Catastrophic Injury matters in Sacramento
Sacramento sits at the crossroads of two of California's busiest interstates. I-5 runs north-south through downtown past the rail yards, Highway 99 carries valley traffic and agricultural trucks, and the long, exposed Yolo Causeway on I-80 toward Davis is the scene of frequent high-speed pile-ups in tule fog. When a catastrophic injury happens here, the seriously hurt are taken to the region's only Level I trauma center, UC Davis Medical Center in the Oak Park area — the hub for the entire Northern California interior.
MMG Law Firm represents the catastrophically injured throughout the capital region — from Midtown and Natomas to Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, and West Sacramento — in cases before the Sacramento County Superior Court.
What makes a catastrophic case different
These are not ordinary injury claims. They involve permanent harm and decades of cost:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) from causeway and freeway collisions
- Spinal-cord injury and paralysis requiring lifelong mobility and care support
- Severe burns from vehicle and agricultural-equipment fires
- Amputations needing prosthetics replaced for the rest of a person's life
- Polytrauma with multiple fractures, internal injuries, and repeat surgeries
Why a life-care plan decides the outcome
As California's seat of government, Sacramento is full of public vehicles, state and city agencies, and Regional Transit buses — which means a catastrophic claim here often runs against a government entity with a team of defense lawyers. Those defendants and their insurers move quickly to settle low, before the injured person reaches maximum medical improvement. We counter with a life-care plan: a documented, expert-supported projection of every future surgery, therapy session, medication, mobility device, and lost year of income. It is the difference between an insurer's guess and a proven lifetime cost.
Critical deadlines in the capital region
- Two years to file most personal-injury suits in California (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1)
- Six months to file a government claim when a public entity is involved — a state or City of Sacramento vehicle, a county road, or a Regional Transit bus (Government Code §911.2)
- Government claims are common here, and missing the six-month window can permanently bar recovery
What to do after a catastrophic injury in Sacramento
- Keep complete UC Davis trauma and follow-up records
- Decline recorded statements and early settlement offers
- Identify whether a government or commercial defendant is involved
- Preserve scene, vehicle, and equipment evidence promptly
- Call us for a free consultation before you sign anything
We serve clients in English, Armenian, and Russian, and you pay nothing 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.