Known for its rugged coastline, La Jolla is a small seaside area within San Diego that continues to inspire artists and attract tourists from all over. La Jolla offers locals and visitors many sights and picturesque attractions from the crashing waves to culinary marvels.
Whether you’re strolling La Jolla Village on a date night or heading over there to have a calm and luxurious vacation, it promises a sun-kissed Southern California experience in San Diego County.
Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful La Jolla seems, your experience can become a nightmare if you end up in an accident. Whether a car accident, work-related incident, or any other accident, injuries can completely turn your life around, causing physical and mental pain along with the financial strain of paying medical bills.
Ehline Law and our personal injury attorneys have over a decade of experience handling personal injury claims and lawsuits in California and Texas.
We have helped over 3,000 injured victims and recovered in excess of $150 million in compensation for our clients. Contact our La Jolla personal injury attorneys to learn more about your rights if you’ve suffered injuries in an accident due to another’s negligence.
Common Types of Personal Injury Claims We Handle
Ehline Law is a leading personal injury law firm that specializes in many different types of personal injury cases, including the following:
- Car accidents
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- ATV crashes
- Aviation and airport accidents
- Bus crashes
- Train accidents
- Cruise ship accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Defective products
- Medical malpractice
- Intervening acts of God.
More San Diego, CA Practice Areas
Personal injury law is a broad field that allows injured victims to recover compensation for the damages incurred in many types of accidents.
Whether you’ve suffered injuries in a car accident, medical malpractice, or any other accident, our skilled personal injury attorneys have extensive experience handling thousands of personal injury cases and aggressively fighting for the compensation our injured clients deserve.
Personal Injury Laws in San Diego
There are three categories of personal injury law, and these include the following.
Negligence
When a person owes another a duty of care, they are responsible for ensuring they act in a reasonable manner to avoid any accident or harm to the other individual.
For example, a driver owes other road users a duty of care to drive responsibly and in a reasonably safe manner to prevent harm to others.
Failure to do so can lead to liability for which injured victims can pursue a negligence claim against the at-fault party’s insurance company and hold them responsible for the damages.
Intentional Acts
When a person harms another individual intentionally or engages in conduct, they know it could cause injuries to another party. They may be liable for the damages.
Some examples of intentional acts for which injured victims can recover compensation include assault, battery, false imprisonment, trespass, and defamation.
Strict Liability
In some cases, state laws may hold a person responsible regardless of whether it was negligence or an intentional act; this is known as strict liability.
For example, dog bites fall under strict liability, and injured victims may recover compensation for dog bite injuries without having to prove negligence.
Wrongful Death
Just like how injured victims can recover compensation by pursuing personal injury claims, certain people are eligible to obtain monetary damages after losing their loved one due to another’s negligence.
Under California law, only a few parties have the right to pursue a wrongful death claim, and surviving family members are one of them.
Who Is Liable for Personal Injuries in San Diego?
The majority of personal injury cases revolve around negligence. Depending on the type of accident, one or many different parties could be liable for personal injuries in an accident in San Diego.
For example, the other driver, government agency, auto manufacturer, or repair garage could be liable for your injuries in a car accident.
Failure to identify the parties could lead to a case dismissal or you losing monetary damages. It is crucial for accident victims in La Jolla to work with experienced La Jolla personal injury attorneys to help investigate the accident and determine the responsible party.
Proving Negligence in a Personal Injury Case
To hold any party responsible for the damages, it is essential to establish the elements of negligence, which includes:
- Duty of care: This is a legal obligation on an individual who must adhere to a standard of reasonable care when carrying out acts that could foreseeably injure others. For example, a driver owes other road users a duty of care to follow traffic laws.
- Breach: A breach occurs when a person who owes another a legal duty fails to adhere to reasonable care. A driver who runs a red light is negligent and breaching their duty of care to other road users.
- Causation: When a breach of the duty of care directly leads to injuries to another party, it is known as causation. It is one of the most critical elements of a personal injury case which the plaintiff must prove to have a valid claim. For example, a driver who runs a red light crashes into another vehicle causing serious injuries to the other party. The injured victim must provide evidence of causation (CCTV footage of the incident, photographs, and other evidence) to have a valid claim.
- Damages: This is the final element, which is that the injured victim must suffer damages (medical bills, lost income, or other types of damages) for the court to award them compensation.
Common Mistakes You Should Avoid in a Personal Injury Case
If you suffered injuries in an accident in San Diego due to another’s negligence, you must avoid making the following common personal injury case mistakes.
Accepting the First Settlement Offer
Insurance companies assign a claims adjuster to personal injury claims who immediately make an offer. You may feel tempted to accept the first offer that comes your way, but it is important to note that you’re not getting the compensation you deserve.
You must speak to an experienced personal injury attorney to discuss your case and let them evaluate the settlement offer before accepting or making a counteroffer.
Prolonging Medical Attention
It is crucial that you seek medical attention immediately after an accident, even if you’re feeling fine. Some injuries may take time to manifest, while others may start as minor pain and become a medical complication later. Getting a quick medical evaluation helps identify the injuries and allows victims to begin their medical treatment.
