Local office in Woodland Hills, CA22440 Clarendon St, Suite 200Directions

Catastrophic injury in Los Angeles?Talk to a lawyer for free.

After a life-changing injury, a settlement has to pay for the years ahead. Anywhere in LA County, we'll come to you.

  • No fee unless we winWe only get paid when you get paid.
  • Zero upfront costYour consultation is free, with no obligation.
  • Hablamos españolNative Spanish speakers. No confusion. No delays.
  • Available 24/7We'll meet you at your home or hospital.
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Call our Woodland Hills office(818) 418-867024/7 line: (800) 985-9565

No attorney's fees unless we recover compensation. Clients may be responsible for case costs. Read the disclaimer

The San Fernando Valley from the hills above Universal City at sunset
They made sure I had the ability to heal and took care of anything that would stress me out.
Vanessa V.Valero Law Group clientGoogle review

Results that speak.Millions won for injured clients.

We've won over $500 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients.

Recognized for excellence

Avvo Rating: Excellent, Top Rated Personal InjuryTop Rated by Super Lawyers
  • $6.25MPersonal injuryA confidential personal injury settlement.
  • $5MAuto accidentFor a husband and wife after the husband suffered a brachial plexus injury.
  • $2.34MAccident claimA win for a client injured in an accident.
  • $2.1MTruck accidentA settlement for a client with spinal and orthopedic injuries after a crash with a commercial truck.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and each case is different.

View all results

Here to protect your future, not the insurer's bottom line

Insurers bring a team to serious claims.You should have one too.

A life-changing injury means years of care and lost income, and insurers know what that costs them. After a serious accident on the 405, the 5 or the 10, a fall, a fire or another injury anywhere in Los Angeles County, an adjuster may call within days, and what you say can shape the rest of your claim.

Before you sign anything, ask yourself:

  1. Will the settlement pay for care you'll need 10 or 20 years from now?
  2. Does it count the work you can no longer do, not just the pay you've missed?
  3. Does it account for what Medi-Cal, Medicare or your health plan may claim back from it?

From one of our car accident cases

The insurer's best offer$410,000

What we won for our client$4.4M

A car accident that left our client with a neck injury. Most people would have taken the offer. We won more than ten times as much.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and each case is different.

Get my free case review
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Our office in Woodland Hills

Catastrophic injury lawyers,right here in Los Angeles.

Not every firm that advertises in Los Angeles has an office here. We do.

Our office is in Woodland Hills, inside Los Angeles city limits. From a trauma center or a burn center to rehabilitation in Downey, we'll come to you, anywhere in Los Angeles County.

Other offices nearbyPalmdaleOxnardRiverside

Why choose Valero Law Group?

We champion every case,big and small.

Whether your case is worth $5,000 or $5 million, we bring the same skill, attention and determination to every client we represent.

So don't let the size of your case keep you from seeking justice: every injury deserves serious representation. Let us fight for the compensation you're owed while you focus on what matters most, your recovery.

They made me feel like a priority, and they put my needs first as a client.

IsabelValero Law Group client

400+five-star Google reviews

Real reviews fromour clients.

  • Samuel M. smiling in the Valero Law Group office with his $881,000 settlement check
    Samuel M.$881,000
  • Victoria M. smiling in front of the Valero Law Group logo wall with her $625,000 settlement check
    Victoria M.$625,000
  • Karina C. smiling in the Valero Law Group office with her $625,000 settlement check
    Karina C.$625,000
  • Angela M. smiling and pointing to her $625,000 settlement check
    Angela M.$625,000
  • Destiny H. smiling with her $500,000 settlement check
    Destiny H.$500,000
  • Javier P. smiling in the Valero Law Group office with his $375,000 settlement check
    Javier P.$375,000
I got hit by a semi-truck on the streets and I was severely injured. Eric Sapir was very helpful and caring. He made sure I got the right doctor to take care of all medical needs to help me get my health back on track!
Victoria M.Google review
Read all 400+ of our reviews
Really glad I was able to find this law firm after a severe car accident. I had a very difficult case, but Valero Law was able to resolve it. I recommend this firm!
Marîîtza M.Google review
I was on the verge of breaking down, but the law firm was so respectful and helpful that I didn't have to do anything.
Alexander P.Google review

What you can recover aftera catastrophic injury in California.

