Brain Injury Accident Lawyer in Los Angeles
If a crash left you with a traumatic brain injury, a brain injury lawyer in Los Angeles can prove the injury insurers try to dismiss and pursue the full cost of your lifetime care. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. takes on the insurer and the medical proof for you, with no fee unless we win.
If a crash left you with a traumatic brain injury, a brain injury lawyer in Los Angeles can prove the injury that insurers try to wave away and pursue the full cost of your care for years to come. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. builds brain injury claims around that proof. A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is one of the most serious things that can happen in a wreck, and it is also one of the easiest for an insurer to undervalue because you cannot see it on an X-ray of a broken bone. We bring in the right medical experts, document the damage, take on the insurer, and stand between you and the pressure while you recover. If we don't recover money for your brain injury, you owe us no fee.
Los Angeles trauma centers and your head injury records
Proof of a brain injury starts with the hospital that saw you first. The LA County EMS Agency's 9-1-1 Receiving Hospital Directory lists the trauma level of each hospital in the county. In and near Los Angeles, four adult Level I trauma centers stand out. Los Angeles General Medical Center sits at 1200 North State Street, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center at 757 Westwood Plaza, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 8700 Beverly Boulevard. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center serves the South Bay from 1000 West Carson Street in Torrance. For a child with a head injury, the pediatric Level I center is Children's Hospital Los Angeles on Sunset Boulevard. Level II centers include Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center downtown on South Grand Avenue, and Dignity Health-Northridge Hospital Medical Center and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Valley. The same directory lists no trauma level for hospitals such as Hollywood Presbyterian, Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana, Kaiser Los Angeles on Sunset or Kaiser Panorama City. That does not weaken your case. Plenty of concussions are first seen at a regular ER or urgent care. What matters is that the first visit says you were in a crash and notes the head strike, the confusion or the lost time. Ask each place for its full records, including the CT scan images and the radiology report. We gather the paramedic, ER, imaging and follow-up records into one timeline. That timeline answers the insurer who says you looked fine at the scene.
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Who suffers the hardest hits on Los Angeles streets
Brain injuries in LA crashes often come down to who had no steel frame around them. Our tally of NHTSA FARS data for 2019 to 2024 counts 1,914 traffic deaths in the City of Los Angeles. Pedestrians were 869 of them, about 45 percent. Motorcyclists, including moped and scooter riders, were 263, about 14 percent. Bicyclists were 82. People on foot and on two wheels take the blow with their bodies, and their heads can hit the hood, the windshield or the pavement. LADOT's High Injury Network maps where those crashes gather. LADOT says the network covers 6 percent of city streets, over 450 miles, but accounts for 70 percent of deaths and severe injuries for people walking. Western Avenue, Figueroa Street and Vermont Avenue are among its longest stretches for pedestrians and bicyclists. Sunset Boulevard tops the network's motorcycle list. In the San Fernando Valley, Sherman Way, Vanowen Street and Victory Boulevard are among its longest stretches for drivers. LADOT's count for Avalon Boulevard is 149 people killed or severely injured from 2009 to 2017, 44 percent of them on foot or on a bike. If you were hurt on one of these roads, the street's own history can matter. Insurers love to blame a rider or a walker for a head injury. Under California law, pure comparative negligence (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804) means a share of blame lowers your award but never erases it. We push back with the scene evidence.
Pulling the LAPD or CHP report for a brain injury claim
A brain injury can blur your memory of the crash itself. The police report fills that gap, so get it early. On city streets, one of LAPD's four Traffic Divisions investigates. Central works from 251 E. 6th St., near our office in downtown Los Angeles. South works from 4125 S. Crenshaw Blvd., West from 4849 Venice Blvd., and Valley from 7870 Nollan Place in Panorama City. You can order most LAPD reports online through its portal in English or Spanish. Give LAPD at least 45 days after the crash to review and approve the report before you order. If the crash involved an arrest, a death or a juvenile, you must order by mail with a $19.00 check or money order sent to P.O. Box 30158, Los Angeles, CA 90030. On freeways, the California Highway Patrol writes the report. Its Central Los Angeles Area office at 777 W. Washington Blvd. covers I-5, I-10, US-101 and I-110. Its West Los Angeles Area office in Culver City covers I-405 and I-10. Its West Valley Area office in Woodland Hills patrols about 400 square miles that include parts of the city. CHP only releases reports it investigated. Ask at any CHP office for a fee, mail a CHP 190 form to the office that wrote it, or try CHP's online Crash Report Search. LAPD's own data shows how busy these roads are: 56,628 reported collisions in 2019, about 155 a day. Your report should not get lost in that pile. We track it down for you.
