$36.0M
Fresno pedestrian accident settlement: a commercial delivery van struck a child crossing the street, causing a traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries.
Personal Injury
California Brain Injury Lawyer
Did you or a loved one suffer a traumatic brain injury because of someone else’s negligence? Wilshire Law Firm — an award-winning, nationally recognized team — helps California families recover the cost of medical care, lost income, and lifelong needs after a TBI. Contact us for a free case review with a legal professional, available 24/7. No fees unless you get paid.
- $3B+RECOVERED
- 7X"BEST LAW FIRM" AWARDS
- 24/7AVAILABILITY & SUPPORT
- 500+LEGAL PROFESSIONALS
Key Takeaways
- The CDC counted 68,663 TBI-related deaths in the United States in 2023 and about 214,110 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2020.
- Most California brain injury lawsuits must be filed within two years (Code Civ. Proc. §335.1); a claim against a public entity is due within six months (Gov. Code §911.2).
- Brain injuries caused by medical negligence generally must be filed within three years of the injury or one year after discovery, whichever is first (Code Civ. Proc. §340.5).
- Pain-and-suffering damages are uncapped in ordinary negligence cases; in medical-negligence cases the 2026 cap is $470,000, or $650,000 if the injury is fatal (Civ. Code §3333.2).
- Our results include a $36 million brain injury settlement that TopVerdict ranked fourth among California personal injury settlements of 2025.
Understanding Your Brain Injury Case
Explore essential resources on your rights, your options, and what to expect — everything you need to navigate the legal process, all in one place.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is damage to the brain caused by a sudden blow, jolt, or penetrating force to the head. TBIs range from a mild concussion to a severe, life-altering injury, and their effects can be immediate or emerge over days and weeks. Because the brain controls everything from memory and movement to mood and speech, even a "mild" TBI can change how a person works, thinks, and lives. Learn more in our overview of what a TBI is.
Brain injuries take several forms, and the type affects both treatment and the value of a claim. Common types include concussion (mild TBI), contusion (bruising of the brain), diffuse axonal injury (widespread tearing of nerve fibers), coup-contrecoup injury (damage on both sides of the brain), penetrating injury, and anoxic or hypoxic injury (brain damage from a loss of oxygen). Wilshire Law Firm handles the full range — including concussion and mild TBI and anoxic and hypoxic brain injuries. A legal professional can review which applies to your situation during a free case review.
Most brain injury claims arise from preventable accidents caused by someone else's negligence. Leading causes include car accidents, truck accidents, and motorcycle accidents; slip-and-fall and other falls on unsafe property; being struck by objects at work or on construction sites; pedestrian and bicycle collisions; and medical negligence, including birth injuries. When a brain injury is fatal, our team also handles wrongful death claims. If another party caused your injury, you may have a claim.
Brain injury victims in California can generally recover both economic and non-economic damages. These commonly include past and future medical expenses, the cost of rehabilitation and long-term or in-home care, lost wages and lost future earning capacity, home and vehicle modifications, and compensation for pain, suffering, and loss of quality of life. In cases involving especially reckless conduct, punitive damages may also be available. Because a serious TBI can require a lifetime of care, valuing the claim often involves a life-care plan — see our guide to brain injury settlements and case value.
Proving a brain injury claim generally requires showing that another party was negligent and that their negligence caused your injury and losses. Strong cases are built on medical records and imaging, neuropsychological testing, testimony from treating physicians and life-care planners, and evidence of how the injury has changed daily life. Because TBI symptoms are not always visible, documentation is critical — our attorneys work with medical and vocational experts to make the injury clear. Read more about how to prove a traumatic brain injury in court.
In most California brain injury cases, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the injury (California Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Important exceptions can shorten or extend that window. Claims against a government entity require a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Medical-negligence claims, including brain injuries caused by surgical, anesthesia or delivery errors, generally must be filed within three years of the injury or one year after it was discovered, whichever comes first (Code of Civil Procedure §340.5). For most other injuries to a child, the time a person is a minor is not counted toward the deadline (Code of Civil Procedure §352), although medical-negligence claims for minors follow their own rules. Because missing a deadline can end your case, it's best to speak with a legal professional as soon as possible.
Wilshire Law Firm represents brain injury victims across California. We handle cases in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Sacramento, Oakland, and communities throughout the state. Wherever your injury happened, a legal professional can review your case for free, 24/7.
Wilshire Law Firm is an award-winning, nationally recognized team that has recovered more than $3 billion for clients. Our brain injury results include a $36 million settlement for a pedestrian who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being struck by a vehicle, which TopVerdict ranked fourth among California personal injury settlements of 2025, and nine of our 2025 settlements involving brain injuries appear on TopVerdict's list of the state's top 100 personal injury settlements. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Brain injury cases demand serious resources, including expert witnesses, life-care planners and the ability to take an insurer or corporation to trial, and our team brings all of it. We also handle related catastrophic injuries, spinal cord injuries and paralysis. How can our team help with your brain injury claim? Contact us 24/7 for a free case review.
Meet Our Brain Injury Attorneys
Nationally Recognized Powerhouse, Fighting for the Justice You Deserve
Our award-winning attorneys have recovered billions for clients while taking on insurance companies and major corporations.
Learn more about the team
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Colin M. Jones, Esq.Senior Partner and Senior Trial Attorney, Chair of the Personal Injury Litigation Department
Jennifer P. Burkes, Esq.Senior Partner & Strategic Advisor, Personal Injury Litigation Department
Mary Lee Caruso, Esq.Senior Partner
Ryan Casey, Esq.Senior Partner and Trial Attorney
Tae-Yoon Kim, Esq.Senior Partner
Philip Andonian, Esq.Partner and Trial Attorney
Alivia E. Abreu, Esq.Partner
Shervin G. Ghanoongooi, Esq.Partner
Christopher Goodroe, Esq.Partner
Nathan A. Guest, Esq.Partner and Trial Attorney
Brian M. Jacobson, Esq.Partner
Ariella Perry, Esq.PartnerRecent wins
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$28.7M
Victorville pedestrian accident settlement: a car struck a child waiting to cross the street, causing catastrophic injuries. Defendants included the driver, a business and three public entities.
$14.5M
Mountain View premises liability settlement: a concertgoer suffered a traumatic brain injury at an event venue. The claim focused on the venue's duty to keep guests safe.
$11.3M
Pomona truck accident settlement: a big rig hit a stopped vehicle on the freeway as a driver checked on it, causing serious head and leg injuries.
$11.0M
California truck accident settlement: a tow truck lost control, crossed three highway lanes and rear-ended a driver, causing a traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries.
$7.1M
San Diego County car accident settlement: a crash with a pickup on a state highway left a driver hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries.
$5.0M
Hanford motorcycle accident settlement: a pickup turned left in front of a motorcyclist, causing a traumatic brain injury and serious back, neck and hip injuries.
$5.0M
Lake Elsinore car accident settlement: a vehicle occupant suffered a traumatic brain injury, serious neck injuries and arm injuries when a rear-end collision overturned the vehicle.
$4.0M
California car accident settlement: a driver whose light had turned green suffered serious head, neck and back injuries when a commercial pickup ran a red light and broadsided the vehicle.
$2.5M
Sacramento County workplace accident settlement: a loader backed into a parked truck at a recycling yard and knocked a worker off its trailer, causing head and back injuries.
$2.3M
California truck accident settlement: a rear-end crash between two semis left a truck occupant with a traumatic head injury and a neck strain.
$2.3M
Los Banos bus accident settlement: a bus's lifted ramp fell and struck a bystander on the head, causing a traumatic brain injury, migraines, and neck and back pain.
$2.0M
Long Beach car accident settlement: a three-car rear-end collision left an occupant of one vehicle with a traumatic brain injury and several other serious injuries.
$2.0M
Orange County truck accident settlement: a big rig driver crashed while avoiding people from an earlier wreck, suffering a brain injury. Defendants included an individual and a restaurant franchise.
$2.0M
California car accident settlement: a parked commercial vehicle tried to turn around in front of a driver, who struck its side. The driver had serious neck and back injuries.
