Lost a loved one in a Santa Rosa accident? A wrongful death lawyer can explain your family’s options

The Law Offices of J. Chrisp helps families in Santa Rosa who have lost a loved one because of someone else’s carelessness. The firm has an office in Santa Rosa at 3558 Round Barn Blvd, Suite 200. The phone is answered 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477).

The firm has recovered over $350 million for clients since 2010. The sections below cover its wrongful death results, who can file, how a wrongful death claim differs from a survival action, the damages a family can recover, how fault is handled, the deadlines and where a Santa Rosa case is handled. For a longer explanation of the process, see How Does a Wrongful Death Claim Work in California?

Table of Contents

A family member was killed in a crash in Santa Rosa. Who in our family can bring a wrongful death claim?

In most families, the claim belongs to the surviving spouse or registered domestic partner and the children. In some families, others can bring it, such as parents who depended on the person who died (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60). The Law Offices of J. Chrisp offers a free consultation and works on a contingency fee, and there are no fees and no case costs unless we win. The firm was named to Best Law Firms 2026 (Tier 1, Santa Rosa, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs).

Wrongful death results

Results the firm has obtained in wrongful death cases include:

$4,000,000 in a wrongful death case.
$2,250,000 in a wrongful death case.
$2,250,000 in a Valley Fire wrongful death case.
$1,250,000 in a wrongful death case.

Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Who can file a wrongful death claim in California

Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 lists who may bring the claim. The personal representative of the estate may also bring it on their behalf.

The surviving spouse or registered domestic partner, the children, and the children of a child who has died.
If there are no surviving children or grandchildren, the people who would inherit under intestate succession.
A putative spouse, the putative spouse’s children, stepchildren or parents, if they were dependent on the person who died.
A minor who lived in the household for the 180 days before the death and depended on the person who died for at least half of their support.

Wrongful death claim or survival action?

These are two different claims, and a family may have both.

Claim	Who brings it	What it covers	Source
Wrongful death	The family members listed above	The family’s own losses from the death	Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60
Survival action	The personal representative of the estate or, if there is none, the successor in interest	Losses the person who died suffered before death, which can include penalties or punitive damages	Code of Civil Procedure sections 377.30 and 377.34

A survival action generally cannot recover damages for the pain, suffering or disfigurement of the person who died. A temporary exception, added by SB 447, covered survival actions filed on or after January 1, 2022, and before January 1, 2026, and actions granted a trial preference before January 1, 2022. That window has closed, so a survival action filed now generally cannot include those damages (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.34).

Damages a family can recover

California’s jury instruction for the death of an adult (CACI No. 3921) lists two kinds of damages.

Economic damages:

The financial support the person who died would have given the family.
Gifts or benefits the family would have expected to receive.
Funeral and burial expenses.
The reasonable value of household services the person would have provided.

Non-economic damages: the loss of the person’s love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society and moral support. In some cases this also includes the loss of training and guidance, or the loss of the enjoyment of sexual relations for a spouse.

The same instruction tells the jury not to consider the family’s grief, sorrow or mental anguish, the pain and suffering of the person who died, or the family’s wealth or poverty.

How fault affects a wrongful death claim

California uses pure comparative fault, set out by the California Supreme Court in Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975). If the person who died was partly at fault, the family can still recover, and the damages are reduced by that person’s share (CACI No. 407). When several people or companies share fault, each pays non-economic damages only in proportion to its own share (Civil Code section 1431.2).

Deadlines for a Santa Rosa wrongful death claim

Deadline	What it controls	Source
6 months	Written claim against a public entity, such as the City of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County or the state, for a death. It is due within six months after the claim arises (accrues). A late-claim application is possible within limits.	Government Code section 911.2; section 911.4
6 months after notice	Lawsuit against the public entity after it gives written notice rejecting the claim	Government Code section 945.6
2 years	Wrongful death lawsuit, counted from when the claim arises (accrues)	Code of Civil Procedure sections 312 and 335.1

Reports, claims and court in Santa Rosa

Reports. For a crash the Santa Rosa Police Department handled, report requests go to its Records Bureau at 965 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. The California Highway Patrol’s Santa Rosa Area office serves most of Sonoma County from 6100 LaBath Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928.

Claims against a public entity. If a public vehicle or a dangerous public road or property played a part:

City of Santa Rosa: the city’s claim form.
County of Sonoma: the county claim form, sent to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 575 Administration Drive, Suite 100A, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.
State of California, including Caltrans: the Government Claims Program of the Department of General Services.

Court. Subject to exceptions, the superior court in the county where the injury happened is a proper court (Code of Civil Procedure section 395). Civil cases in the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma, are filed and heard at the Civil and Family Law Courthouse, 3055 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

Offices, service area and recognition

The firm serves Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties and the San Francisco Bay Area. Its offices are:

Santa Rosa: 3558 Round Barn Blvd, Suite 200, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.
Lower Lake (main office): 9667 Highway 29, Lower Lake, CA 95457.
San Francisco: 1330 Bush Street, Suite 9D, San Francisco, CA 94109.

Founding attorney Jesse Chrisp was born in Santa Rosa and is a graduate of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America since 2024 and selected to Super Lawyers from 2023 to 2026. He was selected to Northern California Rising Stars from 2013 to 2021, an honor awarded to only 2.5% of attorneys in the state. In 2018, he was one of four finalists for San Francisco Trial Lawyer of the Year. He has represented thousands of injured clients. Spanish-speaking staff are available.

One client wrote: “I had an excellent experience working with Jesse Chrisp.” (Whitney Stevenson)

Frequently asked questions

Can parents bring a wrongful death claim for an adult child?

Yes, in two situations. Parents can bring the claim if the person who died left no children or grandchildren and the parents would inherit under California’s intestate succession rules. Parents who were financially dependent on the person who died can also bring it (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60).

Can our family recover for the pain our loved one went through before dying?

Generally not in a case filed now. Damages for the pain, suffering or disfigurement of the person who died were allowed only in survival actions filed from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2025, or granted a trial preference before 2022 (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.34).

How long do we have to file?

Most wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within two years (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). If a city, county or state agency may be responsible, a written claim is generally due within six months (Government Code section 911.2).

How much does a wrongful death lawyer cost?

The consultation is free, and the Law Offices of J. Chrisp works on a contingency fee. There are no fees and no case costs unless we win.

Can we meet with the firm in Santa Rosa?

Yes. The Santa Rosa office is at 3558 Round Barn Blvd, Suite 200, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. The phone is answered 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477).

If you lost a family member in Santa Rosa or elsewhere in Sonoma County, call the Law Offices of J. Chrisp 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477) for a free consultation. There are no fees and no case costs unless we win.

Why choose the Law Offices of J. Chrisp?

The Law Offices of J. Chrisp is a Northern California personal injury law firm founded by attorney Jesse Chrisp, who was raised in Lake County. The firm represents injured people, with offices in Lower Lake (main office), Santa Rosa and San Francisco, and serves Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties and the San Francisco Bay Area. Consultations are free, the firm works on a contingency fee with no fee and no case costs unless the firm wins, and the phone is answered 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477). The firm was named to Best Law Firms 2026 (Tier 1, Santa Rosa, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs). Jesse Chrisp has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America since 2024 and selected to Super Lawyers from 2023 to 2026.