$2,850,000
Slip-and-fall matter
Premises liability
Personal injury
Personal Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles County
In a serious injury case the number that matters most is not what has been spent on treatment so far. It is what the injury will cost over a lifetime, and establishing that is a different kind of work. The consultation is free.
Patrick S. AguirrePersonal injury attorney · Long BeachCallback request
Talk with our office
Leave your contact information and, if helpful, a short general summary. The office will follow up.
Thank you.
The office received your contact request. If your matter is urgent, call 562-904-4337.
The deadlines
Two years, six months, and one year
Two years is the general rule. Medical negligence runs on its own shorter clock. And Los Angeles County is dense with public entities — the County itself, the City of Los Angeles and eighty-seven other cities, Metro, LAUSD, county hospitals, and the agencies responsible for roads — so the six-month government claim deadline applies to a large share of cases here.
That is the trap worth repeating. A fall on a public sidewalk, a collision with a county vehicle, a bus, an injury at a public school, or treatment at a county hospital all require a written claim within six months, and only six months remain to sue once it is rejected.
Sources: Code of Civil Procedure 335.1 — two years for injury or death; Code of Civil Procedure 340.5 — medical negligence: one year from discovery, three-year outer limit; Government Code 911.2(a) — six months to present a government claim; Government Code 945.6(a) — six months to sue after rejection.
The work
How a serious injury claim is actually built
Liability first: who was responsible, and how many of them. Proposition 51, codified at Civil Code 1431.2, makes each defendant liable for non-economic damages only in proportion to their own share of fault, while economic damages remain joint and several. That makes identifying every responsible party a substantive part of the recovery rather than a formality.
Then the medicine, which in a serious case means not only the treatment already given but what the injury will require: surgery, therapy, equipment, medication, attendant care, and the accommodations a permanent impairment needs. In a catastrophic case that is documented through the treating physicians and, where the injury is lasting, a life-care plan reduced to present value.
Then the economics: lost income, and lost earning capacity where the injury changes what a person can do for the rest of their working life. That is often the largest single component and the one most frequently under-documented.
Sources: Civil Code 3333 — the measure of damages for a tort; Civil Code 1431.2 — Proposition 51: non-economic damages are several, not joint.
What reduces it
The rules that cut a Los Angeles recovery
Comparative fault reduces recovery by the injured person’s own share. Proposition 213 bars non-economic damages entirely for an uninsured owner driving their own vehicle or a driver convicted of DUI in the incident. In medical negligence, Civil Code 3333.2 caps non-economic damages, at $470,000 for injury and $650,000 for wrongful death in 2026.
Liens are the part people do not anticipate. Health insurers, Medi-Cal, Medicare, workers’ compensation carriers, and providers who treated on a lien all assert claims against a recovery. Negotiating them down is a real component of what an injured person actually keeps, and it happens at the end when it is easy to overlook.
Sources: Civil Code 3333.4 — Proposition 213; Civil Code 3333.2 — the medical malpractice cap on non-economic damages; California Department of Health Care Services — Medi-Cal recovery against personal injury settlements.
The courts
Where these cases are filed
Los Angeles Superior Court is the largest trial court in the United States, and civil cases are filed in the district appropriate to where the incident occurred or where a defendant resides. For Long Beach and the surrounding area that is generally the Southeast District at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, with unlimited civil matters also heard at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown. Case timelines here are long, which is one more reason the early evidence work matters.
Sources: Los Angeles Superior Court — civil filing locations and case access.
The office
How the office handles serious injury cases
The Law Offices of Patrick S. Aguirre has represented injured people across Los Angeles County for nearly three decades, with offices in Long Beach and Downey. The early work is coverage, evidence, and deadlines: finding every policy that might respond including the client’s own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, preserving what is about to be lost, and protecting any government claim deadline.
No result is promised here, and no case value is offered before the medical picture is known. The office speaks Spanish and the consultation is free.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions
How long do I have to file in Los Angeles County?
Generally two years from the injury under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. Medical negligence runs under Code of Civil Procedure 340.5 at one year from discovery. If a public entity is involved — the County, a city, Metro, a school district, or a county hospital — a written government claim is due within six months under Government Code 911.2, and only six months remain to sue after rejection.
There were several people at fault. Does that help or hurt?
It generally helps, because it means more available insurance. Under Proposition 51, codified at Civil Code 1431.2, each defendant is liable for non-economic damages only in proportion to their own fault, while economic damages remain joint and several. Identifying every responsible party is therefore a substantive part of the recovery.
Will my health insurer take part of my settlement?
Usually it will assert a lien or right of reimbursement, and so may Medi-Cal, Medicare, a workers’ compensation carrier, or providers who treated on a lien. Those claims are frequently negotiable, and reducing them directly increases what you actually keep. It is work that happens at the end of a case and should not be left to chance.
How is a lifetime injury valued?
Predominantly by future cost rather than past bills: the surgeries, therapy, equipment, medication, and attendant care the injury will require, together with lost earning capacity. That is documented through the treating physicians and, where the injury is permanent, a life-care plan reduced to present value by an economist. It takes time, which has to be balanced against the filing deadlines.
Selected case results
Personal injury results
A selection from 55 documented results
$320,000
Civil injury matter
Maricopa County, Arizona
$480,000
Slip-and-fall matter
Premises liability
$520,000
Civil injury matter
Maricopa County, Arizona
$360,000
Motor-vehicle collision
Los Angeles Superior Court
Client experiences
What clients say
★★★★★
“Patrick and his staff were very helpful with taking care of all the bills and legalities, so we can focus on healing.”
★★★★★
“Got my money and my vehicle fixed. Don’t hesitate to give them a call.”
★★★★★
“Patrick helped me with a dog bite case. He was able to get me more than I expected and was easy to work with. … I would recommend his services.”
★★★★★
“Patrick is very reliable, trustworthy, and will definitely be able to help you out. Cost is very reasonable.”
Meet your attorney
Law Offices of Patrick S. Aguirre
A Professional Law Corporation
The future of your case may depend on a successful outcome. It can be stressful to go through the legal process alone—but thankfully, you don’t have to.
The Law Offices of Patrick S. Aguirre will stand up for clients’ interests and rights, providing high-quality representation in personal injury cases and criminal defense matters throughout California from its Long Beach office.
We work with you and for your best interests. Our legal team is compassionate, hard-working, and tenacious—fighting to get the job done right when it matters most. No case is too complicated or insignificant for our full attention. Our clients may move forward into a brighter future free from worry about past mistakes.
We’re the legal team that never gives up. When you need an attorney who will fight for what’s right, turn to us, and we’ll do everything in our power to help. No matter how challenging your situation may seem, there is hope.
“Courage is the most important attribute of a lawyer.”
Robert F. Kennedy
Free consultation
Start your free consultation
Tell us how to reach you and the office will call you back to discuss your accident and your options.
Callback request
Talk with our office
Leave your contact information and, if helpful, a short general summary. The office will follow up.
Thank you.
The office received your contact request. If your matter is urgent, call 562-904-4337.