Richmond Personal Injury Lawyers
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Experienced Richmond Personal Injury Lawyers Offering Legal Representation Tailored To Your Needs
Richmond is a beautiful city located on the shores of California in Contra Costa County. On the waterfront between the shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay, the people of Richmond can take advantage of the many entertainment options, outdoor activities, and excellent climate in the area. However, despite what makes it a great place to live, the city’s people still get into accidents. Injured people in Richmond may need an attorney to uphold their legal rights, especially if their accidents were caused by negligence.
The attorneys at Arash Law have years of experience helping accident victims throughout California seek compensation after an accident. Whether you suffered an injury in a car accident, slip-and-fall, construction accident, or another way, call us at (888) 488-1391 to schedule a free, no-obligation initial case review.
(No guarantee of outcome. Results displayed were dependent on unique facts of that case, and different facts will bring different results.)
How Should I Handle The Insurance Company After An Accident?
Getting your life back on track after an accident often has a financial aspect to it. As such, you may need to work with the at-fault driver’s insurance company to seek compensation.
However, doing so without legal guidance may get tricky. For example, one mistake injured victims commonly make is to accidentally admit fault for an accident, such as by apologizing. If an insurance adjuster contacts you before you get the chance to hire an injury lawyer, you may thus wish to do the following:
Do Not Accept Initial Settlement Offers
Initial settlement offers, which victims usually receive soon after an accident, are often made based on the results of preliminary investigations. These assessments may not yet include exhaustive details regarding the extent of the losses you incurred. As a result, initial settlement offers may not match what your claim is worth.
If you accept one and realize you need more compensation down the line, you will not be able to file a claim for the same accident. As such, you may want to hold off on responding to offers before you have a lawyer to help you review them.
Do Not Sign Anything Or Provide A Statement
You must be careful about what you say to an insurance company during your pending claim. As mentioned above, you may accidentally end up weakening your claim. An attorney can help review any statement an insurance company wants you to give, which may assist with maintaining your right to pursue compensation.
Do Not Volunteer Information
If you answer the insurance company’s questions, only answer the questions asked. There is no need to give more information than necessary. By offering your opinion on the accident, for example, you may limit your ability to seek compensation by providing more information than necessary.
Call An Attorney
An experienced accident attorney can review your case, assess the extent of your losses, and help you negotiate for a settlement if you have a valid claim. Having representation can ultimately help streamline the claims process for you after an accident.
Types Of Accident Cases That Arash Law Handles
Personal injuries come from many different types of accidents, and Arash Law has experience in many areas of personal injury law:
- Car Accidents — Car accidents are common personal injury cases. Traffic crashes remain a leading cause of injury and death across the United States. They may leave any traveler with severe and permanent injuries that have a lasting impact on their lives.
- Workplace Injuries — When you suffer a workplace injury, you will likely be eligible for workers’ compensation insurance. A Richmond personal injury lawyer can help in cases where claims for workers’ compensation are denied, or in scenarios where third-party negligence poses an opportunity to seek further damages.
- Aviation Disasters — Plane crashes are rare, but they still happen and can have severe consequences.
- Motorcycle Accidents — A roof and doors do not cover motorcyclists like those on cars and trucks, so motorcyclists are much more vulnerable to significant injury if they get into a traffic accident.
- Truck Accidents — Big trucks are more likely to cause devastating results if they are involved in an accident. Due to the size of the vehicle, if a truck hits another motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian, the results have a higher risk of being fatal.
- Premises Liability — Property owners must keep their property safe for visitors and customers. If a property owner fails to do so and someone gets hurt, then they may be legally obligated to pay for the damages.
- Products Liability — Every product manufacturer must place safe products in the marketplace. Manufacturers are responsible for the damage done to a person if defective products are put on store shelves and used as intended. Whether you have encountered an exploding electronic or unsafe medication, you might have grounds to seek reimbursement for your injuries.
- Bicycle Accidents — Using bicycles has become a popular way for people to travel in Richmond. Bicycles lower the number of emissions from cars, trucks, and motorcycles and are better for the environment. However, cyclists have much less protection than cars, trucks, and motorcycles. If bicyclists get into a traffic accident, they may suffer more significant injuries than others.
