Comparative negligence law, also known as comparative fault law, allows a person injured in an accident to collect damages even if they are partially responsible for the accident. Comparative negligence applies to most personal injury cases in California, including all types of automobile accidents.
The way comparative negligence works is that a court determines the percentage of fault for each party involved in the accident. They then reduce the victim’s awarded damages by the amount that they were found to be at fault. For example, a $100,000 verdict for an LA car accident claim would be reduced to $70,000 if the victim was found to be 30% liable.
California is a pure comparative fault state. Victims can recover damages if their liability ranges from one to 99 percent.