The Nghi Lam Law Firm handles personal injury cases all over the state of California, including in Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County. Here, we have provided a step-by-step guide to how a typical California personal injury case works.
A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO WHAT HAPPENS IN A PERSONAL INJURY CASE (Important things to note in a personal injury case.)
- First, the accident happens. This is when someone’s negligence causes an accident, whether it be a car accident, slip and fall, pedestrian accident, etc., and a person is injured as a result of that negligence.
- Treatment for Injuries: Our law firm aways encourages our personal injury clients to seek medical help immediate if you need it because your health is the most important thing. Also, you want doctors, nurses, and first responders to document your injuries. Every personal injury case needs documentation. Oftentimes, your medical treatment will last for weeks, months, or even years, depending on the injuries you suffered. However, settlement of your case does not have to wait until your treatment is over because compensation for personal injury cases always takes into consideration future medical expenses.
- Establishing Who Is at Fault: This is called liability. The person or entity (a company, government agency, etc.) who is at fault is the party liable in a personal injury case. It means that they are on the hook for the injured person’s injuries. This is where your personal injury lawyer (like our firm) uses arguments to show who is to blame for the accident.
- Getting the Negligent Party or Their Insurance Company To Pay: Once our law firm establishes that the other party’s negligence was the cause of your injuries, we demand that they pay for your injuries (pain and suffering, lost wages, medical costs, etc.). This can be done in court or out of court.
- Negotiating Lower Payments to Lienholders (if there are any): In many personal injury cases, entities that provided medical care, disability income, and other things that you needed when you were injured, have a lien on the case, which means that they get to be reimbursed for what they spent on the services that they provided while you were injured. However, the amount that they are reimbursed from your settlement is rarely the same as the amount it cost them to provide those services to you. It is critical that your personal injury lawyer negotiate aggressively to keep the lienholders’ fees very low so that you, as the injured client, can keep as much as possible.
If you or a loved one has been injured, call the Nghi Lam Law Firm and speak directly to a personal injury lawyer. Our law firm handles personal injury cases all over California, including in Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County. Call us at 213-235-7969 and be happy to discuss your case with you.
