Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyers — Felicetti Law Firm, California

The Westwood Boulevard office sits a few blocks from the 405 and the Wilshire corridor, which is to say in the middle of one of the densest crash environments in the United States. Los Angeles County alone records tens of thousands of injury collisions a year, and the freeway network that makes the region work is also what fills its trauma centers.

The Westwood Boulevard Office

Call (800) 333-1988

Two Years to Sue — Six Months If a Public Agency Is Involved

California gives an injured person two years from the date of injury to file suit (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). That is the figure most people have heard, and for an ordinary crash between two private drivers it is the one that applies.

It does not apply when the defendant is a public entity. Under the Government Claims Act a claim for personal injury or death must be presented to the public entity within six months of accrual (Gov. Code § 911.2). If the entity rejects it in writing, suit must follow within six months of that rejection notice (Gov. Code § 945.6).

City buses, Metro, county vehicles, school districts, public hospitals and dangerous-condition claims against a roadway all run on that shorter clock. A late claim application exists, but it is narrow and discretionary — it is a rescue, not a plan.

California Never Bars a Claim for Partial Fault

Since Li v. Yellow Cab Co. in 1975, California has applied pure comparative negligence. A jury assigns each party a percentage and the award is reduced by the plaintiff’s share — but it is never extinguished by it. A driver found eighty percent responsible still recovers twenty percent.

Insurers know this and price around it, which is why the fight in a California case is so often about percentages rather than about whether a claim exists at all. Percentages are evidence-driven, and they move when someone actually works the scene, the vehicle data and the witnesses.

Proposition 213: The Rule That Catches Uninsured Drivers

California law bars an uninsured motorist from recovering non-economic damages — pain, suffering, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life — arising from a crash, even where the other driver was entirely at fault (Civil Code § 3333.4, enacted by Proposition 213). Medical bills, lost earnings and property damage remain recoverable.

The same bar applies to a driver convicted of DUI in connection with the collision. There are exceptions — passengers in an uninsured vehicle, employer-owned vehicles the employer failed to insure, and some situations where a policy lapsed without the claimant’s knowledge — and they are worth checking before anyone concludes a case is not worth bringing. This is the single most misunderstood rule in California auto claims, and people talk themselves out of valid cases over it every week.

What the Firm Handles Across Southern California

From Westwood the firm covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego counties, and takes California matters statewide. The work runs across freeway and surface-street collisions, tractor-trailer crashes on the I-5 and I-710 freight routes, motorcycle claims including lane-splitting disputes, rideshare collisions, pedestrian and cyclist injuries, premises liability, construction injuries, workers’ compensation and wrongful death.

Start With a Free Review

If a public agency might be involved, the meaningful deadline is six months, not two years, and it is already running. Reach the Felicetti Law Firm at (800) 333-1988 at any hour, or describe your case online. Consultations are free and the firm works on contingency — no fee unless there is a recovery. Past outcomes are on the results page.

Call (800) 333-1988 — Free California Case Review

Other states where Felicetti handles claims: Arizona · Texas · Colorado · New York

The California rules summarised on this page are general and carry exceptions. This is not legal advice and reading it does not make us your lawyers. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. California matters are handled by attorneys licensed in California.