California's injury law has no separate category for a catastrophic injury: the same damages apply as in any claim. They reach further, to the care, equipment and income needed for as long as the injury lasts.

Economic damages

The costs you can add up

  • Surgery, hospital, trauma and burn care
  • Rehabilitation, prosthetics and equipment
  • Future care, including help at home
  • Lost wages and lost earning capacity

Non-economic damages

The harm that has no receipt

  • Pain and physical suffering
  • Disfigurement and physical impairment
  • Lost enjoyment of life
  • A spouse's loss of companionship
  • No capOn pain and suffering after an accidentThere's no formula: a jury decides a reasonable amount from the evidence. California's cap applies only to medical negligence claims against doctors and hospitals (Civil Code §3333.2), not to a car accident, a fall or a fire.
  • Spouses tooCan claim for lost companionshipA spouse or registered domestic partner brings this claim in their own name, for the loss of their partner's love, care and affection (CACI 3920, revised July 2026). It covers that personal loss, not the spouse's own caregiving or lost pay.
  • 30 daysTo tell Medi-Cal about a claim for care it paidIf Medi-Cal paid for treatment, the state must be told in writing within 30 days of filing a claim or lawsuit (Welfare and Institutions Code §14124.73), and it's repaid only from the part of a recovery for medical costs.

After a serious injury in Los Angeles,what comes next.

Trauma and burn care, rehabilitation, help at home and for young children, public agencies and future care, explained.

Valero Law Group attorneys meeting around a conference table
  • Trauma care across the county
    Los Angeles County has 15 trauma centers, from Lancaster to Long Beach. The four Level I centers are Los Angeles General Medical Center (formerly LAC+USC), Ronald Reagan UCLA, Cedars-Sinai and Harbor-UCLA, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles is the county's only Level I pediatric trauma center. Every Level I and II center must have neurosurgery on call.
  • Help at home, and for young children
    The County's In-Home Supportive Services can pay for help at home for people who qualify for Medi-Cal, children included: (888) 944-4477. For a child under 3 whose development is delayed after an injury, California's regional centers run the Early Start program; the county has seven, and the Early Start BabyLine, 800-515-2229, finds the right one.
  • Three burn centers
    The Regional Burn Center at Los Angeles General Medical Center and the Torrance Memorial Burn Center are verified by the American Burn Association to treat adults and children; the UCLA Health Regional Burn Center at UCLA West Valley Medical Center in West Hills is designated by the County for adults. Doctors now describe burns by depth: superficial, partial-thickness or full-thickness.
  • Rehabilitation through the County
    Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey is the County's rehabilitation hospital for people recovering from brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and amputations, with its own orthotics and prosthetics department and a children's program up to age 21. It accepts Medi-Cal and Medicare and treats County residents who have no insurance. Admissions: (562) 385-6554.
  • Claims against public agencies
    If a public agency may share responsibility, a written claim is usually due within six months: to the City of Los Angeles through the City Clerk, online, by mail or at City Hall; to the County by mail or delivery; on Metro's form, by mail or in person; to LAUSD, by mail only; or to Caltrans. Other cities in the county take their own claims.
  • Plan for the long term
    Most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years. A claim can include the care the person is reasonably certain to need in the future, usually set out in a life-care plan by medical and rehabilitation experts, along with lost earning capacity and the household work the person can no longer do.
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Al Barro Foundation: supporting over 400 orphans in Mexico

From the community, for the community.

Hablamos español.

We're a Hispanic-focused firm with native Spanish-speaking attorneys. We understand your family's needs, walk you through every step in your language, and fight to get you every dollar you deserve.

