Van Nuys Personal Injury Lawyer

Yes, and the insurance company’s framing of “mild” is exactly why these cases need a lawyer. A mild traumatic brain injury (often labeled a concussion) is a serious injury that can produce cognitive, mood, sleep, vestibular, vision, and headache symptoms lasting months or years. The carrier’s standard playbook is to argue the injury was not real, the symptoms are exaggerated, the issues were preexisting, and any treatment gap proves the case is overblown. Each of these arguments is beatable, but only if the medical record was built right from the start. Get into neurological evaluation early, document the symptoms consistently, and do not let the carrier’s “mild” framing become your framing.

The 405/101 interchange has multiple stacked transition levels, high merge angles, and chronic peak-hour congestion, which produces some of the most serious multi-vehicle crashes in the Valley. Freeway crashes are CHP-reported, not LAPD, and any claim against Caltrans for road design, maintenance, or signage runs on the six-month government claim deadline. If a truck or commercial vehicle was involved, federal trucking regulations also apply, and the truck’s electronic logging device data auto-deletes on a short cycle. The interchange’s heavy traffic also means physical evidence and witness availability disappear quickly.

You likely have two parallel cases. The first is a workers’ compensation claim against your employer, which covers medical care and a portion of lost wages but does not include pain and suffering. The second is a potential third-party civil claim against a non-employer party (an equipment manufacturer whose machine caused the injury, a general contractor or subcontractor on a multi-employer site, a property owner separate from your employer, a chemical or product manufacturer, a delivery driver). The third-party case can recover the full range of damages that workers’ comp does not. If your employer failed to carry workers’ comp insurance, California Labor Code section 3706 lets you sue the employer directly. Both tracks need to start early and coordinate.

The property owner and the management company are the starting points, but the analysis often pulls in additional defendants. For a fall case, the question is whether the hazard existed long enough that the property should have discovered and fixed it. For a landlord premises case, the duty under California Civil Code section 1714 and the implied warranty of habitability both apply. For a negligent security case, the question is whether the criminal act was reasonably foreseeable given the property’s history and surrounding crime patterns, and whether the security measures in place were reasonable. Negligent security cases regularly involve security expert testimony and crime grid analysis. Document everything you can immediately, including photos of the hazard or the area where the incident happened, and get medical care before talking to building management or their insurance.

Your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is typically the primary recovery source in a hit-and-run. California requires insurers to offer UM, although drivers can decline it in writing. UM applies the same way it would if you knew the at-fault driver had no insurance. The insurance company will press hard for any evidence that another vehicle made contact, so the LAPD Van Nuys Division crash report, witness statements, paint transfer evidence, and any nearby business or apartment surveillance footage matter early. If the driver is eventually identified, we pursue them directly in addition to the UM claim.

It depends on the driver’s app status at the moment of the crash. App off, the driver’s personal insurance is on the hook. App on but no ride accepted, a limited contingent policy applies. Ride accepted or passenger in the car, a $1 million commercial policy from Uber or Lyft is typically in effect. We document the app status carefully early in the case because the rideshare companies routinely take the position that more limited coverage applies.

Usually, yes. The Van Nuys Courthouse handles many of the civil cases venued in this part of the San Fernando Valley, though larger or complex cases sometimes move to downtown Los Angeles depending on the parties and the amount at issue. Local familiarity with the assigned bench affects motion practice, settlement posture, and trial preparation.

Six months from the date of injury to file an administrative claim against the government entity before you can sue. The same deadline applies to claims involving LA Metro, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the LA Department of Transportation, and Caltrans for state freeways like the 405 and 101. Private injury claims still run on the standard two-year statute of limitations, but the moment a government entity is in the mix, the six-month clock controls.