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Citrus Heights Personal Injury Lawyer

Have you or a loved one recently suffered injuries and economic losses due to the careless actions of another party? If so, you have the right to pursue a civil claim against them to recover your losses. Personal injury law is part of civil law that pertains to claims for damages between private individuals and private businesses. If another party harms you and causes measurable losses, a personal injury claim may be your best chance at holding them accountable.

If you believe you have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit, a Citrus Heights personal injury attorney is your best resource for information about your legal options. An experienced lawyer can help you develop your personal injury case, find the evidence you need to support your claims, and help you maximize your recovery. The Kreeger Law Firm provides compassionate and comprehensive legal counsel to injured clients in the Citrus Heights, CA area. We can help you navigate the complexities of your personal injury case with confidence.

Why Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?

When another party has caused measurable losses to you and your family, the right attorney can be your best asset if you want to hold them accountable and secure fair compensation for your damages. Perhaps your personal injury was a very straightforward incident, and the defendant’s negligence seems clear. Even if this is the case, you should not expect to navigate your personal injury claim on your own.

The average person with no professional legal experience will have great difficulty navigating the civil court system’s procedural requirements, potentially jeopardizing their case before it begins. For example, missing a court filing deadline or making mistakes on paperwork submitted to the Citrus Heights civil court could lead to a judge throwing out the case. It’s also possible for an inexperienced person to accept a lowball settlement because they were unaware of some of their available compensation channels. In addition to these risks, it will be complicated for the average person to manage their legal affairs while also recovering from the aftermath of a personal injury.

Hiring a lawyer offers the best chance of securing a positive result in your personal injury case. Your legal team can handle the procedural steps of beginning your lawsuit while you focus on your recovery. They will prepare you for all necessary court appearances and ensure your case receives the attention it deserves. An experienced Citrus Heights personal injury lawyer will know how to maximize your compensation, and the case award they secure on your behalf will likely be much more than you initially expected.

Common Causes of Injury Claims

Personal injury is a broad area of civil law, and there are many situations that can generate personal injury claims in California. At the Kreeger Law Firm, our team has successfully handled a wide range of personal injury claims for our clients resulting from many different situations. Some of the most common causes of personal injury claims in Citrus Heights, CA, include:

Motor vehicle accidents. These incidents continue to be a leading cause of deaths and injuries throughout the United States. If another driver has caused an accident due to negligence behind the wheel, we can help you hold them accountable and recover your losses through an auto insurance claim and a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver. Your attorney can handle correspondence with insurance companies, ensuring you receive as much as possible from available insurance coverage before moving forward with a personal injury claim to secure compensation for your remaining damages.
Commercial truck accidents. These are some of the most damaging motor vehicle accidents in the US, and liability isn’t always immediately apparent. If you were injured in a truck accident in California, your attorney would help you determine which parties bear responsibility for your damages and help you pursue a personal injury claim against them. Unfortunately, it’s common for truck accidents to implicate multiple defendants.
Premises liability. Property owners must ensure their properties are safe for lawful visitors. If you visited someone’s property and suffered an injury due to their negligent care of the property, you have the right to pursue a personal injury claim under premises liability law. It’s important to remember that property owners do not owe any duty of care to trespassers or intruders. To succeed with a premises liability claim, you must prove you were lawfully present on the property where your accident occurred.
Dog attacks. California enforces a strict liability law for dog owners whose pets injure others. For example, if you suffered injuries from a dog bite or if a dog knocked you to the ground and hurt you, you have the right to file a personal injury claim against the dog’s owner.
Defective products. If you or a loved one suffered an injury from a defective consumer product, you could file a personal injury claim against the manufacturer under product liability law. Your attorney will help you prove the product in question was defective and directly caused your claimed damages.

These are just a few of the most commonly cited causes of personal injury claims in California. If you or a family member recently suffered injuries and sustained economic losses because of the negligence of another party, the Kreeger Law Firm can guide you through your legal proceedings and help you secure the recovery you deserve.

Proving Negligence in a Personal Injury Cases

Negligence is the central legal concept of any personal injury case. This term defines a failure to act with reasonable care or to uphold a duty of care in a given situation. To succeed with a personal injury claim, you and your attorney must gather evidence identifying the defendant or defendants in your claim and prove they were negligent in a way that directly caused your damages. There are four main elements to proving negligence in a California personal injury claim:

Duty. You must prove the defendant owed you a duty of care in the situation in question. For example, all drivers have a duty of care to refrain from consuming drugs or alcohol before driving their vehicles.
Breach. Next, you and your attorney must show how the defendant breached their duty of care. Following the previous example, drunk driving is a clear violation of a driver’s duty of care to operate their vehicle safely and responsibly.
Damage. You can only pursue a personal injury claim if you sustained measurable losses. Your attorney will help you gather the documentation you will need to prove the full extent of the damages you can claim under California’s personal injury laws.
Causation. The final element of proving negligence is establishing a clear connection between the defendant’s negligence and the plaintiff’s claimed damages. You must prove that your damages did not result from some other cause.

