many California policies include it. A hit-and-run is often handled the same way. It is worth finding out what your own policy covers before assuming nothing can be done.
No. If you are already represented on this crash, we will not step in — that is a professional rule, not a preference. If you want a second opinion, that is a conversation to have with an attorney directly.
No, but do not wait any longer. Some injuries take days to show up, which is normal and well understood. What causes problems is a long gap with no medical record at all, because insurers use that gap to argue the crash did not cause the injury.
It depends entirely on the injuries, the treatment, and whether the insurer disputes liability. Some claims resolve in months; serious ones take longer. Any specific promise about timing before anyone has seen your file would not be worth much.
Most injury claims are resolved with the insurance company without a trial. Filing a lawsuit is one tool among several, and it is a decision you make with your lawyer — not something that happens automatically.
Car and truck accident claims in California
California sees some of the heaviest traffic in the country, and collisions on the 405, the 5, the 101 and surface streets across Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, the Bay Area, San Diego and the Central Valley produce thousands of injury claims every year. If you were hurt in a crash that someone else caused, you may be able to recover for medical treatment, lost income, out-of-pocket costs, and the physical and emotional toll of the injury itself.
Fault and insurance in California
California is an at-fault state, which means the driver responsible for a collision — and that driver’s insurer — is generally responsible for the resulting losses. Drivers are required to carry liability coverage, and many policies also include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage that can apply when the other driver has no insurance, not enough insurance, or leaves the scene.
Why truck collisions are handled differently
Commercial vehicles are subject to federal regulation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, covering driver hours of service, vehicle inspection and maintenance, and record retention. Electronic logging devices and engine control modules can capture what a truck and its driver were doing in the moments before a collision. More than one company can share responsibility — the driver, the motor carrier, a freight broker, a loading contractor, or a maintenance provider — which is why these claims are investigated differently from an ordinary two-car collision.
Deadlines
Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, most personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the injury. When a public entity is involved — a city bus, a county truck, a state vehicle — Government Code section 911.2 generally requires a written claim to be presented to that entity within six months. These are general rules, and the deadline that applies to any particular claim depends on its facts.
What to do now
Get medical attention and keep treating. Keep every bill, receipt and record. Photograph your injuries and the vehicles. Write down what you remember while it is fresh. And before you give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer or accept an early offer, find out what your claim actually involves — the review is free and costs you nothing either way.