Long Beach Personal Injury Lawyers

If you are involved in an accident, it is a good idea to check with a personal injury attorney in Long Beach to find out if you are eligible for compensation due to someone’s negligence or mistake. While you may have an opinion immediately after the accident, a professional attorney can help to sort out the facts objectively.

Long Beach personal injury lawyers have an excellent reputation for fair, aggressive efforts on their clients’ behalf. They are well known in the court system for integrity and compassion, along with a thorough and competent defense of their client’s interests. You can rest assured that they will do everything possible to organize the case so that it is crystal clear to everyone involved. Evidence will be collected and assembled in a painstaking way to support the case.

Contact an Attorney

As soon as an accident occurs due to situations like a car crash, a burn injury, a fall on someone’s property, a dog bite, or a motorcycle accident, it is important to contact an attorney to discuss any injuries or losses sustained. You might have to be treated at a hospital emergency room or outpatient clinic. Hospitalization and surgery may be necessary, along with physical therapy or occupational therapy.

This care is expensive. Many people lack insurance and don’t know what to do. They can’t afford medical care out of pocket, but they are in incredible pain. An attorney can discuss your options, such as finding a doctor to work on a lien basis.

Absenteeism from work and other activities, including family time and community commitments, may possibly be factored into eligible compensation.

Serious injuries often prevent someone from leaving the house. With no ability to work, they have no money coming in to cover a mortgage or rent. An experienced Long Beach personal injury attorney will assess the circumstances and explain whether you should plan to pursue a legal claim. If you are successful, you can receive compensation for these and other losses.

Honesty and Documentation

In working with a lawyer, it is important to be as upfront and honest as you expect the attorney to be. Working together in this manner helps to get the best results. After discussing the situation, you may be asked to provide documentation related to the incident, such as a police report or medical bills. Sometimes witness statements may be required. If so, the attorney will typically handle the collection of this information. Other pertinent documents, if needed, will be explained.

A personal injury attorney in Long Beach needs to be able to determine the merits of your case and honestly inform you at the time of your initial consultation about what to expect. Office staff will keep you informed about the progress of proceedings in your case.

It is important to keep all appointments with the law office concerning your litigation so that it can be resolved as quickly as possible. Your attorney should contact you in a timely manner about upcoming proceedings, such as a pretrial hearing or the due dates for filing interrogatories and other documents.

Open, honest communication is the secret to a successful attorney-client relationship. Without it, few lawyers can advocate effectively for their clients. And clients lose out on the ability to fully participate in their case.

Settlement Fees and Offers

Most Long Beach personal injury attorneys do not collect a fee upfront if they decide to take your case. Rather, they will wait to collect a portion of the compensation awarded by the judge or jury at the conclusion of the trial, or a percentage of the settlement fee that is agreed on. Expenses like faxes, copies and other items may also be paid by the attorney in advance, as well as medical records and relevant documentation. The attorney will then be reimbursed when the distribution of the settlement or award is made.

Since most legal cases settle out of court before reaching the trial stage, your attorney may be in touch periodically with settlement offers from the other side. The attorney can advise you on the merits or shortfalls of the offer, although you will be able to make the final decision on whether to accept it and end litigation or continue moving forward.

A personal injury legal claim is a serious matter that attempts to obtain appropriate compensation for your injuries and losses. Your attorney becomes your advocate in seeking justice on your behalf.

Car Accident Questions

A car accident can be one of the most terrifying events of modern life. Even in collisions that result in minor injuries, the shock of impact can make it very difficult to keep a level head. But when the dust settles, the repercussions of the crash can continue to affect your life for many years. Common questions and worries after an accident are:

• Who will the insurance company determine was at fault?
• Will your insurer pay for all the damages, including personal injuries?
• What if the other driver didn’t have insurance?

An attorney can help with all of these questions and much more.

