Life is uncertain, and accidents can happen at any time. If proper safety measures are taken then accidents are avoidable. But due to some negligence, accidents occur, and it can be fatal for yourself and others involved.
So, why should you suffer because of someone’s negligence?
The law gives you the right to file for injuries and damages you sustained because of the accident. You can file a lawsuit against the person or the entity because whom the accident happened.
In San Diego, the average claim for car accidents ranges from $50,000 to $84,000. Besides, you will be surprised to know that car accident are the most prevalent personal injury cases. More than thirty thousand accidents happen in the city in a single year, wherein almost five accidents prove to be fatal. Consequently, San Diego is known as one of the few cities with the most accident cases in California.
It can be challenging to gather yourself after an accident, and during such times you will need all the support. Insurance agencies, police officers, health care departments, and other authorities can become challenging to deal with if you do not have the knowledge or experience. So, it is best to hire a personal injury attorney San Diego to help you deal with the legal authorities and seek compensation.
If you have been affected by an accident, here are some things that you should do soon after.
- Take care of yourself
You must check yourself for injuries. After your condition improves, you must recollect what happened and talk to eyewitnesses to document their accounts. And if you have sustained injuries, it is advised to seek help before doing anything else.
You must also take pictures of the accident site and collect contact information from the witnesses. Having such evidence will strengthen your case.
- Find out who is responsible
A personal injury case means that the incident happened because of the other party’s (defendant) negligence.
In many cases, if it is found that the plaintiff is even one percent at fault for the accident, then they are not liable to raise any claims. However, in San Diego, a comparative negligence system is followed. So, even if the plaintiff was ninety-nine per cent at fault, they are still liable to raise a claim for the one per cent of damages or injuries that were not their fault.
A personal injury attorney in San Diego will help minimize your extent of fault in the accident.
- How much can you recover?
You can file a claim for damages to your property, medical expenses, future medical expenses, loss of earnings, loss of earning potential, mental trauma, and replacement or repair of any asset. While economic damages, such as damage to the property, can be assigned a specific value, it is challenging to estimate the non-economic damages, such as trauma. You should know that in San Diego, one can only claim up to $250,000 for non-economic damages.
- Filing a suit
After the accident, you must be wondering whether you need to file a case or not. You have the right to think about it, but you have to keep in mind the statute of limitations, and it restricts the time you can take to file a suit after the incident. In San Diego, California, you can take up to two years to file a suit as per the statute of limitation for personal injuries.
Once you make a firm decision to file a suit, you must hire the best personal injury attorney in San Diego to help you get the rightful compensation.
These are some of the basics of a personal injury case in San Diego. It is best to not try to negotiate or represent yourself in the court alone, and it is better that you let the lawyers handle all the negotiations.