A Personal Injury Attorney in Santa Rosa
Many questions could be running through an accident victim’s mind after an accident. Uncertainties surrounding damages, recovery, medical bills, and holding the at-fault party accountable are common. For the most part, victims just want to return to life as it was. If you find yourself in this situation in Santa Rosa, you may also be asking yourself, “Where can I find a personal injury lawyer near me?“
We can provide answers to your legal questions at our personal injury law firm in Santa Rosa. Also, as attorneys representing injury victims throughout Sonoma County and Napa County, we are familiar with the types of car accidents that occur along the winding roads of wine country or on the congested 101 freeway. What can one of our personal injury lawyers in Santa Rosa do for you?
The Cases Our Santa Rosa Personal Injury Attorneys Handle
Our team takes on personal injury cases of all kinds. So, if you or a loved one got injured in any way and another party is at fault, we can help you with your case. Even if you’re partially at fault for your incident, we can help you.
Our attorneys handle personal injury cases that involve:
- Car accidents
- Bus collisions
- Motorcycle wrecks
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle crashes
- Dog bites
- Slip & fall incidents
- Nursing home abuse & neglect
- Wildfire damages, injuries & losses
- Hazardous exposure
- Wrongful death
What Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer in Santa Rosa Can Do for You
The expenses that follow a serious accident can be extensive. By pursuing a personal injury claim, victims could receive compensation for hospital bills, long-term medical costs, pain and suffering, lost wages and other damages. While the California legal system offers a way to hold at-fault parties liable, navigating the claims process can be complicated.
Most accident claims will involve negotiations with an insurance company. Insurance adjusters who represent the at-fault party’s policy will usually want to reach a settlement. However, their goal is to make the compensation amount as low as possible.
This is where seeking legal advice and hiring legal representation can be critical to obtaining fair damages. At our firm, we have dealt with insurance companies that try to lowball accident victims. Because we only pursue plaintiff personal injury claims, our staff is well-equipped to help you get a fair settlement to reflect the long-term effects of your injuries.
Handling More Complicated Cases
If the at-fault party in a car accident case is uninsured, there are other ways to obtain the compensation you deserve. For example, you could file a claim against your own insurance company up to the threshold of your uninsured motorist coverage.
Our attorneys are familiar with the various legal avenues available to clients in Santa Rosa. If a satisfactory settlement can’t be reached, we will then consider the option of filing a lawsuit on your behalf.
Handing Your Case for You
Nadrich & Cohen Accident Injury Lawyers
(707) 525-1188
After hiring your lawyer, they will handle every task involved in building and settling your case. You won’t have to worry about communicating with the insurance company or any of the other details. Your lawyer will handle:
- The investigation of your case
- The collection of evidence for your case, such as the incident report the authorities wrote up after your accident
- Bolstering your case with corroborating evidence, like a statement from an expert witness
- Determining which damages you can claim and how much they’re worth
- Negotiations with the insurance company
- The litigation of your case if the insurer isn’t willing to negotiate
Our Team Members Tackle the Case So You Can Recover
You can help your case along by collecting and organizing any information related to your accident. Gathering insurance information, details about the incident, witness contact information, physician reports, and documentation of lost wages could prove useful.
At our firm, we have the resources and experience necessary to find additional evidence that may be vital to proving liability and obtaining compensation for your injuries.
The Damages You Could Recover in a Santa Rosa Personal Injury Claim
In most personal injury cases, filing a claim is appropriate. A personal injury claim is usually enough to pursue damages related to physical injuries, financial injuries, and some other types of injuries. In your claim, you could pursue the following and possibly more:
- Physical injury-related damages: Depending on your personal injuries, you may be able to pursue pain and suffering, disability, and other related damages.
- Financial damages: In your case, these could be medical bills, disability-related expenses, the cost of emergency care, the costs involved in continual care, the cost of physical therapy, property-related damages, and/or lost income.
- Additional damages: If your incident caused you mental/emotional harm, you could claim and recover mental anguish and related damages. There could be other damages you can claim as well.
You Could Recover Further Damages in a Wrongful Death Lawsuit
When a case involves loss of life, an immediate family member can file a wrongful death claim or lawsuit against the responsible party. Other immediate family members can participate in the action. A lawsuit may be more appropriate than a claim, considering how serious the matter is.
In your lawsuit, you could demand such damages as:
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of parental support
- Outstanding medical bills
- Funeral costs and related costs
We Will Prove Fault in Your Santa Rosa Personal Injury Case
To obtain a fair settlement, your attorney will have to establish liability in your case. This will generally involve showing that the other party caused your injuries by acting in a negligent manner. Negligence could involve anything from texting while driving to ignoring a traffic signal.
In many cases, the at-fault party does not have to break the law to be considered liable. For example, if you slip and fall while visiting an unsafe property, the property owner may be liable for your injuries.