Organizations we support

Sponsor of the 2024 Share the Road Scholarship

Our community outreach
  • Al Barro Foundation
  • EUNIME por Tijuana, A.C.
…they speak excellent Spanish, know how to help, and look out for their clients' best interests.
Yesica H.Google review
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Organizations we support

Sponsor of the 2024 Share the Road Scholarship

Our community outreach
  • Al Barro Foundation
  • EUNIME por Tijuana, A.C.

Common questionsafter a catastrophic injury.

What counts as a catastrophic injury?
It's a description, not a legal category: an injury so severe and lasting that it alters the rest of someone's life. Severe burns, the loss of a limb, paralysis, or a serious injury to the brain or spinal cord are typical examples, much as California's workers' compensation law lists them. Our brain injury and spinal cord injury pages go further.
Who can be responsible for a burn, and what if it happened at work?
A claim is made against whoever was responsible for the fire or the burn, whether it was a car fire, an electrical or chemical burn, scalding, or a fire started by unsafe property or a defective product. At work, a burn usually leads to a workers' compensation claim against the employer; a separate claim against a third party, such as a property owner or the maker of a defective product, may also be possible.
Where can someone get rehabilitation after an amputation, a spinal cord injury or a brain injury?
At Rancho Los Amigos, the County's rehabilitation hospital in Downey. It accepts most insurance, including Medi-Cal and Medicare, and treats LA County residents who have no insurance; a doctor, hospital, health plan or family member can make the referral. Rancho is also a federally funded Spinal Cord Injury Model System, and veterans with a spinal cord injury may be treated at the VA Long Beach spinal cord injury center.
Can a claim cover care for the rest of someone's life?
It can, for care that's reasonably certain to be needed (Civil Code §3283), from therapy and equipment to help at home and changes to the home. Because a settlement or award is paid now, the future medical costs and lost earnings in it are discounted to their present value; pain and suffering is not.
Can punitive damages be added on top of our losses?
Sometimes, but the bar is high: clear and convincing proof of malice, oppression or fraud by the person responsible. Carelessness alone doesn't meet it, however serious. A driver's choice to drive drunk can meet it. A public agency is never ordered to pay punitive damages (Government Code §818).
More than one party caused the accident. Who pays?
Each can be held responsible. For pain and suffering, each party at fault generally pays only its own share, in proportion to its percentage of fault (Civil Code §1431.2). So when the losses are large, finding everyone responsible, and every insurance policy, matters.
A City street, a County road or a Metro bus was involved. Is the deadline different?
Yes. A written claim must usually reach the agency within six months, before any lawsuit, filed the way that agency requires. If the injured person was a child, or was physically or mentally incapacitated during that time, the agency must accept a late claim when the application is made in time, within a year. If the claim is rejected, a lawsuit usually has to follow within six months of the notice.
Medi-Cal, Medicare or the VA paid for care. Do they get paid back?
In most cases, yes. A settlement only becomes final once Medi-Cal, told of the claim, has had an opportunity to seek its share of the medical part. Medicare's payments are "conditional", so they're repaid from the settlement as well. When the VA paid, the federal government can seek the reasonable value of its care from the person responsible or their insurer (42 U.S.C. §2651). Before you sign, we work out who has a claim and for how much.
Do you have an office in Los Angeles?
Yes. Our office is in Woodland Hills, inside Los Angeles city limits, at 22440 Clarendon St, Suite 200, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, and our Palmdale office serves the Antelope Valley. Come in if you like, or we'll come to you, at home, in the hospital or in rehab, anywhere in Los Angeles County. Call (800) 985-9565 any time, 24/7.
What does a catastrophic injury lawyer cost?
Nothing upfront. Your consultation is free, and no attorney's fees are owed unless we recover compensation for you. You may be responsible for case-related costs and expenses; we'll explain them before you sign.
Attorney Kyle Valero
Kyle ValeroAttorney, Valero Law Group

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Have a question about a potential case?Talk to a Los Angeles catastrophic injury lawyer today.

Your consultation is always free, with no obligation. We're happy to answer any questions and walk you through your options. No pressure, just honest answers.

(818) 418-8670

24/7 line: (800) 985-9565

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