If you or someone you loved have been seriously injured or killed through the carelessness, negligence, recklessness or misconduct of others, you are entitled to full compensation for all losses inflicted on you as a result. Everybody has the responsibility to act with reasonable care to avoid causing harm; catastrophic injury; or wrongful death to others. People, companies, or a business who fails to meet this standard should be held accountable so that victims can get on the path to recovery.
When a victim suffers damages because of an injury, they can pursue compensation for these damages through a personal injury claim. If you’ve been injured, you should contact the Los Angeles Injury Lawyers of Dolan Law Firm.
Personal Injury Case Types We Handle
For over 30 years, the personal injury attorneys at the Dolan Law Firm have handled countless cases and recovered over one billion dollars for our clients. Our team has worked with clients who have been injured in the following types of accidents:
- Car accidents;
- Motorcycle accidents;
- Bicycle accidents;
- Commercial truck accidents;
- Pedestrian accidents;
- Construction accidents;
- Dog bites;
- Boat accidents;
- Public transportation accidents;
- Swimming pool accidents;
- Premises liability accidents;
- Accidents caused by faulty and defective consumer products; and
- Acts of medical malpractice.
Additionally, we work with fatal accident victims’ loved ones to pursue compensation for their wrongful death damages.
Ways you Can be Injured in an Accident
There are many ways you can be injured in an accident. Some types of injury typically result from specific types of accident, like infections from the pathogens transferred through a dog’s bite. Others, like soft tissue injuries, can result from any type of accident. Injuries that you can be compensated for range from scrapes and bruises to the most severe of injuries such as loss of limb or a family member’s death.
You can sustain one or more of the following injuries in an accident:
- Broken bones;
- Soft tissue injuries;
- Loss of limbs / Disfigurement;
- Bruising;
- Cuts;
- Burns;
- Spinal cord injuries;
- Nerve damage;
- Traumatic brain injury;
- Loss of functions, such as hearing or sight;
- Heart attack or stroke;
- Organ damage, including skin damage; and
- Psychological trauma.
With every type of injury, you can potentially suffer from complications. The potential complications you face depend on the type of injury you sustained. For example, you risk infection, hemorrhaging, and shock from the blood loss you suffer from a cut or bite. With a spinal cord injury, you can potentially be paralyzed or lose nerve sensation in specific areas of your body.
Your chance of making a full recovery is tied to how quickly you receive appropriate medical attention after being injured. Do your duty to mitigate your damages and help yourself recover more quickly and completely by seeking medical care as soon as possible after your accident.
Pursuing Compensation for your Personal Injury Damages
Through a personal injury claim, you can pursue compensation for the following damages:
- Your medical expenses;
- Your lost wages; and
- Your pain and suffering damages.
These categories cover a wide range of specific types of damages. You can recover compensation for more than just your immediate hospitalization and medication costs; your settlement can include compensation for your ongoing medical needs like continuing physical therapy and pain management. In addition to the wages you cannot earn while you are out of work to recover, you can pursue compensation for your missed advancement opportunities and reduced work capacity through a personal injury claim. In the pain and suffering category, you can seek compensation for every other related damage you face, such as the cost of psychological counseling to work through your emotional trauma and the cost of hiring in-home domestic help while you are unable to perform household tasks yourself.
Proving Fault in Personal Injury Cases
There is one common theme in every personal injury and wrongful death claim: somebody was negligent, and that negligence caused somebody else to suffer an injury.
The most critical step in any personal injury case is proving fault of the liable parties. This is accomplished by proving each of the four elements of negligence to obtain a settlement or jury verdict on your behalf.
- Duty of Care: The person at fault for your injuries must have owed a duty to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances.
- Breach of Duty of Care: The liable party must have carelessly or intentionally breached the duty of care by failing to act as a reasonably prudent person would under the same or similar circumstances.
- Establish Causation: Proof that the liable party’s breach of duty CAUSED your injuries and other damages.
- Prove the Amount of Damages: Proof of the extent of your damages to establish the maximum amount of compensation possible.
Can I Recover Compensation Even if I was Partially at Fault?
In California, you can recover compensation for your damages even if you were partially, or even primarily, at fault for your accident. This is known as the pure comparative negligence doctrine. However, the amount of compensation you can recover is reduced according to the percentage of the fault you hold. This means that if you hold 50 percent of the fault for your accident and you file a claim for $100,000 in compensation, you can only recover up to $50,000.
Working with an Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles
When you file a personal injury claim, your lawyer plays an important role from the initial investigation to the final settlement. It is their job to help you recover an appropriate settlement for your damages, and in most cases, that means having to negotiate with the negligent party’s insurance provider on your behalf. It could also mean drawing upon the lawyer’s professional network to get expert testimonies from parties like doctors, accident reconstruction specialists, and mechanics. In some cases, pursuing compensation for your damages means filing a lawsuit and having the court decide on an outcome. No matter which turns your claim takes, your lawyer’s job is to provide appropriate legal advice and representation in pursuit of your compensation package.
Working with personal injury attorneys can raise concern and questions for victims of injuries. At the Dolan Law Firm we work hard to make sure our clients receive the appropriate medical care for their injuries. We connect victims with skilled professionals in the medical world to get the treatment they deserve. Our attorneys are experts at negotiating with insurance companies and know how to navigate the legal system to maximize the value of your case and recover the best possible settlement or jury verdict.
How Much Money Can You Get from Getting Hit by A Car?
