Were You or a Loved One Seriously Injured Due to the Negligence of Someone Else? Contact the Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers at Curtis Legal Group Today.
The Sacramento personal injury lawyers at Curtis Legal Group have decades of experience helping those injured or killed by the negligence of others. We understand how difficult the recovery and healing process can be, and we can walk you through this complicated legal process. Many of our personal injury lawyers in Sacramento have either represented or been employed by insurance companies in the past, so we know how they work. Our team has handled hundreds of cases involving insurance companies and is not intimidated by their tactics.
We have secured over $100 million in settlements and verdicts for our clients, and our case results speak for themselves.
Table of Contents
- Legal Options for Personal Injury Victims in California
- Understanding Personal Injury Claims in California
- Personal Injury Lawsuits in California Explained
- Insurance Companies and Personal Injury
- Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
Legal Options for Injury Victims in California
After being injured in an accident, you may be concerned about your future as you face mounting medical bills, permanent disability, and lost wages. Your bills will pile up since a serious injury can keep you out of work for days, weeks, or months. Catastrophic injuries can prevent you from returning to work at all.
Injury victims in California have two main options for securing fair compensation from the at-fault party or parties. You can file an insurance claim or you can file a personal injury lawsuit. Usually, an insurance policy can pay your bills and settle the matter. However, when the coverage amounts are not enough, it is time to file a lawsuit for financial compensation.
The negligent party may have caused you catastrophic harm, resulting in extensive medical treatment to ensure your recovery. You may need long-term rehabilitation and financial compensation for lost wages if you can no longer work. A skilled California personal injury attorney can help you determine the best course of action for relief for your medical expenses and other damages you have suffered.
Understanding Personal Injury Claims in California
It is crucial to hire a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento, CA, with a strong background in working with insurance company claims. They must understand both the law and how insurance policies work so they can provide the most adept legal representation for their clients.
The insurance company is interested in protecting its profits. Paying your claim means less profit for their bottom line, so adjusters will fight hard to reduce the value of or deny your claim entirely. Your attorney can push back in negotiations and file a personal injury lawsuit when your demands are not being met.
Curtis Legal Group believes in working closely with you, providing excellent legal advice so you can make informed decisions about your claim. We value a strong attorney-client relationship, so we understand what a satisfactory resolution to your claims means to you.
Personal Injury Lawsuits in California Explained
If the negligent party does not have insurance, or the limits of their policy are exhausted by the costs of your injuries and property damage, it is time to pursue a personal injury lawsuit. There are a number of California laws that govern how and when claims must be filed to be valid. For example, for most personal injury cases, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the incident.
The statute of limitations is two years from the date of the incident in California.
There are other guidelines for suing government agencies and in medical malpractice, among other types of situations. A skilled personal injury lawyer will understand and explain how any applicable variations to the general personal injury statute of limitations may apply to your claim.
Ultimately, you will need a team of experienced trial lawyers to move your case from insurance claim to the courtroom. Handling courtroom preparation and negotiations is more complex than insurance claims, and you need a legal team you can rely on. At Curtis Legal Group, you can focus on getting better while your trial attorney aggressively litigates your case.
Determining the Value of Your Personal Injury Claim
When our trial lawyers discuss what a case is “worth,” we are typically referring to either what an insurance company will pay to settle that claim or what a judge or jury would award in a verdict after a trial. Each injury case will require a thorough investigation. That investigation will include:
- Determining how the accident occurred
- Identifying who is at fault
- Diagnosing what injuries were sustained by the victim
- Cataloging the medical treatment involved
- Calculating the cost of that treatment
- Assessing any long-term disability you may suffer
- Totaling and estimating any wage and benefit loss
These costs can add up to become a significant financial burden. We know that you deserve to be “made whole,” meaning you must be repaid for every penny of pain, inconvenience, and damage you have suffered as a consequence of someone else’s careless actions. Being made whole means different things to every client, and we work to understand how to help you fully recover physically, emotionally, and financially.
Economic Damages
A large part of your economic damages (those with a fixed value) will be medical costs. Emergency care and transport, surgery, ICU, and follow-up care will often run into thousands or even millions of dollars, depending on the severity of your injuries. If you are disabled or require a lengthy medically involved recovery, you will need rehabilitative care and therapy.
