Let Our Family Help Your Family
Contact Us for a Free Consultation
Oakland Personal Injury Lawyer
Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay in Alameda County. With a high population of over 433,000 and multiple roadways with traffic congestion, auto accidents happen daily, which may leave Oakland residents seriously hurt. As Oakland continues to grow, so will the number of accidents each year. With any incident that causes traumatic injuries comes the potential for financial, physical, and emotional hardship for those affected. What is helpful to know in these situations is that an experienced attorney can help you rebuild your life by seeking the financial recovery you deserve.
If you were seriously injured in a traffic collision in Oakland or elsewhere in Alameda County and have questions about how your losses will be covered, our legal team at AutoAccident.com is here for you. Call our skilled Oakland personal injury attorneys at (510) 631-0200 (800) 404-5400 for a free case evaluation.
Since 1982, our law office has helped many Oakland residents obtain favorable outcomes in their personal injury cases, and we would be honored to do the same for you if you experienced a traumatic accident. When you contact us for a free consultation, we will evaluate the facts and circumstances of your case, provide you an assessment of it, and advise you on what to expect from the recovery process moving forward. At AutoAccident.com, we handle cases on contingency which means costs of legal representation will only come from a successful case result and not from your pocket. Learn how we can help you by setting up a free case evaluation today with one of our skilled personal injury lawyers in Oakland, California.
What is a Personal Injury Claim?A bodily injury claim may be filed against a party or entity whose negligence caused an accident that resulted in harm to others. Two types of damages may be sought in these cases: economic damages and non-economic damages. These generally include medical bills, lost earnings, loss of earning potential, pain and suffering, and more.
Under rare circumstances, punitive damages may be sought from an at-fault party whose egregious conduct caused an incident with traumatic injuries. This may include excessive speeding and DUI. Punitive damages only serve to punish negligent parties for their actions. For more information, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer serving Oakland, California.
How Does Comparative Fault Affect a Bodily Injury Claim?California is a state that observes comparative fault. This means that a claimant’s damages may be reduced by the percentage of negligence that has been assigned to them. If an injured party was awarded $100,000 in damages, but a judge finds them 25 percent liable for the incident, the total award would be limited to $75,000. For this reason and others, it is essential to hire a California personal injury attorney serving Oakland to ensure that fault is not unfairly pinpointed on you after an accident.
Benefits of Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer in Oakland, CAWhen you decide to work with the compassionate and experienced legal team at AutoAccident.com, our Oakland personal injury attorneys will manage all aspects of your case from start to finish. This includes the following:
- Contingent Fee Basis: As a person injured in a recent accident in Oakland, California, you may be concerned about the costs of legal representation when dealing with medical bills, vehicle repair costs, and other unexpected expenses. Most California personal injury lawyers, such as ours from AutoAccident.com, operate on contingency. This means fees will only be due if a case yields a successful result.
- Communication with Insurers: The unfortunate reality about insurance companies is that they will do everything in their power to limit the payment a claimant receives or even deny a personal injury claim. Insurance adjusters are trained to devalue, delay, or deny claims as a way of protecting the bottom line for insurers. When you have the right attorney on your side, your lawyer will handle written and verbal communication with insurance carriers for you. You will receive just that when you work with our law office.
- Proof of Liability: An accident attorney from our law firm will collect and preserve the evidence necessary to support a bodily injury claim. This includes evidence to establish who was responsible for the incident that caused damages and why the insurer is responsible for covering the resulting losses. Evidence that may help establish liability in an accident may include traffic incident reports by the CHP or Oakland Police Department, medical records, video surveillance footage of the crash site, and other forms of evidence.
- Proof of Damages: An injury lawyer from AutoAccident.com will gather and preserve evidence that proves the economic and non-economic damages suffered by their client. From there, the attorney will calculate all past and future projected losses establishing the full amount of compensation the client needs to make them whole again. Evidence may include medical records and summaries, statements from treating physicians, expert witness testimony, letters from employers with listed dates of lost income, and more.
- Negotiate a Reasonable Settlement Agreement: Among the most crucial tasks an Oakland personal injury attorney must take on is negotiating a mutual settlement agreement with the insurer on behalf of their client. The insurance company will undoubtedly make a lowball offer for an injured party that has not yet retained legal counsel. When an individual has a lawyer from AutoAccident.com on their side, they can rest assured that their attorney will negotiate a favorable settlement that accounts for all damages incurred.
- File in Civil Court: Not all personal injury cases may result in favorable insurance settlement agreements. When this occurs, the case must be filed in civil court in Alameda County to protect the statute of limitations. An experienced injury lawyer from Oakland, CA, will review your case in detail and work to protect the applicable statute on your behalf.
For more information about our California personal injury law firm and how we can help you, contact us for a free consultation. Before calling, watch this video which details the services we offer at AutoAccident.com.
Oakland, California Personal Injury FAQAt our law firm, we understand that getting into an accident in Oakland, California, may be a traumatic and life-changing experience. Our legal team has found that advising clients on what to expect from the claims process has been helpful. Below are commonly asked questions and answers we have compiled:
How are medical bills paid after an accident?
After an accident, the injured individual is generally responsible for paying the costs of medical treatment. An injured person may seek reimbursement for medical expenses through a personal injury claim. If the claimant has medical payments coverage (MedPay), then it may pay for the costs of treatment as they incur up to the limits of the policy. While MedPay is optional in California, it is useful to have since it may be available regardless of fault in an accident case. For more details, contact a top-rated injury lawyer from Oakland, CA.
What happens if the at-fault party does not have liability coverage to pay a bodily injury claim in California?
The Insurance Information Institute (III) released a report with 2019 data based on the estimated percentage of drivers without liability coverage by state. In California, around 16.6 percent of drivers lacked auto insurance. This was measured based on the ratio of personal injury claims to uninsured motorist (UM) claims. If an individual was injured in an accident in Oakland, California, caused by a party without liability insurance, they may have options for recovering damages if they have UM coverage.
Verification of injuries from an accident must be provided to the insurance company for a first-party claim via UM and UIM coverage. This may include evidence such as a brief report from the treating physician, a copy of medical records and summaries detailing accident-related injuries, a recorded or written statement from the claimant, and a traffic incident report by Oakland PD, CHP, or another law enforcement agency.
What is the deadline for a personal injury case in California?
Claimants are bound by the statute of limitations that applies to personal injury cases in California. This refers to the time limit wherein a case must be filed in civil court. Claimants generally have up to two years to file for personal injury per CCP 335.1. However, a case may be subject to a six-month statute of limitations if a defendant is a government agency. Refer to the California Government Code Section 911.2. It is crucial to hire an experienced Oakland personal injury lawyer immediately to ensure that the statute is protected in your accident case.
California Personal Injury Attorneys Serving Oakland ResidentsAt AutoAccident.com, our compassionate legal team is dedicated to helping you pursue the maximum financial recovery you deserve for the injuries and losses you've experienced due to your accident. Our experienced Oakland personal injury attorneys are here to support you by managing all aspects of your case and striving to achieve a favorable outcome through a verdict or settlement. To learn more about our services and receive free, friendly case advice, please call us at (510) 631-0200 or (800) 404-5400.
Editor's Note: updated [cha 6.12.23] Image Credit: “DavidMcElwee” via Pexels ds [cs 1564] bw
Additional Resources:
