If you have suffered a personal injury in Pasadena, CA, due to the negligence or wrongdoings of others, you can pursue a personal injury claim against them. Personal injuries can be linked to motor vehicle accidents, dog bites, medical malpractice, or any other type of situation where the actions or inactions of another entity have injured you.
The responsible parties don’t need to be present during your accident and injury if you are considering suing them, such as in the case of slip and fall accidents or product defects. Wrongful death cases, where a family member dies in an accident, are also a type of personal injury.
Victims of personal injury should not delay in pursuing a claim to seek compensation for their damages and losses. The strength of your case will rely on the evidence available, the strength of your legal representation, and how promptly you act.
An experienced personal injury lawyer in Pasadena can help you understand if you have the necessary legal grounds to pursue a claim against another party for their negligence or wrongdoing. The personal injury lawyers at Crown & Stone Law, P.C. offer free case consultations for personal injury victims.
Contact our law offices today to learn more about your legal options and if you have a strong case. Let our personal injury attorneys guide you throughout the process and strengthen your claim! Here is what you should know about personal injury law in Pasadena, CA, and how a personal injury lawyer can help you.
Personal Injury Law in Pasadena, CA
Various personal injury laws in California will affect your personal injury case. Some of the most important ones you should consider are the following:
Statute of Limitations
One of the first things you should be aware of is that there is a legal timeframe to pursue a personal injury claim. In California, you only have two years from the accident date to pursue a claim.
This is known as the statute of limitations, and it is meant to encourage victims to take legal action sooner rather than later, as certain types of evidence, such as witness statements, can become unreliable as time passes.
However, the statute of limitations is only sometimes two years from the accident date or applies to all personal injury claims. For example, if you have lost a loved one in an accident, you have two years from the date of death to pursue a claim.
If you pursue a medical malpractice claim, you must do so within one year of discovering the accident or three years from when the injury occurred. If, after following an investigation, it is deemed that one of the liable parties responsible for your accident is a government agency, then you have only six months to pursue a claim or up to one year.
In certain instances, the statute of limitations can be extended, such as when the party you intend to sue goes into hiding or the injuries sustained limit the mental capacity of one of the parties involved in the accident.
Reporting Accidents
When you are injured, suffer property damage exceeding $1,000, or someone dies in the accident, you are required by Californian law to report the incident to authorities.
Comparative Negligence
The state also follows a pure comparative negligence system, which means that all the parties involved in a personal injury accident can be assigned a percentage of fault, which will diminish their compensation accordingly.
Damages and Caps
Based on the circumstances of their case, personal injury victims can be entitled to economic, non-economic, and punitive damages. Economic damages refer to monetary losses such as property damage or medical expenses.
Non-economic damages are non-monetary losses such as emotional distress, PTSD, pain and suffering, and other psychological consequences of traumatic events. Punitive damages are a form of punishment in cases where an individual’s actions were particularly egregious or intentional and resulted in the injury of another party.
In California, there are no laws that limit the amount of compensation a personal injury victim can acquire, except in medical malpractice cases. As of 2024, medical malpractice victims can only receive a maximum of $390,000 in non-fatal medical malpractice claims. In fatal medical malpractice claims, the economic damages cap is $550,000.
Shared Liability
California follows the doctrine of joint and several liability regarding economic damages. This means that victims can pursue compensation from multiple liable parties for their economic damages.
Strict Liability
In some personal injury cases, such as defective products or dog bites, an injured party can pursue a claim even if the at-fault party was not negligent.
Proving Negligence in Personal Injury Cases
Proving negligence in most personal injury cases is crucial to have a better chance of receiving maximum compensation for your injuries and other losses. Negligence can take on different forms depending on the type of case you are pursuing.
For example, in a car accident, victims must prove that the at-fault party operated their vehicle negligently by either driving under the influence or disobeying traffic laws. In medical malpractice cases, victims must prove that they were owed a standard duty of care, that the healthcare provider breached that duty, and that they suffered an injury or other health complications.
To prove negligence in different scenarios, victims must work closely with law firms that collaborate with third-party experts such as healthcare professionals or accident reconstruction experts.
