Catastrophic Injury matters in Glendale
Glendale sits at the crossroads of three freeways, the 134, the 2, and the nearby 5, and a catastrophic crash on any of them can send a victim straight to a trauma center such as nearby Glendale Memorial or, for the most severe cases, USC Verdugo Hills or a Level I center in neighboring Los Angeles. As a hometown firm, MMG Law Firm knows this city well: the dense retail and office towers along Brand Boulevard and the Americana, the older residential hillsides toward the Verdugo Mountains, and the steady flow of commuters moving between Glendale, Burbank, and the Eagle Rock side of LA. When a serious injury happens here, the local roots and the legal experience both matter.
What makes a catastrophic injury case unique
Catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal-cord injury, severe burns, traumatic amputations, and polytrauma with multiple fractures, are not ordinary claims. They reshape a person's ability to work, to move, and to live independently. Because the stakes are so high, insurance companies fight these cases harder than any other, often disputing how the injury happened and how permanent it really is. Glendale's substantial Armenian-American community deserves a lawyer who will explain every step clearly, in plain language, in their own language when needed.
Building the case with a life-care plan
The backbone of any serious-injury claim is the life-care plan. Working alongside treating doctors, a life-care planner projects the lifetime cost of surgery, rehabilitation, medication, durable equipment, and attendant care. We then bring in vocational experts to measure lost earning capacity and economists to value those future costs in today's dollars. This is how a catastrophic claim is proven, and it is how families avoid being shortchanged.
Types of catastrophic injuries we handle
- Traumatic brain injury, including concussion damage that worsens over time
- Spinal-cord injury and partial or complete paralysis
- Severe burns and permanent scarring
- Amputations and crush injuries
- Multiple fractures and serious internal injuries
What to do after a serious injury in Glendale
Get full medical care and follow through on every referral, because gaps in treatment are used against injured people. Keep records, photographs, and the names of any witnesses. Avoid giving a recorded statement to the other side's insurer before you have legal advice, and do not accept an early settlement before you reach maximum medical improvement, when your long-term condition is finally clear.
Filing deadlines and the local court
In California, most injury claims must be filed within two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a public entity is responsible, such as a City of Glendale vehicle or a dangerous condition on a public road, a written government claim is generally due within six months under Government Code section 911.2. Cases from Glendale are usually filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, with many matters handled at the nearby Glendale Courthouse. MMG Law Firm offers free consultations in English, Armenian, and Russian, and we charge no fee unless we recover for you.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with catastrophic injury
A catastrophic injury is measured over a lifetime, and Mihran M. Ghazaryan builds it that way. He assembles the life-care plan and the medical and economic experts who can prove the true future cost, refuses the quick lowball offer insurers use to close out large exposure early, and prepares the case for the long horizon it requires — so the recovery reflects the care you'll actually need.
Types of catastrophic injuries we handle
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
From concussion with lasting cognitive effects to severe TBI. We pair imaging and neuropsychological testing with day-in-the-life evidence so the invisible effects are made concrete.
Spinal-cord injury and paralysis
Paraplegia and quadriplegia carry lifelong attendant-care and accessibility costs. A life-care plan quantifies them so the demand reflects the real future.
Amputation, severe burns, and disfigurement
Permanent loss and scarring support significant non-economic damages alongside future surgical and prosthetic costs.
Multiple fractures and polytrauma
Injuries needing several surgeries, hardware, and extended rehabilitation, where future-treatment proof drives the value.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every catastrophic injury claim is different, but California law allows injured plaintiffs to seek several categories of damages. We build each one with documentation — medical records, wage statements, expert opinions — so nothing is left on the table.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and the future treatment your providers say you'll need.
Lost wages
Income you lost while recovering — and, where the injury affects your ability to work, diminished future earning capacity.
Pain and suffering
Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and the ways the injury has changed how you live day to day.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other property damaged in the incident.
Out-of-pocket costs
Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, household help, and the other expenses an injury forces on you.
How we work
- 1
Free, no-pressure consultation
We listen first. We answer your questions. There is no fee for the initial conversation — and you decide whether to engage us at the end of it.
- 2
Investigation and evidence preservation
Police reports, scene photos, witness statements, vehicle data, surveillance video, medical records. The earlier we collect, the harder it is for the other side to reshape the story later.
- 3
Treatment, demand, and negotiation
We coordinate with your providers, document the full extent of damages — medical, lost income, pain — and present a demand backed by evidence. We push back firmly when an insurer lowballs.
- 4
Litigation when necessary
Most matters settle. When an insurer refuses to be reasonable, we file. Preparing every case as if it will be tried is what makes the settlement number move.
What to do right away
- Follow every treatment recommendation and keep all specialist appointments — gaps in care get used against you.
- Keep a journal of pain, limitations, and how daily life has changed.
- Preserve everything: medical records, bills, the device or vehicle involved, and the scene if possible.
- Designate one family member to track providers and expenses while you focus on recovery.
- Do not accept an early settlement before the full extent of future care is known.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the insurer before speaking with a lawyer.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Deadlines that matter
Most California personal-injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss the window and the court will almost always dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.
Claims against government entities are much shorter — generally a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Crashes involving city vehicles, public buses, or dangerous public-road conditions can fall under this rule.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.