If you or a loved one was injured in San Marcos, CA, you might be entitled to compensation from the at-fault party to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and mental anguish. You should contact a San Marcos personal injury lawyer at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers to fight for you by calling (619) 344-0360.
We have over two decades of combined experience helping victims in San Diego County get back on their feet after devastating accidents. We’ve recovered over $40 million in life-changing awards on behalf of our clients, and we’re ready to help you.
We know the tactics insurance companies use to undervalue claims and take advantage of people – and we know how to fight back. Don’t let big corporations push you around. Let us help you stand up to them to get the compensation you need.
Call us for a free initial consultation. We’ll evaluate your case and advise you of your legal rights and options. We’re available 24/7; get started today and see how we can help you.
Why Should I Hire Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers To Handle My Personal Injury Case?
If somebody caused your accident or injury, you shouldn’t have to bear the financial costs alone. You should be focused on resting and recovering from your injuries. Fortunately, California law allows injury victims to recover compensation from the at-fault party for medical expenses, loss of income, and other losses.
Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers can help you hold responsible parties liable for your losses and get you the compensation you deserve. We have over 20 years of combined experience and have recovered millions of dollars for victims throughout San Marcos and the surrounding areas.
We’re ready to put our skills, knowledge, and resources to work for you.
When you hire our San Marcos personal injury attorneys, you’ll benefit from:
- Compassionate advocates who will provide advice, guidance, and open communication throughout your case
- A thorough investigation into the cause of your accident
- Access to leading experts and specialists who will help us build your case and value your damages
- Fierce negotiators who will stand up to insurance companies and other opponents
- Experienced litigators who will take your case to trial if the opposing party refuses to settle for a fair amount
We put our clients first and believe they should receive the compensation they need after suffering debilitating injuries. We offer a free initial case evaluation and work on a contingency fee basis – meaning you owe us nothing unless we win your case.
Schedule an appointment with our San Marcos personal injury lawyers. Let us fight for your rights and put you on equal footing with insurance companies and other formidable opponents.
Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?
You may have a personal injury case if you’ve been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence.
The following scenarios may give rise to a valid claim for damages:
- A distracted truck driver veered into your lane, causing catastrophic injuries
- A physician failed to order the proper diagnostic tests and misdiagnosed your condition
- A store owner failed to mop a puddle, causing you to slip and fall
- A defective medical device caused you to develop an infection
Any of these situations may result in a successful personal injury case. If another party caused you harm, you might be entitled to hold them financially responsible. Discuss your accident or injury with our team and determine whether you have a personal injury case.
We Handle All Personal Injury Cases in San Marcos
The attorneys at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers have over 20 years of combined experience handling all types of personal injury cases in San Marcos, including those involving:
Car Accidents
No matter how careful you are, some collisions are unavoidable. If another driver crashed into you and caused injuries, you may be able to recover compensation for your resulting losses. Our San Marcos car accident lawyers can help you battle auto insurance companies to recover the money you need after a car collision in San Marcos, CA.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycles are a great way to get around San Marcos, but they can be dangerous – even if you’re wearing a helmet. Motor vehicle drivers often fail to look out for motorcycles. Unfortunately, motorcyclists suffer the worst injuries in these collisions. Reach out to our San Marcos motorcycle accident lawyers if you’ve been injured in a motorcycle crash.
Truck Accidents
Truck accidents often cause debilitating, catastrophic injuries. Our San Marcos truck accident lawyers can help if you’ve been in a tractor-trailer collision. We’ll investigate the accident, battle insurance and trucking companies and get you the compensation you deserve.
Slip and Fall Accidents
If you slipped and fell on someone’s property due to their negligence, you may be entitled to hold them responsible for your damages. Property owners must maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition. When they fail to do so, they can be liable for injuring visitors. Our San Marcos slip and fall attorneys can help after a slip and fall accident; we’ll gather the evidence needed to prove your claim.
Wrongful Death
Losing a loved one in an accident caused by someone’s fault is devastating. No amount of money can bring them back, but it can help you move forward financially and give you a sense of justice. Reach out to our San Marcos wrongful death attorneys, and we’ll help you pursue legal action against the at-fault person to give your family closure.
Other Personal Injury Cases
We also handle cases involving:
- Bicycle accidents
- Uber & Lyft accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Airbag injuries
- Dog bites
- Premises liability
- Workplace accidents
- And more
If you’ve suffered a personal injury, we’ll help you get the compensation you need to get back on your feet.
Common Types of Personal Injuries
A victim can sustain many types of injuries in an accident. The injury type will depend heavily on the nature of the accident.
However, there are several common types for which a victim can obtain compensation, including:
- Amputation injuries
- Back injury
- Brain injury
- Broken bones
- Burn injuries
- Catastrophic injuries
- Concussions
- Head injury
- Internal injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Spinal cord injury
Our team can help you obtain fair compensation for you and empower you to move forward after your accident.
Why Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
There are many reasons to hire a personal injury lawyer. The three strongest reasons are experience, protection, and recovery.
- Experience – Personal injury claims can be extremely technical. You have to comply with insurance rules and state laws when filing and pursuing your claim. One misstep could cost you thousands in compensation. A personal injury lawyer can use their skills to put you on the right footing. They will investigate your accident to gather evidence, calculate your losses, handle communications/negotiations on your behalf, and manage all other legal aspects of your case. In other words, they will put you in a position to have a successful claim — and comply with insurance rules and state laws.
- Protection – Chances are an insurance company will rear its head during the course of your injury claim. The insurance company is wealthy and powerful – and will use all of its resources to fight. If you represent yourself, its adjusters will likely try to trip you up and get you to say or do things that devalue your claim. They may also blame you for the accident to avoid liability. Your personal injury lawyer can protect you from their aggressive tactics. They will handle all communications and guide you through the process so as to avoid mistakes.
- Recovery – In this sense, this has a double meaning: financial and physical. Having an attorney increases the odds of successful financial recovery of your losses. Moreover, studies have shown that victims who have attorneys can obtain as much as 3.5x more compensation than victims who don’t. There’s also your physical recovery. You need rest to get better. However, you can’t rest and get better if you’re focusing on your injury claim. Having a lawyer gives you a chance to focus on treatment and recovery while your lawyer handles it for you.
Schedule a free case consultation at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers to learn more about how we can help you. We’re here for you during this difficult time.
What Should I Do After an Accident?
The moments after an accident can be confusing and overwhelming.
However, it’s important to take certain steps to protect your health and your injury claim.
You should focus on the following steps:
- Call 911. It’s always best to report your accident to law enforcement. The dispatcher can send police officers and EMS to the scene. The police officer will create a report noting the circumstances of the accident. This report will be important for your injury claim.
- Exchange information. You should change contact information with the others involved, and also with any witnesses.
- Take photographs and videos. Taking photographs and videos of the scene can provide extra evidence for your claim.
- Seek immediate medical attention. You should get immediate medical care after an accident — even if you think you aren’t hurt. Seeking prompt attention will ensure you get treatment for all your injuries and give you evidence that the accident provoked the injuries. It will also prevent insurance companies from claiming you made your injuries worse by delaying medical care.
You should also contact an injury lawyer as soon as possible. Your attorney can explain your options, protect your rights, and handle all aspects of your claim. Call us to get the representation you deserve.
How Do I Prove Negligence?
You’ll have to prove four elements in order to demonstrate negligence. These elements are:
- Duty of Care. Did the other party owe you a duty of care given the circumstances? That is the question this element requires proving. For example, if you’re driving on the road, you have a duty of care to other drivers in terms of driving safely.
- Breach of Duty. Once duty is established, you’ll need to prove that the other person’s actions or omissions constituted a breach of that duty. Running a stop sign is an easy example.
- Causation. There are two types of causation you’ll need to establish: actual and proximate. Actual cause is also called “but-for” causation and is about showing that the other person actually provoked your injury (“but-for” running the stop sign, the accident would not have occurred). Proximate cause entails showing that your injury was a foreseeable result of the defendant’s actions.
- Damages. This last element means proving that you’ve suffered as a result of other people’s actions.
This causes of action can become complicated quickly. It’s important to have an San Marcos personal injury lawyer at your side when arguing for these elements. Reach out today for a no-obligation consultation.
What Damages Are Available to San Marcos Accident Victims?
There are three broad categories of damages that could be available to San Marcos victims: economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.
Economic damages compensate you for the financial losses you’ve incurred due to your injury.
Examples include:
- Lost of wages
- Medical expenses
- Repair bills
Non-economic damages, also known as “pain and suffering”, compensate you for the consequences of your injury that are tougher to quantify. Some examples are:
- Metal, physical, and emotional pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
Punitive damages are very rarely given to personal injury victims. They “punish” the at-fault party and also deter others from engaging in similar conduct going forward. If awarded, however, they will greatly increase the value of your case.
Contact Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers and speak with a personal injury lawyer in San Marcos about your case. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After an Accident in California?
Each state has a law called a statute of limitations that sets the deadlines for when lawsuits must be filed. In the State of California, the deadline for personal injury lawsuits is two years from the date of the injury.
There are some nuances to this deadline. If you don’t discover your injury until later, you’ll have one year from the date your injury was discovered to file suit. If your case involves suing a governmental entity, you’ll usually have just six months to file your suit in court.
If you miss the statute of limitations for your case, you forfeit the right to pursue compensation from the at-fault party. Contact us as soon as possible if you’re not sure whether the deadline has passed in your situation; we can let you know during your free consultation.
Personal Injury FAQ
How Long Will My San Marcos Personal Injury Case Take?
The timeline for your personal injury case (much like its value) will depend on the facts of your case. Claims that involve minor injuries will likely resolve quickly — often in a matter of weeks.
Cases involving moderate to severe injuries will typically take longer to complete. You may need to reach maximum medical improvement before you have an accurate sense of your damages. This can take time. Therefore, moderate to severe injury claims can take anywhere from a few months to up to a year, depending on the circumstances.
Claims that proceed to court take the longest to resolve. Fortunately, most injury cases settle – around 95%. However, when they don’t, they can take up to a year or more to complete. The timeline for these cases is extended by discovery, motions, court appearances, and trial.
What Should I Do If My Insurance Company Claims I Had a Pre-Existing Injury?
You should contact an attorney. Insurance companies will often try to claim victims have pre existing injuries to avoid liability for their accident. However, these accusations aren’t always true.
Even if they are, you can recover compensation after an accident if you have a preexisting injury. You can get damages for the ways the accident aggravated or worsened your preexisting conditions.
An injury lawyer can protect you from unfounded accusations that you have a preexisting injury.
Should I Avoid Accepting the First Offer Made by the Insurance Company?
Yes, you should always think twice before accepting the first settlement offer from an insurance company. At the very least, you should let an attorney review the offer to determine if it’s fair.
Insurance companies are notorious for making quick lowball offers to victims. They know these offers don’t fully compensate you. However, they hope that you will accept the money and go away.
Your injury lawyer can help you negotiate a higher offer that fairly reflects your losses. They can make them play fair and protect you from aggressive tactics meant to devalue your claim.
What Is My Personal Injury Claim Worth?
The value of your personal injury claim is highly fact-specific.
Therefore, no lawyer can tell you what it’s worth without analyzing the facts.
However, there are several factors that will likely influence your claim’s worth, including:
- The cost of your medical expenses
- The amount of your lost wages
- Whether you’ve experienced a diminished earning capacity
- The pain and suffering you’ve experienced post-accident
- The available insurance coverage
- Whether you share fault
- The strength of your evidence
The best way to get an estimate of the value of your case is to consult an injury attorney. Our skilled attorneys can help you identify and calculate all your damages. We can even bring in experts to help us understand the damages you will undergo in the future.
Contact us to schedule a free initial consultation to learn more about the value of your claim.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney in San Marcos?
Most personal injury lawyers in San Marcos work on contingency. That means they only charge attorney fees if they recover a settlement or verdict on your behalf. No award, no attorney fees — it’s that simple.
If your attorney is successful, they will take a percentage of your compensation award as payment for the representation (usually 33 – 40%).
Since most attorneys offer free consultations to prospective clients, it costs nothing upfront to seek legal help. Contact us to learn more about our contingency fee structure.
Contact Our Experienced San Marcos Personal Injury Lawyers For Legal Help
You deserve top representation after your accident or injury in San Marcos. Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers can help you hold the at-fault party responsible for your lost income, pain, and more.
We have decades of experience in personal injury law. We’ll use every bit of it to strengthen your claim.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a San Marcos personal injury lawyer. Remember, we work on contingency. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you first.
