Personal Injury
Santa Ana Personal Injury Lawyer
Personal injury is described as any harm that a person experiences, including both bodily injury and invasion of a personal right that causes mental suffering, as a result of another person's negligence. If you in some way were also negligent, this is called contributory negligence and reduces the liability of the other person. Before 1975, you could not claim negligence in California if you had in any way contributed to the negligence. Now however the court evaluates comparative negligence to asses the extent of liability. Negligence is defined as a violation of a standard of care that any ordinary person would take to ensure other's safety. A personal injury lawyer can file a claim for any kind of bodily injury, disease or death.
At the offices of Purcell Law, we can help you evaluate the extent of damage and get compensation for your personal injury.
- Auto accidents
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death
- Construction site accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Pain syndrome
- Paralysis/spinal cord injury
- Dog bites
- Food poisoning
- Defective road signs
There are certain personal injury circumstances in which it is crucial to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you with your case. In these cases, it would not be wise to try to handle the claim yourself. If you have long-term or permanently disabling injuries, sustained injury as a result of medical malpractice or toxic exposure, make sure to seek a qualified personal injury attorney to handle your case.
It is important to ensure that the person you are filing a personal injury claim against is in fact legally responsible for your injury. Sometimes people seemingly unconnected with your experience of injury do have some legal responsibility. If a landlord knowingly houses a tenant that has a dog with a history of biting people, that landlord can be held legally responsible for your personal injury.
It can be difficult to judge the extent of your suffering and identify a dollar amount that will be sufficient to compensate you for your personal injury. Accidents can change the course of a life in a way that no monetary compensation can make up for. Cases of wrongful death are even more difficult to deal with for the obvious reason that a monetary value cannot be placed on life. However, we do not think that economic hardship should be added to a family's difficulties in this situation. There are several aspects of your injury and its affect on your life that must be taken into consideration when deciding the amount of money you want to file a claim for. You must consider:
- Medical expenses
- Income lost because of the injury or your inability to work, and time spent undergoing treatment
- Permanent physical disability
- Missed school, training, vacation or special events
- Emotional damages
- Damaged property
Personal injury can often be life-impacting a highly emotional situation for both the victim and the person held responsible. An experienced personal injury lawyer understands the sensitivity of such situations and can help to alleviate the mental stress of dealing with such a case. Contact Christopher Purcell, an Orange County Personal Injury Attorney to discuss your case.
In order to ensure a strong case, you should take several steps to preserve and obtain evidence. Things you can do following your personal injury include:
- Write down exactly how the accident occurred, your injuries and any other losses you've suffered as a result of the injury.
- Write down significant portions of conversations you've had with the people involved with the accident.
- Preserve evidence of who caused the injury and the damages suffered by taking photos or collecting any other kind of physical evidence.
- Find people who witnessed the injury that may be able to testify on your behalf.
- Notify the people against whom you intend to make a personal injury claim.
You should also keep in mind that there may be a certain period of time within which you must file your claim, or it will no longer be valid. In California, the statute of limitations for filing a claim is two years from when the injury occurred. There are exceptions that fall under the "Discovery of Harm" rule. Under this rule, the statute of limitations is effective from the date that the injured person "discovers" his injury. In most cases this does not apply because there are no concealed injuries. However, in the case of medical malpractice, evidence of injury may not be found immediately. If a doctor leaves a foreign object inside your body during surgery, but it is not discovered until the next time you have a surgery, that statute of limitations would be effective from the date it was found. Or if you are exposed to toxic chemicals, you may develop an injury or condition over time. The sooner you notify those you believe are responsible for your injury, the better. While it is not necessary to notify the person or entity responsible within a certain number of days, it is best to do it soon after the injury occurred. If you give notice, it does not mean you are obligated to file a claim. Once you give the other person notice, you can file the claim in your own time.
Contact the offices of Purcell Law, for a free consultation with an experienced Personal Injury Lawyer.
Purcell Law - Christopher Purcell, Attorney
Orange County Wrongful Death Lawyer
1539 E. 4th Street
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Toll Free: 888-840-4443
Phone: 714-884-3006
Fax: 714-884-3007
Contact Chris Purcell, Personal Injury Attorney
From our offices in Irvine and Santa Ana, our Riverside personal injury attorney & Orange County wrongful death lawyer helps clients in Santa Ana, San Diego, Riverside, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Bernardino, Ontario, Norco, Murieta, Temecula, Hemet, Ladera Ranch, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, San Juan, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Orange, Fullerton, Anaheim, Westminster, Santa Barbara, Corona, Huntington, San Clemente, Yorba Linda, Dana Point, and more.
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