Stockton Personal Injury Lawyers
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- Increasing Number of Accidents in Stockton
- Personal Injury Cases We Handle In Stockton
- Common Kinds of Personal Injuries in Stockton
- Getting Full and Fair Financial Compensation for Your Injuries
- Proving Liability in Personal Injury Lawsuits
- Impact of the Statute of Limitations
- Four Steps You Should Take After a Serious Accident
- Arash Law Fights for Victims and Families
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Stockton Personal Injury Cases
POWERHOUSE PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS Protecting the Injured in Stockton
Stockton happens to be the biggest city in San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of California and the 11th largest city in the state. The 2020 United States Census reported that Stockton had a population of 322,120, with 44.9 percent of residents being Hispanic or Latino, 35.0 percent being white alone, 20.9 percent being Asian alone, 17.7 percent being two or more races, and 11.3 percent being Black or African American alone.
People can be involved in various types of accidents in Stockton that stem from the negligence of other parties, and common examples may include car accidents, other motor vehicle accidents, and slip-and-fall accidents. When any person suffers injuries as the result of another party’s negligence, it becomes immediately important for them to seek legal representation.
Whatever kind of personal injury case you might have, you should not hesitate to discuss your case with our Stockton personal injury lawyers. Arash Law can make your process simple by reducing your work to four steps: obtaining a free consultation, telling our attorneys about your case, retaining our services with no upfront fees, and then obtaining all of the benefits to which you are entitled.
The city is named for Robert Field Stockton, a United States Navy commodore responsible for the capture of California during the Mexican–American War, and it was the first community in the state not to have a name of Spanish or Native American origin. Many major roads run through Stockton, such as California State Route 99 (CA 99 or SR 99), Interstate 5 (I-5), and California State Route 4 (CA 4 or SR 4).
Our injury law firm in Stockton knows all too well the many struggles people can face when they have injury claims and how insurance companies can only complicate the recovery process, but we can also step in and make sure that people can get the help they need. The team at Arash Law, managed by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., has been dealing with insurers for decades, so we are adept at dealing with insurance companies and helping people get fair and full compensation for their losses.
Founded by famous attorney Arash Khorsandi, Esq., Arash Law has won thousands of personal injury cases in California, and our record of success includes more than $500 million recovered for our clients. We make ourselves available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you should also know that we are multilingual and capable of conversing with people in English, Spanish, Italian, Farsi, Korean, French, or Hebrew.
A farm worker, suffered multiple broken bones and other orthopedic injuries resulting from an auto accident where the defendant driver attempted to make a left turn in front of our client in heavy fog.– ARASH KHORSANDI
Increasing Number of Accidents in Stockton
- traffic fatalities per 100,000 people in 2018: 14
- average commute time: 36.3 minutes
- hours lost due to congestion per car in 2017: 33.7 hours
- Most dangerous road: I-5
The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) reported that the 1,611 fatal and injury crashes in Stockton in 2020 included the following statistics:
- alcohol involved: 153
- drinking driver less than 21 years of age: 2
- drinking driver 21 to 34 years of age: 35
- motorcycles: 53
- pedestrians: 110
- pedestrians more than 15 years of age: 11
- pedestrians 65 years of age or older: 14
- bicyclists: 62
- bicyclists less than 15 years of age: 2
- speed-related: 300
- nighttime (9:00 PM to 2:59 AM): 131
- hit-and-run: 256
- DUI arrests: 443
Traffic accidents remain one of the most common causes of personal injuries in California, but there are many other statistics demonstrating that people can be hurt in many other ways. Statistics from the California Department of Industrial Relations show 462 total fatal injuries in workplaces in California in 2021.
The bottom line remains that accidents can happen at any time in almost any location, so people are always at risk of serious injuries in a wide variety of situations. It is always important for people who suffer injuries to seek the help of a Stockton personal injury lawyer who can help them obtain all of the compensation they need and deserve.
Personal Injury Cases We Handle In Stockton
Spearheaded by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., Arash Law has experience handling a wide variety of personal injury claims, so we can adeptly represent you in almost any kind of personal injury case. While car accidents certainly account for the majority of our caseload, there are several other kinds of claims that can be rather common.
