California Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

When an Injury Will Not Heal, the Claim Has to Account for That

We are a California catastrophic injury law firm that builds claims around what the rest of your life will cost, because an insurer's first offer is priced against the bills already in your file rather than the decades of care still ahead of you.


We represent people whose injuries have permanently changed what they are able to do, and the families reorganizing their lives around that. Our offices are in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, and Seattle, and we serve clients in English, Spanish, and Farsi.

📞 Call us today for a free consultation: (888) 932-2626 →

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Representing the Most Seriously Injured

Catastrophic injuries range from paralysis to permanent brain damage, and we represent the clients living with them. These cases are complex and multi-faceted, involving medical questions that outlast the litigation itself, and we answer questions promptly and directly as they come up.


The Law Offices of David P. Kashani, A.P.L.C. is a tough, experienced, and resourceful firm that will do what it takes to secure the fair compensation you and your family deserve. Call us or reach us through our secure online form to request a free case evaluation and learn more about your legal rights and options. We speak English, Spanish, and Farsi.

There is no single legal definition. California law maintains no statutory list of qualifying injuries, so the question is never whether your injury appears on a schedule. It is whether the severity and permanence of its impact have changed what you can do for the rest of your life, and that is decided on medical evidence, case by case.


Catastrophic injuries carry long-term and often permanent consequences. Many victims can no longer work while simultaneously requiring lifelong or around-the-clock care, and the cost of ongoing medical care in the United States makes that combination financially devastating.


The emotional toll is comparable. A catastrophic injury can take away the ability to walk, to dress, to eat unassisted, or to perform other functions most people never think about. Even injuries at the less severe end of this range carry a significant psychological burden, particularly when they remove a person's ability to provide for themselves or their family. That pain frequently outlasts the treatment.

What Qualifies as a Catastrophic Injury

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Examples of Catastrophic Injuries

  • Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
  • Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
  • Amputations or severe burns
  • Multiple fractures or organ damage
  • Permanent disability requiring lifelong care
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Compensation in Catastrophic Injury Cases

  • Extensive Medical Costs – Surgeries, rehab, nursing care, adaptive devices.
  • Loss of Income – Immediate and long-term inability to work.
  • Home Modifications – Wheelchair ramps, accessibility renovations.
  • Pain and Suffering – Lasting physical pain and emotional trauma.
  • Loss of Enjoyment of Life – Inability to pursue previous activities.


By definition, catastrophic injuries are those that have long term—if not permanent—consequences for the victim. Catastrophic injury victims can no longer work, yet they may require lifelong or even around the clock care. The cost of ongoing medical care in the United States is prohibitively expensive, so the financial burden can be an incredibly heavy weight to bear.


The emotional and mental toll of catastrophic injuries is immense as well. Catastrophic injury victims may be unable to walk, dress, feed themselves, and/or perform other “everyday” functions. 



Even less serious catastrophic injuries can bear a significant mental burden, especially when it takes away a person’s ability to provide for themselves and/or their family. The pain and anguish people who have sustained a catastrophic injury feel often last long after the initial injury has been treated.


LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF CATASTROPHIC INJURIES

The difference between an adequate settlement and an inadequate one in these cases is rarely about pain and suffering. It is about arithmetic nobody has done yet.


A life care plan is a formal, medically grounded projection of everything your injury will require for the remainder of your life. We develop it with your treating physicians, rehabilitation specialists, certified life care planners, and economists who convert those projections into present-day dollars. It accounts for:


  • Surgeries and medical interventions still ahead of you.
  • Attendant care and skilled nursing, costed over a normal life expectancy.
  • Durable medical equipment and its replacement cycles, which run for decades.
  • Medication, therapy, and ongoing specialist care.
  • Home modifications and accessible vehicles.
  • Lost earning capacity, meaning the income you will now never earn.