When a brain injury takes away the power to decide
Some brain injuries leave a person unable to manage their own legal case. California has rules for that, and in Los Angeles they play out in the Superior Court. A person who lacks the legal capacity to make decisions must appear in a lawsuit through a guardian, a conservator or a guardian ad litem the court appoints (Code of Civil Procedure 372). Any settlement of that person's claim needs the court's approval. For a crash in the city, the case will likely be heard at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street. The court's Local Rule 2.3 sends unlimited motor vehicle injury cases there or to the Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster. A number of courtrooms there take only personal injury cases. If the injured person lacks the legal capacity to make decisions when the claim arises, that time does not count toward the two-year deadline to sue a private driver (Code of Civil Procedure 352(a)). That pause does not apply to claims against public entities or public employees (Code of Civil Procedure 352(b)). For late government claims, time when the injured person is mentally incapacitated and has no guardian or conservator does not count toward the one-year limit (Government Code 911.4). These rules are narrow, so don't count on them. If your spouse, parent or adult child has a serious brain injury, call us now. We can help you ask the court to name a guardian ad litem and keep the claim on track while your family focuses on recovery.
Head injuries on Metro, DASH or a city road
Not every brain injury in LA comes from a private driver. A passenger can strike their head when a Metro bus brakes hard. A DASH bus can turn into a crosswalk. A broken signal or a road defect can cause a crash. In those cases the claim runs against a public agency, and the clock is short. You must present a written government claim within six months of the injury (Government Code 911.2). The incapacity pause that can extend the two-year deadline for private claims does not apply here. LADOT runs DASH buses in downtown Los Angeles and 27 neighborhoods, plus Commuter Express, Cityride and LAnow. Claims against the City of Los Angeles, including DASH buses, city employees and road defects, go only to the Office of the City Clerk. File online, mail the signed form, or deliver it to City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Room 395, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. No email or fax. Metro runs the lettered rail and busway lines, such as the A, B, C, D, E, G, J and K Lines, and the Metro bus system. Its Claim for Damages form goes to One Gateway Plaza, 99-PL-4, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952. Metro says an adjuster will reach out in about ten days. Don't give that adjuster a recorded statement about your symptoms. Once the agency rejects the claim in writing, the window to sue is generally six months (Government Code 945.6). We file the claim, keep the dates and handle the adjuster for you.
The kinds of brain injuries we see after a crash
A traumatic brain injury happens when a sudden jolt or impact damages the brain, and a car crash is one of the most common causes. We handle cases ranging from a concussion, which doctors call a mild TBI, to far more serious injuries like a diffuse axonal injury, where the twisting force tears the brain's nerve fibers, a contusion, which is bruising of the brain tissue, and a hemorrhage, which is bleeding inside the skull. The word "mild" fools people, because even a concussion can leave lasting problems. What matters is not the label but the effect on your life, and two people with the same diagnosis can end up in very different places. We work with your doctors to understand the full extent of the damage, not just the note in the emergency room chart.
Why you must see a doctor even if you feel fine
Brain injury symptoms are often delayed. In the hours and days after a crash you may feel shaken but basically okay, and then the headaches start. Memory and concentration problems creep in. Your mood changes, you snap at people you love, light and noise bother you, and you feel foggy at work. Many people write these off as stress or lack of sleep, and by the time they connect the dots weeks have passed with no medical record tying the symptoms to the crash. That gap is the first thing an insurer uses to deny the claim. Get examined promptly even if you feel fine, tell every provider about the crash, and report each new symptom as it appears. Those records become the backbone of your case, and we help you build a clear medical timeline from day one.
What to do after a head injury crash in Los Angeles
Get medical care right away
Call 911 and get evaluated even if you feel "okay." Ask about imaging like a CT or MRI, and go back if new symptoms like headaches or memory trouble appear later.
Write down your symptoms as they change
Keep a simple daily log of headaches, memory lapses, mood changes, and anything that feels off. This record helps your doctors and proves how the injury affects your daily life.
Send the insurer's calls to us
Hold off on any recorded statement or settlement offer until you've spoken with a lawyer. Anything you say can be used to argue you're fine. The consultation is free.
