Were you diagnosed with a brain injury after an accident in Culver City, CA?
At Cohen Injury Law Group, we are recognized brain injury lawyers pursuing full recovery for injured clients and their families.
If you or someone in your family suffered a brain injury in an accident in Culver City, the medical reality can be overwhelming: cognitive deficits that may or may not improve, rehabilitation that stretches across years, and costs that accumulate far beyond what most families are prepared for. A Culver City, CA brain injury lawyer at our firm can manage the legal process while your family focuses on treatment and recovery. We take brain injury cases on contingency. Contact us to discuss your case.
Brain Injury Lawyer Culver City, CA
A traumatic brain injury occurs when an external force disrupts normal brain function. The injury can result from a direct blow to the head, a sudden jolt that causes the brain to move inside the skull, or an object penetrating the skull. TBIs range from mild concussions that resolve within weeks to severe injuries that cause permanent cognitive, physical, and behavioral impairment.
According to CDC brain injury data, there were approximately 214,110 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2020 and 68,663 TBI-related deaths in 2023 across the United States. That translates to more than 586 hospitalizations and 190 deaths per day. In Culver City, CA, the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries are motor vehicle collisions, falls on commercial or residential property, and bicycle or pedestrian accidents on high-traffic corridors.
Types of Brain Injury Cases We Handle in Culver City
Brain injuries result from a wide range of accidents, and the liable party depends on how and where the injury occurred. Our firm handles the following types of brain injury cases in Culver City, CA.
- Car accidents. Vehicle collisions are one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injury in adults. NHTSA crash data shows that tens of thousands of people die in motor vehicle crashes each year, and many survivors sustain head injuries. A head striking the steering wheel, dashboard, or side window during a crash can cause contusions, diffuse axonal injury, or intracranial bleeding.
- Motorcycle accidents. Riders who are thrown from a motorcycle or who strike the pavement head-first face a high risk of severe TBI, even when wearing a helmet. Helmets reduce the severity but do not eliminate the danger, and the delayed onset of symptoms means some riders do not realize the extent of their injury for days.
- Pedestrian accidents. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle has no protection from the impact. The head often strikes the hood, windshield, or pavement, and the resulting brain injuries tend to be among the most severe that emergency departments treat.
- Slip and falls. Falls are the leading cause of TBI-related hospitalizations, particularly among older adults and young children. A wet floor in a grocery store, an uneven sidewalk, or a poorly maintained staircase can cause a fall that results in a skull fracture, subdural hematoma, or concussion.
- Bicycle accidents. Cyclists who are struck by vehicles or thrown over the handlebars after hitting a road defect are vulnerable to head injuries. Culver City’s mix of bike lanes, shared roadways, and heavy traffic creates conditions where these accidents happen regularly.
- Truck accidents. Collisions involving commercial trucks produce greater force than standard vehicle crashes. The size and weight differential between a truck and a passenger car means that occupants of the smaller vehicle absorb a disproportionate amount of the impact, and brain injuries are a frequent result.
- Construction accidents. Falling objects, falls from scaffolding, and equipment strikes on active job sites cause traumatic brain injuries that may involve both a workers’ compensation claim and a third-party personal injury claim against the property owner or general contractor.
Why Choose Cohen Injury Law Group as My Brain Injury Lawyer in Culver City, CA?
A Record of Recovering Compensation for Serious Injuries
Brain injury claims are among the most complex in personal injury law. The damages are high, the medical evidence is technical, and insurers routinely hire their own neurologists to dispute the severity of the diagnosis or argue that the cognitive deficits were pre-existing. Winning these cases requires neuropsychological testing, life care plans, vocational rehabilitation assessments, and physicians who can explain the long-term prognosis to a jury in terms they can act on.
That kind of case calls for a lawyer who has spent decades in front of juries. Wayne Cohen has represented injured plaintiffs since 1991 and has taught trial advocacy to law students at GW Law School since 1993, drawing on a legal education he completed cum laude at the University of Miami School of Law. Over that career, he has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients. A personal injury lawyer in Culver City, CA at our firm brings that experience to the medical and evidentiary complexity a brain injury case demands, and we take these claims on contingency.
