Santa Monica Brain Injury Lawyer

After a crash, you may feel foggy, short-tempered or tired in a way that rest does not fix. You may not remember the hours around the collision. A head injury can look like nothing on the outside, and the adjuster will treat it that way. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. handles motor-vehicle injury cases only, which includes brain injuries that come from crashes on Santa Monica streets and the I-10. Santa Monica is where the I-10 begins, and in 2023 the state ranked the city 3rd of 103 similar-size cities for pedestrian victims and 8th for bicyclists. Those are the crashes where heads hit pavement and windshields. Moe builds a brain injury claim on medical records, symptom history and the people who see you every day. Call (323) 716-1992 for a free review. There is no fee unless we win.

How Santa Monica crashes lead to head injuries

A brain injury does not need a skull fracture. The brain moves inside the skull when your head snaps in a rear-end hit, strikes a window in a side impact or lands on asphalt after a driver clips your bike. The city's Vision Zero program names Ocean Park Boulevard at Lincoln Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard at 14th Street as priority intersections, and it calls Wilshire Boulevard a top priority. The Wilshire Safety Study says half of all fatal and severe crashes happen on ten percent of the city's streets. The Office of Traffic Safety counted 62 pedestrian victims, 48 bicyclist victims and 33 motorcycle victims in Santa Monica for 2023, out of 417 total fatal and injury victims. Riders and walkers have the least protection, so head trauma is a real risk in each group. The I-10 begins in Santa Monica near the ocean, and drivers leaving it go straight from freeway speed onto city streets. If you hit your head in any of these crashes, say so at the scene and again at the hospital, even if you feel fine.

Symptoms that show up late, and why that matters to your claim

The CDC lists many signs of a mild traumatic brain injury or concussion. Physical signs include headaches, dizziness, nausea, vision problems, fatigue and sensitivity to light or noise. Thinking signs include trouble concentrating, memory problems, feeling foggy and feeling slowed down. Emotional and sleep signs include irritability, anxiety, sadness, trouble falling asleep, and sleeping more or less than usual. Cleveland Clinic advises going to the emergency room after a head injury with any concussion symptoms, even if they do not start for hours or days. The CDC also lists danger signs that call for emergency care: a headache that gets worse and does not go away, repeated vomiting, seizures, weakness or numbness, slurred speech, one pupil larger than the other, growing confusion and loss of consciousness. If you see any of them, go to an emergency room now. Here is why that matters for your claim. The insurer looks at the date of your first medical visit and the date you first mentioned a head symptom. A delay gives the adjuster an opening to say something else caused it. See a doctor soon after the crash, describe every symptom, and go back when new ones appear. Family members can help, because they often notice mood or memory changes before you do.

Proving an injury that a scan may not show

Imaging tests cannot diagnose a concussion. Doctors use a CT scan or MRI to look for serious problems like bleeding in or around the brain, according to Cleveland Clinic. So a normal scan does not mean you are uninjured, though insurers act as if it does. The proof has to come from several places. The emergency record should note the head strike, any loss of consciousness, confusion and your complaints. A neurologist can evaluate you, and neuropsychological testing can measure memory, attention and processing speed. Therapy notes, work records and statements from your spouse, boss and friends show how your life changed. Keep a daily symptom log, a few lines at a time. Santa Monica has two hospital emergency departments, at Providence Saint John's Health Center on Santa Monica Boulevard and UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Nethercutt Emergency Center) on 16th Street. Wherever you are first seen, the emergency record is the first record, and we request it early. We also collect crash evidence that shows force: photos of the vehicles, airbag data, helmet damage and the police report. Your treating doctors, not Moe, decide your diagnosis. Moe's job is to make sure the records tell the truth about the crash and what followed.

Who pays for a brain injury, and why policy limits matter

Brain injury costs run past the minimum insurance most drivers carry. California's minimum liability limits for policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025 are $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for injury. A serious brain injury can need months of rehab, advanced care, home help and years of lost earning power. When the at-fault driver has little coverage, we look at other sources: your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, an employer if the driver was working, a rideshare company's policy if an Uber or Lyft was involved, and a public entity if a city vehicle or bus caused the crash. Fault is shared in some cases. California follows pure comparative negligence, so you can still recover if you were partly at fault, but your award shrinks by your percentage (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). When more than one party is at fault, each is liable for noneconomic damages only in proportion to its share, while economic damages stay joint (Civil Code 1431.2). Moe has recovered policy limits for clients, including a $100,000 uninsured motorist recovery for a woman rear-ended by a driver who fled. Past results do not predict a similar outcome.

Deadlines, incapacity and court approval of settlements

In most cases you have two years from the injury to sue a private party (Code of Civil Procedure 335.1). If the person hurt was a minor or lacked the legal capacity to make decisions, that time may not count toward the two years (Code of Civil Procedure 352). That tolling does not apply to claims against public entities. Those claims have their own short clock. You must present a written claim within six months (Government Code 911.2). In Santa Monica, claims go to the City Clerk at 1685 Main Street, and the city's form covers Big Blue Bus claims as well. If the city rejects the claim in writing, you have six months to file suit (Government Code 945.6). If you miss the six months, you may apply for leave to present a late claim within one year of the injury (Government Code 911.4), and time spent mentally incapacitated with no guardian is not counted in that year. A person who cannot understand the case must appear through a guardian or conservator, and a court must approve any settlement (Code of Civil Procedure 372). Brain injuries can cloud judgment, so a family member may need to call us first. Do not wait for symptoms to settle before you ask about the clock.

Police reports, early evidence and how Moe handles a TBI case

The Santa Monica Police Department takes reports for crashes on city streets. Request the report through the Public Records Request Center, call the Records Unit at (310) 458-8431, or go to the Public Safety Facility. The city must respond within 10 days saying whether the records exist. Ask early, because the report names witnesses and lists what officers saw. The Santa Monica Courthouse at 1725 Main Street is part of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, and we confirm the correct filing court with the county before we file. Moe takes your call himself, explains the plan in plain words and keeps you updated by call and text. He moves fast on video and vehicle data, since business and traffic footage can be erased within days. He works with your treating providers instead of replacing them, and he builds your damages from real bills, future care and lost income. We are open 24/7, se habla espanol, and the first review is free. You pay no fee unless Moe wins. If you are not sure whether your symptoms count, call and ask.

Talk to a Santa Monica brain & catastrophic injury lawyer

Call (323) 716-1992 for a free, no-obligation case review. You pay nothing unless we win, and we'll handle the insurance companies for you. Learn more about our brain / catastrophic injury representation →

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