Catastrophic Injury matters in San Jose
As the largest city in the Bay Area, San Jose channels enormous daily traffic through US-101, I-280, I-880, and SR-87 — corridors packed with commuters, rideshares, tech-campus shuttles, and delivery vehicles. Construction cranes rise across North San Jose and downtown, and the region's commercial and tech-manufacturing footprint adds workplace and equipment hazards on top of road risk. When the worst happens, the severely injured are brought to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, the South Bay's Level I trauma center.
MMG Law Firm represents catastrophically injured people throughout San Jose — from Willow Glen and East San Jose to Berryessa, Evergreen, and Santa Teresa — with cases heard in the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Why catastrophic cases are a different fight
The defining feature of these cases is permanence. The injury does not heal; it must be managed for life:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) with lasting cognitive and behavioral effects
- Spinal-cord injury and paralysis requiring home modification and attendant care
- Severe burns from vehicle, electrical, or industrial fires
- Amputations and prosthetics replaced again and again over decades
- Polytrauma with multiple fractures and repeat reconstructive surgery
The life-care plan against deep-pocketed insurers
San Jose cases frequently involve large employers, commercial fleets, and well-funded corporate insurers — and those insurers know exactly how to push a fast, low settlement before the injured person reaches maximum medical improvement. We build the case around a life-care plan: a physician-, vocational-, and economist-supported projection of every future surgery, therapy, device, medication, and lost year of earning capacity. In a region where future income can be substantial, getting that economic proof right is what keeps the real number on the table.
Deadlines that govern your claim
- Two years to file most personal-injury lawsuits in California (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1)
- Six months to file a government claim if a public entity is involved — a City of San Jose vehicle, a VTA bus or light-rail train, or a county road (Government Code §911.2)
- Multiple defendants are common, and each may have separate notice requirements
What to do after a catastrophic injury in San Jose
- Keep complete Santa Clara Valley Medical Center records
- Do not give a recorded statement or accept an early offer
- Identify every potentially responsible party, including employers and fleets
- Preserve scene, vehicle, and equipment evidence quickly
- Call us for a free consultation before you sign anything
We assist clients in English, Armenian, and Russian, and there is never a 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.