When life changes in an instant, you need more than legal advice you need someone who understands what you're facing. Catastrophic injuries don’t just heal and move on. They affect every part of your day. Your health. Your job. Your family.
At the Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti, we help people in Sherman Oaks take control after serious accidents. Our team has deep experience in handling high-stakes injury cases, and we know what it takes to go up against insurers, employers, and large companies.
If you’re searching for a Sherman Oaks catastrophic accident lawyer, we’re here to listen, help you understand your options, and fight for the support you need. Our skilled Sherman Oaks catastrophic injury lawyers focus on results that last, not quick fixes.
You don’t pay anything unless we win. Start with a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Sherman Oaks who treats your case like it matters because it does.
What Makes an Injury Catastrophic?
Some injuries change your life in ways you never expected. In California, an injury is considered catastrophic when it leads to a permanent disability or long-term loss of function. That can mean losing the ability to walk, speak, or care for yourself without help.
These aren’t just painful injuries they affect how you earn a living, move around, and live day to day. A brain injury from a rear-end collision, spinal damage after a rollover accident, or burns from a defective product all fall into this category.
Catastrophic injuries require a different legal approach. You need more than just a settlement. You need a plan that covers your future. An experienced attorney will make sure no detail is missed, from current medical costs to future support.
What Is Catastrophic Injury Law?
Catastrophic injury law is a focused part of personal injury law that deals with serious, often permanent injuries. It covers a wide range of cases: motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, falls, product failures, and more. What makes it different is the depth and scope of what’s at stake.
These aren’t minor claims. A typical accident lawyer might deal with bruises or broken bones. But when someone loses a limb or suffers brain damage, the case needs deeper investigation, more expert input, and a long-term strategy. The legal team needs to understand the full impact physically, financially, and emotionally.
Think about a T-bone accident caused by a distracted driver. The victim suffers a brain injury and can’t return to work. Their family has to adapt to a whole new way of life. In this kind of case, your lawyer isn’t just after a payout they’re focused on getting maximum compensation to help rebuild what’s been lost.
If you're dealing with this level of harm, you want someone who knows how to handle accident claims like yours. Someone who’s worked on cases involving non-economic damages, punitive damages, and long-term care costs.
What Is Considered Catastrophic Damage?
Not all damage is visible. After a serious accident, the harm often runs deeper than broken bones or stitches. Catastrophic damage can mean years of therapy, permanent loss of income, and a major hit to your quality of life.
It includes things like needing lifelong medical care, being unable to return to work, or dealing with emotional distress that changes how you connect with others. If you can’t pick up your child, walk without pain, or sleep through the night, that’s catastrophic.
When you talk to a catastrophic injury lawyer, they should ask about more than the accident scene. They should want to understand what your life looked like before the accident and what it looks like now.
Catastrophic Accidents in Sherman Oaks
Sherman Oaks might feel like a peaceful neighborhood, but serious accidents still happen often in the same locations and for the same reasons. We’ve helped personal injury clients across the area deal with the fallout of accidents caused by unsafe conditions, reckless drivers, and negligent parties.
These accidents aren’t always headline-making events. Sometimes it’s a workplace accident that could’ve been avoided with the right safety equipment. Sometimes it’s a catastrophic car accident injury at a busy intersection, or an e-scooter crash where the road wasn’t properly maintained.
Common local causes include:
- Auto collisions at intersections like Ventura Blvd and Sepulveda, often caused by rear drivers, blind spots, or impaired driving
- Injuries on construction sites, especially in growing retail or residential areas
- Slip and falls in stores or on sidewalks with poor lighting or broken pavement
- Pedestrian and scooter accidents on Ventura, where foot traffic meets fast-moving cars
- On-the-job injuries from unsafe conditions, heavy machinery, or poor training
Local legal challenges:
Working with a catastrophic injury attorney in Sherman Oaks means you’re not just hiring someone who knows the law you’re working with someone who knows how it works here.
In LA County, things can move fast or get held up depending on the court. Your lawyer needs to know which judge expects what, how insurance carriers tend to behave, and how to respond if they try to shift blame or delay your case.
