In California, each year, nearly 200,000 people are treated and released from emergency departments, and over 30,000 more are hospitalized with a primary or secondary diagnosis of nonfatal traumatic brain injury.
Motor vehicle crashes are among the leading causes, and most of these injuries are concussions. If you were in a car accident in Long Beach and suffered a concussion, the question that follows is usually what a car accident concussion settlement is worth in Long Beach.
If a doctor has diagnosed you with a concussion after a crash, The Beliz Law Firm can help. We collect your medical records and imaging, work with your treating doctors to document symptoms that may not show up on scans, identify every policy that might pay, and handle communication with the adjuster so you can focus on your recovery.
What Is a Concussion?
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that occurs when the brain is moved suddenly inside the skull, caused by a direct blow or from the whipping motion of a crash with no head contact at all. Most people who suffer from one never lose concussions.
Symptoms are frequently delayed by hours or days, with some of the most common being:
- Headaches,
- Dizziness,
- Nausea,
- Sensitivity to light and sound,
- Fatigue,
- Irritability, and
- Trouble with memory and concentration.
When these symptoms remain after roughly three months, the condition is often called post-concussion syndrome, and that diagnosis changes a claim’s value considerably.
How Much Can I Expect from a Settlement?
No official average is published because settlements are private and are not reported to any state agency. What can be described is a range. These claims are generally resolved between roughly $20,000 and $1,000,000.
A concussion that clears up within a few weeks or months, with limited treatment and little time lost from work, is usually settled in the lower five figures. Where symptoms are documented past the three-month mark and specialists have been involved, values move into the mid-to-high five-figure range, sometimes six figures.
While seven-figure outcomes exist, they require permanent impairment, proven lost earning capacity, and a policy large enough to pay it. Those cases are rare.
What Is the Ceiling That Gets Mentioned Last?
A claim can only be paid from existing insurance. Policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, must carry at least $30,000 per person in bodily injury coverage.
If the at-fault driver carries the state minimum, that is the most the insurer will pay, no matter how strong the case is. Anything beyond it must come from your underinsured motorist coverage, a second responsible party, or the driver personally.
How Are Damages Categorized?
California law entitles an injured person to compensation for all damages caused by the wrongdoer. That compensation splits into economic and noneconomic damages, and is how the car accident concussion settlement amount can be evaluated honestly.
Economic damages are among the losses provable with documents. Four categories are usually claimed:
- Medical care—past and future medical expenses, including initial emergency visit, imaging, neurology, therapy, and medication;
- Lost income—wages lost while you were recovering;
- Lost earning capacity—money you can no longer earn; and
- Loss of household services—cleaning, cooking, yard work, and childcare, you can no longer handle.
One rule often overlooked is that recovery for past medical care is capped at the amount paid or still owed, or the reasonable value of care.
This does not apply the same way when treatment was provided on a lien or without health insurance, where the measure shifts to reasonable value, and the billed figures carry more weight.
Noneconomic damages refer to compensation for losses that cannot be documented with invoices or tangible receipts. Three common types of these damages carry the weight in a concussion claim:
- Physical suffering—headaches, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and noise;
- Mental suffering—anxiety, depression, irritability, and sleep disruption; and
- Loss of enjoyment of life—your inability to do hobbies, sports, or family activities.
Rather than being awarded as distinct payouts, these categories are bundled into a single noneconomic damage amount. Additionally, a spouse may file an independent claim for loss of consortium to recover damages for the loss of companionship, affection, and support.
Why Are These Damages Harder to Prove?
A fracture appears on film. A concussion usually does not. Scans are ordered to rule out bleeding, and a normal result is common even when real symptoms are present. These claims are built from records rather than images, so gaps in treatment are used against you. When weeks pass without a medical visit, the insurer argues that you recovered.
Pre-existing conditions are raised constantly, but California follows the eggshell skull doctrine, meaning a wrongdoer takes the injured person as found. A prior head injury made worse by the crash is compensable when a clear before-and-after record exists.
What Deadlines and Fault Rules Impact Settlement Amounts?
In California, a personal injury lawsuit must be filed within two years of the crash. If a public entity is involved, a formal written claim must be submitted within six months of the date of the injury.
California follows a pure comparative negligence system, so recovery is allowed when you are partly to blame, with the award reduced by your share of the fault. An uninsured driver cannot recover noneconomic damages, which can eliminate most of a concussion claim’s value.
Contact Us Before Anyone Names a Number
A car accident settlement for a concussion is determined by several factors: the duration and documentation of symptoms, the overall damages, the available insurance coverage, the degree of fault allocated to each party, and whether the filing deadlines were met.
Recovery amounts range from low five figures to seven figures, depending on the severity of the concussion and its effects on your life.
The Beliz Law Firm represents injured people throughout Southern California. Founder Michael A. Beliz, a car accident attorney in Long Beach, has practiced personal injury law since 2006. Having managed hundreds of motor vehicle, pedestrian, and catastrophic injury cases, he also holds a master’s degree in economics, a distinct benefit for concussion claims.
Because evaluating a concussion requires projecting future financial impact rather than relying solely on existing bills, constructing and proving these losses requires both legal skill and economic analysis.
We prioritize explaining every step in clear terms, believing that informed clients are better equipped to advocate for their recovery. Contact The Beliz Law Firm today to learn what your claim may be worth.
Legal References Used to Inform This Page
To ensure the accuracy and clarity of this page, we referenced official legal and other resources during the content development process:
- The Time of Commencing Actions Other Than for the Recovery of Real Property, Cal. Civ. Code § 335.1 (West 2025).
- Several Liability for Non-economic Damages, Cal. Civ. Code § 1431.2 (West 2025).
- Damages for Wrongs, Cal. Civ, Code § 3333.4 (West 2025).
- Obligation Imposed by Law, Cal. Civ. Code §1714(a) (West 2025).
- Presentation and Consideration of Claims, Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2 (West 2025).
- Actions on Policies Containing Liability Provisions, Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2 (West 2025).
- Accident Reports, Cal. Veh. Code §16000 (West 2025).
- Evidence of Financial Responsibility, Cal. Veh. Code §16056 (West 2025).
- Li v. Yellow Cab Co., 13 Cal.3d 804 (1975).
- Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions, Inc., 52 Cal.4th 541 (2011).
- Corenbaum v. Lampkin, 215 Cal.App.4th 1308 (2013).
- Rideau v. Los Angeles Transit Lines, 124 Cal.App.2d 466 (1954).
- CACI No. 3903A (jury instructions past and future medical expenses).
- CACI No. 3903C (jury instruction past and future loss of earnings).
- CACI No. 3903D (jury instruction loss of earning capacity).
- CACI No. 3903E (jury instruction loss of ability to provide household services).
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About TBI (Aug. 2025).
- Sen. Con. Res. No. 74, Relative to Brain Injury Awareness Month (2011-2012 Reg. Sess.).
Michael A. Beliz, Esq., established The Beliz Law Firm in the spring of 2011. Michael has been a practicing attorney since 2006 and worked for two of the most prominent plaintiff’s personal injury law firms in Southern California. He has worked on and handled hundreds of cases as an attorney in all types of personal injury cases, including vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents and dog bites, and successfully recovered millions of dollars for his clients.
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