Local office in San Jose, CA45 E Julian StDirections

Catastrophic injury in San Jose?Talk to a lawyer for free.

After a life-changing injury, a settlement has to pay for the years ahead, not just the bills so far. Whether you or your family member is at Valley Medical Center, Regional Medical Center or in rehab, 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 San Jose office(408) 516-428324/7 line: (800) 985-9565

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

San Jose from the air at sunset, with downtown and the hills behind it
Every member of the team we've interacted with has provided excellent service and been very transparent. They make you feel like part of the family.
Efren P.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 US‑101, I‑280 or Capitol Expressway, or a fall or other injury anywhere in the Santa Clara Valley, 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 San Jose

Local catastrophic injury lawyers,right here in San Jose.

Not every firm that advertises in San Jose has an office here. We do.

Our office is on Julian Street downtown. Wherever you or your family member is being treated in the Santa Clara Valley, from the trauma center to a rehab unit, we'll come to you.

Nearby officesSalinasStocktonModesto

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
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
Read all 400+ of our reviews
I got hit by a semi-truck on the streets and I was severely injured. Eric Sapir was very helpful and caring.
Victoria M.Google review
…I can't thank the company enough for their help!
William V.Google review

What you can recover aftera catastrophic injury.

A claim for a life-changing injury reaches past today's bills, to the care, equipment and income you'll need for as long as the injury lasts.

Economic damages

The costs you can add up

  • Surgery, hospital and trauma care
  • Rehabilitation, therapy and medical equipment
  • Home changes and in-home care
  • Lost wages and lost earning capacity

Non-economic damages

The harm that has no receipt

  • Pain and physical suffering
  • Disfigurement and physical impairment
  • Loss of companionship
  • Lost enjoyment of life
  • $6.4MEstimated lifetime cost of a high‑neck (C1–C4) spinal cord injuryFor someone injured at 25, in 2025 dollars and before lost wages, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. Costs vary with the injury and the person.
  • No capOn pain and suffering in most injury casesThere'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).
  • 52 weeksThe most State Disability Insurance pays while you can't workIf you've had SDI taken out of your pay, California's State Disability Insurance can pay about 70 to 90% of your wages, depending on income, for up to 52 weeks.

After a serious injury in San Jose,what comes next.

Trauma care, rehabilitation, records, income while you can't work, future care and deadlines, explained.

Valero Law Group attorneys meeting around a conference table
  • Rehabilitation close to home
    Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC), the County's hospital on South Bascom Avenue, is a Level I trauma center for adults and Level II for children. Its Rehabilitation Center, on the same campus, has treated people with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and strokes since 1970, with a unit dedicated to spinal cord injury and one dedicated to brain injury, for adults and children.
  • Income while you can't work
    State Disability Insurance can pay part of your wages; file between 9 and 49 days after the disability begins. A family member who stops work to care for you may get Paid Family Leave, up to 8 weeks. If you won't be able to work for a year or more, apply early for Social Security Disability: there's usually a five-month wait.
  • Get the records
    You, or your legal representative, can request VMC's records on its release form, which is also in Spanish, by mail, by fax or in person at Health Information Management on the first floor; allow about 10 business days. Records sent to another doctor are free, and so is the first CD of scans. Questions: (408) 885-3764.
  • Ask for these three records
    When you request VMC's records, ask for the discharge summary, the operative report and the history and physical. VMC says these often have the information needed for continued care, so keep copies for every doctor and therapist who treats you next.
  • Deadlines, and children
    Most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years. A claim against the City, the County or VTA, for example after a crash with a City vehicle or a VTA bus, is usually due within six months. For a child, the two years usually don't start until 18 (CCP §352), but the six-month claim doesn't wait.
  • Plan for future care
    A claim can include the reasonable cost of care you're reasonably certain to need in the future, not only what you've been billed. In serious cases, that care is often laid out in a life-care plan: a medical expert's estimate of the care, equipment and help someone will need, and what it will cost. The work you can no longer do counts too, even for a child or a student.
A man and a boy in traditional Colombian hats and jerseys holding Valero Law Group signs at a community event

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?
There's no legal definition. It usually means an injury that changes the rest of someone's life: a spinal cord injury and paralysis, a serious brain injury, an amputation, severe burns, or the loss of sight or hearing.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). If a City of San Jose, County or VTA vehicle, road or building was involved, a written claim is usually due within six months. Call us early so no deadline slips by.
I was paralyzed in an accident. What should my claim cover?
Fewer than 1 in 100 people with a spinal cord injury have fully recovered by the time they leave the hospital (NSCISC), so a claim has to look far ahead: future medical care and equipment, changes to your home, help at home and the work you can no longer do. The estimated lifetime cost of severe paraplegia (paralysis of the lower body) from an injury at 25 is about $3.1 million, before lost wages, and more for tetraplegia (quadriplegia), which affects the arms too.
How is a lifetime of care valued?
From the evidence: what your doctors expect you'll need, often set out by an expert in a life-care plan, at its reasonable cost. Future economic losses, like care and lost earnings, are reduced to their present cash value, because money received now can earn interest when invested. Future pain and suffering isn't reduced that way.
Medi-Cal or Medicare paid my bills. Do they get paid back?
Usually, yes. Medi-Cal has a right to be repaid from the part of a settlement that covers medical costs, and a settlement isn't final until it has had the chance to claim its share. Medicare's payments are "conditional" and must be paid back too, and many health plans can claim repayment. Part of our job is to find out who has a claim, and how much, before you sign.
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.
Do you have an office in San Jose?
Yes. Our office is at 45 E Julian St, San Jose, CA 95112, in downtown San Jose. Come in if you like, or we'll come to you, at home or in the hospital. 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

Our easy 3-stepcase review process.

We make getting legal help simple.

  1. Free consultationCall us 24/7 or fill out our form. We'll review your case at no cost.
  2. Review your caseOur experienced attorneys investigate and evaluate your case to build the strongest claim possible.
  3. Injury litigationWe fight for maximum compensation, in negotiation or in court.
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Have a question about a potential case?Talk to a San Jose 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.

(408) 516-4283

24/7 line: (800) 985-9565

  • Available 24/7, including weekends
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