PERSONAL INJURY OVERVIEW
The Law Offices of Victor H. Altamirano represents injured workers to obtain the compensation they deserve. However, we also help people with their personal injury claims. If you have been involved in an automobile accident or other personal injury accident such as slip and fall or dog bite, please call us and we will do our best to help you with your claim. We will fight to get you the maximum recovery when you are injured because of the negligence of others.
Please call us at (714) 542-6767 to speak to us about your personal injury claim. Your initial consultation is absolutely free and confidential.
PERSONAL INJURY FAQ
A personal injury claim is any type of claim where a person has been injured because of the carelessness of someone else. The most common causes of personal injury are: automobile accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, slip and fall, and dog bites.
Just because you were hurt does not mean that you are entitled to compensation. You must prove that someone else was negligent and that it was his negligence that caused your injury. If you fail to do this you lose. If you sue the wrong person, you lose. If you wait too long to sue, you lose.
The value of a personal injury claim depends on a number of factors, including: the nature of your injuries, amount of your medical bills and lost wages, need for future medical treatment and the compensation for permanent injuries such as disfigurement, impairment and other disabilities.
The biggest and most important difference between a personal injury claim and a workers’ compensation claim is that a personal injury claim is based on fault while a workers’ compensation case is not.
In order to recover damages against someone in a personal injury claim, the other person must be negligent, meaning that the person must have done something wrong. For example, if you are in a car accident, you can only recover damages from the other driver if the other driver was at fault. Similarly, if you are in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, you must prove that that other person negligently maintained the property to recover damages.
The biggest difference in damages between a personal injury lawsuit and a workers’ compensation case is that you aren’t entitled to benefits for pain and suffering in a workers’ compensation case. In a personal injury case, you are entitled to recover all of the damages that you have suffered. Damages include lost earnings, loss of earning capacity, medical bills, future medical expenses, permanent impairment, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life, among other things.