$1.5M
Porterville pedestrian accident settlement: a vehicle struck a pedestrian, causing catastrophic injuries, including a brain injury and serious leg injuries. Several defendants faced claims.
$990K
Bakersfield truck accident settlement: a big rig rear-ended and side-struck a driver's vehicle at a red light, causing a brain injury and serious neck and other injuries.
$875K
Oakdale slip and fall settlement: a visitor tripped over a misplaced wooden pallet near a grocery store checkout and fell, causing a head injury and other injuries.
$500K
Glendale car accident settlement: a driver rear-ended a motorist stopped at the freeway divider with hazard lights on, causing a traumatic brain injury.
$102K
Riverside motorcycle accident settlement: a truck turning into a shopping center cut off a motorcyclist, who crashed and suffered a traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries.
$101K
Sacramento dog bite settlement: a large dog that escaped its owner's backyard bit a person, causing a traumatic brain injury and other serious head injuries.
*Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Each case is unique and evaluated on its own facts.
How Do I Know If I Have a Brain Injury Claim?
You may have a brain injury claim if someone else's negligence caused a head or brain injury and you suffered losses as a result. The key questions are whether another party (a driver, property owner, employer, product maker, or medical provider) failed to act with reasonable care, and whether that failure caused your TBI. You do not need to have every record or answer before reaching out — a legal professional can evaluate fault, identify who may be responsible, and explain your options during a free case review. California deadlines apply, so contact Wilshire Law Firm's brain injury attorneys today.
Start Your Free Brain Injury Case Review
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Record-breaking results
Winners of #1 Settlements in California
Our attorneys have recovered billions of dollars, including some of the biggest settlements in California.
17#1 Settlements in California, 2022–2024*
TopVerdict #1TopVerdict.com #1 settlements
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#1 Truck v. Pedestrian Accident Settlement
2024
#1 Multi-Vehicle Accident Settlement
2024
#1 Equipment Malfunction Settlement
2024
#1 Car v. Stationary Object Collision Settlement
2024
#1 Bus v. Passenger Accident Settlement
2024
#1 Whistleblower Retaliation Settlement
2023
#1 Underinsured Motorist Settlement
2023
#1 Slip & Fall Accident Settlement
2023
#1 Negligent Security Settlement
2023
#1 Ladder Accident Settlement
2023
#1 Hotel Premises Liability Settlement
2023
#1 Car v. Car Collision Settlement
2023
#1 Bicycle Accident Settlement
2023
#1 Pregnancy Discrimination Settlement
2022
#1 Age/Disability Discrimination Settlement
2022
#1 Wrongful Termination Settlement
2022
#1 Meal & Rest Breaks Settlement
2022
*#1 settlements in California have been awarded by TopVerdict.com. Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Brain Injury FAQs
Our Most Frequently Asked Questions
We've answered the most common ones below. If yours isn't here, call us — we're available 24/7.
Nothing up front. Wilshire Law Firm works on contingency, so there are no fees unless you get paid. Case reviews are free and available 24/7.
There is no single average — brain injury settlements vary widely based on the severity of the injury, the cost of future care, lost earning capacity, and who was at fault. Mild cases resolve for far less than severe TBIs that require lifelong care. We explain what drives value in our guide to brain injury settlements, and a legal professional can estimate your range during a free case review.
Yes. Symptoms of a brain injury — including headaches, confusion, memory problems, mood changes, and sensitivity to light or noise — can appear hours or days after the event. Always seek medical evaluation after any head impact, and keep records, because delayed symptoms are common in TBI cases and documentation helps protect your claim.
Many brain injuries are caused by car accidents, falls on unsafe property, and workplace incidents. The cause affects who may be responsible — a negligent driver, a property owner, an employer, or a product manufacturer. A legal professional can identify the responsible parties and the right claim for your situation.
Yes. We handle brain injuries involving children, including birth injuries caused by medical negligence and oxygen deprivation. Deadlines for a minor's claim may be different, so it's important to speak with a legal professional early.
Call us any time — we're available 24/7 — or request your free case review online. A legal professional will review what happened and explain your options. Remember: no fees unless you get paid.