Prolonging medical attention can also give the insurance company a reason to deny your claim. They may argue that the injuries sustained are due to your failure to get immediate medical treatment after the accident.
Posting about the Incident on Social Media
The at-fault parties can use whatever you post on the internet against you, even if you later delete the post.
Even celebrating your child’s birthday can be gunpowder for the defendant to use and argue against you. It is best to stay low following your injuries and speak to an experienced personal injury attorney.
After you suffer injuries in an accident, you should contact a skilled personal injury lawyer immediately. The insurance company and the at-fault party start working together to build a solid defense against you right after the accident.
An experienced personal injury lawyer can guide you on responding to the insurance company whenever they call and protect your rights against the strategy they make.
Statute of Limitations – How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit?
After an accident injures a person, they only have a limited time to bring a personal injury claim or lawsuit against the at-fault party. Under California statute of limitations, the injured victims only have two years following their injuries to pursue a civil action and seek compensation.
However, when a government entity is responsible for your accident, the statute of limitations reduces to six months. The process is also different as the injured victims must file a claim with the relevant government department within six months and wait for their response.
It is important to remember that certain exceptions can put a hold or pause on the statute of limitations. Even if it’s been two years since you suffered injuries, you still may be able to pursue a La Jolla personal injury claim.
Accident victims should immediately discuss their case with experienced La Jolla personal injury lawyers to determine how much time they have to pursue claims.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Ehline Law La Jolla personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. We don’t charge any upfront legal fees for taking on a personal injury case and only take a percentage of the award if we win.
This arrangement allows accident victims to get the legal representation they deserve without worrying about the financial resources to pay the attorneys.
What to Do When You Have Suffered a Personal Injury from Someone Else’s Negligence in La Jolla, San Diego
When you suffer injuries in an accident in San Diego, CA, you must take the following steps to protect your personal injury case:
- Call 911 to report the accident and request help if required.
- Take photos and videos of the accident scene, injuries sustained, parties involved, and the surroundings for anything that may add value to your claim.
- Request the at-fault party for their contact and insurance information.
- If there are any witnesses, speak to them about what they saw and take their contact details.
- Head to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment.
- Speak to our experienced La Jolla personal injury lawyers to discuss your case.
Why Should You Hire an Ehline Law La Jolla Personal Injury Lawyer
The following are some reasons you should hire Ehline Law La Jolla personal injury lawyer after sustaining injuries in an accident.
More Money
Many surveys show that injured victims recover more with a personal injury attorney than those without legal representation.
At Ehline Law, our personal injury lawyers have worked with many injured clients after they received significantly low settlement offers from insurance companies. Although every case is different, our personal injury lawyers routinely get higher compensation for our clients than the initial settlement offers made by the insurers.
Legal Expertise
Getting the highest compensation for your injuries is next to impossible without legal expertise and knowledge.
Our award-winning personal injury attorneys are proactive and have given interviews on CNN, CBS, and other media channels, speaking about various laws (cruise ship liability, limousine laws, dog bite statutes, and more) and creating awareness on legal issues.
Local Experience
It is essential to reach out to a personal injury attorney with local experience to help build a strong case.
Ehline Law and our personal injury lawyers have more than 15 years of experience handling personal injury claims in California, including San Diego. We know the local laws and can help develop a strong strategy for your personal injury lawsuit.
Handle Insurance Company
Insurance companies are notorious for bullying injured victims and taking advantage of their vulnerable situations.
At Ehline Law, we take pride in knowing that the insurance companies know about our law firm and our award-winning aggressive personal injury lawyers and that they need to bring A-game settlement offers.
Focus on Your Recovery
Personal injury accidents can leave victims in a vulnerable position. From physical pain to mental anguish, it can take a serious toll on the recovery process, especially when the victim has to deal with the painstakingly long and arduous claims process.
We do this daily, so let our La Jolla personal injury lawyer handle your claim while you focus on your recovery.
How Can Ehline Law La Jolla Personal Injury Lawyer Help You after an Accident?
There are many ways our skilled La Jolla personal injury attorney can help you following your accident, including:
- Ehline Law has the resources to investigate your case and identify the liable parties responsible for your injuries.
- We have the legal knowledge to hold liable parties accountable for your loss.
- We can help locate a lien medical doctor if you’re facing financial trouble paying your medical bills.
- We can help assess and calculate compensatory damages by working with experts.
- Our La Jolla personal injury attorney will handle the insurance company and negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf.
- We work with our clients in building a trial-ready case and are not afraid to go to court if the insurance company does not agree on a fair settlement.
- Ehline Law has more than 15 law offices across California, including San Diego, CA. We’re close by and offer a free consultation on your case. If you cannot make it to our law firm in San Diego due to your injuries, call us, and we’ll visit you where you’re comfortable.
Schedule a Free Consultation with Ehline Law
If you suffered injuries in an accident in San Diego, CA, due to another’s negligence, contact us at (833) LETS-SUE for a free consultation, as you may be able to seek compensation.
