Accomplished Car Accident Attorneys

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Laguna Niguel Personal Injury Lawyer

Steps to Take After an Accident

After being involved in an accident, there are several steps that you should take to ensure you are able to protect your legal rights and recover compensation for the damages and losses that you face. Whether you were injured as a result of a car accident, due to medical malpractice, suffered dog bites, or any other injury that arose out of someone else’s negligence, you must take various steps to ensure you are best positioned to take legal action. These include:

• Check yourself for injuries: Undergo a thorough evaluation to determine if you have suffered any injuries and how serious they may be. Also, there may be injuries that you do not have obvious symptoms of immediately. For this reason, it is crucial to start documenting early on to determine if further care is needed. It is also important to get a medical evaluation at the ER or by your primary physician immediately.
• Contact the authorities: It is important that you call the police and have them respond to the scene of your accident. Law enforcement will be able to create a report surrounding what took place, which can be helpful for your claim.
• Exchange information with others involved: You should get the name, insurance information, and contact information of anyone involved in the accident. It is critically important that you are able to identify everybody involved in the accident. If anyone witnessed the accident, you would want to gather their contact information and names as well.
• Gather important documents: It is important that you begin early on with keeping records surrounding what took place. You will want all your invoices, any medical bills you received, estimates for repairs or replacement of property damage, and any other form, document, or information about your accident.
• Take pictures: Evidence from the scene of the accident can be some of the most critical and important. For this reason, it is important that you have it available to you when it comes to pursuing legal action. Gathering evidence from the scene of the accident can help to ensure that you have all of the information you need. If you wait to gather evidence from the scene, it can result in the loss of evidence and information, which can jeopardize your chances of making a full financial recovery after your accident.

Finally, it is important that you seek help from a personal injury attorney that has experience and knowledge when it comes to handling cases like yours. Our team at Beckerman Anderson has decades of combined experience representing those injured in accidents across Laguna Niguel and Orange County, to ensure they are able to get justice. Contact our law firm today to get started on your case.

Types of Cases Our Laguna Niguel Personal Injury Attorneys Handle

People who get hurt in accidents often struggle to move forward. Many of them are unaware of their legal rights and the range of options that are available to them. If you have been injured as a result of an accident, it is crucial that you have a dedicated attorney by your side who will fight for fair compensation on your behalf.

At Beckerman Anderson, our team has fought fearlessly for decades to protect the legal rights of accident victims who have been harmed by negligent, reckless, or malicious behavior. Some of the personal injury cases that we have handled for our clients include those involving:

• Motor vehicle accidents: Motor vehicle accidents can happen in the blink of an eye and often leave those involved with injuries that require medical attention. Our Laguna Niguel personal injury attorneys have extensive experience handling a wide range of motor vehicle accident cases, including those involving:
  • Car accidents
  • Truck accidents
  • Pedestrian accidents
  • Motorcycle accidents
  • Bicycle accidents
  • Scooter accidents
• Premises liability accidents: There are more than 25,000 homes and more than 1,600 businesses in Laguna Niguel, CA. While visiting any home or business in the city, we expect that we will be able to do so without being harmed. Unfortunately, there are countless instances where people are left with serious injuries as a result of accidents that take place due to negligent home and property owners. When people suffer injuries due to property owners’ or managers’ actions or inactions, they have a legal right to file a personal injury claim. Some types of premises liability accidents commonly cited in cases that we handle for our personal injury clients include:
  • Slip and fall accident cases
  • Elevator accident cases
  • Swimming pool accidents
  • Inadequate security incidents
  • Dog bites
• Medical malpractice: Medical malpractice is an unfortunate reality that can happen to anyone receiving medical care. Unfortunately, thousands of people lose their lives and suffer serious injuries as a result of medical malpractice across the United States each year. These situations generally involve healthcare providers that fail to adhere to the set of standards and guidelines when it comes to providing medical treatment for patients. Medical malpractice cases can stem from a variety of factors, such as misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis, delayed diagnosis, surgical errors, medication errors, and even birth injuries. The consequences of these mistakes can be devastating for patients and their families, including physical pain and emotional suffering.
• Wrongful death cases: If you have lost a loved one as a result of another person’s negligence, it is crucial that you have a skilled support staff by your side throughout the litigation process. Wrongful death cases are some of the most difficult personal injury cases to pursue. They involve lost loved ones who have passed away due to the negligence or intentional actions of another party. Cases involving wrongful deaths can arise from a variety of situations, including automobile accidents, medical malpractice, and other acts of negligence. Our personal injury attorneys at Beckerman Anderson understand how challenging these situations can be for everyone involved and are here every step of the way through the legal process so you don’t have to go through it alone.
• Catastrophic injuries: Catastrophic injury cases are those that involve severe and life-altering injuries, which often require long-term medical treatment or even leave victims with permanent disabilities that forever change their lives. These cases can include:
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Loss of limbs
  • Hearing loss
  • Vision loss
  • Spinal cord injuries

One of the challenges in any type of personal injury case is determining who is responsible for the injuries and damages that you have suffered. This can be a difficult task, as many parties may have been involved in the accident in some way. Our attorneys have years of experience navigating the complex legal system and are equipped to identify who is liable for your injuries.

