Have you been injured in an accident in Escondido, CA? You may be entitled to a significant monetary award to cover your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages. The Escondido personal injury lawyers at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers can help you seek compensation, call us today at (619) 344-0360.
Our legal team has decades of combined experience in personal injury law. We’ve recovered millions for injury victims and families in Southern California.
Contact us today to schedule a free case review with an Escondido personal injury attorney. We work on contingency; you pay no attorney’s fees until we recover a settlement or verdict on your behalf.
Why Should I Hire Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers To Handle My Personal Injury Case in Escondido, CA?
The stakes are always high after an injury. You may have medical bills, but you’re losing income from missed work while you recover. How are you supposed to make ends meet? You deserve an experienced Escondido personal injury lawyer to help you pursue an injury claim or lawsuit to cover your expenses and get your life back on track.
Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers has decades of experience handling complex personal injury cases — and recovering top awards for our clients. We’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars in life-changing awards.
When you get us on the case, you can expect us to:
- Advise your of your legal rights and options throughout your case
- Help you get the right medical treatment for your injuries
- Conduct a full-scale investigation into your accident to gather evidence
- Identify and calculate all damages related to your accident
- Consult with leading Southern California experts to strengthen your case
- Handle all communications with the insurance company, including negotiations
- Take your case to trial in pursuit of fair compensation
Contact us today in Escondido, California, to schedule your free consultation with an experienced attorney.
Escondido Accident Statistics
Escondido might not be the biggest area of San Diego County, but it still has its fair share of accidents.
In one recent year, California experienced over 187,000 injury crashes. These accidents injured nearly 270,000 people and killed 3,400. San Diego County accounted for 19,938 fatal and/or injury car accidents that year. Around 12% of those crashes were alcohol-related.
In another year, California experienced 422 fatal workplace accidents. There were a total of 466,00 non-fatal workplace injuries/illnesses that year.
What is a Personal Injury Case?
Personal injury cases result from an accident or injury. These cases provide a way for accident victims to recover compensation from the party that injured them.
Common personal injury cases include negligence-based claims like motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, and medical malpractice. They also include strict liability cases such as dog bites and product defects.
Why Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
A personal injury lawyer can be the greatest weapon in your injury claim. Studies show that individuals who hire injury attorneys may recover up to 3.5x more compensation than those who go unrepresented in their claims.
Getting Medical Treatment
Your personal injury lawyer can help you understand what to expect from the claims process. They can advise you of your rights and help you take the right steps to maximize your claim.
For example, they can assist you in finding the right medical care providers to treat your injuries after your accident. This can ensure you get treatment for your injuries and prevent insurance companies from claiming you failed to mitigate your damages by delaying medical treatment.
Evidence and Investigation
Your legal team can also investigate your accident and injuries to gather evidence and identify liable parties. Moreover, they can help you gather the right kind of evidence — e.g., accident reports, photographs/videos, cell phone records, witness testimony, and expert testimony. This evidence will give your attorney more tools to handle your case.
Dealing with the Insurance Company
Your injury attorney can also handle all communications and negotiations with the insurance company. This is important because if you talk to an insurance company before you have a lawyer, they will likely try to get you to say or do things that hurt your injury claim.
Contingency Fee
Another key benefit of hiring a personal injury lawyer is that it costs nothing up-front for representation. Most injury attorneys work on contingency, which means you only pay attorney fees if they recover a settlement or verdict on your behalf.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Escondido, CA?
Nothing up-front, typically. Most Escondido personal injury lawyers use contingency fees. These fees are contingent upon your attorney’s success. If your lawyer recovers a settlement or verdict for you, they will take a percentage of your award (usually 33 – 40%) as payment for the representation.
If your lawyer fails to recover compensation for you, you don’t owe them any attorney fees. This fee arrangement gives accident victims access to quality legal representation without becoming another post-accident financial burden.
We Handle All Types of Personal Injury Cases in Escondido, CA
Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers handles a wide array of practice areas to help injury victims in Escondido. We frequently recover top awards in the following cases.
Car Accidents
Car accidents are all too common in Escondido. You may be entitled to compensation after your car wreck. You can file a claim against the at-fault driver to recover money for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.
Our Escondido car accident lawyers can help you get all the compensation you deserve.
Truck Accidents
Trucks are the backbone of the supply chain. But their presence on California roads poses risks to ordinary drivers. In a truck accident, occupants of passenger vehicles typically suffer the greatest injuries and risk of death.
If you were in a truck crash, our Escondido truck accident lawyers can help you hold the truck driver and trucking company responsible for your damages.
Motorcycle Accidents
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more scenic place to ride a motorcycle than Southern California. Nonetheless, Escondido has its fair share of aggressive drivers. These drivers don’t always look out for motorcyclists, especially when riders are riding between lanes.
If you were in a motorcycle accident, our Escondido motorcycle accident attorneys can help you pursue the compensation you’re owed.
Brain Injuries
Brain injuries can happen in any type of accident. But they are one of the most serious injuries one can suffer. They can affect every area of life, from speech and cognition to mobility and memory.
If you suffered a brain injury, you may be entitled to compensation. Our Escondido brain injury attorneys can help you get it.
Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries can affect your life in surprising ways. If you suffered a catastrophic injury in an accident, you might be entitled to a substantial monetary award. You will likely need this money to help cover medical expenses, physical therapy costs, and other damages.
Our Escondido catastrophic injury lawyers would be proud to stand up for you and help you pursue the money you deserve.
Wrongful Death
If you lost a loved one in an accident in Escondido, you have rights. You may be struggling with a sudden loss of support and companionship. Fortunately, California law gives you the right to file a wrongful death claim against the party responsible for your loved one’s death. The money you receive from this claim can help you achieve financial security — and justice — after your loss.
Contact our Escondido wrongful death attorneys to discuss your legal options.
Other Common Personal Injury Cases in Escondido
- Bicycle accidents
- Uber & Lyft accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Premises liability
- Product liability
- Dog bites
- Pedestrian accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Medical malpractice
- And more
Common Injuries After an Accident
Accident victims can suffer many different injuries. The types of injuries they suffer will typically depend on the nature of the accident.
Our personal injury lawyers frequently represent victims with the following injuries:
- Back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injuries
- Whiplash
- Lacerations
- Brain injuries and concussions
- Burns
- Amputation injuries
- Catastrophic injuries
- Fatal injuries
We have extensive knowledge and experience with deadlines with these and other injuries. We can help you get justice and financial compensation after your injury. Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation with a member of our legal team.
How Much is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
It’s impossible to say exactly what your personal injury case is worth without reviewing your damages. Your injury is unique, and therefore, your case’s value will be unique.
Nonetheless, a few common factors will influence your claim’s worth, including:
- Available insurance coverages
- The strength of your evidence
- Whether you share fault
- The cost of your past and future medical expenses
- Your lost wages and income
- Whether your earning capacity is diminished
- The pain and suffering you’ve experienced
To get a true sense of your case’s value, you should contact an Escondido personal injury lawyer. They can identify and calculate the value of your damages to give you a better sense of their overall worth.
What Damages Are Available to Escondido Accident Victims?
You will be entitled to compensatory damages after your accident. Designed to put you back in the position you were in before the accident, these damages come in two forms: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages compensate for financial losses, such as:
- Medical bills
- Lost income
- Diminished earning potential
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
You will usually have documentation to substantiate these losses (receipts, bills, invoices, etc.).
Non-economic damages are more subjective; they cover personal, non-financial losses, such as:
- Pain
- Suffering
- Emotional distress
- PTSD
- Inconvenience
- Disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
An injury lawyer can help you identify and record all the damages you’ve suffered after your injury. That way, you can demand compensation for each loss.
What Is Negligence and How Does it Relate to My Personal Injury Case?
Negligence is the basis of most personal injury cases. It means that someone has failed to act with reasonable care and caused an injury. Negligence comes up in many different accident cases, including motor vehicle accidents, workplace accidents, premises liability incidents, and medical malpractice.
Negligence requires proof of four elements:
- Duty of care. You will have to show the defendant (alleged at-fault party) owed you a duty of care before your injury. Duties come from the law or a relationship between the parties, e.g., the duties that drivers have to obey traffic laws.
- Breach of duty. You must show the defendant breached their duty. A person breaches a duty when they fail to act reasonably.
- Causation. You will have to prove the defendant’s breach caused your accident.
- Damages. You will need to show you suffered damages after the accident.
You must prove each element to have a successful negligence claim. Our legal team can help you gather evidence to show the at-fault party was responsible for your injuries.
Personal Injury FAQ
What Should I Ask a Personal Injury Lawyer?
If you are injured in an accident, you may be considering hiring a personal injury lawyer. Most injury lawyers offer free consultations to prospective clients. These questions give you a chance to learn more about your rights after the accident. They also give you a chance to see if an attorney is a good fit for your case.
Here are some questions you can ask a lawyer to set the tone for the relationship and get the most out of your consultation:
- Do you have experience handling cases like mine?
- How much do you charge?
- Who will handle my personal injury case and how will I communicate with them?
- What is the value of my injury claim?
- What is the likelihood that my case is successful?
- Will my case go to trial?
By prewriting questions to ask your personal injury lawyer, you will ensure you don’t forget important topics during the heat of the consultation. Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers offers free initial consultations to accident victims in Escondido. Contact us today to schedule yours.
What Happens if I’m Blamed for an Accident in California?
You can still recover compensation if you are being blamed for an accident in California. California has pure comparative fault rules. That means you can recover compensation after an accident as long as you are not 100% responsible for your injuries. However, if you share fault, your compensation will be reduced to account for your percentage of the blame.