Car crashes occur every single day in California, so there are people suffering injuries on a daily basis as well. The California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) reports that 3,737 people were killed, another 269,031 suffered injuries, and there were 3,438 fatal crashes, and 187,211 injury crashes in the state during the most recent year. Every accident is different, and our team of Stockton personal injury lawyers, led by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., has experience with all kinds of automobile accidents, from rear-end crashes to head-on collisions to rollover accidents.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that 415,000 police-reported crashes involving large trucks in 2020, including 4,444 fatal crashes and 101,000 injury crashes. California averages more than 100 fatal truck accidents per year. Truck accidents are far more complicated cases than traditional car accident claims because liability can be incredibly complex in these cases. While truck drivers themselves may certainly be liable, trucking companies, truck owners, maintenance companies, manufacturers, and many other parties can also be liable.
OTS reports that pedestrian deaths increased by 26 percent between 2014 and 2018, and almost 7,500 pedestrians were killed in California for the 10 years between 2009 and 2018. During the most recent reporting year, 893 pedestrians were killed, and over 14,000 pedestrians suffered an injury. Pedestrians have little to no protection in most accident scenarios, so injuries in these cases are often severe. Insurance companies often have a tendency to blame pedestrians for their injuries, so a person will want to be sure they have legal representation.
SWITRS reported 4,762 motorcycle accidents in California during the most recent reporting year, which resulted in 474 fatalities and 4,288 injuries. The result is an average of more than 13 crashes per day. Motorcycles are much smaller than other motor vehicles, so motorcyclists are at risk of being thrown from their bikes in collisions and suffering catastrophic injuries.
University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley) reports that there were 825 bicycle crashes in San Joaquin County between 2017 and 2021, resulting in 38 bicyclist fatalities. The 131 crashes and three fatalities in 2021 were the second-lowest figures of the most recent five-year period, behind only the 121 accidents but eight fatalities in 2020. Bicyclists face many dangers in dealing with other vehicles on roads in California, and “dooring” crashes in which people open motor vehicle doors into the paths of oncoming cyclists are among the most common kinds of accidents.
OTS reports that the 3,142 people killed nationwide in crashes involving a distracted driver accounted for 8.7 percent of all traffic deaths. According to Enjuris, drivers between 25 and 34 years of age are responsible for 30 percent of distracted driving accidents in California, and there were 106 distracted driving fatalities in the state in 2020. There is little doubt now that numerous distractions, cell phone use often being the most common, are incredibly dangerous while people are driving. Proving another driver was distracted can be challenging, but an attorney can subpoena a negligent driver’s phone records to prove they were using a cell phone while driving.
Data from State Farm, the Insurance Information Institute (III), and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) show that California had 2,396 dog bite injury claims during the most recent reporting year, with the average cost of an injury claim being $51,264.60. Dog bites can be very difficult claims for people to handle because the dog owners responsible are also family members or close personal friends, but people need to understand that homeowners insurance policies usually cover dog bites.
The slip-and-fall accident is one of the most common kinds of premises liability claims in the United States, and people can fall into a wide variety of situations for many different reasons. When a person falls because of a property owner’s negligence, then the property owner can become liable for damages. All people with slip-and-fall cases need to know that insurance companies aggressively fight having to pay anything in these cases, as insurers will often claim that people are to blame for their own injuries.
The wrongful death case is always one of the most difficult types of cases for any family in California, but legal action can be imperative when the death of a loved one is certain to place a financial strain on a family. An experienced Stockton personal injury lawyer can help people file wrongful death claims and work to recover as much compensation as possible.
Common Kinds of Personal Injuries in Stockton
- fractures or broken bones
- lacerations
- concussions
- crush injuries
- closed head injuries
- back injuries
- knee injuries
- leg injuries
- neck injuries
- arm injuries
- internal organ injuries
- skull fractures
- traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- spinal cord injuries
- permanent nerve injuries
- amputations
- paralysis
- severe burn injuries
- whiplash
- wrongful death
Getting Full and Fair Financial Compensation for Your Injuries
Types of damages include the following:
Economic damages relate to the actual costs with which a person is dealing. Some of the most common types of economic damages include past, present, and future medical bills, lost income, and property damage.
Under California Civil Code § 3294, cases involving clear and convincing evidence that a person committed oppression, fraud, or malice can result in punitive damages.
