Personal Injury Law in Los Angeles, CA

Were you hurt due to another’s negligence in Los Angeles? If so, it may have far-reaching consequences such as a loss of wages or extensive medical treatment. Personal injury law allows an injured person to get damages if the responsible person acted recklessly. A personal injury attorney in Los Angeles, CA can help navigate the lawsuit to make sure you receive all of the compensation you deserve.

What Is Personal Injury Law?

Personal injury law in Los Angeles relates to the legal process of getting compensation for an injury caused by someone else’s negligent behavior. These cases involve one party, the plaintiff, trying to seek financial compensation for expenses incurred and money lost as a result of the defendant’s reckless behavior. These cases involve both parties’ insurance companies and may even settle before proceeding to litigation.

Examples of Personal Injury Claims in Los Angeles, CA

Some personal injury claims are more common than others. However, almost any incident that ends with a physical or mental injury could qualify, depending on the circumstances.

A few of the most common personal injury claims are:

• Car Accidents
• Slip and Fall
• Dog Bites
• Medical Malpractice
• Workplace Accidents
• Burn Injuries

Most Common Injuries In Los Angeles 

According to County of Los Angeles Public Health, unintentional falls were the leading cause of hospitalization across all racial groups in Los Angeles. The second most common cause of injury and hospitalization was motor vehicle accidents. Falls, traffic accidents, poisonings, and suicide are the top causes of injury, hospitalization, and injury-related death across all of Los Angeles.

Steps In a Personal Injury Lawsuit In Los Angeles, CA

Once you determine that you wish to proceed forward with a personal injury action in California

A lawsuit begins when a complaint is filed with the court and served on the defendant. The complaint alleges your assertion as the plaintiff that the defendant’s negligent behavior resulted in damage to your body or mental state. As the process proceeds forward, you may have to go through depositions, independent medical evaluations, and document production. This discovery process is lengthy and ends in either a settlement or a court appearance.

In California, after you send a demand for compensation, you can either come to a settlement or file a claim with the court. You will then enter the discovery, or evidence-finding process. This will then either lead to another settlement opportunity or a trial. 

California Personal Injury Settlement

With most personal injury cases, insurance companies and injured parties prefer settlement negotiations rather than going to court for a trial. You may wonder how much you should seek in your settlement and the factors that impact the final amount.

A few various legal sites point to Jury Verdict Research. This found that the average money damage award for personal injury trials in California is $1,814,094. However, finding a true average for personal injury case settlements is relatively impossible. As we can tell from the County of Los Angeles Public Health injury data tables, there are loads of factors that can impact your case. From the cause of the injury to the severity of the injury to potential work loss compensation, or the cost of medical bills, there is no way to accurately average all this data.

If the other party has insurance, the insurance company likely wants to settle out of court to avoid leaving the final settlement decision to a jury. Settlements benefit injured parties as much as they do insurance companies. This is because accepting a settlement means you receive compensation sooner rather than later. Also, by going to court in CA, that means you risk not receiving any compensation at all.

Damage Awards In California

If your California personal injury lawsuit goes before a judge or jury, your legal team will be ready with a request for damages. In personal injury cases, there are three types of damage awards a court may order the defendant to pay. To compensate you for the damage he or she inflicted.

Special compensatory damages reimburse you for things such as lost income, medical bills, and insurance deductibles. You submit receipts proving these losses.

General compensatory damages are more subjective and often awarded alongside special compensatory damages. If your injury caused significant pain or emotional distress, you can request the court to require the defendant to compensate you for this suffering.

Punitive damages, on the other hand, are rarely awarded and left to the discretion of the court. A judge or jury may grant them if the defendant’s negligence was especially egregious, resulting in severe harm.

In Los Angeles, and the rest of California, there are no caps on any damages that you can seek in an average personal injury case.

Statute of Limitations In Los Angeles, CA Personal Injury Law?

The injured party may have a set amount of time to file suit for a personal injury case. State law establishes statutes of limitation. Commonly, the plaintiff’s injury or discovery of the injury begins the statute of limitations. However, the latter factor is trickier, as the plaintiff will have to prove when the injury was first realized.

California statute of limitations for personal injury cases gives an injured person two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit against those who could be at fault.

We recommend you speak with a personal injury lawyer for this matter. Don’t wait too long and miss out on receiving the compensation you deserve for your injury. 

Work With an Experienced Los Angeles, CA Lawyer

Pursue a personal injury claim in Los Angeles against the responsible person if you are dealing with an injury caused by someone else. One of our experienced lawyers can help you navigate your personal injury claim. We can even help you connect with an attorney across California state lines.

Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to speak with an experienced lawyer in your area!

About the Author

Aaron is a professional legal writer with a B.S. in English Education from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. He has written, published, and edited thousands of legal articles for RequestLegalHelp, which has connected over 5 million people to legal help in the United States.

With over five years of experience writing thousands of legal articles for law firms across the U.S. and Canada, Aaron specializes in covering federal, state, and city-level legal issues ranging from auto accidents to wrongful terminations.