Our personal injury lawyers will do everything we can to ensure you receive fair compensation and that the person who is responsible for your accident is held accountable. Schedule a free consultation with our personal injury law firm right away to discuss your case and to get started on your path toward justice.

Types of Damages in Personal Injury Cases

When it comes to personal injury claims in California, damages will generally fall under one of two categories. These include compensatory damages or punitive damages.

Compensatory damages are designed to make a person financially whole again after being injured or affected by an accident. This category of damages can include both economic and non-economic damages that were suffered as a result of their accident. Common compensatory damages that are collected for accidents in Laguna Niguel include:

• Permanent scarring and disfigurement
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium
• Lost earning capacity
• Medical expenses, both immediate and long-term
• Lost wages
• Property damage (vehicle repairs, home repairs, etc.)

Sometimes, punitive damages are also awarded in cases where the defendant performed some action that needs to be punished in addition to simply reimbursing the victim for their losses. Punitive damages are generally awarded in cases where defendants act particularly egregious and cause severe harm to others.

A description of what occurred: If you have not done so already, it is important that you write down a detailed description of what you can recall about your accident. Write down all of the information that you have about the injuries that you have suffered. Information that you can include in this description includes:

• What caused the accident to occur?
• Where did the accident take place?
• Did anybody witness the accident?
• What circumstances led to the accident taking place?
• Where did you receive medical treatment for your injuries?
• A list of all of the treatments that you have undergone.

Also, include any other information that may be relevant to your claim. Writing this written description and information for your initial consultation with our skilled personal injury lawyer at Beckerman Anderson will help us understand what happened so we know where to begin our investigation.

The accident report: Getting a copy of your accident report from law enforcement is critical. These reports often detail what took place at the time of the accident. Additionally, they can include information about all parties involved, insurance information, and witness information, whenever available. If you do not have your accident report, we can order it for you once we are hired as your attorneys.

Medical records: Your personal injury attorney will want to know about the injuries that you have suffered. You should bring any medical documents regarding what your diagnosis was and what treatment plan your doctor has in place for you. Medical information that you should bring with you to the appointment includes:

• Any invoices
• Insurance claims
• Diagnostic images
• Records of medications that you were prescribed

This critical information can give a better idea of the injuries that you have suffered, how they impact your life, and what type of medical care you will require, both immediate and long-term.

Receipts and invoices: You should bring all of the receipts and invoices that you have related to your accident with you to the meeting. This can include any costs or losses that you have endured as a result of:

• Home care costs
• Child care coverage
• Alternative transportation costs
• Property damage repair statements
• Medical expenses

This type of information is vital when it comes to determining the extent of damages that you face as a result of your accident.

Witness contact information: If anyone witnessed your accident take place, you should get their contact information and name. At your initial consultation, you will want to provide this information to your personal injury attorney. Your attorney will be able to contact the witnesses and get statements from them, which can be invaluable for your claim.

Insurance information: You should bring a copy of all of the relevant insurance policy information with you to your consultation. Your personal injury lawyer will review this information and determine which policy limits are applicable to your case.

Proof of any lost income: If your accident forced you to take any time off work to recover, or your accident left him permanently disabled, you may be able to recover lost income. It is critically important that you bring your personal injury attorney any pay stubs that you have, your income tax documents, and other financial records that prove you are lost of income or your potential loss of earning capacity.

Any photos and videos: All photos and videos that you have of the accident, of your injuries, and anything else relevant to your case can be valuable when it comes to proving the damages that you suffered as well as liability in your accident.

Any correspondence you have with the opposing parties: If you received any communications from the insurance company, other parties, or the legal team of the defendant, you would want to bring copies of any correspondence with you.

A list of questions you have for your attorney: The free consultation with your personal injury attorney is an excellent opportunity to learn about the legal claims process and all of the laws that may be relevant to your case. For this reason, it is important that you bring a list of questions that you have for your attorney about your case.

Personal injury claims can be incredibly time-consuming and confusing. This is particularly true if you have never been through the legal process before. Rather than attempt to move forward alone after suffering injuries in an accident, you can benefit greatly by reaching out to our team at Beckerman Anderson as soon as possible.

Not only do we offer free initial consultations, but we represent our clients on a contingency fee basis. You never have to worry about paying any costs for legal services upfront. To get started on your case, contact our trial attorneys right away to see how we can help you get justice and protect your legal rights.

Contact Our Personal Injury Attorney Today

At Beckerman Anderson, APC, we understand the challenges that accident victims face. We are dedicated to fighting to protect your legal rights. Our team of experienced attorneys has extensive experience in helping our clients get justice after being harmed in preventable accidents. Let us ease your financial burden while you focus on recovery.