Success with your personal injury claim is likely if you can prove these four elements of negligence. A good attorney will ensure you have all the evidence available to hold the defendant accountable for their negligence and help you secure maximum compensation for your losses.

Even if the defendant’s liability for your damages seems readily apparent, it is vital to understand California’s pure comparative negligence statute as you begin your case. This law states that plaintiffs are still entitled to collect damages even if they are partially to blame for causing those damages. The court will assess each party’s behavior in the situation in question and assign fault percentages based on their findings. If the plaintiff receives a fault percentage, their case award is reduced by the same percentage.

For example, if you file a personal injury claim seeking $200,000 in damages and the court determines you were 25% at fault for causing your damages, you lose $50,000 or 25% of your case award to reflect your comparative negligence. Your attorney will advise you on whether California’s pure comparative negligence statute is likely to come into play in your case.

What Damages Can I Claim in a Personal Injury Accident Case?

Your personal injury claim may yield more compensation than you initially expected when you work with the right personal injury attorney. This is because California state law allows a personal injury plaintiff to recover all damages resulting from a defendant’s negligence, including:

Medical costs. Your experience likely involved painful injuries that required medical treatment. You have the right to pursue compensation for immediate medical expenses like hospital bills as well as your anticipated future medical costs if your injuries require long-term treatment.
Lost income. A personal injury could lead to an extended recovery time, during which you cannot work. You have the right to claim compensation for income lost during this time. If you cannot return to work in the future because of a permanent medical complication or disability, you have the right to pursue compensation for your lost future earning potential.
Property damage. If your personal injury involved any damage to your property, such as your home or your vehicle, you could claim compensation for any damages that available insurance won’t cover.
Pain and suffering. California’s personal injury laws allow plaintiffs to claim monetary compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and psychological suffering caused by a defendant’s actions. California does not limit the amount a plaintiff can claim in pain and suffering compensation except in medical malpractice claims, and this limit is $250,000.

In addition to these damages, some personal injury plaintiffs may also receive punitive damages at the judge’s discretion. As the name suggests, punitive damages aim to punish a defendant’s behavior rather than compensate the victim. Judges typically award punitive damages when a defendant’s behavior eclipses the scope of general negligence or if the defendant was engaged in criminal behavior when they caused the personal injury in question. The amount paid in punitive damages generally depends on the financial status of the defendant.

The best way to maximize your recovery from your personal injury claim and hold the defendant accountable for their actions is by working with an experienced Citrus Heights personal injury attorney. Your attorney will carefully review all available evidence and examine the full scope of your damages to ensure that every available channel of compensation is thoroughly explored as your case unfolds.

What to Expect From Your Citrus Heights Personal Injury Attorney

Any personal injury claim has the potential to escalate into a complex legal battle. While the vast majority of personal injury claims are settled outside the courtroom, there is no guarantee that you won’t need to go to court to secure the compensation you deserve after a personal injury. Your Citrus Heights personal injury lawyer can perform many vital functions as you work toward recovery. First, they can assist you in building the foundation of your personal injury claim by collecting the evidence you need to identify the defendant and prove they were negligent in the situation in question.

Your attorney can also arrange for expert witnesses to testify on your behalf if necessary. For example, if your case involves highly technical or complex aspects, your attorney can consult medical experts, engineers, accident reconstruction experts, product designers, and other experts to provide unbiased professional interpretations of the more complicated aspects of your case.

Having an attorney on your side will make navigating your personal injury claim much easier, allowing you to approach this difficult situation with clarity and confidence. It’s natural to feel uncertain and frustrated after suffering a personal injury, especially if you are unsure how to hold the defendant accountable for the accidents or calculate the full scope of your claimable damages.

Find Your Citrus Heights Personal Injury Lawyer

The attorneys at the Kreeger Law Firm can provide the comprehensive and responsive legal counsel you need to navigate your personal injury claim successfully. Our firm has years of experience handling some of the most complex personal injury lawsuits filed in California, and we can put this experience to work for you. If you or a loved one is struggling with the aftermath of a personal injury and believe that another party is liable for your damages, we can help you hold them accountable and maximize your recovery. Contact the Kreeger Law Firm today to schedule a consultation with a Citrus Heights personal injury attorney.