Additional economic costs include any renovations you must make to your home to accommodate a permanent disability or home services you cannot perform while you recover. This may cover cooking, cleaning, home maintenance, and landscaping duties. You can also claim property damage for the loss of your vehicle, cell phone, clothing, work equipment, computers, or luggage.
Finally, you are likely entitled to recover lost wages from missing work, both in the past and in the future. If you cannot return to work or can only work in a diminished capacity, these damages will also be calculated and sought from the responsible party or parties. Our lawyers work with financial experts so we can fight for any future losses you may be owed, as well as every related expense you have incurred so far.
Non-Economic Damages
Our legal team will then factor in your pain and suffering. These are considered subjective or non-economic damages. There are some injuries that cannot be seen after an accident but can be just as serious and debilitating as a physical injury. Pain and suffering are an important part of analyzing what your case may be worth and can include the physical pain and discomfort suffered as well as any mental distress.
Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress are incredibly common after being in a serious accident. You may be scared to return to where it happened, take measures to avoid the area or vehicle, or even be afraid to leave the house. Calculating these losses, including any mental anguish you are experiencing, is critical to understanding how much your injury case may be worth.
Our goal is always to help our clients get the maximum amount possible to fully compensate them for their injuries.
We evaluate each case individually. Our legal team knows that using a generic formula does not account for all damages involved in your recovery.
Evidence Is the Key to a Successful Personal Injury Case
Strong, substantial, and irrefutable evidence is the key to proving negligence and successfully winning financial compensation. Gathering evidence is something your attorney will do for you, but after a personal injury, you will have an opportunity to collect materials that could support your claim.
For example, you could take photos of the scene, your injuries, and any contributing factors. You can and should also file an accident report and get the contact details for witnesses. Your injury attorney can use these as a starting point, putting their professional resources to work investigating and researching to find more evidence.
Common documentation sources we use in personal injury cases include:
- Accident reconstruction analysis
- Auto shop repair estimates
- Witness statements
- Data from GPS units, safe driving apps, or private vehicle tracking devices
- Driver cell phone records
- Expert testimony
- Information, videos, and photos from social media
- Photographs of road conditions and weather
- Photographs of leaks, spills, potholes, loose flooring, dimly lit hallways, and broken stairs
- Police accident reports
- Video footage from traffic cameras, dash cams, security cameras, and bystander cell phones
- Medical records and receipts
Regardless of how your injury happened, we will exhaust all potential sources for evidence to demonstrate how you were owed a duty of care by the defendant and the ways they breached that duty. We also prove how your injuries are directly related to their negligent actions (or inactions) and how your expenses were incurred because of your injury and property damage.
Insurance Companies and Personal Injury
Even though many people pay premiums for auto insurance, life insurance, and property insurance, they may not fully understand how their policies work. When you suffer a personal injury, and you need to file a claim with the negligent party’s insurance provider to pay your damages, you face an added layer of concern.
Insurance companies are no one’s friend, and their adjusters and attorneys will fight hard to avoid paying you what you deserve.
Navigating these processes while you are hurt and trying to heal puts more stress on your shoulders just when you do not need it. That is when working with an accomplished Sacramento, CA personal injury attorney takes these worries off your plate. We can step in to provide guidance and experienced legal representation.
We Can Demystify Insurance Policies for You
The fine print is where so many companies perform a “gotcha” trick on consumers, and insurance companies are no exception. Your agent may make it seem as if all your needs are taken care of, but when you file a claim, you discover tiny details that keep you from the claims payment you deserve. It is even more difficult when working with a negligent party’s insurer.
Fortunately, the personal injury attorneys at Curtis Legal Group have decades of experience analyzing and interpreting insurance policies. We can untangle any complicated language and determine what is covered, what is not, and how to file a claim successfully. Our legal team will explain all of this in a way you can easily understand so you know our approach and how we are fighting for you.
We Negotiate Aggressively with Insurance Companies
A critical task for your personal injury lawyer is handling the conversations and negotiations with insurance companies during the claims process. Insurance adjusters count on you not understanding what is going on, and turning these discussions over to your attorney protects you against underhanded tactics. We do not let them get away with their tricks.
If they make lowball offers, we push back until we reach a settlement that meets your needs. We understand all the negotiating techniques they use and are prepared to counter them until we can reach an agreement that satisfies you. If they refuse to meet our demands, we are prepared to take them to court.