How insurers downplay a brain injury, and how we prove it
Insurers routinely undervalue brain injuries because they are invisible. There is no cast to point to, so the adjuster argues you look fine, that your symptoms are exaggerated, or that your memory and mood problems come from stress, age, or something that predates the crash. It calls within days sounding helpful, asks for a recorded statement, requests a broad medical authorization to hunt for a pre-existing condition, and floats a fast, low offer before the full extent of your injury is known. We shut those tactics down. We handle every conversation so you never have to, we bring in neuropsychological testing, imaging, and treating experts to prove the injury is real, and we prepare each case as if it will go to trial. Once an adjuster sees test results and a trial-ready file, the "you look fine" line loses its force, and the offers tend to rise.
What your brain injury claim can recover
- ✓Medical expenses. Emergency care, imaging, neurology, rehabilitation, therapy, and medication, both past and future.
- ✓Lost income. Wages you missed, plus lost earning capacity if the injury limits the work you can do for good.
- ✓Future care & life-care plan. A detailed projection of the treatment, therapy, and support you'll need for the rest of your life.
- ✓Pain & suffering. Physical pain, emotional distress, personality changes, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- ✓Cognitive & vocational costs. Rehabilitation, retraining, and accommodations for memory, focus, and daily function.
- ✓In-home care. The cost of attendant care, home health help, and supervision you need as you recover.
California injury law, the deadlines that matter
In California, you generally have two years to file a personal-injury lawsuit (California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). The clock usually starts on the day of the crash, when the injury happens. If your claim is against a public entity or public employee, such as a city bus agency, a county driver, or the agency responsible for a dangerous public road, the rules are stricter. You must first present a written government claim to that entity within six months of the injury (Gov. Code § 911.2). If the entity rejects the claim in writing, you then have six months from the date that notice is delivered or mailed to file suit (Gov. Code § 945.6). If you miss the six-month claim deadline, you can apply for permission to present a late claim, but that application must be made within one year (Gov. Code § 911.4). If a brain injury leaves a person lacking the legal capacity to make decisions when the claim arises, that time may not count toward the two years (Code Civ. Proc. § 352(a)), but that rule does not apply to claims against public entities or employees (§ 352(b)). Because brain-injury symptoms can be delayed, these deadlines can arrive before you know how serious the injury is, so act early. California also follows pure comparative negligence. You can recover even if you were partly at fault, but your award is reduced by your percentage of fault (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). Insurers use both rules against you. They try to run out your clock and inflate your share of the blame, which is why it pays to talk to a lawyer early.
Why Angelenos with crash-caused brain injuries call Moe Abdallah Law
Moe works your TBI case himself
Attorney Moe Abdallah handles your brain injury claim personally, takes on the insurer, and keeps you and your family updated by call and text, so no one has to remember every detail alone.
No fee unless we win
Nothing upfront, and no fee at all unless we recover money for your brain injury. The consultation is always free.
We prepare to win
We build every case for trial: a thorough investigation, the right medical experts, and hard negotiation that gets results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nothing upfront. Our fee is contingent on results: it comes out of the settlement or verdict for your brain injury, not your pocket. Without a win, you owe us nothing. The consultation is always free.
Against a private driver, you usually have two years from the crash to sue (California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). If your claim is against a public entity or public employee, you must first present a written claim to that agency within six months (Government Code § 911.2). If the agency rejects it in writing, you then have six months from that notice to file suit (Government Code § 945.6). Since brain-injury symptoms can show up late, don't wait, and call as soon as you can so evidence can be saved.
Yes, without delay. Brain injury symptoms like headaches, memory trouble, and mood changes are often delayed for days. A gap between the crash and treatment is one of the first things insurers use to deny a claim, so get evaluated, ask about imaging, and keep every record. Then call us.
We build proof the injury can't hide behind. That means neuropsychological testing, imaging like CT, MRI, or DTI, records from your treating doctors, and testimony about how your daily life changed. We often bring in a life-care planner to project your future needs. Invisible doesn't mean unprovable.
Because the harm often lasts a lifetime. These claims can involve future medical care, lost earning capacity, rehabilitation, and long-term support, all of which we document with experts. There's no fixed formula, and the value depends on how the injury affects your life. A free case review is the surest way to understand yours.
