Hip Injury

Hip Injury and Hip Fracture Accident Lawyers Serving Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Ventura, Riverside and All of California

Struggling with a hip injury? Our California hip injury lawyers are here to help. We proudly serve clients throughout the state and work diligently to pursue the compensation they may be entitled to under the law. A broken hip is rarely “just” a broken hip. For an active adult, it can mean months of surgery and rehabilitation. For an older parent or grandparent, it can be the single event that ends independent living for good. If you or someone you love suffered a hip injury or hip fracture in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle crash, pedestrian collision, or a slip-and-fall anywhere in Los Angeles County, the San Fernando Valley, Ventura County, Riverside, or elsewhere in California, our hip injury lawyers want to hear from you. Feel free to  contact our Hip Injury & Hip Fracture Personal Injury Attorneys for your FREE consultation. There is no fee unless and until we win your case.

With more than 50 years of legal experience, Walch Law’s California personal injury attorneys help victims of hip injuries and hip fractures protect their rights and pursue fair compensation. If you or someone you care about suffered a hip injury or fracture in an accident anywhere in California, contact our experienced hip injury attorneys today for a completely FREE consultation.

Understanding the Hip: Why These Injuries Are So Serious

The hip joint is where the femur, the largest bone in the human body, meets the pelvis at a socket called the acetabulum. Three pelvic bones — the ilium, ischium, and pubis — fuse together to form that socket. This ball-and-socket design allows the leg to rotate, swing, and bear the full weight of the body while walking, running, standing, or getting up from a chair.

Surrounding the joint is a tough, fibrous capsule reinforced by ligaments that keep the femoral head seated in the socket. That structure gives the hip an unusual combination of strength and mobility — it is one of the few joints in the body built to carry weight continuously while still allowing a wide range of motion. When a hip fracture happens, this entire load-bearing and mobility system fails at once, which is why the injury has such an outsized effect on a person’s ability to walk, work, and live independently, and why treatment so often requires surgical stabilization or a full or partial hip replacement.

Quick Facts: Hip Fractures

• Women experience about 70% of hip fractures treated in emergency rooms or hospitals, and risk rises steeply with age (CDC)
• Only about 40%–60% of hip fracture patients regain their prior level of mobility (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force)
• One-year mortality after a hip fracture can approach 30% (American Academy of Family Physicians review)
• California’s standard filing deadline for a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the date of injury (CCP § 335.1) — but only six months to file a claim against a government entity

What Causes Hip Fractures in California Accidents

A hip fracture occurs when the neck or head of the femur — the part closest to the hip joint — breaks. Older adults with osteoporosis can fracture a hip from a relatively minor fall, but in people with normal, healthy bone density, a hip fracture is almost always the product of significant trauma. In our experience representing injured clients across Southern California, hip fractures most often result from:

• Car accidents, including T-bone and side-impact crashes on surface streets and freeways such as the 101, the 405, and the 134
• Truck and big-rig collisions, where the force involved is far greater than in a typical passenger vehicle crash
• Motorcycle accidents, where riders have no structural protection around the hip and pelvis
• Bicycle collisions with vehicles at intersections and driveways
• Pedestrian accidents, particularly at crosswalks and intersections in cities like Van Nuys, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, and Santa Monica
• Slip-and-fall, trip-and-fall, and other premises liability accidents, including falls on wet floors, broken sidewalks, poorly lit stairwells, and defective handrails

California ranks second in the nation for total traffic fatalities, and the state’s 2023 fatality count was 29% higher than a decade earlier. Pedestrians bear a disproportionate share of that risk as they age: nationally, 19% of people 65 and older killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians — a higher share than any other age group — and intersection crashes are disproportionately common among older drivers. Because older adults are also the population most vulnerable to a disabling hip fracture, a routine-looking intersection or crosswalk collision can become life-altering far more easily than it would for a younger, healthier person.

Falls compound the problem away from the roadway, too. About 14 million older adults — roughly 28% — reported falling in a recent year, and nearly 39,000 older adults died from unintentional falls that same period. More recent CDC data shows the trend worsening: the age-adjusted death rate from falls among older adults rose 21% between 2018 and 2024. When a fall happens because a property owner failed to fix a broken step, clean up a spill, or provide adequate lighting, California premises liability law may allow the injured person to hold that property owner accountable.

