UCLA-Trained Attorneys in Encino
"Just a concussion" is what the ER doctor said. Six months later, you still cannot concentrate for more than twenty minutes and you have daily headaches, but the word "concussion" makes a brain injury sound temporary, and the insurance company uses that initial label to minimize your claim. A spinal cord injury does not get that treatment, since the damage is obvious. Instead the insurer treats your claim like any other file on their desk, something to close as cheaply and quickly as possible, before you understand what your future care actually costs.
Arya represents Encino clients with either injury and knows these cases require aggressive medical documentation from the start. For brain injury claims, he works with specialists who perform neuropsychological testing that quantifies what you already know. For spinal cord injuries, he brings in life care planners, vocational rehabilitation specialists, and medical experts to establish the true cost of the injury. Cases file at Van Nuys Courthouse West.
UCLA-Trained Attorneys, Not a Call Center
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, graduated from El Camino Real High School and UCLA Law School, and I've spent my career representing people who were hurt because someone else wasn't paying attention. I take these cases personally because I've watched families in this community deal with the aftermath of serious crashes. If you were injured, I want to hear what happened.
The Facts Behind Your Injury Claim
Which roads generate the most crashes, where the ambulance takes you, what the law requires, and how long you have to act. This is what we know about Encino cases before we even look at yours.
Insurance companies routinely challenge mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) claims, citing the absence of visible structural damage on standard MRI. Functional MRI, neuropsychological testing, and expert testimony can document real cognitive and behavioral impairment even when conventional imaging appears normal.
The long-term economic impact of a brain or spinal cord injury, including reduced earning capacity, ongoing care, future surgeries, and lifetime disability, often dwarfs the initial medical costs. Building this record requires life care planners, vocational experts, and medical specialists working together.
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates lifetime care for a high cervical, complete SCI at $5M or more, with lower cervical and lower-level injuries still regularly reaching into seven figures. Building the life care plan that documents these costs requires expert collaboration between your attorney, a physiatrist, a life care planner, and an economist.
Unlike some states, California does not cap pain and suffering damages in personal injury cases (the MICRA cap applies only to medical malpractice). Brain and spinal cord injury victims can recover the full value of their non-economic losses, including quality of life, loss of independence, and emotional distress.
What We Know About Encino
- US-101 / I-405 confluence: One of the most dangerous freeway interchanges in the country. Multi-vehicle crashes here frequently involve multiple at-fault parties and insurance policies, and identifying all of them requires fast action.
- Ventura Blvd commercial density: Medical offices, restaurants, and retail with heavy pedestrian activity. Commercial defendants here carry professional insurance, and premises incidents are routinely contested with full claims files.
- Balboa Park dog bite exposure: High dog and cyclist activity near the park. California's strict liability dog bite statute (Civil Code §3342) makes owner liability clear. The dispute is usually about the full extent of damages.
- LA County jurisdiction (Van Nuys): Cases typically file at the Van Nuys Courthouse of LA County Superior Court. We know the local bench and how Encino-area juries evaluate injury claims.
- High personal umbrella coverage: Encino's affluent residential base means individual defendants are more likely to carry umbrella policies above their primary coverage, a factor we account for from day one.
Major Accidents in the Area
The 101/405 interchange and Ventura Boulevard create significant congestion, making Encino one of the more traffic-intensive communities in the Valley. These conditions create dangerous merging zones and congested areas.
City surface streets like Ventura Boulevard, Balboa Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard, Hayvenhurst Avenue are hotspots for T-bone collisions, rear-end crashes, and pedestrian strikes, especially during rush hours and school drop-off/pick-up times.
We've helped victims injured in:
- Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) accidents near Ventura Boulevard restaurants.
- Delivery vehicle collisions in residential zones like Royal Oaks, Amestoy Estates and Encino Hills.
- School zone crashes near Encino Elementary and Lanai Road Elementary.
- Pedestrian accidents near Ventura Boulevard Corridor.
- Dog Bites in the Encino Hills and Lake Balboa adjacent neighborhoods.
Compensation Available in Your Case
A catastrophic injury is not a broken bone with a six-week recovery. Compensation must cover ongoing cognitive therapy or decades of medical care, the income you cannot earn, and the daily toll on your quality of life.
Medical Expenses & Lifetime Care
Encino Hospital, neurological specialists, advanced imaging, and decades of spinal rehabilitation. A brain or spinal cord injury from a crash at the 405/101 interchange can require treatment that spans months, or a lifetime, of specialist care.
Lost Wages & Earning Capacity
Encino residents often hold professional positions where cognitive sharpness or physical capability is the job. A catastrophic injury that reduces your processing speed, memory, or mobility can permanently alter your earning trajectory.
Pain & Suffering
A TBI brings chronic headaches, anxiety, and personality shifts that strain every relationship in your life. A spinal cord injury brings the immediate agony of the injury and chronic pain that may never fully resolve. Insurance companies try to minimize both. We do not let them.
Home Modification & Caregiver Costs
Elevator installations and roll-in showers for spinal cord injuries, or around-the-clock assistance for severe TBI. These modifications and caregiving arrangements are necessary, expensive, and fully recoverable.
Loss of Enjoyment & Independence
When you cannot concentrate enough to read, cannot drive, or cannot pick up your child, your quality of life has changed. The law requires that a dollar value be placed on it, and we make sure that value reflects the true scope of what was taken.
Punitive Damages
Available when a defendant's conduct is despicable enough to show willful, conscious disregard for your safety, such as drunk driving or a commercial carrier's knowing safety violation, under California Civil Code §3294.
Call us Today. No fee until you win!
818-224-7940What to Do After a Brain or Spinal Cord Injury
Catastrophic injury claims are won or lost on the medical record and the expert team behind it. These steps protect your health and build the documentation your case requires.
Get emergency medical care immediately
High-speed crashes on the 405 or 101 near Encino generate the kind of force that causes serious brain and spinal cord injury. If you suspect a spinal injury, do not move and wait for paramedics. Get evaluated at the nearest ER for any head impact too, even if you feel alert at the scene.
Follow up with the right specialist
A clear CT scan does not mean your brain is uninjured, and the ER evaluation does not fully assess a spinal cord injury either. Neuropsychological testing reveals cognitive deficits; a full neurological workup determines whether a spinal injury is complete or incomplete.
Document the mechanism of injury
Speed of impact, angle of collision, and vehicle damage. The police report, photos, dashcam footage, and witness contacts all tie the accident to your injury and your case.
Keep a symptom journal
Document headaches, concentration difficulties, mobility changes, and anything else that feels different since the injury. Daily entries build a timeline that directly supports your claim.
Engage a life care planner early
The lifetime cost model for your care must be in place before any insurer makes an offer. We engage a life care planner immediately to begin projecting attendant care, equipment, and medical costs.
Contact Westwood Law
Arya handles brain and spinal cord injury claims for Encino clients and files at Van Nuys Courthouse West. He engages the right experts immediately to build the medical foundation before the insurer can set a lowball value.