Our attorneys have been assisting the Orange County and Southern California communities for over 40 years.
When you go about your daily activities in California, we know the last thing you expect is that you will be injured due to the careless or negligent actions of someone else. Unfortunately, the reality is that there are countless ways that personal injuries occur.
However, when we step back and look at the most common ways in which personal injury cases arise, we can see some patterns. In general, we will find that most of the injuries involve the incidents that we list here.
Please keep in mind that it is always beneficial to speak to an experienced personal injury lawyer in Orange County when you are making a decision about whether or not to pursue a claim against another individual.
When we look at data provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, we can see that there were more than 268,000 total injuries caused by traffic collisions during the latest reporting year across the state. This is an astounding number, and we want to point out that vehicle accidents include more than car accidents. In this state, we know that motorcyclists, bicyclists, pedestrians, scooter riders, and others can be injured in vehicle accidents.
Additionally, accidents involving commercial vehicles often result in devastating injuries for victims. Fully loaded tractor-trailers can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Boating accidents are a common cause of injuries in the state of California. These incidents can occur on the ocean, and rivers, and on lakes. Unfortunately, we often find that boating accidents are caused by the careless or negligent actions of boat owners and operators.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins have said that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the US. Medical errors can lead to significant injuries, and we often find that these incidents are caused by surgical mistakes, prescription medication errors, preventable infections, anesthesia errors, misdiagnosis, failure to treat a patient’s symptoms, and more.
Dogs have powerful jaws. Unfortunately, dog bite injuries are not uncommon throughout the state of California. Dogs regularly inflict significant injuries, including severed veins and arteries, severe lacerations or puncture wounds, amputated fingers, significant scarring and disfigurement, and more. California operates under a strict liability dog bite law.
This means that dog owners will be responsible for any injuries caused by their dog’s bite, regardless of whether or not the dog has ever bitten anybody before or shown a tendency to be aggressive.
Products can become defective in a wide variety of ways in California and throughout the US. When we look at the recall website maintained by the government, we can see that just about any type of product we use or consume can become defective, including appliances, medications, foods, beverages, vehicles, boats, cosmetics, cleaners, and more.
These products can become defective due to faulty designs, manufacturing errors, or misleading product labels. Consumers can sustain significant injuries or illnesses if a defective product makes it into their homes.
Under premises liability laws in California, property owners have a duty to ensure the safety of those who have a right to be on their premises. This duty extends to business owners, government property operators, and private residence owners. Slip and fall incidents are the leading cause of premises liability lawsuits in California.
However, these claims also arise in various other ways. Some of the most common causes of premises liability cases include inadequate security on the premises, inadequate lighting, faulty store displays or shelving, improper storage of chemicals or hazardous materials, and more.
Data available from the federal government shows that there were around 2.8 million non-fatal workplace injuries or illnesses during the latest reporting year across the country (BLS). Work injury victims in the state of California are usually entitled to benefits through the workers’ compensation system. These benefits should cover the medical bills and most of the lost wages the victim incurs.