Some injuries do not heal and then end. A spinal cord injury, a traumatic brain injury, an amputation, or a severe burn changes a person’s life and the lives of everyone around them. These cases are not measured by a few months of treatment. They are measured by a lifetime of care, lost ability, and a future that looks different than it should have. Building a claim that reflects that future takes a firm that has done it before.
Mirador Law handles catastrophic injury cases across the East Bay, and the region’s most serious injuries are often treated at Highland Hospital in Oakland, the East Bay’s only adult Level 1 trauma center. Led by former San Francisco public defenders Megan Burns and Emily Dahm, the firm brings more than 40 years of combined experience, close to a hundred jury trials, and two of California’s Top 50 plaintiff verdicts for 2024.
Building a claim for a lifetime, not a moment
A catastrophic injury claim has to account for what the injury will cost over a lifetime: surgeries and ongoing treatment, rehabilitation, home health care, equipment and home modifications, lost earning capacity, and the human cost of the loss. We work with medical and economic experts to project those needs and present them clearly, and we prepare the case for trial because the numbers in these cases are large enough that insurers fight them hard.
Fault and deadlines
California follows a pure comparative negligence rule, so even a person found partly at fault can recover, reduced by their share. The general deadline to file is two years from the date of injury under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a public entity is involved, the six-month claim deadline under Government Code section 911.2 can apply, so early advice matters.
A look at how these cases unfold
The following hypothetical examples illustrate how these cases can unfold. They are not based on any specific client and are provided for educational purposes only. A young worker suffers a spinal injury in a collision and is told they will need lifelong care. The insurer’s early offer covers the first surgery and little else. A life-care plan prepared with medical and economic experts shows the true scope of the need, and the claim is built around that lifetime, not the first hospital bill.
Catastrophic injury lawyers by location: Pleasanton | Oakland | Fremont & Newark