What This Article Covers:
- Personal Injury Claims: You can file a personal injury claim in San Diego if harmed due to someone else’s negligence, including motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, and more.
- Damages Available: Recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain, and suffering even if you are partially at fault due to California’s comparative negligence law.
- Legal Process: Callahan & Blaine handles all aspects of your case, from investigating to negotiating with insurance companies and, if necessary, representing you in court.
- Expert Representation: With 40 years of experience and a record of multi-million dollar verdicts, Callahan & Blaine provides top-tier legal support for your personal injury case.
When you go to work, go shopping, visit someone else’s property, drive, and see medical professionals, you trust those around you to care for your safety and act responsibly. When someone neglects this duty and causes you harm, you have the right to file a personal injury claim and seek financial compensation for your losses. However, it can be challenging to know where to start. With the help of our experienced legal team at Callahan & Blaine, you can focus on recovery while we manage every aspect of your claim.
Our large team of 29 accomplished personal injury lawyers in San Diego all have over eight years of experience and a proven track record of success. With several multi-million dollar cases won and our managing partner, Edward Susolik, one of the leading insurance experts in the United States, you can have the peace of mind that your claim is in the right hands. We take a thorough, aggressive, and comprehensive approach to your case, giving you the best chance of achieving a successful outcome. Moreover, we communicate with you every step of the way so you can be best prepared for the legal process and have a stress-free experience.
What Types of Claims Do San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers Handle?
After sustaining injuries in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, you may wonder if you have a claim or if a San Diego personal injury lawyer can help you. In California, you may file a personal injury claim if physical, emotional, or psychological trauma occurred in an accident. At Callahan & Blaine, we handle many types of complex personal injury claims, including the following:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Premises liability
- Product liability
- Brain injuries
- Wrongful death
- Nursing home abuse
- Medical malpractice
We understand every claim is different, and with our experience handling complex and difficult cases, including the highest jury verdict in Orange County at $934 million, you can trust us to take on your claim fearlessly. Our dedicated San Diego personal injury lawyers work closely with you, listening to your story and needs to create a customized solution and fight for your rights.
What Damages May You Recover for Your San Diego Personal Injury Claim?
Personal injuries often take physical, emotional, and financial tolls on your life, and you may worry about how you will pay for the expenses related to your injuries. With the help of our passionate San Diego personal injury attorneys at Callahan & Blaine, you may receive compensation for your losses. Depending on the severity of your injuries and unique circumstances, you may recover the following damages:
- Past, present, and future medical bills
- Lost wages from missed work
- Property damage
- Ambulance ride
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Prescribed medications
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced quality of life
- Mental anguish
When filing your claim, you may be able to recover damages even if you were partially responsible for the accident. This is because California follows a pure comparative negligence system, which assigns a percentage of fault to each party involved in the accident. This percentage gets deducted from each party’s respective damages. For example, if you are 20% at fault for an accident, your compensation gets reduced by 20%.
While this system benefits those who are partially at fault for an accident, insurance companies may attempt to place an unfair portion of the blame on you to undermine your claim. We understand these tactics and fiercely advocate for a fair settlement.
Why Contact a San Diego Personal Injury Lawyer to Help With Your San Diego Claim?
Dealing with insurance adjusters and the complicated legal process after suffering personal injuries is not easy, but with the support and guidance of our trusted team at Callahan & Blaine, you can focus on recovery. We alleviate your stress by handling every aspect of your claim, including the following:
- Conducting a detailed investigation
- Identifying a liable party
- Collecting and analyzing evidence
- Interviewing witnesses
- Accurately calculating your claim’s worth
- Filing your claim within California’s two-year statute of limitations.
- Using our extensive legal knowledge to answer your questions
- Utilizing our valuable resources to strengthen your claim
- Negotiating with insurance adjusters on your behalf
- Taking your claim to court if necessary
At Callahan & Blaine, we are committed to holding insurance companies liable for acting in bad faith. In fact, we secured the largest insurance bad faith verdict in Orange County of $58 million. This passion for seeking fair compensation for our clients in addition to our 40-year legacy demonstrates our expertise and preparedness to take on your claim.
Understanding Liability in San Diego Personal Injury Claims
If you have been injured in a personal injury accident like a car crash, truck accident, or slip and fall, you have the right to file a personal injury claim and pursue justice for the harm you may have suffered. When filing your personal injury claim, you may be unsure of what your first steps should be. One of the initial steps that will be crucial to the success of your claim is to identify the liable party or parties involved in the accident that left you harmed.
Depending on the unique factors surrounding your San Diego personal injury claim, there are various parties who may be found liable for the injuries and losses you have suffered. Our team of trusted personal injury lawyers will launch a full investigation into the details of what occurred to determine who the liable party or parties for your specific claim may be. Once the parties at fault for your personal injury claim have been identified, the next step our team of trusted personal injury lawyers will take is to prove their liability in your claim.
To prove liability in a personal injury claim, we will collect evidence of the four elements of negligence. These elements of negligence are as follows:
- The at-fault party owed you a duty of care
- The duty of care was breached by the at-fault party
- The breach of duty led to your San Diego personal injury accident and subsequent injuries
- You suffered losses as a result of the at-fault party’s negligence
If you have suffered harm in a personal injury accident like a construction accident or sports injury, you have the right to pursue fair compensation for your losses. To ensure you are able to build a strong personal injury case, contact our team of San Diego lawyers at Callahan & Blaine today.
