Our attorneys have been assisting the Orange County and Southern California communities for over 40 years.
Injuries can lead to significant pain and suffering as well as major financial setbacks. Anytime someone sustains an injury caused by the negligent or careless actions of another entity or individual, they should be able to recover compensation for their losses. At DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo, we are here to help if you need an Orange County personal injury attorney by your side. We will not hesitate to stand up to aggressive insurance carriers to ensure that you recover money for your medical bills, lost wages, property damage expenses, and pain and suffering losses.
Understanding whether or not you have a personal injury case can be challenging, and we strongly suggest that you contact a skilled Orange County personal injury lawyer who has experience handling the type of claim you have.
In order for a person to successfully file a civil personal injury lawsuit and win, there are various elements of negligence that must be in place. Without going too in-depth, the basic idea is that there must have been another party involved that owed you a duty of care. This other party must have breached their duty of care through negligent or intentional actions and caused your injury.
There are various factors that make a “good” personal injury claim, meaning it is more likely to be successful. Some of these factors include incidents where liability from the injury is relatively straightforward, the injuries are obvious and severe, and the injury victim has sustained measurable losses as a result of the incident.
You do not have to worry about determining all of this on your own. When you work with a skilled personal injury attorney, you will have an advocate with the resources necessary to examine the facts of your case and help determine the best steps moving forward.
If you or somebody you love sustains an injury caused by another individual or entity, it is important to work with an attorney as soon as possible. An Orange County personal injury lawyer will be your advocate throughout the entire process. They will have the resources necessary to conduct a full investigation into the incident in order to gather the evidence needed to prove what happened. This will include gathering:
While investigating a personal injury incident, attorneys will also ensure that their clients are evaluated by trusted medical professionals who will not only treat the injuries but help adequately assess total expected expenses. Using all this information, a personal injury lawyer in Orange County will stand up to aggressive insurance carriers and negotiate a fair settlement while also preparing the case for trial if necessary.
The attorneys at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo have experience handling a wide range of case types. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Vehicle accidents are not uncommon in Orange County. During a recent reporting year, there were nearly 18,000 individuals who sustained injuries or were killed as a result of car accidents in Orange County. It is crucial for personal injury victims to be able to recover compensation from an at-fault driver.
Commercial trucks are the lifeblood of the Orange County economy, but they can also lead to severe injuries in the event a collision occurs between a larger truck and a smaller passenger vehicle. Unfortunately, standing up to aggressive insurance carriers and trucking companies can be challenging.
Pedestrians and bicyclists are considered vulnerable roadway users in Orange County. During a recent reporting year, nearly 1,500 pedestrians or bicyclists were injured as a result of the actions of other drivers on the roadway. Unfortunately, these incidents often result in significant injuries for pedestrians or bicyclists.
Even when a motorcyclist is wearing a helmet, they can still sustain severe injuries as a result of the actions of others. Motorcyclists often face unwarranted negative biases when it comes to recovering compensation from insurance carriers and at-fault parties after an Orange County motorcycle accident.
Dog bite injuries are common, and individuals can usually recover compensation from the dog owner’s homeowners’ insurance carrier. However, this can be complicated, and an attorney can work to explore all routes of compensation for medical bills and lost wages.
Injuries from defective products can affect anyone. This includes products that we use and consume on a regular basis, such as toys, appliances, foods and beverages, medications, electronics, vehicles, and more. Companies, manufacturers, and retailers should be held accountable in these situations.
Workplace injury victims should be able to recover compensation with workers’ compensation benefits, but there are times when individuals struggle when it comes to standing up against insurance carriers. Additionally, there may be times when a third party is responsible for workplace injury, and a civil lawsuit may be necessary.
No one should ever have to worry about their loved one being abused or neglected inside of a nursing home, but this happens more often than most people realize. According to the National Council on Aging, around one out of every ten Americans over the age of 60 experiences some form of elder abuse each year.
Property owners have a duty to ensure the safety of their premises for those who have a right to be there. This includes private residence owners as well as business owners. When property owners fail their duty to patrons and a person sustains an injury on their property, they could be held accountable for medical bills and lost wages.
It is understandable that many individuals are confused about the difference between a personal injury lawyer from other lawyers. If you sustain an injury, it is crucial to work with an attorney who has experience handling your type of claim.
If you go through any kind of directory, you will likely notice that there are many lawyers throughout Orange County, but not all of them are personal injury attorneys. Some handle estate law or family law. Other attorneys handle criminal defense cases. However, it is probably not a good idea to have someone who deals with wills and trusts all day to handle your complex injury case.