When an insurer argues that a client’s cognitive deficits predate the accident, the answer usually comes from records outside the treating file: school and employment history, performance evaluations, and accounts from people who knew the client before. Assembling that record is the work of Nicholas Cohen, the firm’s managing partner, who attended USC and earned his law degree from Loyola Law School Los Angeles.
What Is Important to Understand About a Brain Injury Case?
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Brain Injury Cases
The damages in a brain injury case can be among the largest in personal injury law. Economic damages include emergency medical transport, hospitalization, neurosurgery, imaging, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient therapy, prescription medication, assistive devices, home modifications, and lost income. When the injury is permanent, future medical costs and diminished earning capacity can extend across the rest of the victim’s life. A severe TBI that requires lifelong attendant care can generate economic damages in the millions.
Noneconomic damages account for the parts of the injury that cannot be reduced to a dollar figure: chronic pain, cognitive decline, personality changes, loss of independence, and the toll that the injury takes on the victim’s relationships and daily life. The NIH’s brain injury overview describes TBI as a condition that can affect every aspect of a person’s functioning. California does not cap noneconomic damages in most personal injury cases. Families who have lost a loved one to a fatal brain injury may also pursue a wrongful death claim.
What Are Important Aspects of a Brain Injury Case?
Brain injury claims present challenges that distinguish them from other personal injury cases. The factors that most affect the outcome include:
- The severity and classification of the TBI. Mild, moderate, and severe brain injuries have different treatment trajectories, different prognoses, and different damage profiles. A Glasgow Coma Scale score recorded at the scene or in the emergency room often becomes a focal point of the case.
- Whether symptoms were delayed. Some brain injuries do not produce obvious symptoms for hours or days. An injured person who walks away from an accident and later develops headaches, memory loss, or behavioral changes may have sustained a TBI that was not immediately diagnosed.
- The availability of neuroimaging and medical documentation. CT scans, MRIs, and neuropsychological testing provide objective evidence of the injury. Cases with strong imaging tend to produce stronger outcomes.
- Whether the defense will challenge causation. Insurers frequently argue that the victim’s cognitive issues were pre-existing or unrelated to the accident. We build our cases to address that argument head-on.
Understanding brain injury compensation under California law is an important first step in evaluating a claim.
What Is the Brain Injury Case Timeline?
Brain injury cases tend to move more slowly than other personal injury claims because the full extent of the injury often takes months or longer to become clear. The general progression follows these stages:
- Emergency treatment, stabilization, and initial neurological evaluation. Many brain injury patients require ICU care, and some undergo surgery to relieve intracranial pressure.
- Rehabilitation, which may include inpatient programs, outpatient cognitive therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological counseling.
- Once the treating physicians can project the long-term prognosis and future care needs, we file claims with the at-fault party’s insurer.
- Negotiation follows. Our attorneys present the medical evidence, life care plans, and economic projections and demand compensation that accounts for the full scope of harm.
- If the insurer refuses to offer adequate compensation, we take the case to court.
Under CDC guidelines, even a mild TBI can produce symptoms lasting months. Section 335.1 of the California Code of Civil Procedure gives injured individuals two years from the date of the accident to file suit. Claims involving government property may have shorter deadlines.
What Should You Bring to Your Brain Injury Consultation?
Brain injury cases depend heavily on medical evidence. Bringing the following materials to your initial meeting will help us evaluate the claim more thoroughly:
- Emergency room records, CT or MRI imaging results, and neurology or neuropsychology reports
- Hospital discharge summaries and any inpatient rehabilitation records
- Documentation of symptoms including headaches, memory difficulties, mood changes, or difficulty concentrating
- The police or incident report from the accident that caused the injury
- Any communication from the at-fault party’s insurance company
We will review your materials and give you a direct assessment of where your case stands.
Reach Out to Cohen Injury Law Group to Schedule a Consultation
Our attorneys can assess the full scope of the harm, work with the medical professionals needed to document it, and pursue compensation that reflects the long-term impact on your life. If you or a family member suffered a brain injury in Culver City, CA, we take these cases on contingency and charge no attorney fees unless we recover.
You can contact us to schedule an initial consultation at no cost.
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Santa Monica
2636 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405 -
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520 Broadway, 2nd Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401 -
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633 W 5th St, Unit 2876A
Los Angeles, CA 90071 -
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394 E Main St, Suite 302
Ventura, CA 93001
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