What Compensation Can You Recover?
After a severe accident, people worry most about what comes next paying for care, keeping their job, protecting their family. A catastrophic personal injury lawyer looks beyond quick settlements. We help you fight for the full cost of what you’ve lost and what you’ll need in the future.
That includes medical treatment costs right after the accident, but also ongoing treatment like physical therapy, mental health care, and future surgeries. It also means making up for lost wages or the chance to advance in your career.
We’ve helped clients recover money for:
- Serious, long-term bodily injuries that require lifelong care
- Loss of enjoyment if they can’t do what they used to, whether that’s parenting, hobbies, or even walking without help
- Loss of consortium, a legal term for the way relationships suffer after trauma
- Punitive damages, in cases where the at-fault party acted with extreme carelessness
How to File a Catastrophic Injury Claim in California
The first steps after a serious accident matter. Getting the right medical attention, documenting the accident scene, and avoiding early mistakes like giving recorded statements to the wrong people can protect your claim.
In California, you usually have two years to file a lawsuit. But there are exceptions. Some injuries take longer to show their full effects. Others involve complicated questions about who was at fault or multiple responsible parties.
An experienced catastrophic injury law firm helps by:
- Making sure your claim is filed before the statute of limitations runs out
- Collecting the right records: witness statements, medical evaluations, employment history
- Fighting back when insurance carriers try to downplay injuries or blame comparative negligence
Filing a claim isn’t just about legal paperwork it’s about giving you the peace of mind that comes from knowing someone is protecting your right to a fair settlement.
What You Need to Prove in a Catastrophic Injury Case
Winning a serious injury case means more than just saying someone got hurt. You have to show the full story of what happened, why it happened, and how it changed your life.
In most cases, your injury attorneys will need to prove four things:
- Someone had a responsibility to act safely
- They didn’t live up to that responsibility
- That failure caused the injury
- The injury led to real, lasting harm
Let’s say you were in a T-bone accident caused by a driver under the influence of drugs. If your accident report, medical records, and expert evaluations show how that crash led to life-altering injuries, your case has a strong foundation.
This is where expert input makes a difference. Doctors can explain how skin grafts or spinal surgeries affect your long-term health. Vocational experts can show how your job options have changed. Every piece helps paint a full picture, especially for validation purposes during negotiations with insurance companies or in court.
We work with specialists across fields to make sure no detail is missed and no avenues for compensation are ignored.
How Long Do You Have to File a Lawsuit in California?
Time matters in injury cases. In California, you usually have two years from the date of the injury to file a claim. But that deadline isn’t always set in stone.
If you were under 18, or if you didn’t know right away that you were seriously hurt, the clock may start later. These exceptions can be hard to understand on your own, especially when you’re also dealing with recovery, emergency medical needs, or back-and-forth with your insurance provider.
The sooner you speak with a Sherman Oaks catastrophic accident lawyer, the better. Official reports, witness statements, and even video footage are easier to collect early on. The longer you wait, the harder it can be to build a strong argument and secure a reasonable settlement.
Do I Have a Serious Injury Claim?
You don’t need to guess. A lot of people don’t realize they have a valid claim until it’s too late. Maybe they think their injury isn’t “serious enough.” Or they trust the accident settlement amount the insurance company offers even if it doesn’t begin to cover their needs.
Here’s the truth: if your injury has changed how you work, live, or move, it’s worth speaking to a lawyer. Even soft tissue injuries from a car accident can lead to chronic pain, missed work, or costly rehab. And some defective product cases look minor at first but reveal bigger problems later.
An experienced lawyer can help you figure out if your injury qualifies under the law and if the parties responsible should be held accountable. At our personal injury law firm, we’ve handled everything from common injuries to rare complications, and we don’t leave any stone unturned.
There’s no upfront cost for that first conversation. And even if you’re unsure, it’s better to get answers now than to find out later that your chance at ample compensation has passed.
What Kind of Lawyer Do I Need to Sue a Company for Injury?
When you're hurt because of a company’s mistake whether it’s a defective product, unsafe conditions, or something else you need someone who understands how these cases actually work. Personal injury claims against businesses involve more than just proving you were injured. You have to deal with teams of lawyers whose job is to protect the company.
