Personal injury law is a broad legal practice area that may encompass car crashes, slip-and-fall accidents, dog bites, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and product liability.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of examples. These are cases where a person (or group of people) is hurt physically, emotionally, or mentally by the wrongful actions of one or more parties.
Other important facts about personal injury cases include:
- We take cases on a contingency fee basis. Personal injury attorneys do not charge you by the hour. You do not have to be wealthy to hire us. Our law firm takes cases on a “contingency fee basis.” We front the costs that are necessary to prove the merits of your case. This could include hiring accident reconstruction experts and compiling evidence through other means. Instead of paying attorneys’ fees up-front, a pre-negotiated percentage is taken out of any settlement or verdict. You do not owe fees unless we successfully recover compensation.
- There is a statute of limitations. You only have a certain amount of time to seek damages against the party or parties responsible for your injuries or loss. Although there are exceptions, the “statute of limitations” is generally two years for California personal injury cases. Our attorneys could inform you of any exceptions to the statute of limitations for your situation.
- Our personal injury attorneys can review your situation at no cost. It does not cost you money to call our office for help. We could listen to what happened and may inform you of which legal options (if any) are available for your situation. Our attorneys provide free consultations to everyone, regardless of your income or lack thereof.
- Multiple people could be at fault for a single claim. Personal injury lawsuits may name multiple defendants. These are parties that are being sued for damages they have allegedly caused to the plaintiff or plaintiffs. Truck accident cases may name multiple parties. For instance, the truck driver and his or her employer could be held accountable for damages.
- California is a comparative fault state. If your case goes to trial, California’s comparative fault rules could affect the amount you receive in compensation. Comparative fault means that your recovery could be reduced if you were partially at fault for what occurred. This is not to be confused with “contributory negligence”, where you could not receive any recovery if you were partially at fault.
Out Attorneys Can Answer Questions About Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in California
We only briefly summarized the aspects of filing a personal injury lawsuit in California. If you have further questions about your eligibility for filing a personal injury claim, please call our attorneys at (707) 425-0671 or describe your situation on our online case review form.