An experienced personal injury attorney will know exactly what evidence will strengthen your claim and which expert witnesses to use to highlight the negligence that you have suffered. Contact our law firm for a free consultation to learn more.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
At Crown & Stone Law, P.C., our dedicated Pasadena personal injury lawyers have recovered millions for our clients in various personal injury cases. Our law firm is committed to giving you a fighting chance at receiving fair compensation. Among the type of personal injury cases we take on for our clients include:
Car Accidents
Our law firm represents clients involved in car accidents caused by negligent drivers or other entities responsible for keeping the roads safe. Whether your car accident case involves a government agency or a negligent driver, you deserve fair treatment.
A car accident lawyer with our law firm can help you establish liability and hold all parties responsible for your car accident. If the other party and their insurance carriers do not accept a fair settlement despite the available evidence, our car accident lawyer will help you bring your case to trial. If a rental car is involved in your automobile accident, our lawyers will guide you through the additional legal complexities. If the other driver is uninsured or underinsured, our attorneys will use various legal strategies to ensure you receive compensation.
Truck Accidents
Truck accidents often result in severe injuries and will often require a more aggressive advocacy stance to secure fair compensation. Since additional federal regulations govern trucks, showcasing negligence might be more straightforward, depending on the circumstances of your case.
In such cases, there are often multiple liable parties, not just the truck driver. The company itself may have questionable hiring practices, or in other instances, maintenance providers were neglectful and partially contributed to the truck accident. Regardless of who is at fault, a truck accident lawyer with our law firm will ensure to highlight all the responsible parties and hold them liable for your injuries and other damages.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists are also prone to serious injuries as they lack protection. Law firms that deal with motorcycle accidents usually also understand that bikers often face prejudice when following their claims. Fortunately, at Crown & Stone Law, P.C., our motorcycle accident lawyers know what motorcyclists must go through when pursuing claims and are committed to helping them reach a favorable resolution. We will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf and protect your rights throughout the process.
Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian accidents often result in catastrophic injuries, leaving victims to deal with financial, emotional, and other consequences. Our personal injury lawyers will highlight all the damages and losses you have suffered due to a negligent driver and seek fair compensation on your behalf.
Bicycle Accidents
Bicyclists involved in accidents with other vehicles should never accept an early settlement offer, as they will likely receive a lesser amount than what they deserve. Our bicycle accident lawyers can help you understand the damages you are entitled to and give you a fighting chance at receiving maximum compensation for your injuries.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Owners who do not care for their premises can be liable if a slip and fall accident occurs. Such accident victims can easily suffer broken bones, brain injuries, or back injuries, among others. Our slip and fall injury lawyers will thoroughly investigate the circumstances of your slip and fall accident and highlight a property owner’s negligence.
Medical Malpractice
Many factors constitute medical malpractice. Birth injuries, misdiagnosis, surgical errors, or even delayed diagnosis can constitute medical negligence. Contact our personal injury law firm today for a free consultation to find out if you have a medical malpractice claim on your hands.
Product Liability
Defective or dangerous products often lead many individuals to the emergency room. Fortunately, these types of personal injury cases don’t always involve a long process as others since proving negligence isn’t as difficult. However, a third-party expert will often be needed to showcase the manufacturer, seller, or distributor’s negligence.
Wrongful Death Claims
Among the most devastating personal injury cases are those where a loved one lost their life. At Crown & Stone Law, P.C., we offer free consultations for victims who wish to pursue a wrongful death claim. Our compassionate attorneys are dedicated to helping clients reach some form of resolution to the death of their loved one by holding the responsible parties liable. We will use any means necessary to give you a fighting chance at receiving the maximum amount of compensation for your loss.
Understanding the Personal Injury Claims Process
A personal injury claims process in Pasadena is usually pretty straightforward. If you believe you have a legal claim, then a personal injury accident attorney will evaluate your case and try to understand how the accident happened.
The attorney will explain your legal rights and options if your case is viable. They will conduct a thorough investigation to build a strong case for you. This means that the attorney will gather evidence, such as police reports, medical records, and witness statements, and work with third-party experts to highlight the damages you have suffered and the other party’s negligence.
Once the liable parties are established, your attorney will showcase that they breached their duty of care and use the evidence to showcase a causal link between their breach of duty and your injuries and other damages.
Suppose you have suffered a serious injury, such as a brain injury. In that case, your personal injury lawyer will fight to obtain fair compensation not just for your injuries but also for property damage and non-economic damages.
At this stage, your attorney may enter the negotiation phase with the at-fault party’s insurance company or opposing parties. Here, the insurance company will use their own attorneys to verify the legitimacy of your claim and diminish the liability of their clients.