For example, if you have $100,000 in damages after a car accident and are deemed to be 30% at fault, you will only be able to recover $70,000 (70%).
Insurance companies often use this rule to diminish the value of injury claims — even in cases where the victim is not at fault. Our legal team can protect you from unfair accusations of contributory fault. Contact us today if you’re being blamed for an accident in Escondido.
Will My Case Go to Trial?
Most cases (95%) settle outside of court. Insurers (and injury victims) prefer to avoid the costs and risks of litigation. Therefore, the chances are strong that you will not have to go to trial.
However, trial may become necessary if the insurance company denies your claim or refuses to offer a fair settlement for your damages. In this instance, trial may be the only way to force the insurer to pay for your losses.
How to Handle the Insurance Companies
The easiest and most efficient way to handle the insurance company is by letting your injury lawyer handle them for you. Your lawyer can manage all communications and negotiations on your behalf and protect your rights throughout the claim process.
However, if you have not hired a lawyer yet, there are certain things you should (and shouldn’t) do when dealing with the insurance company:
- Don’t agree to a recorded statement. Insurance adjusters will insist they need to record your conversation to process your claim. Typically, that’s not true. In reality, they want to ask you questions designed to trip you up, and they’ll try to use your answers against you to devalue your claim.
- Don’t agree to a medical records release. Insurance adjusters will also ask you to sign a release form giving them access to your medical records. Think twice before you do this. They will scrutinize your medical history and look for preexisting injuries that will allow them to deny or undervalue your claim.
- Don’t immediately accept the first settlement offer. Insurance companies will often send you quick settlement offers after your accident in hopes that you will accept the offer and go away. Most of the time, these are lowball offers that don’t fully account for your damages.
There are a lot of traps to watch out for when you are dealing with an insurance company. That’s why you should consider hiring an attorney as soon as possible after your accident. Your lawyer can handle all aspects of your claim and help you avoid critical mistakes.
Contact Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers today to schedule a free consultation with an injury lawyer.
What is the Personal Injury Claims Process?
The personal injury claims process will begin when you submit an injury claim with an insurer. The insurer will assign an adjuster to investigate your claim and review the company’s liability for your damages.
The adjuster may contact you several times for more information about your accident or injuries.
Once the insurance company reviews your claim, it will do one of three things:
- Accept liability and pay your damages.
- Accept liability but offer you a reduced settlement that accounts for some but not all losses.
- Deny your claim.
If the insurer offers you a low initial settlement, you and your lawyer may be able to negotiate for a higher amount. If the insurer denies your claim or refuses to offer fair compensation, you will have to file a lawsuit to continue your pursuit of compensation.
What Are The 3 Types of Personal Injury Claims?
There are three main types of personal injury claims. Most revolve around negligence, which means that an accident or injury was the result of another party’s carelessness. Negligence covers a wide variety of injury claims, from motor vehicle accidents and slip and falls to workplace accidents and medical malpractice.
Strict liability claims make up a second category of injury claims. These cases involve injuries or accidents that are the result of unlawful conduct. With strict liability, you don’t have to prove a party was negligent. You just have to prove they engaged in certain prohibited behavior. Product defects and dog bite cases offer two examples of strict liability.
Intentional torts make up the final category of personal injury claims. Whereas the other two cases usually arise from accidental injuries, intentional torts arise when a party has hurt a victim on purpose. Assault is one major example of an intentional tort. Intentional tort cases may qualify for punitive damages to punish the at-fault party for their misconduct.
Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers has decades of combined experience handling all types of personal injury claims. Contact us today to learn more about your rights and options after an injury.
What Should I Do After an Accident?
You should be focused on two things after your accident: your health and your injury claim. Therefore, you should take the following steps:
- Contact 911.
- Cooperate with police officers when they arrive on the scene.
- Exchange contact and insurance information with the parties involved in the accident.
- Exchange contact info with witnesses.
- Take pictures and videos of your injuries and the accident scene if it is safe to do so
- Seek immediate medical treatment – either by taking an ambulance to the hospital or seeing your own medical provider
The final thing you should do after your accident is to contact an Escondido personal injury lawyer. They will further advise you on what to do after your accident — to protect your health and your personal injury case.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After an Accident in California?
In most cases, you’ll have two years to file a lawsuit after an accident. That’s how long California’s statute of limitations gives you. The clock will generally start ticking on the date of your accident.
Some cases, such as claims against government entities, will have shorter deadlines. Therefore, you should always consult an Escondido personal injury attorney to determine the statute of limitations in your case.
Contact Our Experienced Escondido Personal Injury Lawyers For Legal Help
You’ve suffered enough from your injuries. Don’t handle your case alone. Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers is ready to put decades of experience behind your case. You deserve nothing less as you pursue compensation after an accident.
Contact our legal team today to schedule a free consultation with an Escondido personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. We’re standing by to take your call.