We Can Secure Damages Even if You Partly Caused the Accident
Something else to consider is that a victim and a defendant can share liability in a personal injury case, and if the victim is held partially liable for their incident, their award can be reduced proportionally.
For instance, if a victim is 30% liable, their award can be reduced by 30%. This concept is called comparative negligence and is described in greater detail in California Civil Jury Instructions No. 405.
Taking Action Right Away in Your Santa Rosa Personal Injury Case is Critical
When it comes to filing a claim or lawsuit, time is of the essence. Insurance adjusters are notorious for stalling and doing what they feel is necessary to provide lower payouts to the injured party. In addition, California requires most personal injury plaintiffs to initiate a lawsuit within two years from the date of their incident, per CCP § 335.1.
Please note that there are several exceptions to the two-year rule, which you can discuss with one of our Santa Rosa personal injury lawyers during your free initial consultation.
By being decisive and acting fast, you’ll get a head start on the claims process. Your Santa Rosa accident attorney can provide vital guidance every step of the way and take over your case and claim for you. Our law firm is prepared to advocate on your behalf and protect your interests.
We’re Passionate About Personal Injury Cases in Santa Rosa
No legal action can reverse the effects of a traumatic accident. However, fair compensation can help victims and their families move on and rebuild their lives. If you’ve been injured, a member of our firm’s Santa Rosa legal team can handle the claims process while you focus on your recovery and your family.
We work on a contingency-fee basis. This means that you won’t owe us a penny unless we obtain a recovery for you. Since 1990, our legal team has recovered over $350,000,000 on behalf of our clients. You can count on us to advocate for your best interests.
Do I Need A Personal Injury Lawyer In Santa Rosa?
If you or a loved one has been injured in Santa Rosa due to somebody else’s negligence, you are entitled to recover damages under California law from the negligent party. However, you will not be able to recover all of the damages the law entitles you to if you are not represented by experienced personal injury attorneys like Nadrich & Cohen.
Insurance companies end up being the only source of recovery for almost all personal injury claimants. Insurance companies’ number one priority, however, is not making sure that personal injury claimants receive all of the compensation they are entitled to. Instead, insurance companies’ number one priority is preserving their own profit margin.
When insurance companies refuse to offer personal injury claimants the compensation the law entitles them to, if the claimants want the compensation they’re entitled to, they must file a lawsuit over the lowball offer. Insurance companies know that you cannot sue them and win if you aren’t represented by an attorney. Thus, if you don’t have a lawyer, they will attempt to get away with offering you a small fraction of what you are entitled to in order to preserve their own profit margin, and only hiring a lawyer will get them to offer you more.
The mere act of hiring experienced lawyers with a track record of success like Nadrich & Cohen, however, is often enough to convince an insurance company to offer you fair compensation for their injuries. Insurance companies keep files on lawyers. Their files on us show them it’s a waste of their money and time to go to court against us. Almost all of our cases settle out of court because of this.
In addition, it is very easy to say the wrong thing when talking to an insurance company, and saying the wrong thing can reduce the amount of compensation you’re eligible for. In fact, insurance adjusters are specifically trained to trick you into saying the wrong things so they can preserve their profit margin by paying you less. It is therefore vital that you hire experienced personal injury lawyers to talk to the insurance companies for you if you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence.
What Should I Do After Being Injured In An Accident In Santa Rosa?
The amount of financial compensation you end up obtaining for your injuries may depend on the steps you take after your accident. If you’ve been hurt in an accident in Santa Rosa which wasn’t your fault, you should:
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
Insurance companies can claim your injuries weren’t caused by your accident if you wait too long to do this. It is vital that you have any injuries documented by a healthcare provider as soon as possible after an accident.
Go see a doctor even if you don’t think you’ve been hurt badly or at all. Symptoms of injuries often fail to show themselves until weeks or months after an accident.
It’s also important that you attend all follow-up treatments or appointments, as a failure to do this is a signal to insurance companies that you’re injuries aren’t actually that bad.
Make Sure Everything Is Documented
Keep records of everything and anything related to your accident and injuries, especially your medical treatments.
Write down your memories of your accident as soon as you can as memories can fade quickly. Write down your experiences while recovering from your injuries, including any pain and suffering you endure.
Get the contact info and insurance info of anyone involved in your accident. Get the contact info of any witnesses to your accident. Take pictures of the accident scene, including pictures of your injuries and any property damage.
Obtain Experienced Representation
Experienced lawyers like Nadrich & Cohen can handle every aspect of your personal injury claim or case for you while you focus on recovery, and handle all correspondence with insurance companies for you so you don’t have to worry about incriminating yourself.
Call Nadrich & Cohen Today for a Santa Rosa Personal Injury Lawyer
Contact our office if you find yourself asking, “where can I find an accident lawyer near me?” Call Nadrich & Cohen for a free and confidential consultation with a member of our team.