We encourage you to conduct a thorough search for personal injury lawyers in Orange County to narrow down the type of attorney who can help you with your claim. Specifically, you need to find an attorney who has had experience handling your type of case. If you sustain an injury caused by the negligent actions of a commercial truck driver, you want a lawyer who has successfully recovered compensation for clients in these situations. If you have sustained an injury as a result of a defective medication, you need a lawyer who has taken on companies and recovered compensation for clients before.
It is important to understand that personal injury victims in Orange County have a limited amount of time to file these claims in court. The California personal injury statute of limitations is two years from the date an injury occurs. This means that injury victims have a two-year window with which to file a lawsuit against the alleged and negligent party.
However, if there is an insurance carrier involved in the claim, you need to be aware that there are other deadlines in place. Insurance carriers typically require a claim to be reported within a day or two after the incident occurs.
Determining liability after a California accident can be incredibly challenging. Yes, even though there may be times when the at-fault party is known right away due to the evidence presented, that is not always the case. In fact, more often than not, the other parties involved will use their insurance carrier to shield them from liability.
It is imperative to work with a skilled Orange County personal injury lawyer who can examine the facts of the case, conduct an investigation to gather more evidence, and fully engage with the insurance carriers. There are various elements of negligence that must be present in order to determine the liable party, including:
There are some cases where accusations of shared fault could come into play with a personal injury claim. Insurance carriers and at-fault parties may try to place some or all of the blame for an incident on the injury victim in order to limit how much money they pay in compensation.
However, California operates under what is called a “pure comparative negligence” system. This means that individuals can recover compensation for their injuries and other losses even if they are up to 99% responsible for causing the incident. However, the compensation that a person receives will be reduced depending on their percentage of fault. For example, if a person sustains $100,000 worth of medical bills, property damage expenses, and pain and suffering losses, but a jury decides that they were 25% responsible for the incident, they would receive $75,000 instead of the full $100,000.
There is no set amount of compensation paid out to Orange County personal injury victims if they are successful with their insurance claim or through a civil personal injury lawsuit. Rather, the total compensation will depend on the severity of the injuries, the level of shared fault, how much compensation a person loses due to the injury, and other factors. At DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo, we work diligently to recover both economic and non-economic losses on behalf of our clients. This can include, but is not limited to, the following:
There are various steps that must occur in order for a personal injury claim to move forward toward a successful resolution. This process begins with an attorney getting involved and fully investigating every aspect of the case. The investigation into an incident can take some time, and this process should not be rushed. It may be necessary for an attorney to work with a skilled accident reconstruction expert to adequately show the insurance carriers or a personal injury jury what happened.
One important aspect in the timeline of a personal injury claim in Orange County is medical treatment. Not every injury is going to be healed right away. In some cases, injury victims may need months or even years of recovery time. It is imperative for an individual not to settle their claim until they have a full understanding of how much medical treatment they will need to make a recovery or to be made as whole as possible. This process could take several months, and it will usually be necessary to work with medical experts who can attest to the expenses or future expenses if the person is going to need ongoing care.
An attorney will typically send a demand letter to the at-fault party, their insurance carrier, and their legal team, asking for a specified amount. In general, the other party will usually respond with either a denial or a counteroffer that is much lower than what was originally asked for. This will give way to negotiating a settlement. In the event a fair settlement cannot be negotiated, the injury victim and their attorney will need to file a civil personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party. This will likely lead to more negotiation as more evidence comes to light.
There are several factors that can affect the timeline of a case. An injury claim could take months to resolve if everything goes smoothly, but it could take multiple years before a claim is finally heard by a jury.
If you sustain an injury, there are various steps that you can take to help recover maximum compensation for your losses.
Civil personal injury lawsuits will be filed through the Superior Court of California, which has a location in Orange County. Your personal injury attorney will understand the process of filing a lawsuit, and they can handle this on your behalf.
The Court is located at the Civil Complex Center, 751 West Santa Ana Blvd, Santa Ana, CA 92701. You can contact the Court for general inquiries by calling (657) 622-6878.
If you or somebody you love has sustained an injury caused by the careless or negligent actions of another individual or entity in Orange County, reach out to the team at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo for help as soon as possible.
Our experienced trial lawyers will step up and investigate every aspect of your claim. Our goal was to make sure that you recover full compensation for your losses, and we have no problem taking your claimed trial if necessary. When you need an Orange County personal injury attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at (714) 783-2205.