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

The Law Offices of J. Chrisp helps families in Ukiah who have lost a loved one because of someone else’s carelessness. 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 works, the deadlines, and the agencies, offices and court involved when a death happens in or near Ukiah.

Table of Contents

A family member was killed in a crash near Ukiah. Who in the family has the right to bring a wrongful death claim?

California law sets this out. The surviving spouse or domestic partner, the children, and the children of a child who has died can bring the claim. If the person who died left no surviving children or other descendants, the people who would inherit their property under California’s intestate succession rules can bring it. Some dependent family members may also have a claim (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60). The Law Offices of J. Chrisp can talk with your family in a free consultation. The firm works on a contingency fee, and there is no fee unless we win.

Wrongful death results

Results the firm has obtained in wrongful death cases, as shown on its case results page, include:

$4,000,000: Wrongful Death
$2,250,000: Wrongful Death
$2,250,000: Valley Fire Wrongful Death
$1,250,000: Wrongful Death

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

Who can file a wrongful death claim in California

The claim can be brought by the family members the law lists, or by the personal representative of the person’s estate on their behalf (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60).

The surviving spouse, domestic partner, children, and children of a deceased child.
If there are no surviving descendants, the people who would inherit the person’s property by intestate succession. If the parents would inherit but have died, the person’s legal guardians may bring the claim in their place.
Whether or not they qualify above, a putative spouse, the putative spouse’s children, stepchildren, parents, or legal guardians if the parents have died, as long as they were dependent on the person who died.
A minor who lived in the person’s household for the previous 180 days and depended on the person for at least half of their support.

Wrongful death claims and survival actions

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

A wrongful death claim is for the family’s own losses from the death. A survival action is the claim the person who died could have brought if they had lived. It passes to their successor in interest and is brought by the personal representative or, if there is none, by the successor in interest (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.30).

In a survival action, damages are limited to the losses the person had before death, such as medical bills and lost earnings. They can include punitive damages the person would have been entitled to recover. They do not include damages for pain, suffering or disfigurement (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.34). A temporary rule allowed those damages in cases filed on or after January 1, 2022, and before January 1, 2026, or granted trial preference before January 1, 2022. That window has closed, so a survival action filed now generally cannot recover them.

Damages a family can recover

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

Economic damages: the financial support the person would have given the family, gifts or benefits the family would have expected, funeral and burial expenses, and the reasonable value of household services.
Non-economic damages: the loss of the person’s love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society and moral support.

The same instruction tells jurors not to award damages for the family’s grief, sorrow or mental anguish, or for the pain and suffering of the person who died. No fixed standard sets the amount of non-economic damages.

How fault works in a wrongful death case

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’s recovery is reduced by that share rather than barred (Horwich v. Superior Court (1999)). When several defendants share fault, each pays non-economic damages only in proportion to its own share (Civil Code section 1431.2).

Deadlines for a Ukiah wrongful death claim

Deadline	What it controls	Source
6 months	Written claim against a public entity, such as the City of Ukiah, the County of Mendocino or the state, for a death. A late-claim application is possible within limits.	Government Code section 911.2; section 911.4
6 months after notice	Lawsuit after the public entity personally delivers or mails written notice rejecting the claim	Government Code section 945.6
2 years	Wrongful death lawsuit	Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1

When a death happens in or near Ukiah

Inside Ukiah city limits, crashes are reported to the Ukiah Police Department. On U.S. 101 and on the unincorporated roads of Mendocino County, the California Highway Patrol’s Ukiah Area office, at 540 South Orchard Avenue, handles the investigation. A lawyer can help the family request the collision report and other records.

If a city or county employee, vehicle or road may be involved, the written claim goes to the City Clerk, City of Ukiah, 300 Seminary Avenue, Ukiah, CA 95482, or to the County of Mendocino’s Executive Office, Risk Management, 501 Low Gap Road, Room 1010, Ukiah, CA 95482. Each has its own claim form.

A wrongful death lawsuit over a death in Ukiah is generally filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Mendocino, at 100 North State Street, Ukiah, CA 95482 (Code of Civil Procedure section 395).

Offices, service area and recognition

The firm does not have an office in Ukiah. It serves Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties and the San Francisco Bay Area. Its closest offices to Ukiah are in Lower Lake and Santa Rosa:

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

The firm was named to Best Law Firms 2026 (Tier 1, Santa Rosa, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs). Founding attorney Jesse Chrisp 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. He has represented thousands of injured clients. Spanish-speaking staff are available.

A client testimonial on chrisplaw.com reads: “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 their child left no surviving descendants and the parents would inherit. They can also bring it if they were dependent on their child.

Can the family recover for the pain our loved one suffered before death?

Generally not in a case filed now. Survival action damages for pain, suffering or disfigurement were allowed only in cases filed from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2025, or granted trial preference before 2022.

How long does a family have to file a wrongful death lawsuit?

Generally two years under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a public entity may be responsible, a written claim is generally due within six months.

What does it cost to talk with a lawyer?

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

How can our family reach the firm from Ukiah?

Call 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477), answered 24/7. The firm has no office in Ukiah; its closest offices are in Lower Lake and Santa Rosa.

If a member of your family was killed in Ukiah or elsewhere in Mendocino County, call the Law Offices of J. Chrisp 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477) for a free consultation. There is no fee 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 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.