Understanding California’s Comparative Negligence Rule
The state of California operates under a comparative negligence law when it comes to personal injury claims. Also known as pure comparative negligence, this rule allows injured parties to file a personal injury claim in pursuit of justice and financial compensation, even if they are partially at fault for the accident that left them harmed.
The amount of compensation you may be eligible to recover after a personal injury accident will be reduced by the percentage of fault you may carry. For example, if you are found to be 30% at fault for an accident and the other party is 70% liable, you may be eligible to recover 70% of the available damages for the losses you have suffered. If you believe you may be partially at fault for a personal injury accident that left you harmed, like a rear-end collision or pedestrian accident, it is important you consult with our team of trusted San Diego personal injury lawyers. We will assess your case and determine how much you may be eligible to recover in damages based on the percentage of fault you hold. To get help with your San Diego personal injury claim, contact our California law firm today.
What Are Common Injuries Suffered by Victims of Personal Injury Accidents in San Diego?
Personal injury accidents can happen virtually anywhere, at any time. Whether you are working at a construction site or walking through the aisles of a grocery store, if a negligent party is present, an accident may occur. While there are various different personal injury accidents, there is also a long list of injuries commonly suffered by victims.
Some of the most common injuries suffered by victims of San Diego personal injury accidents include the following:
- Broken or fractured bones
- Burns
- Cuts and bruises
- Lacerations
- Neck injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Internal injuries
- Crush injuries
- Loss of limbs
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
If you have been harmed in a personal injury accident, regardless of the severity of your injuries, it is crucial you exercise your legal right to pursue justice by filing a personal injury claim. When you file a personal injury claim, you will be able to pursue the fair compensation you are owed while also holding the liable party responsible for their negligence. Contact our San Diego personal injury law firm today to find out more about how we can help with your case.
Steps to Take After a San Diego Personal Injury Accident
In the days, weeks, and even months following a personal injury accident in San Diego, you may be feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and unsure of what your next steps should be. Your main priority after being harmed in a personal injury accident should be your recovery. However, it can be easy for you and your loved ones to be consumed by the complex personal injury legal process. That is why it is so important to seek guidance from an experienced San Diego personal injury lawyer.
Our team of trusted personal injury attorneys will take the lead on guiding you through each step of the process while you remain focused on your health and well-being. The following are various steps that are important in bringing a strong personal injury claim to recover for harm caused by the negligence of another party or parties:
Obtain a Police or Other Investigative Report
Depending on the nature of your personal injury accident, law enforcement may be called to the scene. If you are able, you should call law enforcement and ask that they come to the scene of the incident. When a law enforcement officer arrives, they will file an accident report that will be a crucial piece of evidence when building your case.
Whether they file a crash report in the instance of a motor vehicle or an incident report in the case of other types of personal injury accidents, these documents are key elements to your claim, and it is important you provide a statement if possible. When speaking with the attending officer, you will need to be honest and forthright with the information you provide to ensure they get an accurate description of what occurred. Once this report is filed, one of our San Diego personal injury lawyers will obtain a copy.
Seek Immediate Medical Care
Seeking medical care after being injured in a personal injury accident in San Diego serves several purposes. First and foremost, you need to make certain you are properly cared for and can begin your recovery journey. Even if you do not immediately feel symptoms of an injury after an accident, you should still ensure you are checked by a medical professional.
Additionally, seeking medical care is also critical to your personal injury claim. This is because the evidence you will be able to collect, such as the medical records and doctor’s progress notes, will become crucial to showing causation between the personal injury accident and the harm you have suffered.
Collect Crucial Evidence
If you are able, you should collect any photo and video evidence of the accident scene that may be pertinent to your case. This may include the following:
- Documenting the scene where your injury occurred
- Documenting any visible injuries or property damage In some instances
- In premises liability cases, documenting a condition on the property that caused your harm
- Documenting any evidence on the roadways in cases of motor vehicle accidents that show that an accident occurred, like skid marks or bent signs
- Getting statements from witnesses to the accident
- Getting access to security video footage from nearby buildings that may have captured the accident
Your San Diego personal injury attorney will help gather all of this evidence, compiling it to be used to build a strong claim as you pursue the justice you are owed.
Seek Legal Guidance
The most important step you will take when pursuing a personal injury claim is to retain the help of one of our experienced personal injury lawyers. Our team of San Diego personal injury attorneys have the skills and knowledge to ensure you are able to pursue your California claim, helping you to recover the fair compensation to which you are entitled. The legal process is complicated and daunting, especially while one is recovering from an injury. Legal counsel will assist you in preparing and pursuing your personal injury claim as you fight for the justice you are owed.
Reach Out to the Experienced San Diego Personal Injury Lawyers at Callahan & Blaine Today
After sustaining personal injury due to another party’s negligence, you deserve a seasoned, trustworthy personal injury lawyer who understands how to handle your claim successfully. At Callahan & Blaine, our large team of 29 personal injury attorneys has the skills and knowledge to make a difference in the outcome of your claim and hold the at-fault party accountable.
With over 40 years of serving personal injury victims in San Diego and a large team of nationally recognized San Diego personal injury lawyers, you can rely on us to guide you through every step of the legal process. We utilize effective litigation and negotiation strategies, approaching each claim with fierce advocacy and professionalism. To schedule an initial consultation with our premier personal injury lawyers today, call us at 714-241-4444 or fill out our contact form.
