Filing A Personal Injury Lawsuit: A Guide

Personal injury lawyer

     Personal injury lawsuit

When thinking of legal matter and the court system the first thing that comes to mind is of course the many hours to be spent in the courtrooms, and the personal injury lawyer who do not charge hourly, but who will be paid from the proceeds of your case. So, if you are someone who has sufficient cause to file a personal injury lawsuit against another person or company, then you might want to avoid some common pitfalls that a rookie might make.

Whatever your case may be, it goes without saying that one with an excellent personal injury lawyer is like a case half won. A good attorney will be able to influence the decisions of the judge and jury through brilliant cross-examinations. Given below are some steps that you can follow if you want to pursue a personal injury lawsuit in a court of law.

Hiring an attorney

The importance of an attorney has already been analyzed and explained. Yet, it is still an important part of filing a lawsuit, and to find an experienced attorney, you will have to break some sweat. Local or state bar associations will have references and qualifications of their attorneys, so it will be a good place to start your hunt for an attorney. One of the best ways is asking some of your friends who have had positive experiences with an injury lawyer.

Court processes

The court processes start with a formal complaint being filed. The court will allow some time for the defendant to offer answer the lawsuit, which needs to be properly “served”.

Statute of limitations

You will have to file a complaint within a certain time period which is ascertained by the statute of limitations laws. In California, the statute of limitations in injury cases is two years from the date of injury.

Evidence

References and qualifications

     Lawyers for personal injury cases

The burden of proving the case is on the plaintiff or the victim, who must prove with the help of sufficient evidence that the actions of the defendant were responsible for the injuries he or she had to suffer. Some of the items to be addressed: The plaintiff must also provide enough proof showing that the actions of the defendant and defendant only were responsible for the injuries that he or she had to suffer.

Intentional actions

IF an intentional tort is at issue, it is also up to the plaintiff to prove that the actions of the defendant were intentional and not the result of coincidence or an accident.

The bottom line

Court processes can drag on forever if you are not represented by an efficient injury attorney. As it is quite clear, it is up to the plaintiff to prove whose fault the accident was.

Hiring A Competent Attorney For A Bicycle Accident Case

Bicycle accident attorney

         Bicycle accident cases

Bicycle accident injuries are on the rise again.  Involvement in an accident is never a happy prospect, and if you are at the receiving end of it, then there is a very good chance that you have hurt yourself, and are in need of treatment at a hospital or doctor.

So, what are the steps that you should take if you are involved in such an accident? If you have only vague ideas about this, then it’s time to polish them, and understand some steps that you have to follow if you want to hire a bicycle accident attorney.

Hiring a lawyer

Experienced attorneys, although hard to come by, will have expertise in handling special cases. When buying running shoes, you wont be buying heels and when buying dress shoes, they probably wont be Nike’s. Injury Specialist attorneys have undertaken many car accident cases and have won most of them, which makes them specialists at handling car accident cases. Similarly, in your bike accident case, you should find an attorney who is very capable and experienced at handling bicycle accident cases.

Emotional distress

            Bicycle accident lawyers

You would be able to find out about the references and qualifications of each and every bicycle accident attorney in the area, with the help of a local or state bar association. Whatever be the case, make sure that you hire an attorney who has successfully handled bicycle accident cases in the past.

The fee that you are required to pay to your attorney (never up front) will be included in the damages that you negotiated with the defendant. If the court finds the defendant responsible for the bicycle accident, it is more than likely that the court will order the defendant to pay up a certain amount of money, as damages. It will include the money that you had to spend for medical bills, compensation for any physical injuries and also compensation for emotional distress and your pain, suffering and inconvenience.

The bicycle accident attorney that you hired will take a percentage of the damages that you received as a part of his or her fee. It is important to ensure that, while selecting a bicycle accident attorney, you find out whether he or she is comfortable to work with, as you are going to spend a lot of time with the attorney that you hire.

Friedman Law Offices Presentes “Car Crash Assist” Android Application

This app helps guide you in obtaining pertinent information after an accident. After you have entered the data, you have the option of sending the information directly to our firm as well as cc’ing yourself.

When you first download and open the app, you will have the option of inputting your own information (or you can click “add later”).
We can always hope that an accident doesn’t happen to begin with, however, in the unfortunate event of an accident, just follow the step-by-step instructions.
You will be greeted by some basic information such as “staying calm”, when to call 911, etc.

Then you will be presented with fields to fill out all of the required information. Use this as a guide.
Gather the other persons information, take a snapshot of their drivers license, take photos of the scene and car damage, and have it all immediately sent to yourself and/or an attorney.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nampx.carcrashassistapp

An iPhone version is currently being developed and will be released within a week.

Attorney Ari Friedman
Injury Lawyer  -Los Angeles

What Will Auto Insurance Cover?

Auto Accident Attorney Recommendation – What Will Insurance Cover?

When a client comes to my office after they were involved in an auto accident, I often request their “Insurance Declaration Page”. This document will show every type of coverage that my client’s insurance carrier will cover in the result of an accident.

Liability Coverage vs. Collision Coverage

California law requires a minimum of $15,000 per person / $30,000 per occurrence in liability coverage as well as $5,000 in property damage liability coverage. (Also known as 15/30 or 15/30/5). (California Insurance Code §11580.1b)

What is liability coverage?