Throughout the negotiation phase, there will be many back-and-forths between attorneys, the insurance company, and other involved entities. Yet, you will not be burdened by this as your lawyer will handle all communications until a fair settlement is reached.
The personal injury attorneys will use all aspects of personal injury law to secure adequate payment for your losses. Still, if negotiations cannot be settled, your personal injury lawyer will prepare a lawsuit and take your case to court.
Our personal injury law firm will represent your best interests, advocate for your rights, and seek to strengthen your claim further for the trial phase. Your personal injury case will be settled once the judge and jury decide the outcome.
Calculating Damages in Personal Injury Cases
In personal injury law, there is no cap on damages awarded in California except economic damages in medical malpractice cases. You must work closely with a personal injury lawyer to calculate the damages you can be awarded in your claim.
Generally, victims will be awarded higher damage awards if they experience more serious injuries. This is because severe injuries often entail psychological damage, not just physical injuries, which are also compensated.
Furthermore, the longer a victim spends recovering from their injuries, the more work days they will lose, resulting in more lost wages, medical expenses, and treatments, and other subjective losses such as emotional anguish, physical pain, and suffering, loss of ability to enjoy life, and more.
Severe injuries also commonly result in scarring, disfigurement, or permanent physical disability, which burdens victims with additional trauma. Some might never be able to work again, for example, resulting in higher compensation claims.
In many types of personal injury cases, two main formulas are used to calculate damages: the multiplier and the per diem formula. An insurance adjuster or personal injury lawyer can use the multiplier formula.
After calculating all your economic damages, the value will be multiplied between 1.5 and 5. Only victims with severe injuries will usually receive a higher multiplier. However, keep in mind that if you have been assigned a percentage of fault, you will receive a lesser amount in the end. The per diem formula can be seen as a daily earning compensation similar to your income should the accident not have occurred.
Steps to Take After a Personal Injury
No matter what type of personal injury claim you wish to pursue, it’s important to understand that what you do or don’t do before and after an accident will affect your claim in various ways. Because of this, you should proceed cautiously.
Once the accident occurs, your priority is your health and seeking immediate medical attention. By doing this, you showcase that you take your claim seriously and gain access to the medical records that will link the accident and your claim.
At Crown & Stone Law, P.C., we have often witnessed clients weaken their claims by not immediately accepting medical attention. The at-fault parties or insurance companies used this against them by arguing that their injuries were not that serious since they refused medical attention.
Accident injuries are not always evident due to adrenaline rush or other factors, which is why you should always prioritize your health. Report the accident to authorities so that an accident report will be initiated. The police report can also play a crucial role in your accident claim.
Before you leave the accident scene, make sure to gather some evidence if you can. Take photos of the accident scene and highlight your injuries, property damage, and hazardous conditions that might have played a role in your accident, and take note if there are any CCTV cameras around that may have captured the event.
If they are present, write down the contact information of possible eyewitnesses and the at-fault party. As you rest and heal, preserve the evidence you have and expand it by keeping the receipts of your medical expenses, interventions, and other related losses or issues. Keep a journal in which you detail how the accident affected your well-being and if you experience pain. This will also help you later in your claim to pursue non-economic damages.
Report the accident to your own insurance company and consult with accident lawyers specialized in the type of accident you were involved in. The attorneys who will take on your case will guide you throughout the legal process and help you establish who the liable parties are, what damages you are eligible to pursue, and how to pursue them. They will also help you gather evidence.
Working With Pasadena Personal Injury Lawyers
At Crown & Stone Law, P.C., our dedicated and compassionate Pasadena personal injury lawyers have guided clients even in the most complex personal injury cases. We take pride in our client-focused approach and prioritize effective communication as a cornerstone of our practice.
Proper legal representation cannot be achieved without understanding what clients go through on an emotional, physical, and financial level. We believe that each injured client must be informed about the progress of their case throughout the legal proceedings and have their questions answered promptly.
Clear and transparent communication and always keeping the lines open are among the most important aspects of any successful personal injury case. Our law firm works on a contingency fee basis, which means that clients do not have to take on yet another financial toll while working to secure their compensation.
You do not have to pay us anything unless we win your case. Contact Crown & Stone Law, P.C. today, and let our dedicated Pasadena personal injury attorneys fight for the compensation, justice, and peace of mind that you deserve. Hold the negligent parties liable!