California Injury Deadlines: A Planning Checklist
A legal timeline is a sequence of medical, evidence, insurance and procedural milestones, not a universal duration. This guide focuses on california injury deadlines: a planning checklist. Track what is complete, what is disputed and which deadline or record still needs individual review.
Hurt Advice editorial guide. Source review: . This guide does not state that the attorney authored, reviewed or approved it. Visit the profile for public licensing and background records.
Review the attorney’s public background, then confirm experience and availability directly.
Raffi Naljian
Founder, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney
Raffi Garabed Naljian is the founder of Naljian Law Offices and an active California attorney under State Bar #238919. A Los Angeles Times profile says he founded the firm in 2008 after beginning his legal career in 1997, and the State Bar lists personal injury, litigation, criminal law, and business law among his self-reported practice areas.
View Raffi Naljian's full verified profilePrimary identity record
Learn more about Raffi Naljian
This is a focused supporting page. Use Raffi Naljian's full sourced attorney profile as the primary identity record for biography, role, languages, office information, and public-record links. Review that profile alongside the issue-specific preparation and public sources below.
The State Bar record lists Raffi Garabed Naljian as an active California attorney, State Bar #238919. Hurt Advice is a separate referral and legal information service, not the attorney's law firm.
How to Evaluate Attorney Fit for This Issue
Attorney fit for california injury deadlines: a planning checklist depends on the specific facts, the work required, verified experience, communication and the complete written fee agreement. Review the linked public profile and ask how the responsible lawyer would approach the evidence, policy issues and deadlines in your matter. Hurt Advice does not promise attorney acceptance, representation or a result.
California evidence brief
Build a deadline worksheet before relying on a general rule
California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 generally provides two years for an action involving injury or death caused by another’s wrongful act or neglect. That is only a starting point. Claims involving public entities can require a much earlier administrative presentation, and other facts may change accrual, tolling, parties, or the applicable rule. Identify every possible defendant and event date promptly and have the deadline reviewed for the specific facts.
Records and actions that clarify the issue
Create an event-and-discovery chronology
Record the incident date, injury discovery, diagnosis dates, the claimant’s age and capacity, later related events, death if applicable, and every written notice. Attach the source document for each date.
Why it matters: Deadline analysis depends on facts, not just the date someone first contacts a lawyer. A chronology helps counsel test which event may control and whether an exception or different claim type requires review.
Identify every public and private entity
List vehicle owners, employers, contractors, property owners, manufacturers, schools, transit operators, cities, counties, and state agencies that may be connected. Do not assume a uniform deadline applies to all of them.
Why it matters: California Government Code section 911.2 generally requires certain injury or property claims against public entities to be presented within six months. Proper recipient and presentation rules require separate analysis.
Track negotiation separately from filing deadlines
Keep insurer communications, settlement discussions, requests for records, and promises of review on a separate timeline. Obtain written legal analysis before treating any discussion as extending a deadline.
Why it matters: An open claim or friendly negotiation does not automatically establish that a court filing or government presentation is timely. Waiting for an adjuster response can consume critical time.
Questions to answer with the evidence
- What event, discovery, diagnosis, or notice date might affect accrual?
- Could a city, county, state agency, school, transit operator, or other public entity be involved?
- Do age, capacity, absence, delayed discovery, or another statute require review?
- What is the earliest plausible deadline, and what action must occur before it?
Primary California sources
- California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1
Primary statutory text for the general two-year period applicable to specified injury and wrongful-death actions.
- California Government Code section 911.2
Primary statutory text for the general presentation period for specified claims involving public entities.
These sources provide general California context. Deadlines, admissibility, available claims, and required proof depend on the specific facts and should be reviewed individually.
What to Do Next
- 1Identify the incident, injury-discovery and notice dates, every potential party and the type of claim; retain the documents supporting those facts.
- 2Use the official limitations guide to locate the relevant rule, then obtain individual deadline advice when facts, exceptions or accrual are uncertain.
- 3Flag government involvement, minors and other special circumstances for prompt review; a general personal-injury period is not a deadline calculation for every case.
- 4Confirm who is responsible for each notice or filing and retain proof of completion; do not assume negotiations or ongoing treatment extend the time.
Evidence Checklist
- Incident and discovery chronology with original documents
- Government, insurer and opposing-party notices and envelopes
- Advice identifying each deadline and proof of any completed filing or service
Keep your unanswered questions handy when comparing the attorney’s public profile with your needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Applying a headline deadline without checking the claim and defendant
- Assuming an exception applies without review
- Confusing sending a claim letter with filing a lawsuit
Use the attorney’s public background as a starting point for a direct conversation about fit.
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Important Disclosures
Attorney Advertising. Hurt Advice is a lawyer-referral and legal-information service, not a law firm. This website provides general information, not legal advice. Viewing a page or submitting a form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Independent participating attorneys decide whether to accept a matter, and representation begins only under a separate written agreement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; results depend on the facts and circumstances of each matter.