Hurt in California?
Insurance Owes You.
From the 405 to the Bay Bridge to the I-5 down to San Diego — when an at-fault driver, property owner, or rideshare insurer underestimates your case, we step in. Madison Law Firm PLLC handles California injury matters in association with California-licensed co-counsel. One intake, one point of contact, full file.
What changes when your case is in California
If you've moved from a no-fault state — or if your only frame of reference is New York — these are the four things that change how your case is built from day one.
Time matters
Most California injury cases must be filed within two years of the accident — one full year less than New York. Claims against public agencies (a city bus, a county hospital, CalTrans) can have notice deadlines as short as six months. The clock starts the day you're hurt.
No "serious injury threshold"
California is a tort (at-fault) state — not no-fault. You file directly against the at-fault driver's insurance. There's no statutory threshold of injury severity you have to clear before you can pursue pain-and-suffering damages. That's a meaningfully more direct path than New York's no-fault system.
state law applies
Even if you're found 99% responsible, California still lets you recover the 1% — your award is just reduced by your share of fault. Insurance adjusters know this and aggressively try to assign blame to your client to pull the number down. That's where having counsel matters.
No general damages cap
Unlike states that cap pain-and-suffering damages categorically, California has no general cap on non-economic damages in most injury cases. (Medical malpractice has its own caps under, which is its own conversation.) For the typical car crash, slip-and-fall, or premises case, the recovery is whatever a jury says it's worth.
From freeway crashes to rideshare to premises
Every California injury case runs through the same intake we use for our NY borough cases. Same investigation depth. Same trial-ready file preparation.
Car Accidents
Rear-ends, T-bones, intersection crashes, freeway pile-ups. We work directly with the at-fault driver's insurer and pursue everything California's at-fault system allows.
Learn more →Rideshare (Uber / Lyft)
California mandates $1M commercial liability while a rideshare driver is on a trip. We've handled the policy-period nuances — Period 1, 2, and 3 — that determine whose insurer pays.
Learn more →Truck Accidents
18-wheelers on the I-5 and I-10, delivery trucks in LA, commercial vans on the 405. Federal motor-carrier rules layer on top of California law — and so do multiple insurance policies.
Learn more →Motorcycle Accidents
California is the only state where lane-splitting is legal — and insurers still try to weaponize it against riders. We know the playbook and how to counter it.
Learn more →Slip-and-Fall · Premises
Grocery stores, hotels, beach boardwalks, apartment-building stairwells. California owners owe a duty to keep premises reasonably safe — and we prove when they didn't.
Learn more →Pedestrian Accidents
California has some of the highest pedestrian-injury rates in the country, especially in LA and the Bay Area. Crosswalk law and traffic-camera evidence are decisive — we know how to gather both.
Learn more →Bicycle & E-Bike
Bike lanes in SF, Venice, and Santa Monica are heavily-used and heavily-contested. E-bike class regulations add a layer most lawyers miss. We don't.
Learn more →Wrongful Death
California's wrongful-death statute and survival statute create two related but distinct claims — we file both where the facts support it. No fee, ever, when families are grieving.
Learn more →Dog Bites
California is a product fault state for dog bites — meaning the owner is liable even if the dog has never bitten anyone before. New York has a one-bite rule. Major difference.
Learn more →California
Ten cities and metros across California. Pick where it happened — or scroll down for neighborhood-level coverage in the dense metros.
- Los AngelesFrom the 405 to Hollywood Boulevard to Venice — LA County injury cases run through the country's largest local injury market.
- San FranciscoSOMA, the Marina, MUNI platforms, the Bay Bridge — SF cases mean dense urban geometry and high pedestrian/cyclist impact.
- San DiegoI-5 corridor, Gaslamp tourism injuries, Pacific Beach rideshare, military-adjacent traffic — full SD County coverage.
- SacramentoState-government commute traffic, Midtown nightlife, the I-5/I-80 interchange, and Central Valley connector cases.
- Orange CountyAnaheim · Santa Ana · Irvine · Newport · Huntington Beach. Disney premises, theme-park injuries, and PCH coastal cases.
- Inland EmpireRiverside · San Bernardino · Ontario · Temecula. Warehouse-corridor truck cases and 91/15/10 commuter crashes.
- OaklandI-880 Nimitz Freeway, Port of Oakland truck volume, Downtown / Temescal / Rockridge. Alameda County Superior Court.
- San JoseSilicon Valley freeway triangle (I-280/US-101/I-680). SAP Center · Levi's Stadium adjacency. Santa Clara County.
- AnaheimDisneyland Resort, Angel Stadium, Honda Center. I-5 / SR-91 interchange traffic. Anaheim PD jurisdiction.
- Long BeachPort of Long Beach truck volume, 405/710 interchange, Pine Avenue / Belmont Shore. Long Beach PD jurisdiction.
One firm. One intake. Local filings.
The honest version of how an NY-based firm handles a California injury case. Disclosed in writing. Same point of contact start to finish.
You call us
One number, one intake form. We open your file, gather initial facts, and start preserving evidence — police reports, medical records, surveillance video that disappears in 30 days if no one asks.
We bring in CA co-counsel
Where California-specific filings and court appearances are required, we associate with a California-licensed attorney under a written disclosure you sign. The total fee is the same as if one firm did the work — no double billing.
We stay on your case
You don't get handed off. We remain primary counsel — strategy, settlement decisions, communication. The CA attorney files in California courts and appears where needed. You always know who's holding your file.
Cities We Serve in California
Pick the closest city. We know the roads and the local courts.
- Los AngelesLA freeways, sidewalks, and rideshare — we work it all.
- San FranciscoSF Muni, BART, and bike lanes — we know the city.
- San DiegoFrom downtown to the beaches — we handle SD cases.
- OaklandI-880, BART, and East Bay crashes — call us.
- SacramentoCapital region crashes, falls, and worksite injuries.
- San JoseSouth Bay, 101 and 280 crashes, tech-corridor injuries.
- FresnoCentral Valley crashes and farm-area accidents.
- BakersfieldHighway 99 and oil-field area injuries.
- AnaheimOC freeways and theme-park area cases.
- Beverly HillsWestside cases — we know the streets.
Tell us what happened
Free case review. We respond same day. No fee unless we win.
The clock started the day you were hurt.
California gives you two years for most injury cases — less for claims against public agencies. The sooner we open your file, the more evidence we preserve.