Without that document, a claim gets valued off whatever medical bills exist on the day the demand is sent. With it, the number is itemized, defensible, and difficult for an adjuster to dismiss. It is also the reason these cases should never be settled quickly. A release signed before your prognosis is stable is priced on incomplete information, and it cannot be reopened if your condition worsens.

Why a Life Care Plan Decides What Your Claim Is Worth

What you do in the weeks after a catastrophic injury shapes what your claim can recover. These are the steps that matter most.

Steps to Take After a Catastrophic Accident

Step 1:

Get your care directed by specialists, not by an insurer

Insurance-arranged care is optimized for cost. A permanent injury needs the right specialists early, because the medical record built now becomes the evidence later.

Step 2:

Preserve the evidence before it is repaired or cleared

Vehicles, equipment, defective products, and scene conditions all get repaired, replaced, or cleaned up. Someone needs to demand preservation in writing while it still exists.

Step 3:

Document what has changed at home

Care hours, tasks a family member has taken over, work someone has given up, adaptations you have already paid for. These are compensable losses and they are hard to reconstruct from memory a year later.

Step 4:

Give no recorded statement and sign no release

Recorded statements taken while you are medicated or newly injured get used against you. A release ends the claim permanently, regardless of what happens to your health afterward.

Step 5:

Get the claim reviewed before the first offer arrives

Insurers move fastest on the cases that will cost them the most. Having counsel in place before that offer lands changes the conversation.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, we are here to help. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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Why Clients Bring Catastrophic Injury Cases to Us

In a case where the numbers run this high, experience matters. Here is why clients trust Kashani Law:

Proven Results – We have secured millions for our clients.

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Personalized Legal Support – We treat every client like family, ensuring your case gets the attention it deserves.

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We Handle Insurance Companies – Don’t let insurers lowball your claim—we fight for full compensation.

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No Fees Unless We Win –  You don’t pay us a dime unless we win your case.

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Where We Handle Catastrophic Injury Claims

We handle catastrophic injury claims from four offices across California and Washington. Our Los Angeles catastrophic injury lawyers cover the Los Angeles region, and we take these cases out of our San Francisco, Oakland, and Seattle offices as well. Because the most severe injuries we see come out of commercial trucking collisions, our truck accident practice often runs alongside these claims, and our California personal injury practice covers the full range of cases we handle.

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Start Building Your Case Today

Frequently Asked Questions About Catastrophic Injury Claims

  • What qualifies as a catastrophic injury?

    There is no single legal definition and no statutory list. What matters is whether the severity and permanence of the injury have permanently changed your capacity to work, care for yourself, or live as you did before. Spinal cord injuries, moderate to severe brain injuries, amputations, severe burns, and permanent organ damage typically qualify, but the determination rests on medical evidence.

  • What is a life care plan and why does my claim need one?

    It is a formal projection of the medical care, equipment, therapy, home modifications, and attendant care your injury will require over your lifetime, valued in present-day dollars. In a permanent-injury case you need one, because without it the claim gets valued off bills that already exist rather than the decades of cost still coming.

  • Should I accept a settlement offer while I am still being treated?

    We would advise against it. Until your prognosis is stable, nobody can calculate what the injury will actually cost, and signing a release closes the claim permanently even if your condition deteriorates. Have any offer reviewed before you respond.

  • Do you handle catastrophic injury claims in Washington?

    Yes. Our Seattle office handles Washington catastrophic injury claims under Washington law, which allows three years from the date of injury to file rather than California's two. The same team handles the case.

  • How long do I have to file a catastrophic injury claim?

    Two years from the date of injury in California under Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1, and three years in Washington. Shorter administrative deadlines apply when a public entity is involved. Practically, these cases need to begin far earlier, because the medical and economic work they require takes months.

  • What does it cost to hire you for a catastrophic injury case?

    Nothing upfront. We work on contingency and you owe no attorney's fee unless we win. We advance case costs, which here routinely include life care planners, economists, and medical experts, and recover them out of the settlement or verdict.