When you are injured in a car accident, or other personal injury accident, the amount you can recover is dependent on the unique circumstances of your case. While no amount of money can change the past, it can undoubtedly help victims manage the financial costs associated with an injury and help them feel that those responsible for their injuries have been held accountable. A lawyer will examine the entire scope of your claim and help you to determine what you can recover from categories such as:
- Past Medical Bills and Expenses;
- Future Medical Costs and Needs;
- Property Damage;
- Repair Costs;
- Lost Wages;
- Loss of Earning Capacity;
- Physical Therapy;
- Emotional Distress;
- Pain and Suffering;
- Loss of Financial Support;
- Loss of Consortium;
- Loss of Companionship; and
- Any Other Damages Unique to your Case
Once the monetary value of your damages has been established the next challenge is to get paid from an insurance company or through Los Angeles Courts. The Dolan Law Firm has an established reputation for their ability to negotiate high value settlements from insurance companies. When insurance companies don’t pay you what you deserve, our team of highly skilled and experienced trial attorneys will take your case to court to get you the compensation you deserve through a lawsuit.
The potential value of your bodily injury case will depend on the severity of your losses. Learn what your case might be worth during a consultation with an accident attorney at our personal injury law firm.
What Information Does My Attorney Need From Me?
Your claim can only be successful if you provide sufficient evidence to support it. The evidence you provide illustrates how the other parties was negligent, how you were injured, and the damages you suffered as a result. An attorney will need you to provide all the information you have relevant to your accident. This can include:
- Photographs of the accident scene;
- The official accident report or police report;
- Copies of your medical records and bills
- Documentation of your lost wages;
- Insurance Information;
- Testimonies from witnesses to the accident;
- Expert testimony from parties who can discuss the case in detail; and
- Journal entries, testimonies from loved ones, and any other documentation you can provide to show how your quality of life was negatively impacted by the injury.
Following an accident, you should document everything you can at the scene of the accident and document your recovery that follows.
If you do not have this information, you can still reach out to the Dolan Law Firm for a consultation. Our firm has the experience and resources to investigate and uncover all the necessary information to make your case as strong as possible.
What Should I Do After Getting in an Accident or Suffering a Personal Injury?
Prioritize Your Health
Your primary focus following an injury is to get out of the way of any further harm and call 911 as soon as you are safe. If others are nearby, ask them to help and request they call 911.
Seek Medical Attention
It is essential that you seek medical treatment for any injuries you have suffered, even if you do not feel injured immediately after an accident. The symptoms of injuries can take days to appear and failing to seek medical treatment can adversely affect your health and impair your ability to obtain full compensation for any damages caused to you.
When seeking compensation following an accident, the primary source of evidence of injuries are the medical records kept by treating medical professionals. Be sure to report any and all pain, discomfort, stress, anxiety and other damages to a doctor.
Gather Information
If there are any other parties involved be sure to get the name, address, phone number, insurance company, and insurance policy of any other party. The more information you are able to gather the better off you will be moving forward in obtaining compensation for any injuries. If they were driving a vehicle obtain the VIN, license plate number, and auto insurance.
Look around and ask for any witnesses. If there are witnesses then ask them for their contact information and request they give a statement to the police who arrive on scene.
Obtain a Police or Incident Report
Speak to police on the scene or at the hospital as soon as you are capable. Tell the police what happened and ask them for a copy of the incident report. If they cannot give you a copy at the time then ask them for a receipt of the report you have made and the report number. Get any and all information from the responding officers such as their name, badge number, and agency or office they work for.
Preserve Evidence
You should document everything you can at the scene of the accident and your recovery that follows. Seek out an experienced personal injury lawyer who can help you identify evidence and assist you in preserving it.
Avoid Speaking About Your Case
Following an accident, it is likely that insurance companies will get involved and try and make determinations of fault and offer low settlements to be done with any claims you may have. You do not have to provide the other party’s insurance with a statement and we encourage you to talk to an attorney prior to talking to insurance companies or others about a potential case.
Can I Resolve my Personal Injury Case without filing a Lawsuit?
It depends, but generally yes you can. The majority of personal injury cases are never brought to trial and typically settle by a mutual agreement by both parties. Settling a case is an opportunity to avoid the costs of trial, which in the long run means you can obtain more compensation because the fees for the attorneys will be much lower than if the case went to trial. Having an experienced attorney on your side to negotiate aggressively and advocate for you against the insurance companies is often the best way to obtain fair compensation without having to go to trial. If settlement is fruitless and the insurance companies only offer low valued amounts then that attorney can file a lawsuit and obtain compensation for you through the litigation process.
How Long do I Have to File a Lawsuit for my Personal Injuries?
Personal injury claims are bound to a few California laws, like the two-year statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit. Please be advised that your potential case is governed by a statute of limitations (a limited time period in which you must begin a lawsuit). Statutes of limitations differ depending on the type of case involved. Some of these time periods may be as short as six months, while others can be as long as two years. We do not have enough information to identify which statute of limitations applies in your case. You should consult with a lawyer, the California Code of Civil Procedure, internet resources, and/or visit your law library to identify the applicable statute of limitations for your matter.
How Much Will it Cost Me to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney in Los Angeles?
There is no cost upfront. Reputable personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means the lawyer gets paid out from the settlement or jury award in your case. Our contingency fee total is dependent on what stage the case is in, the closer to trial the larger the contingency due to the costs associated with a trial. If you do not recovery any compensation you do not pay anything. To get a better understanding of the costs associated with a personal injury claim, contact our firm to receive a case consultation.
Work with an Experienced Los Angeles Injury Lawyer
When you are suffering from an accidental injury, you can face substantial financial damages. You are entitled to pursue monetary compensation for those damages through a personal injury claim. To give your claim the best possible chance of resulting in a fair compensation package for your damages, work with an experienced personal injury lawyer. Contact our team at the Dolan Law Firm today to set up your initial legal consultant in our offices with locations in Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, San Francisco, and Oakland.