- Pedestrian Accidents — Travelers in Richmond should not forget that they share the road with pedestrians. People who choose to walk from point A to point B are vulnerable, and if they get into an accident, they have far less protection from injuries than people in cars or trucks.
- Rideshare Accidents — Knowing what to do next can be confusing if you get into an accident involving an Uber or Lyft vehicle. It helps to have an experienced legal team familiar with California’s rideshare laws and who can help identify and negotiate with all parties involved.
- Accidents Involving Children — The law may apply differently to personal injury claims involving minors. A Richmond personal injury lawyer can guide parents through the claims process and explain their options.
- Wrongful Deaths — If your loved one passes away during or after a fatal personal injury accident, your family may be entitled to pursue compensation for related losses through a wrongful death claim.
- Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents — Any time a store fails to put a warning sign on a wet floor or allows a patch of ice to go unsalted, a slip-and-fall accident can happen. The owner may be among the responsible parties who must reimburse you for your injuries.
How Do Personal Injury Lawsuits Work?
If you haven’t suffered a personal injury from an accident before, you may not know what to expect as you pursue compensation. Each case is different, but every personal injury case has some common core elements. Common characteristics of every personal injury case include the following:
Personal Injury Statute Of Limitations
Every civil case must be filed within a deadline imposed by law. In California, a car accident victim generally has two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit. Some exceptions may apply to your case. If you fail to file your lawsuit within the applicable deadline, you may lose your ability to seek compensation through the courts.
Therefore, acting promptly after a personal injury accident may help your case. For example, quick action will help you preserve critical evidence. The more time that passes, the greater the chance that evidence will degrade and witnesses will become unavailable.
Identifying The Responsible Parties
Finding out who is responsible for your injuries may be the most important part of getting a personal injury case started. If you suffered an injury in an accident caused by another’s negligence, then you may be able to file a lawsuit against the responsible parties to pursue compensation.
Various individuals or entities can be potential defendants in a personal injury case. Examples of potentially responsible parties in a personal injury case include:
- Manufacturers, Distributors, or Retailers — Anyone who allowed a defective product onto the marketplace that caused a customer to suffer from a severe injury or death may be held liable.
- Other Drivers on the Road — Everyone who uses the road must operate their vehicle safely, but if they fail to do so, they might be responsible for paying for the accident victim’s injuries.
- Employers — An employer who failed to provide a safe workplace, required its employees to take illegal actions, or was negligent in hiring their employees and therefore caused accidents to non-employees may be responsible for the victim’s harm and may be required to pay for their damages.
- Businesses That Transport Goods or People and Fail to Maintain Their Vehicles Properly — For example, if an airline fails to maintain its planes properly and an accident happens, the airline may be liable for the injuries that the crash caused.
Determining who the responsible parties are can be a difficult task, especially if more than one of them is found to have contributed to your accident. For example, if a commercial truck driver hits you, the driver and their employer may be liable for your damages.
Some other claims that you, as an injury victim, may have against a business or corporation include the following:
- Failure to Maintain Company Vehicles — Suppose a company uses vehicles as a part of its business, like a commercial truck company. They must be current with the trucks’ maintenance. If the company allows a driver to use a company vehicle that it knows or should have known was in bad condition, and an accident happens, you may have a claim against the company.
- Negligent Hiring — Companies have a duty to ensure that they hire qualified people. If the company fails to hire someone qualified or fails to verify the applicant’s credentials, and that employee causes an accident, the company may be liable for negligent hiring.
- Negligent Supervision — Employers are responsible for supervising their employees. An employer should know where an employee is and what they do while working for the company. The company may be liable for negligent supervision if the employee is unsupervised and causes an accident.
- Negligent Retention — A claim for negligent retention arises if an employer knows that an employee has a reputation for acting negligently and causing accidents. Still, if the company keeps the employee and they cause an accident, the company may be liable for injuries sustained after the accident.