Punitive damages will not be awarded in cases of simple negligence because there must be some aggravating factor. California defines the terms relating to punitive damages as meaning that oppression is despicable conduct that subjects a person to cruel and unjust hardship in conscious disregard of that person’s rights, fraud can be either intentional misrepresentation, deceit, or concealment of a material fact known to a party with the intention on the part of the party of thereby depriving a person of property or legal rights or otherwise causing injury, and malice is conduct that is intended by a person to cause injury to another party or despicable conduct that is carried on by a person with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others.
California Code of Civil Procedure § 377.60 establishes that a cause of action for the death of a person caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another party may be asserted by any of the following people or by a decedent’s personal representative on their behalf:
- A decedent’s surviving spouse or domestic partner
- A decedent’s children
- A decedent’s grandchildren
- Minors who were dependent upon descendants for one-half or more of a minor’s support
- Any other party entitled to a deceased person’s property under California’s intestate succession laws
Wrongful death damages may include awards for burial and funeral expenses, an amount a deceased person will have earned as income, pain and suffering of a decedent, and loss of a deceased’s companionship and support.
Proving Liability in Personal Injury Lawsuits
When a person has a personal injury case, they will also have the burden of proving another party was at fault for their injuries. In California, proving negligence is going to involve proving four separate things:
- Another party owed a person a duty of care. Under tort law, the duty of care is a person’s legal obligation under which they must adhere to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that can foreseeably harm others. It is the first element that needs to be proven to proceed with an action based on negligence.
- The other party breached their duty of care. Breach of duty involves a person failing to satisfy the applicable standard of care. When a person’s conduct fails to meet a required standard of care, they breach their duty of care.
- The other party caused injuries. A person will need to prove that a breach of duty resulted in them suffering injuries.
- The injuries caused damage. A person who suffers injuries will have to prove that the injuries have resulted in damages, such as medical bills.
Impact of the Statute of Limitations
All people only have a limited amount of time to take legal action in a personal injury case, otherwise known as the statute of limitations. Under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, any action for assault, battery, or injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another must be commenced within two years of the date of an accident.
People performing military services can also have their statutes of limitations tolled. Another major exception to the traditional statute of limitations involves cases against governmental entities because many of these claims must be filed within six months, and some agencies may have even shorter timeframes.
Settlement in a motor vehicle accident; client suffered internal injuries.– JUDD ROSS ALLEN
Four Steps You Should Take After a Serious Accident
- Get medical attention. – All people need to visit a hospital after any accident, even when they do not think they suffered an injury. You need to remember that many serious injuries involve delayed symptoms, and you will only make things more difficult for yourself if you see a doctor several days or weeks after an accident originally occurred. Always make sure to get a complete evaluation performed by a medical professional so you can be confident that you know your condition and also so you can get a recommended treatment plan for your injuries.
- Report the accident. – Everybody will want to be sure they report their accidents to the appropriate parties in their cases. Motor vehicle accidents usually involve calls to police departments to report crashes, but slip-and-fall accidents should be reported to managers or other responsible parties for the property.
- Collect evidence. – While people are awaiting medical attention, it can be advantageous to use a camera on a cell phone to take multiple photographs or videos of an accident scene. There can be several forms of evidence that are time-sensitive, so pictures can be valuable in preserving evidence in these cases. People should also look for possible witnesses to accidents and get their contact information.
- Contact a Stockton personal injury lawyer. – As soon as a person becomes able, they should reach out to an attorney for help with their case. You will want to be sure you speak to an injury attorney from Stockton, before you talk to any insurance company. Tell an insurance company that they can talk to your attorney, even when you have not yet hired one.
Arash Law Fights for Victims and Families
Whether you are dealing with a car crash, a slip-and-fall accident, or a wrongful death claim, our team of Stockton personal injury lawyers is going to know what can be done to help you, and we will work as hard as possible to ensure that you recover everything to which you are entitled. Our process generally works as follows:
- initial evaluations – Every single one of our clients is entitled to a free, confidential case review in which we will be happy to provide information about their rights and the merits of their claims. You will never have to pay anything to hire Arash Law because we represent every client on a contingency fee basis, meaning that we only collect a predetermined portion of a settlement or jury award. When we do not recover anything, we do not get paid.
