Were you injured because of someone else’s negligence in Los Angeles County, California? J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help you understand your legal rights and seek compensation for your losses. Call us today at (323) 284-2834 to schedule a free consultation with a Los Angeles County personal injury lawyer.
An unexpected accident can leave you dealing with medical expenses, lost income, and uncertainty about what comes next. You do not have to navigate the claims process alone. Our legal team can investigate the circumstances of your accident, handle communications and negotiations with insurance companies, and guide you through your options for pursuing compensation.
How Can J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers Help After an Accident in Los Angeles County, CA?
A serious accident can disrupt your health, finances, and everyday life. At J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers, our team has 20 years of combined experience representing injured people and has recovered tens of millions of dollars for clients.
When you hire our Los Angeles County personal injury attorneys, we can:
- Investigate how your accident occurred and determine what caused it
- Gather evidence, including records, photographs, and witness statements
- Identify potentially liable parties and available sources of compensation
- Document your injuries, expenses, lost income, and other losses
- Handle communications and negotiations with insurance companies
- Work to secure a fair settlement that reflects the extent of your damages
- Prepare your case for trial if a fair resolution cannot be reached
Our attorneys can handle the legal details and advocate for your interests throughout the claims process, giving you more time to focus on your recovery. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about your options.
What Types of Personal Injury Cases Do We Handle?
Personal injury law covers a wide range of accidents and incidents in which someone is harmed because of another person’s or business’s negligence or wrongdoing. The evidence needed to establish liability and damages will depend on the circumstances of your case.
J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers handles cases involving:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Premises liability
- Dog bites
- Wrongful death
Some personal injury cases involve more than one potentially liable party. For example, a commercial vehicle accident could involve the driver, their employer, a vehicle owner, or another company whose actions contributed to the crash. A thorough investigation can help identify the parties responsible and determine which sources of compensation may be available.
What Do I Need to Prove in a California Personal Injury Case?
Many personal injury cases are based on negligence, which generally means that someone failed to exercise reasonable care and caused harm to another person.
To succeed with a negligence claim, you generally must establish four elements:
- Duty: The other party owed you a legal duty of care.
- Breach: The other party failed to meet that duty by acting or failing to act as a reasonably careful person would under the circumstances.
- Causation: The other party’s conduct caused your injuries.
- Damages: You suffered losses as a result of those injuries.
Proving these elements requires evidence connecting the other party’s conduct to your injuries and resulting losses.
Depending on the circumstances, relevant evidence may include accident reports, photographs, video footage, medical records, witness statements, and other documentation. The specific evidence needed will depend on how the accident occurred and the legal issues involved in your case.
What Compensation Can I Recover After an Accident in Los Angeles County?
A serious accident can result in significant financial losses as well as lasting physical and emotional harm. If someone else is responsible for your injuries, you may be entitled to seek compensation for both the economic and non-economic effects of the accident.
Depending on the circumstances of your case, your damages may include:
- Medical bills
- Future medical care and treatment
- Lost wages and income
- Reduced earning capacity
- Property damage
- Rehabilitation expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disability or disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
The value of a personal injury claim depends on the specific losses you have experienced. Relevant factors may include the nature and severity of your injuries, the cost of your current and future medical care, the amount of income you have lost, whether your ability to earn a living has been affected, and how your injuries have changed your daily life.
What if I Am Partly Responsible for my Accident in California?
Being partly responsible for an accident does not necessarily prevent you from recovering compensation in California. The state follows a pure comparative negligence rule, which allows injured parties to recover damages even when they share responsibility for an accident.
However, your compensation can generally be reduced in proportion to your percentage of fault. For example, if you have $100,000 in damages but are found 20% responsible for the accident, your recovery could be reduced by 20%, leaving you with $80,000.
Because fault can directly affect the amount of compensation you receive, insurance companies may attempt to assign you a greater share of responsibility. A personal injury attorney can investigate the circumstances of the accident, gather evidence regarding fault, and challenge allegations that unfairly place blame on you.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in California?
In California, you generally have two years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1.
However, the deadline can vary depending on the circumstances of your case. Different rules and shorter deadlines may apply in certain situations, including claims involving government entities. If you miss the applicable deadline, you could lose your right to seek compensation through the courts.
Acting promptly can also help preserve important evidence. As time passes, witnesses may forget details, surveillance footage may be erased, and physical evidence can be lost or destroyed. Consulting a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible can help you identify the deadlines that apply to your case and take steps to protect your legal rights.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles County?
Many personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means you generally do not pay attorney’s fees upfront. Instead, the lawyer receives an agreed-upon percentage of the compensation recovered on your behalf through a settlement or verdict.
The percentage and other terms of the fee arrangement should be outlined in a written agreement. Before hiring an attorney, review the agreement carefully and ask questions about how attorney’s fees, case costs, and other expenses will be handled.
A contingency fee arrangement allows injured people to pursue legal representation without paying hourly attorney’s fees, which can make it easier to seek legal help while managing medical bills, lost income, and other accident-related expenses.
Contact Our Los Angeles County Personal Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
If you were injured because of someone else’s negligence in Los Angeles County, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses.
J. Hartley Law Personal Injury Lawyers can evaluate the circumstances of your accident, determine who may be responsible, and explain your options for seeking compensation under California law. Contact our Los Angeles County personal injury attorneys today to schedule a free consultation and discuss your case.