For a serious head injury, you really should have a lawyer. Insurers dismiss brain injuries because they're invisible, and they pay far less to unrepresented victims. A lawyer usually puts more money in your pocket even after fees, because we prove the injury and value it correctly. Call us for a free, honest read on your head injury claim.
No. You are not required to give the at-fault driver's insurer a recorded statement, and with a brain injury it's especially risky, since they'll use any hesitation or memory gap against you. Decline politely, don't answer their questions, and let us handle the conversation for you.
Almost never, and not before the full extent of your brain injury is known. Once you accept, you cannot reopen the claim, and a fast offer rarely accounts for lifetime care. Show us the offer first. We'll review it free and tell you what it leaves out.
Yes. California uses pure comparative negligence (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). If you share the blame, your award drops by your percentage, but you don't lose it. With a TBI, insurers may lean on your hazy memory of the crash to pin more blame on you, so we rebuild what happened from the scene evidence and the report.
Watch for headaches, dizziness, trouble with memory or concentration, mood or personality changes, sensitivity to light or noise, sleep problems, and feeling foggy. These can start days after the crash. If any appear, see a doctor right away, note them down, and tell us.
These take longer than a simple crash claim because we won't settle before your prognosis is clear and your future needs are understood. Rushing to close a brain injury claim often leaves major money behind. Throughout, we update you and your family so you know what's happening and what comes next.
Yes, Se Habla Español. Moe's team can walk you and your family through the brain injury claim in Spanish or English.
If the crash was on a city street, LAPD has it. Order online through LAPD's portal, in English or Spanish, at least 45 days after the crash. If it involved an arrest, a death or a juvenile, order by mail with a $19.00 check or money order to P.O. Box 30158, Los Angeles, CA 90030. If the crash was on a freeway, the California Highway Patrol has it. Ask at any CHP office, which charges a fee, mail a CHP 190 form to the office that wrote it, or use CHP's Crash Report Search.
The LA County EMS Agency lists Los Angeles General Medical Center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance as Level I trauma centers. For children, Children's Hospital Los Angeles carries the pediatric Level I designation. If you went to a regular ER instead, that does not sink your claim. Ask every place that treated you for its full records and imaging, since those records prove your brain injury began with the crash.
A guardian, a conservator or a guardian ad litem appointed by the court (Code of Civil Procedure 372). In Los Angeles, that happens in the Superior Court, most often at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse for injury cases. The court must approve any settlement. Your family can ask the court to appoint a guardian ad litem. We help you file that request so the claim keeps moving while your loved one recovers.
Other ways we help
Brain / Catastrophic Injury lawyer by area
We represent brain / catastrophic injury victims across Los Angeles County:
Authoritative resources: California Courts, self-help for injury claims · Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1, 2-year deadline · California DMV · California Office of Traffic Safety, crash data
Sources & local resources
- 9-1-1 Receiving Hospital Directory, Reference No. 501 · LA County EMS Agency, Department of Health Services
- Vision Zero Maps: High-Injury Network · LADOT Livable Streets
- Request a Traffic Report · Los Angeles Police Department
- Frequently Asked Questions · California Highway Patrol
- Civil Division overview · Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
- Claim for Damage · Office of the Los Angeles City Clerk
- Contacts (Claim for Damages links) · LA Metro
- Code of Civil Procedure § 372 · California Legislative Information
Talk to Moe Abdallah directly
When you call Moe Abdallah Law, you work directly with your attorney and get straight answers, not a call center. Moe takes on the insurance companies and fights for the maximum, and he keeps you updated at every step. The consultation is free and you pay nothing unless he wins.
Real recoveries for real Angelenos
Real recoveries from an attorney who takes your case personally and fights for the maximum.
T-boned by a driver who ran a red light, blacked out, and had a seizure at the hospital. The at-fault driver staged fake witnesses; Moe tracked down the real ones, flipped liability, and won the full policy limit.
Rear-ended by a driver who fled, and other firms turned her down. Moe opened an uninsured-motorist claim, proved she could not have been at fault, and secured the full policy limit.
Broke his sternum and had no insurance of his own, and his prior attorney ignored him. Moe took his calls day and night and recovered a settlement that covered his hospital bills and future treatment.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.
Talk to a lawyer today, free
Tell us what happened. We respond fast, usually within the hour, and there's no fee unless we win. Available 24/7 · Se Habla Español.
Call (323) 716-1992