Injury and medical connection
Write down the first symptoms, first care date, diagnosis, imaging, referrals, restrictions, missed appointments, prior conditions, and later changes. The sequence matters more than a single checkbox.
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Do I have a personal injury case?
Answer 5 quick questions to see whether your accident has the core signs of a California injury claim, then choose whether you want a free review of your specific situation.
This tool is a quick screening guide, not legal advice. If treatment, deadlines, or insurer pressure are already active, a direct case review is usually the safer next step.
Question 1 of 50% complete
Were you injured in the accident?
How to use the screening result
A case screener identifies review questions; it does not decide the case
The five answers create a preliminary issue list. A useful follow-up separates what you know from what a report, medical record, policy, witness, employer, public agency, or other custodian must still confirm. A positive result does not promise representation or recovery. A cautious result does not mean no claim exists, especially when treatment, identity, coverage, or timing facts remain incomplete.
Fault and control
Identify every person or entity that controlled the vehicle, property, product, worksite, road, platform, or missing record. Preserve photographs, video, witness details, reports, contracts, and communications before they disappear.
Insurance and recoverable loss
Separate liability coverage, health insurance, disability benefits, property damage, medical charges, paid amounts, lost income, and out-of-pocket costs. Coverage and damages are related questions, not the same question.
Deadline and public-entity risk
Record the incident date and any later discovery date. If a city, county, school, transit agency, state route, or public employee may be involved, do not assume the ordinary lawsuit period is the only deadline.
Continue with the right evidence surface
Build an evidence checklist
Organize scene, medical, insurance, and follow-up records.
Review timing separately
Use broad rules as an alert, not a final legal date.
Inventory possible losses
Keep value questions separate from fault and coverage.
Find the local evidence path
Connect the scene to public records, treatment, and venue.
Compare public profiles
Check license, firm, practice, language, and source signals.
Request individual intake review
Share only the facts needed for the next routing step.
Before relying on the result
Turn a five-question screen into a documented claim map
The screener identifies broad signals, not a yes-or-no legal determination. A useful follow-up asks who owed a duty, what conduct may have caused the incident, which injury is documented, what losses can be supported, which coverage or responsible party may apply, and whether any timing or notice rule requires faster review. Conflicting answers are a reason to investigate, not a reason to force a result.
Write one short chronology with the incident, first symptoms, first care, later treatment, insurer contact, missed work, and current status. Label facts you personally observed, statements made by others, records already in hand, and records still missing. That separation gives an attorney a clearer starting point and reduces the risk that an estimate or assumption is repeated as a verified fact.
Preserve claim evidenceIdentify reports, video, photographs, witnesses, property, and digital records.Review timing questionsUnderstand why the claim type and potential defendant matter.Organize treatmentBuild the first-care, diagnosis, referral, restriction, and billing chronology.Prepare for insurer contactSeparate basic notice from recorded statements and disputed conclusions.Match the incident typeFind the service page that addresses the evidence unique to the event.Add local contextConnect roads, hospitals, courts, and public custodians to the file.Compare verified attorneysUse canonical profiles, bar records, focus areas, and language signals.Request case routingShare the organized facts through the dedicated intake path.
Fault needs a source
A police report, witness statement, scene photograph, video, vehicle record, inspection log, product record, or employer document may help explain fault. The screener cannot decide credibility or comparative responsibility, and California fault analysis depends on the evidence available for the specific event.
Treatment needs a chronology
List when symptoms began, where the first evaluation occurred, what the clinician documented, which referrals or restrictions followed, and where care changed. A gap or delayed symptom does not automatically end a claim, but it is a factual issue that should be explained with records rather than slogans.
Timing needs claim identification
The general personal-injury period is not the only timing question. Public entities, workers compensation, minors, delayed discovery, wrongful death, medical negligence, and contractual or out-of-state issues can involve different steps. Confirm the potential defendant and claim type before relying on a calculated date.
Routing is not representation
Hurt Advice provides information, attorney advertising, and case-routing intake. A submitted screen does not mean a participating attorney accepted the matter. Representation begins only if an independent attorney or law firm agrees and the parties enter a separate written agreement.
Common questions
How do I know if I have a personal injury case?
A viable California personal injury claim generally needs three things: you were injured, someone else was at least partly at fault, and you can connect the injury to the accident (usually through medical treatment). This evaluation checks for those signals, but only an attorney reviewing your facts can confirm a claim.
How long do I have to file a claim in California?
In most California personal injury cases you have 2 years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit. Claims against a government entity can require an administrative claim within 6 months. Because exceptions exist, confirm your deadline quickly.
Does it cost anything to find out if I have a case?
No. The evaluation is free, and most personal injury attorneys offer a free initial case review and work on a contingency basis — meaning their fee typically comes from any recovery rather than upfront. Fee terms vary by attorney.
What if I was partly at fault?
You may still recover. California uses "pure comparative negligence," which can reduce — but not eliminate — your recovery if you were partly responsible. It is worth a review even if you think you share blame.