- investigations – The investigation is one of the primary reasons people will want to retain legal counsel, and Arash Law, created by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., takes great pains in its handling of accident investigations. We are capable of working with skilled experts who can help make important determinations and establish the causes of accidents. We also know how to work closely with medical professionals to get a full understanding of injury severity.
- insurance companies – Many personal injury claims are going to have to go through insurers, and no person will want to be dealing with an insurance company on their own. While many people can be tempted to believe that they can save themselves a lot of money by negotiating their own settlement, the truth is that many people who work with Stockton personal injury lawyers obtain more compensation than they will on their own.
- settlement and litigation – A lawyer often sends an insurance company a demand letter that will begin settlement negotiations. Settlements can take considerable time to achieve, and there is always the possibility that a lawsuit may have to be filed to compel an insurance company to settle. Most insurers will agree to settle cases because they do not want to pay the extravagant costs involved with taking a case to trial.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Stockton Personal Injury Cases
You are certainly allowed to file a personal injury claim on your own without legal representation, but you will also be facing a much more uphill fight. While an insurance company may tell you that you do not need to hire an attorney because it will take care of you, the insurer is actually looking to minimize what it is paying you. A One Insurance Research Council (IRC) study of 6,000 people involved in car accidents entitled “Paying for Auto Injuries: A Consumer Panel Survey of Auto Accident Victims” found that victims who hired Stockton personal injury lawyers received 40 percent more in settlements with insurance companies than those who represented themselves.
Make no mistake: the insurance company will reach out to you at some point. You should refuse to make any recorded statement and should tell an insurer to speak to your Stockton personal injury lawyer, even if you do not yet have one. The insurance company will try hard to get your attention, possibly offering you a lump-sum settlement, but you should not accept the offer because it is all but guaranteed to be far less than that to which you are entitled.
A person is going to need to get legal representation any time they are dealing with injuries that result in increased medical bills when such injuries have a lifelong impact, a family member dies because of their injuries, or they will be out of work for a considerable period of time.
There can be minor injury cases that do not require attorneys, and people can obtain compensation in such cases on their own, but all people should generally try to speak to a Stockton personal injury lawyer to see whether their case merits legal representation.
The first benefit of hiring a personal injury lawyer will be their experience handling personal injury claims. An attorney is going to be familiar with the entire legal system and know how to handle a case. Because most Stockton personal injury attorneys handle cases on a contingency fee basis, they are motivated to collect as much money as possible for their clients.
A lawyer can also assist an injury victim with medical attention in their case, as people struggling to pay medical bills can get medical liens that allow them to continue receiving care but not paying any bills until they obtain a settlement or jury award. An attorney can also end attempts by creditors and collection services when they are harassing you. Most importantly, a lawyer can take a case to trial when necessary and argue a case on a person’s behalf.
It is incredibly difficult to pin down accurate assessments of personal injury cases, but most Stockton personal injury lawyers can create a reasonable estimate based on all of a person’s bills and other damages. The general rule in many personal injury cases is that attorneys begin by seeking 75 to 100 percent more than they believe a case is worth so that they have room to negotiate.
No. Do not use location as the sole basis for your choice of injury attorney. Your priority needs to be securing a lawyer who has the right level of experience and skills necessary for your case. Doing so may involve hiring a lawyer who is not immediately within your particular living area. Many law firms are willing to travel to meet with clients in personal injury cases, especially when they are still in hospitals or otherwise confined to their homes.
You Should Not Handle Your Case by Yourself
Many people can feel isolated after their accidents and be dealing with confusion about what steps they need to take. A person who suffers an injury in an accident in the greater Stockton area should not hesitate to get in touch with Arash Law because we will immediately make it known that we are serious about helping people recover all of the compensation they need and deserve.
Arash Law, run by the talented team of Arash Khorsandi, Esq., will work very closely with you and ensure that you are receiving all of the medical care you will need to make the completest recovery possible. Our firm assists people with all kinds of concerns that arise while personal injury cases are being handled, so you can know that we will always be there to help you with any issue with which you are dealing.
Our team of dedicated lawyers also handles cases outside of Stockton, including other cities in San Joaquin County, such as Lodi, Tracy, Manteca, Lathrop, Ripon, and Escalon. We also cover nearby counties like Modesto, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Sacramento, and the entire State of California.
You can call (888) 488-1391 or contact us online to speak with one of our experienced Stockton personal injury lawyers, who can help you determine your case’s best course of action.