Preserving Evidence
You cannot prove your case without evidence. It is essential to preserve as much evidence as possible after an accident, and moving quickly after an accident helps do just that. Building your case will be much easier if you can locate witnesses before their memories fade, follow your doctor’s advice, and get an attorney to help you obtain other relevant documentation after an accident.
Frequently Asked Questions
You undoubtedly have many questions about the process, what to expect from an insurance company, or how much to expect from a settlement. The following are some of the most common questions accident victims ask about personal injury cases in Richmond:
What Is A Personal Injury Claim?
A personal injury is harm done to someone’s body, mind, or emotions and is often caused by the negligent actions of another person or entity. A personal injury may leave you with physical pain, medical bills, lost wages, and other forms of harm. These losses that you suffered are collectively known as damages. To pursue a case, you must prove you suffered damages in a personal injury accident. Doing so may enable you to seek those damages.
What Is A Settlement?
A settlement agreement is a compromise between an accident attorney and an insurance company. Most personal injury cases settle well before the case progresses to trial. Settlements are final, which is why you may want to avoid accepting one without speaking to an attorney.
What Is Negligence?
Negligence is a legal claim that an accident victim can pursue against the responsible party. A party is negligent when it fails to act reasonably in a given situation. Examples of negligence include speeding or ignoring traffic signs and causing an accident. If a driver operates their vehicle negligently, they may be liable for any injuries that the accident causes.
How Is Negligence Determined?
Negligence has four elements that must be proven by an accident plaintiff. When filing a negligence case, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant had a duty to act reasonably, that the defendant breached their duty, that the accident caused their injuries, and that they suffered damages because of the accident. An experienced accident attorney can gather the necessary evidence to establish negligence and help seek damages for your case.
What Is Contributory Negligence?
Some states follow the “contributory negligence” rule, which bars any claims from being filed if you are even slightly at fault. This system is in contrast with California’s “pure comparative negligence” system. This rule allows you to pursue compensation even if you are up to 99% responsible for your accident, but it reduces your final award by your percentage of fault.
What Is A Counterclaim?
A counterclaim is a claim brought against the plaintiff by the defendant in a case that contains allegations surrounding the accident. You must answer a counterclaim. Your accident attorney can help you properly answer a counterclaim.
What Is A Deposition?
A deposition is an interview process where witnesses give their testimony outside a formal courtroom setting. Although the testimony is outside of a courtroom, witnesses are still under oath, so if you are deposed, you must tell the truth.
What Is Discovery, And What Is Its Purpose?
Discovery is a fact-finding investigation phase of a lawsuit. Discovery is intended to narrow down the allegations of the complaint and provide each side with the witnesses, including expert witnesses, that are expected to be at trial.
How Long Will A Richmond Personal Injury Case Take?
The speed at which your case will resolve is fact-dependent. Some cases close quickly, but others might last for months or years because they must go to trial. The longer that you wait to contact an attorney, the more time it may take for your case to conclude.
How Do I Know If I Have A Richmond Personal Injury Case?
If you were in an accident that was not your fault, you might be entitled to pursue compensation. The attorneys at Arash Law can review your accident, assess whether negligence played a role in causing it, and tell you if you can pursue an accident claim.
I Suffered An Injury, And It Wasn’t My Fault. What Should I Do?
After an accident, you should get immediate medical attention. You should follow your doctor’s instructions closely and follow them to the letter. Never go against your doctor’s orders. Doing so may affect your ability to pursue compensation in the future. After receiving medical care, you can consult one of our Richmond personal injury lawyers to see if you’re eligible to file a claim against the party responsible for your injuries.
Contact An Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer In Richmond
Accident claims can be complex. However, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand your rights, options, and the claims process. Our team at Arash Law is committed to delivering comprehensive legal representation to injured clients in Richmond, California. Our attorneys focus on advocating for their rights and helping them pursue compensation that reflects their losses.
Although filing and processing an accident claim can be challenging, our Richmond personal injury lawyers are here to help. If you are ready to start your legal journey, call Arash Law at (888) 488-1391 to schedule a free initial case evaluation.
