California Accident Injury Law
You go about your daily life without giving much thought to what you’d do if you were hurt in an accident. Yet, car accidents, truck accidents, slip and falls, and medical mistakes cause serious and sometimes deadly injuries to people who were just living their lives. Unexpected medical bills and missing work are two of the most common results of accidents. Serious injuries could cause permanent injuries that require you to change your entire life. What if you can’t work for an extended amount of time or ever again?
While insurance companies are supposed to help victims get their lives back, they often play games and offer far less than what the victim needs to pay for the bills they incurred through no fault of their own. They often pressure accident victims and their families to sign dangerous settlement agreements that could take away their legal rights. Legal representation is crucial when dealing with an insurance company.
California accident injury law is meant to help protect accident victims and their families. The Lawyers For The Injured is an award winning legal team with a verified history of protecting injured persons and helping them get the compensation they deserve. Contact us now to schedule your free consultation.
Things You Should Know about California Accident Injury Law
With more than 25 years of experience as personal injury lawyers, The Lawyers For The Injured prides itself on helping people who have a personal injury claim. One of the most important things we do aside from representing accident victims is to provide knowledge. Here are some things to keep in mind about accident injury law:
- Under California law, accident victims have just two years after the accident to file a claim for their injuries. For property damage, you have three years. Because of the nature of the evidence used in accident cases, it’s generally better to file a claim sooner rather than later. This can help preserve evidence.
- Personal injury laws rely on a concept known as negligence. This means that the defendant had a legal duty to do (or not do) something. They breached their duty, and that breach caused you to experience some sort of injury (including property damage).
- California is a pure comparative negligence state. This means that the money you may be able to recover depends on both the liability of the defendant’s actions and your actions. For example, if the defendant is found to be 90% at fault for what happened, the court would likely grant your request for compensation. So, if you asked for $200,000, you may receive 90% of that amount as a judgment. Of course, there are other factors that may affect what you’re awarded. We are only using these amounts to simplify the idea of pure comparative negligence.
- Every injury case is different. What you may be entitled to receive depends on a lot of different factors. To know more about whether you have a valid claim and even what the next steps are, schedule a free consultation with The Lawyers For The Injured.
What You Should Do If You’re Hurt in an Accident
Personal injury accidents of any kind are scary. What you should do if you’re hurt in an accident depends on what sort of accident you’re in. For example, if someone you love is hurt because of nursing home abuse, you’ll probably help them handle that situation differently than how you’d handle being in a car accident. Make sure that you explore other pages on our website to learn more about the different types of accidents.
- If there’s a medical emergency, call 911. Your health and well-being are most important. Serious injuries include, but aren’t limited to, head and neck injuries, back injuries, broken bones, serious bleeding, serious cuts, blacking out, and if you have any signs of an internal injury.
- Report the accident. If you’re in a car accident, call the police. If you slip and fall at a retail establishment, ask for a manager so that you can file an incident report. When the report is created, request a report number so that you can get a copy of the report when it is finalized. For car accidents, the police can help you exchange insurance information with the other driver.
- Get medical care. Assuming you didn’t call 911 because of an emergency medical situation, get medical attention as soon as possible. Make an appointment with your doctor or go to an urgent care clinic. Minor injuries can get worse if you don’t get them treated. Some injuries may not have obvious symptoms. Additionally, not getting medical care can endanger your chances of a successful personal injury claim.
- Call The Lawyers For The Injured. With more than 25 years of experience as accident injury lawyers, we provide free consultations. We can help you figure out what’s next for your potential claim.
How We Help Accident Victims
Are personal injury lawyers really necessary? Lawyers do more than represent accident victims in front of a judge. Here’s how we help:
- We handle the insurance company on your behalf so you can focus on getting better. We know that it can be stressful to deal with the insurance company. The Lawyers For The Injured can help you with your claim and with any settlement negotiations process. We’ll also be honest with you about whether signing a settlement agreement is in your best interest.
- We protect your legal rights. Insurance companies are for profit organizations. They’re not always excited about paying out on a claim. The Lawyers For The Injured is proud to protect the legal rights of accident victims and their families.
- If necessary, we’ll fight for you in court. The good news is that most accident claims are settled before court is necessary. If court becomes a necessity, we’ll fight for you.
To learn more about The Lawyers For The Injured and how we can help you, call us now at 909-482-0384 or use our contact form below.