Navigating the Insurance Maze

In Diamond Bar and elsewhere, automobile and health insurance policies can seem arcane and inscrutable, and in the aftermath of a collision, it is often difficult to navigate the maze that separates you from the payout that you deserve under your policy. El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers has the experience to guide you through this process. Beginning with the preparation of the documentation of the crash, including requesting the police reports from law enforcement and tracking down the other driver’s insurance information, our law firm will assist you with the creation of the record necessary to get the full amount of your claim.

Insurers benefit by making things as complicated as possible. If you give up seeking compensation, they never have to pay you a dime.

Ensuring Compensation for Injuries

But what if the other driver was uninsured and your insurance coverage doesn’t sufficiently compensate you for the injuries you sustained? At this point, even the insurance-savvy driver finds out the complexities of the system. The El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers will use the police reports, eyewitness testimony, and information you have provided to discover all the relevant information about the other driver, and, if necessary, file a suit on your behalf to ensure that you will get the full compensation for the injuries you suffered.

Our legal team will also analyze whether you can add more defendants. For example, if you are hit by a truck driver, you can sue more than simply the driver. You can also sue his or her employer, as well as possibly the loading company. Similarly, if you are bitten by a dog in an apartment building, you will probably sue the dog owner. But the facts might allow you to sue the landlord, too. Our legal team closely analyzes all information. If we can add more defendants, we might increase your odds of a full financial recovery.

Every step of the way, our highly trained attorneys and competent legal staff will file the necessary paperwork and participate in negotiations with the insurance company and with the other party’s representative to get you the most compensation we can. After all, you were the one injured, and you deserve to be put back in as close a situation as you were before the collision.

California Personal Injury Laws

Many laws regulate personal injury lawsuits, and your attorney must be aware of them. Some of the more important include:

Comparative Fault

California operates under a “pure” comparative fault system. This means your compensation is reduced proportionately by your degree of blame. If you are 50% at fault for your accident, you will receive only 50% of your damages in compensation. Similarly, if you are 33% at fault, you receive only 67% of your damages.

Fault can matter significantly in personal injury cases. In a sideswipe car accident, for example, it might not be obvious who is at fault. The other driver could blame you, so you must fight back. Our lawyers are adept at collecting evidence and arguing your fault was negligible.

Statute of Limitations

California doesn’t give victims an endless amount of time to sue. Instead, our personal injury statute of limitations generally gives you only two years to bring a lawsuit in court. The clock begins ticking when you realize you are injured—which, in most cases, is right away.

Let’s look at what happens if you miss the deadline and file your case after the deadline:

• The defendant can file a motion asking the judge to dismiss your case—and a judge will grant the request.
• You cannot refile later. Instead, because you have missed the deadline, you are barred from seeking compensation against this defendant.
• The defendant has no incentive to settle a case with you outside of court. Since you can’t go in and sue, they can offer you next to nothing.
• The defendant gets away free and clear. All because you didn’t file your case in time.

Please contact El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers today to review.

Advocating for You

If the other driver refuses to cooperate with this process and does not intend to pay for the damages caused to you, this is when having the assistance of an attorney is most crucial. Whatever the next step, El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers will be there for you, eager to argue your case all the way to a jury. Through the whole legal process, our attorneys will be present for the hearings, prepare documents and motions, and advocate for you to the court.

While the vast majority of personal injury claims do not end up in trial, as many times the opposing attorney agrees it would be better for the client to pay you for the damages caused–if necessary, we will not shy away from zealous advocacy of you before the jury.

Contact Us Today

If you’ve been seriously injured, or know someone who was in or around the Long Beach area, it is imperative that you call immediately to schedule a consultation. There is a limited time within which we can file a lawsuit on your behalf to ensure that you get compensation for your injuries, and the sooner we have a chance to review your paperwork, the faster we can get the process of advocating for you underway. El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers can guide you through all the intricacies of the process and advocate for you every step of the way.

Please give us a call or send us an email today to set up an appointment for a consultation. We will review your information, hear the story of what happened to you, and see what help we can offer you.

A personal injury accident may be one of the most traumatic few moments many people ever experience, but with the help of El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers, the effects of those few seconds don’t have to have lasting financial repercussions. Call us today with any questions about your personal injury claim in Long Beach.