If you are at fault in an auto accident, you are “liable”. If the not-at-fault party makes an injury claim against you/your insurance, and if you have the minimum coverage of 15/30, the insurance will only pay a maximum of $15,000 to a single injured person or a maximum of $30,000 if more than one person was injured.

If the injured party’s claim is worth more than that amount, you can potentially be sued personally and be on the hook to pay a settlement or court judgment for any amount over what the insurance pays out.

Property Damage Liability:

Even if a party is not injured, but you are at-fault, you or your insurance can be responsible to pay for the damage to the other vehicle. If you have the minimum required by law, $5,000, and if there is more damage than $5,000, you can be personally responsible for any amount over your insurance coverage.

Uninsured Motorist (UM) & Underinsured Motorist:

If you were the victim of a hit and run, and the accident was not your fault OR if you were hit by a vehicle that was uninsured, this provision of your auto insurance would cover you. This coverage isn’t found on every policy, but your insurance carrier will have you sign a waiver of UM coverage, if you decline this coverage. It is highly recommended that you purchase this type of coverage so that your medical bills as well as pain and suffering can be covered in the event you are the victim of a hit ‘n run or if you were hit by an uninsured motorist.

Underinsured motorist would apply only in certain circumstances when your injury claim is worth more than the insurance coverage available by the other party.

Medical Expense (“Med-Pay”):

Regardless of fault, this coverage covers you or your passengers medical bills incurred in an accident. Some policies require this to kick in only after your health insurance is exhausted,  aka: “Excess Med-Pay”. Some policies have reimbursement provisions.

Collision Coverage and Comprehensive Coverage:

If your car was involved in an accident – whether you were in the vehicle or not, “collision” coverage will pay for the repair or replacement of your vehicle. If an uninsured vehicle hit you, the UM coverage will not pay for the damage to your car. You would need collision coverage.

Comprehensivecovers you in the event your car was stolen.

Other provisions of an auto insurance may include policy: rental, roadside, towing, “uninsured deductible waiver”.

If you were injured in an automobile accident, make sure to call our office to discuss your policy so we can assure you utilize the coverage allowed under your policy.

Ari Friedman
Personal Injury Lawyer
323-596-1234
www.AFriedman.com

Can I trust the insurance company?

So you were involved in an auto accident. Your auto insurance company says they will be handling your case for you.

“Tell me in one sentence why I need a lawyer”.

Your insurance company may handle payment or repair of your car, but they wont be paying you if you were injured!

If you were injured in an auto accident, it is in your best interest to call an experienced personal injury attorney.

Attorney Ari Friedman will work for you to get you a favorable result. Remember, car accident lawyers don’t get paid for a consultation and only get paid when money is made on a case! There is no out of pocket money you will be paying your lawyer.

Contact Ari Friedman today!

YOUR local personal injury attorney

Ari Friedman

323-596-1234

www.AFriedman.com

Why do I need a personal injury lawyer?

“I got into an accident, why shouldn’t I just deal with the insurance company directly?”

Oftentimes, having an attorney becomes essential because cases become extremely complex. Although insurance companies claim to be on your side, they really put their interests first. When dealing with your own insurance company, it may be easier for them to classify the case as “50/50” liability. Insurance companies benefit for two reasons: 1) They can close the file sooner. 2) If you are found to be partially at fault, they can raise your insurance premiums. If you retain a law firm that specializes in auto accident cases, this will decrease the chances of your insurance finding you “at fault”.

An attorney can get you monetary compensation above and beyond what is paid for doctor bills. Almost every person involved in an auto accident experiences what is called non-economic damages, specifically, “pain & suffering”, inconvenience and the like. Some cases have more non-economic damages than others. However, almost all cases where the client is found not “at fault”, the attorney will be able to recover money non-economic damages.

Another avenue an attorney may attempt recovery from: “ADL” – “affects of daily living”. How the injury may have affected his or her life. For example, a casual tennis player suffers a wrist injury which prevents him from playing tennis. The legal term is “loss of amenity”.

You can also be compensated if, as a result of the injuries, you were unable to work. This is called loss of earnings.

It is essential that you contact our office immediately after an accident so we can preserve your rights and get you the money you deserve!

Make sure you call the Friedman Law Offices to schedule your free consultation.

Ari Friedman, Esq.

Personal Injury Lawyer Los Angeles

323-596-1234

Dash Cam Contest – Win A Car Dash Cam!

Win a Car Dash Cam – Protect Yourself In The Event of An Accident!

Before any personal injury claim is established, you need to “secure liability”.

For example: In most cases, if you are rear-ended in an auto accident, there would really be no fault on your behalf. How about if you went through a green light and another car went through a red light in an intersection. Are you right? If you went through a green light then you are not at fault, however, can you prove that you were the one that went through the green light?

In some situations there may be an independent witness or a police report which may help your case. BUT THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN VIDEO EVIDENCE. Enter to win this dash cam to ensure that any accident you may be involved in captures your innocence!

THIS CONTEST IS OVER.

Uninsured Motorist Claim in CA

Did you know that in order for you to go ahead with an uninsured motorist claim in CA, there needs to be contact with another vehicle? For example, if a vehicle comes in to your lane and you swerve out of the way before he was able to hit you, you spin out and crash into the center divider, no UM claim allowed!

There are plenty more technicalities regarding your uninsured motorist claim or personal injury accident claim.

Make sure you call the Friedman Law Offices to schedule your free consultation.

Ari Friedman, Esq.

Personal Injury Lawyer Los Angeles

323-596-1234