Assault with Great Bodily Injury (PC 240(a)):

Assault with “great bodily injury” refers to significant and substantial physical injuries. Emotional and financial do not fall under this category, nor do insignificant or even moderate injuries. It is also important to note that the injury does not have to be permanent or severe. However, damages such as brain damage or paralysis do fall under PC 240(a). What constitutes as a GBI is determined by several key factors: the severity of the injury, the resulting pain, and/or any required medical care.

There are certain crimes you can be charged with that include an additional GBI penalty. For example, if you receive a “UI causing injury” charge, and the car accident led to another person (who survived the accident) to suffer great bodily injury, you could receive a GBI enhancement.

Legal Definitions

245. (a) (1) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of
another with a deadly weapon or instrument other than a firearm shall
be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or
four years, or in a county jail for not exceeding one year, or by a
fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both the
fine and imprisonment.
(2) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another
with a firearm shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison
for two, three, or four years, or in a county jail for not less than
six months and not exceeding one year, or by both a fine not
exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) and imprisonment.
(3) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another
with a machinegun, as defined in Section 16880, or an assault weapon,
as defined in Section 30510 or 30515, or a .50 BMG rifle, as defined
in Section 30530, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state
prison for 4, 8, or 12 years.
(4) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another
by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury shall be
punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four
years, or in a county jail for not exceeding one year, or by a fine
not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both the fine and
imprisonment.
(b) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another
with a semiautomatic firearm shall be punished by imprisonment in the
state prison for three, six, or nine years.
(c) Any person who commits an assault with a deadly weapon or
instrument, other than a firearm, or by any means likely to produce
great bodily injury upon the person of a peace officer or
firefighter, and who knows or reasonably should know that the victim
is a peace officer or firefighter engaged in the performance of his
or her duties, when the peace officer or firefighter is engaged in
the performance of his or her duties, shall be punished by
imprisonment in the state prison for three, four, or five years.
(d) (1) Any person who commits an assault with a firearm upon the
person of a peace officer or firefighter, and who knows or reasonably
should know that the victim is a peace officer or firefighter
engaged in the performance of his or her duties, when the peace
officer or firefighter is engaged in the performance of his or her
duties, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for
four, six, or eight years.
(2) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of a peace
officer or firefighter with a semiautomatic firearm and who knows or
reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer or
firefighter engaged in the performance of his or her duties, when the
peace officer or firefighter is engaged in the performance of his or
her duties, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison
for five, seven, or nine years.
(3) Any person who commits an assault with a machinegun, as
defined in Section 16880, or an assault weapon, as defined in Section
30510 or 30515, or a .50 BMG rifle, as defined in Section 30530,
upon the person of a peace officer or firefighter, and who knows or
reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer or
firefighter engaged in the performance of his or her duties, shall be
punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 6, 9, or 12 years.
(e) When a person is convicted of a violation of this section in a
case involving use of a deadly weapon or instrument or firearm, and
the weapon or instrument or firearm is owned by that person, the
court shall order that the weapon or instrument or firearm be deemed
a nuisance, and it shall be confiscated and disposed of in the manner
provided by Sections 18000 and 18005.
(f) As used in this section, “peace officer” refers to any person
designated as a peace officer in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section
830) of Title 3 of Part 2.