We Fight for Your Rights in Court
Although we work hard to get a quick and fair settlement whenever possible, we know we could end up at trial before it is all over. That is why our personal injury team will prepare for the courtroom from the beginning. We collect and analyze the relevant evidence, building the strongest possible case for negotiations both inside and outside the courtroom.
We tackle all the legal hurdles required to file a lawsuit in California, managing paperwork and meeting essential deadlines so you have a powerful case.
We continue to discuss settlements right through the trial process because we focus on demonstrating how ready we are to fight to the end.
Your Sacramento personal injury lawyer is your champion in court, proving negligence and demonstrating evidential support for your compensation demands. We prepare expert witnesses to provide testimony about the injury, your projected recovery, and property losses. We can hire an accident reconstructionist to recreate how your car crash happened, showing the defendant’s liability.
How Much Will I Pay for a Personal Injury Attorney from Curtis Legal Group?
You may wonder how you can afford a personal injury attorney when you are already facing mounting bills from your medical treatments and lost wages. At Curtis Legal Group, we believe all individuals deserve the right to have aggressive representation that ensures they are properly compensated for their losses as soon as possible.
We proudly offer free initial consultations so we can listen to the details of your case. You can get legal advice regarding your personal injury case without any financial obligation or commitment on your part since we give you our honest opinion and discuss potential options for your claim. We also work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing upfront and our fees are paid as a percentage of the financial recovery we secure for you.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
You can rest assured the team at our personal injury firm will guide you through the entire legal process. We will thoroughly investigate your legal options and work to ensure you and your family get the compensation you deserve to fully recover from your accident. Our team will not only make sure to account for all medical expenses incurred but future medical treatments, if necessary.
Curtis Legal Group has years of experience helping Californians with all aspects of personal injury law, and we will put that knowledge to work on your personal injury case. We manage a variety of claims, including motor vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, and premises liability.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
A personal injury case may result from any of the following:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
In all of these situations, you could suffer life-changing injuries that bring a mountain of expenses. You also may need your vehicle repaired or replaced. Determining liability can also be complicated if multiple vehicles or parties are involved. Untangling the details of auto accidents is a critical part of our investigations for clients.
Catastrophic Injury
Catastrophic injuries are those which significantly affect the victim’s ability to function as they did before the incident. These conditions usually involve amputation, paralysis, spinal cord injury, or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). It is important that catastrophic injury victims get experienced legal representation, such as from the Sacramento personal injury attorneys at Curtis Legal Group.
When a serious accident leaves you without the ability to care for yourself or hold a job, the liable parties must compensate you for all your current and projected medical needs and other expenses and losses. If a loved one suffers such serious injuries that they untimely pass away, certain surviving family members can seek damages through a wrongful death case.
Premises Liability
Premises liability cases involve injury you suffer on someone else’s property. This may be a slip and fall accident in a grocery store, parking lot, or event facility. If there is a hazard that could injure visitors, California Civil Code Section 1714 requires that property owners fix the problem or warn visitors about it. If there is no signage or notification from employees, the store owner, manager, or operator could be held liable for any injuries you suffer.
Another type of premises liability claim in California involves dog bites and animal attacks. Animal owners are required to maintain control over their pets at all times and keep them suitably contained on their property. If a dog jumps a fence or breaks their leash and then bites someone, the owner should be held liable for the resulting injuries. Even if a friendly dog knocks you down while playing, you can hold the handler or owner accountable for your injuries.
Schedule a Free Consultation with the Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers at Curtis Legal Group Today
When we take on a client, we dedicate our time and resources to making sure we do everything we can to get the best possible outcome, so the client and their family members can focus on getting better. Schedule a free consultation today with our award-winning Sacramento personal injury attorneys.
Our top-tier personal injury attorneys have more than 40 years of experience and are ready to tackle each unique facet of your case. In order to do it right, we take the time to gather all the information necessary to determine an accurate valuation of the total costs resulting from your accident.
We worry about the legal proceedings so you and your family can focus on healing. Our team will work to get you the financial compensation you need and are entitled to so that you can breathe easier. We want to hold the responsible party or parties accountable and make sure no one else has to suffer in the same way you did.
We know selecting a lawyer for your personal injury case can be a difficult decision, so finding someone who will work for you and communicate with you throughout your case is important. With us, you get an experienced team of Heavy HittersTM with a proven record of success. Let us focus on your case so you can focus on healing. Contact us to schedule a free case evaluation with our Sacramento personal injury attorneys today.