Diagnosis, Treatment, and the Real Cost of a Hip Fracture

Hip fractures are typically confirmed with X-ray imaging, and MRI is used when a fracture is suspected but not visible on an X-ray, or to evaluate soft tissue and blood supply to the femoral head. Most hip fractures caused by significant trauma require surgery, which may involve:

• Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) — plates, screws, or a rod hold the fractured bone together while it heals
• Partial hip replacement (hemiarthroplasty) — the femoral head is replaced while the natural socket is preserved
• Total hip replacement (total hip arthroplasty) — both the femoral head and the acetabular socket are replaced with prosthetic components

The consequences extend well beyond the operating room. A fall serious enough to cause a hip fracture often functions as a turning point that marks the beginning of a broader decline in a person’s health and independence. That is why a hip fracture claim needs to account for more than just the initial surgery — it should also cover:

• Follow-up surgeries and hardware removal
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation, sometimes lasting a year or more
• In-home care, assisted living, or skilled nursing costs
• Lost income and lost future earning capacity
• Home modifications (railings, ramps, walk-in showers)
• Pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium for a spouse or partner

For example, a 68-year-old rear-ended at a stoplight who undergoes hip replacement surgery may need six to twelve months of physical therapy, temporary in-home help, and possibly a second surgery years later if the hardware fails — costs an insurance company’s first offer almost never reflects.

Liability and Comparative Fault in California Hip Injury Cases

California allows an injured person to recover damages even if they share some responsibility for the accident. Under the “pure comparative negligence” rule adopted by the California Supreme Court in Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal. 3d 804, a jury or insurance adjuster assigns a percentage of fault to each party, and an injured person’s damages are reduced — but not eliminated — by their own percentage of fault. Even someone found to be 60% or 80% responsible can still recover the remaining percentage of their damages. This matters enormously in hip fracture cases arising from intersection collisions, left-turn accidents, or falls where a property owner argues the injured person “should have seen” a hazard. Comparative fault is frequently the central battleground insurance companies fight over, and it is an area where experienced legal representation can materially change the outcome.

Common Mistakes Accident Victims Make After a Hip Injury

We regularly see well-meaning accident victims unintentionally hurt their own claims:

• Giving a recorded statement to the at-fault party’s insurance adjuster before speaking with an attorney
• Accepting an early settlement offer before the full extent of the injury and future treatment needs are known
• Delaying medical treatment, which insurers use to argue the injury was not serious or was unrelated to the accident
• Posting about the accident or physical activity on social media, which claims adjusters routinely review
• Not preserving evidence, including photographs of the accident scene, the hazard that caused a fall, damaged property, and visible injuries
• Missing a deadline, particularly the shorter claim-filing window that applies to accidents involving government property or vehicles

How Insurance Companies Handle Hip Fracture Claims

Insurance companies are not on the injured person’s side, no matter how friendly an adjuster sounds on the phone. Common tactics we see in hip fracture claims include:

• Offering a fast, low settlement before surgery outcomes, hardware complications, or the need for a second surgery are known
• Requesting a broad medical records release that goes far beyond the accident-related injury
• Arguing that age-related bone density, rather than the trauma of the accident, caused the fracture
• Disputing the connection between the fall or crash and the fracture when treatment is delayed
• Pressuring an injured person to give a recorded statement early, then using inconsistencies against them later

An experienced hip injury attorney deals with these tactics every day and can push back with medical documentation, biomechanical analysis, and, when necessary, litigation.

California’s Filing Deadlines for Hip Injury Claims

Under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, an injured person generally has two years from the date of an injury, or a person’s death, caused by another’s wrongful act or negligence to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. That deadline can be much shorter in certain situations. When a government entity contributed to the injury — for example, a fall on a defective public sidewalk or a crash involving a city or county vehicle — a formal written claim generally must be presented to that public entity within six months of the incident under the California Government Claims Act (Government Code § 911.2), before a lawsuit can even be filed. Special rules can also extend deadlines for injured minors or apply a “discovery rule” when an injury is not immediately apparent. Because the statute of limitations clock keeps running even during active settlement negotiations with an insurance company, waiting to consult a lawyer is one of the most common — and most costly — mistakes an injured person can make.

How Walch Law Helps Hip Injury Clients

Hip fracture cases are medically and legally complex, and the stakes for older or already-vulnerable clients are especially high. Our firm:

• Accurately values the claim, including future surgeries, revision procedures, and long-term care that an insurance adjuster is unlikely to account for on its own
• Identifies every potentially liable party, including drivers, employers (in commercial vehicle cases), property owners, and government entities
• Preserves time-sensitive evidence before it disappears
• Retains the right medical experts to connect the accident to the fracture and project future medical needs
• Handles all communication with insurance adjusters, so the injured person can focus on recovery
• Takes the case to trial if the insurance company will not offer fair value

At Gary K. Walch, A Law Corporation, we have represented injured Californians for 50 years. Our clients are treated like family — not a case number — which is why so many of our new clients come to us on the recommendation of someone we have helped before. Our consultation is absolutely FREE and there is NO FEE until you win, so please contact us now for your FREE consultation and case evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hip Injury Claims

Contact Our Hip Injury Lawyers Today

If you or someone you love suffered a hip injury or hip fracture in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle crash, pedestrian accident, or a slip-and-fall anywhere in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Ventura, Riverside, or anywhere in California, please don’t wait to get legal advice. Evidence disappears, memories fade, and insurance deadlines run out quickly. Please contact us now for your FREE consultation.