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Jul 21, 2022
When you suffer an injury as a result of negligence on the part of an individual or entity, the recovery process can be grueling. Hospital stays involving pain and suffering, mounting medical bills, the potential for being out of work for an extended period of time, and worrying about lost wages are just some of the stresses that can arise after a personal injury accident.
Personal injury law (also known as tort law) is in place to protect victims who are harmed due to someone else’s negligence or carelessness. In a personal injury civil lawsuit, the individual or entity who caused the harm is sued in an effort to compensate the victim.
Personal injury lawsuits can take a number of different forms – from car accidents to dog bites to slip and falls to wrongful deaths to product liability or defect claims and even medical malpractice. Given the varying types of personal injury claims, searching for and hiring the best lawyer available can be challenging, particularly when you find yourself in the midst of a difficult recovery process and in need of immediate financial compensation for damages.
Let’s look at what the personal injury civil lawsuit process entails and review how to find the best lawyer to handle your case so you recover the maximum financial compensation you need to make a complete recovery.
A personal injury can include harm caused to a person’s body, emotional state, or even one’s reputation. When you’ve suffered a personal injury, filing a civil lawsuit with an experienced accident lawyer can be a means of recovering “damages.” In legalese, damages represent financial compensation awarded to the victim in a personal injury lawsuit. Later in this blog, we will review what specific types of damages may be awarded in your personal injury civil claim.
Personal injury lawsuits can typically be brought under three scenarios:
– Negligence: Negligence or carelessness are the two most common factors leading to personal injury claims. When you hear the phrase “duty of care,” it’s likely in reference to someone failing to exercise a level of care that would ordinarily or reasonably be required in any given situation. For example, as drivers we all have a duty of care to operate our vehicles safely, without being distracted, and without being under the influence of a mind-altering substance like alcohol or marijuana. When that duty of care is breached and someone is injured as a result, a personal injury lawsuit may be brought by the victim in an effort to recover financial compensation for various losses.
– Strict Liability: Strict liability typically refers to product of manufacturer defects which result in injuries. When strict liability is argued in a personal injury lawsuit, the attorney will attempt to prove that an injury occurred regardless of any intentional act of negligence on the part of the defendant. In other words, the defendant would not necessarily have to intend to act in a negligent manner in order to be held responsible under strict liability.
– Intentional Wrongs: An intentional wrong is, just as it sounds, an action by a defendant that has intent to harm another person. Examples of intentional wrongs may include assault, battery, trespassing, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress, etc.
An accident lawyer is another term for a personal injury attorney. Personal injury or accident lawyers tend to handle a variety of case types. Examples of some of the case types that an experienced accident lawyer might commonly accept include:
Additionally, defamation is a subset of personal injury law. The recent defamation civil trial featuring actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard made worldwide headlines. Depp was awarded $15 million in the verdict, which included $5 million in punitive damages. However, the judge capped the punitive damages award to $350,000, which happens to be the legal limit for such cases in the state of Virginia where the trial was held. Amber Heard was awarded $2 million, with the jury finding that Depp’s former attorney, Adam Waldman, had defamed her.
That said, defamation lawsuits constitute a specific subset of personal injury law which many attorneys may not have experience handling. Moreover, a Los Angeles, California, injury attorney who typically handles car accidents and dog bites may not even accept a defamation case. Accordingly, defamation is a unique area of personal injury law that isn’t typically included among standard case types.
When you’re injured in an accident due to negligence or carelessness, a civil lawsuit can be the best method for helping you recover all applicable financial compensation needed to make a complete recovery.
The types of damages that you may be awarded in an accident injury lawsuit typically fall under two categories: economic and non-economic.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, dog bite, premises liability incident, or through medical malpractice, you may be able to recover the following damages through a civil lawsuit:
Common Accident Injury Economic Damages
Common Accident Injury Non-Economic Damages
Punitive damages for accidents involving injuries are in a separate class, and are typically only awarded in extreme cases where the defendant (at-fault party) displayed a severe disregard for human life. However, it’s important for California accident victims to know that punitive damages are not capped in civil claims. Moreover, Dordulian Law Group’s Los Angeles, California, accident lawyers always pursue punitive damages on behalf of clients in applicable cases.
When you’ve been injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence or carelessness, there’s nothing more important than hiring an experienced, proven, and dedicated personal injury lawyer who will fight to recover the maximum financial compensation you deserve.
When searching for a California accident lawyer, it’s important to review the prospective attorney’s:
In addition, accident injury victims will want to determine:
In short, if you’ve been injured in a car accident, it is in your best interest to hire a lawyer who has successfully handled a number of motor vehicle collision cases in the past. Moreover, if you’ve suffered a particular type of injury as a result of your accident – whether a traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury, or a catastrophic injury – hiring an attorney who has experience handling such cases is recommended.
It may seem like common sense, but the unfortunate fact is that many personal injury and accident lawyers who advertise their services on television, billboards, radio, and online do not necessarily have the kind of experience and skill you need to recover a maximum financial damages award.
As we’ve noted in previous blogs, many accident attorneys and personal injury law firms operate under what’s known as a “settlement mill” mentality. Settlement mill accident attorneys may be quick to accept the first offer from an at-fault party or insurance company without fighting for the maximum financial compensation you need in order to make a complete recovery.
At Dordulian Law Group (DLG), we never settle for less than the maximum damages award you truly deserve for your accident – meaning a settlement or verdict that allows you to make a physical, emotional, and financial recovery. DLG was founded by Sam Dordulian, a former Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County with more than 25 years of experience fighting for justice on behalf of injured victims like you.
Dordulian and his team of accident lawyers have helped injured victims recover more than $200,000,000 in settlements and verdicts. And with a near-perfect 98% success record, you can be confident that when you bring your accident injury lawsuit to DLG, we’ll work tirelessly to secure justice on your behalf.
Contact DLG’s Los Angeles accident lawyers today at 866-GO-SEE-SAM for a free consultation. We are here to answer any questions you may have 24/7.
Hiring a DLG accident lawyer can help ensure your personal injury claim is maximized, and that you recover all applicable damages after an incident due to negligence. To learn more about how important it can be to have an experienced DLG Los Angeles, California, accident injury lawyer handling your case, please visit our recent blog on how pain and suffering damages are calculated in civil lawsuits.
Schedule an appointment online for a free consultation today, or call us directly to speak to our top-rated, expert car accident attorneys.
With DLG, your accident injury consultation is always free, confidential, and without any obligation. Our No Win/No Fee Guarantee means you never pay a penny until we recover a settlement or verdict for your claim. We’ll review the facts of your case and provide you with all available legal options to ensure your rights are protected and the maximum financial damages award you deserve is recovered. We serve accident injury clients throughout California as well as the United States.
For any type of accident injury, the best call you can make is to the experienced and proven lawyers at DLG.
Sam Dordulian is an award-winning sexual abuse lawyer with over 25 years' experience helping survivors secure justice. As a former sex crimes prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney for L.A. County, he secured life sentences against countless sexual predators. Mr. Dordulian currently serves on the National Leadership Council for RAINN.
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