This is why you don’t want just any accident attorney. You need a catastrophic injury lawyer who knows how to dig into product liability, employer responsibility, and other aspects of liability that show where the company went wrong. These cases often involve deep research, expert reports, and legal strategies that go beyond standard car accident claims.
If you're facing complex issues with a large company, your lawyer should know how to handle civil lawsuits, question their team, and stay strong through aggressive negotiation. The goal is simple: hold the right people accountable and help you pursue fair compensation.
How Hard Is It to Win a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
It depends on the details. Some cases are clear-cut. Others take time to build. What often makes the difference is the strength of your evidence, the quality of your experts, and how well your legal team handles the process.
A strong case needs more than a police report. You’ll likely need medical records, witness statements, and professionals who can explain what happened and what it means for your future. That’s where a dedicated team makes a big difference.
Most personal injury claims settle before trial. But not all. Some need to go to court to get a result that truly reflects what you've been through. The sooner you act, the easier it is to preserve evidence, understand your options, and prepare your case. Early legal help often improves the chances of getting maximum compensation.
What Percentage Do Most Personal Injury Lawyers Take in California?
Most Personal injury attorneys in California work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay anything unless they recover money for you. If you win, the lawyer takes a percentage usually between 33% and 40%.
This percentage covers the cost of running the case like expert reviews, filing fees, and the time spent negotiating or preparing for court. It’s a system that gives you access to legal help without needing to pay upfront. You can focus on healing while your lawyer focuses on your case.
Every law firm explains their fees during the initial consultation, so you’ll know exactly what to expect. And if there’s no recovery, you owe nothing. It’s meant to make legal help accessible, even during tough financial times.
What Is the 5-Year Rule in California Personal Injury Cases?
Not every injury is obvious right away. Sometimes symptoms show up later or the true extent of the damage becomes clear only after time. That’s where California’s 5-year rule comes into play.
Normally, you have two years to take legal action. But if your injury wasn’t clear until after the accident what the law calls delayed discovery you may still have a chance to file. This can apply in medical cases, behavioral issues after trauma, or long-term injuries from an auto crash, bicycle crash, or even an encounter with a wild animal under the care of a negligent animal handler.
These cases are harder to prove, but not impossible. With the right attorney about liability, supporting evidence, and medical insight, you may still be able to move forward. If you’re unsure, it’s worth asking about your rights during a risk-free consultation with an experienced team.
How Much Can You Sue for in a Catastrophic Injury Case?
There’s no fixed number when it comes to a catastrophic injury claim. Each case is different. The amount you can recover depends on how badly you were hurt, how much your life has changed, and who’s responsible.
Courts and insurers look at the big picture physical pain, lost wages, medical care, and how your injury will affect you years from now. They also consider whether negligent drivers or companies played a role and how serious their mistake was.
Some cases may be worth hundreds of thousands. Others reach into the millions. It depends on the severity of injuries, the strength of your case, and how clearly your losses are shown. The goal is to help you recover the full amount you need to move forward with your life.
Why Hire a Sherman Oaks Catastrophic Accident Lawyer?
If you live in Sherman Oaks and you’re dealing with a serious injury, having a lawyer who knows the area can make a real difference. Local knowledge means understanding how LA County courts work, what to expect from insurance companies, and how to deal with them.
The Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti has that insight and the extensive experience needed for complex claims. Whether your injury came from a crash, a fall, or distracted driving, we build a case around your specific needs never a generic template.
We don’t rush. We don’t assume. We take the time to understand what happened and what you need. Then we fight for financial compensation that reflects the true cost of your injuries.
Get Help Now: Talk to a Sherman Oaks Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
If you’re unsure about what to do next, start by having a conversation. At the Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti, we offer free consultations to anyone dealing with catastrophic injuries in Sherman Oaks.
You won’t pay anything upfront. We work on a contingency basis, which means we only get paid if you do. It’s a chance to ask questions, understand your options, and see if we’re the right fit for your case.
Your story matters. Let a Sherman Oaks catastrophic accident lawyer help you take the next step.
