PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS IN CALIFORNIA, FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE IN THE GOLDEN STATE

If you were injured due to someone else’s negligence, Craig Murphy is a personal injury lawyer in California who’s ready to help. Contact us today for a free consultation.

On most days, people go through their lives with no serious mishaps. Sure, they might run into traffic or a problem at work — but when all is said and done, most folks just end up back at home when the day is over. Unfortunately, this routine can come to a screeching halt due to a car accident, slip and fall, suffering dog bites, or any other event that causes serious injuries. This could leave you dealing with expensive medical bills, intense pain, lost wages at work, and a variety of other negative consequences. What makes many of these situations even worse is that they’re often the result of another person’s blatant recklessness or negligence.

In such situations, you deserve fair compensation to reimburse you for what you’ve lost. In a perfect world, the insurance company of the liable party would make this a simple task. We don’t live in a perfect world, though, and accident victims often end up having to file a personal injury lawsuit. And even if the insurer does offer a settlement, it’s oftentimes far below what you really deserve. While there are no guarantees on what may come out of your case, having a personal injury lawyer in California on your side could improve your chances of getting justice.

That’s why we offer a free consultation to any accident victim at Murphy & Murphy Law Offices. Reach out to us today to learn how we can help.

DO I NEED A PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER?

When many people start looking for a personal injury attorney, they eventually come across “do-it-yourself” legal websites. This leaves them wondering whether they really need a law firm on their side. After all, anyone can speak with an insurance company, file an injury lawsuit, or submit wrongful death claims after losing a loved one. Unfortunately, going this route can reduce the likelihood of receiving fair financial compensation. Whether it’s appropriate or not, statistics show that victims represented by personal injury lawyers are more likely to receive a settlement or court award.

Even if going pro se (i.e., representing yourself) resulted in similar compensation, though, it wouldn’t negate the fact that having a law firm on your side is beneficial. The fact is that speaking with insurers and filing personal injury claims takes time and resources. You have to ask yourself if you want to — or if it’s even possible to — deal with these tasks while trying to recover from a catastrophic injury or helping a loved one get back to their daily life. Even more importantly, can you handle the entire legal process while getting to doctor appointments and striving to replace lost wages from work?

No, you don’t need a personal injury attorney in California to seek fair compensation for your injuries. In most instances, though, you will need legal help to actually receive fair compensation. At Murphy & Murphy Law Offices, though, we don’t believe you should have to pay out of pocket just to figure out where your case stands. That’s why our legal team offers free initial consultations to personal injury victims who need to better understand their situation. Contact us today to learn how we can help.

HOW CAN PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS HELP ME?

Personal injury lawyers can certainly take a heavy load off your shoulders when dealing with an insurance company or court litigation. Hiring the right legal representation offers more, however, than just convenience while you’re focused on recovering compensation. The fact is that injured clients of legal firms get a host of benefits from being represented by experienced professionals. In fact, the following advantages are just the tip of the iceberg of what a personal injury law firm can do for you:

ATTORNEYS HAVE ACCESS TO INVALUABLE RESOURCES

You could commit yourself 110% to your personal injury case, but even if you did, you simply don’t have the resources available to an experienced legal team. They frequently work with private investigators, research assistants, expert witnesses, and a variety of other professionals. These individuals can put in the work necessary to ensure clients receive a fair settlement that accounts for pain and suffering, emotional distress, medical treatment costs, and other losses.

A PERSONAL INJURY LAW FIRM UNDERSTANDS LEGAL NUANCES

You could spend the next two years learning all the nuances related to personal injury cases, and you would still have difficulty navigating the complexities of the legal system. This presents a variety of problems. For instance, the statute of limitations for these cases in California is only two years. In the hypothetical situation where you spend that time learning how to make your claim successful, you will have exhausted all your time!

Then you have to think about other nuances that people often overlook. For instance, what if it’s negligence during a medical treatment that resulted in your injury? In California, this gives you a little extra time since the deadline to file medical malpractice cases is three years after the injury. What if it’s a government agency that injured victims, though? In that situation, you have a mere six months to report the injury and get the process started.

These are just a few of the nuances you may encounter when dealing with personal injury cases. In nearly every situation, simply reaching out to a legal team will benefit you far more than taking this endeavor on by yourself.

A LAWYER HAS EXPERIENCE DEALING WITH INSURANCE COMPANIES

When you speak with an insurance company without first reaching out to a personal injury law firm, you’re putting your entire case in jeopardy. While the insurance adjuster may sound friendly and concerned, they are trained to ensure you get the lowest compensation amount possible. They know which leading questions to ask to make you slip up, and they’ll often try to talk to you while you’re still getting treatment from medical providers. Becuase let’s be honest, it’s far easier to make someone slip up or misspeak when they’re on pain medications.

Whether you were in a car accident or injured on a construction site, having an attorney speak with the insurance company is the better approach. That’s because they’re used to dealing with insurers. More importantly, though, is the fact that insurers are used to dealing with them. An adjuster knows they can’t trick a legal professional into admitting their client is responsible for their own medical bills and other losses. With an experienced personal injury attorney on your side, it becomes much more difficult for an insurance company to take advantage of you.

AN ATTORNEY UNDERSTANDS THE EXTENT OF CATASTROPHIC INJURIES

Perhaps you were in a car accident and seemingly only received minor injuries. Maybe you sought out medical treatment following a slip and fall, got a few stitches, took a few pain pills, and felt right as rain. Unfortunately, none of this means that you won’t face challenges down the road. For instance, many people see concussions as minor brain injuries that you can just move on from. The same is true for whiplash. However, did you know that both of these injuries can lead to serious medical complications down the road? This can happen even if you feel fine after an accident.

Attorneys in this field understand these complicated personal injury matters. While a settlement offer from the insurance company may seem fair on the surface, it likely does not account for the possibility of future medical bills and potential lost wages. This is why you should not allow an insurance adjuster to tell you what your claim is worth. Speak with a personal injury firm before agreeing to anything. Doing so could mean the difference between fair compensation and lasting financial difficulties.

HOW MUCH IS MY PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM WORTH?

One question that always comes up after negligence causes an accident is “how much is my personal injury case worth?” If you research online, you’ll see claims that the average settlement is a little bit below $2 million. This is difficult to quantify since new cases are constantly arising. Of course, you’ll also likely find that — back in 2018 — the family of a California man received a $47.5 million settlement. There is obviously a large range between these two figures, and honestly, there’s no guarantee a person won’t receive more or less than either of them in their settlement or court award.

The truth is that there are too many factors involved to simply guess the value of personal injury lawsuits. The final outcome will definitely involve the severity of an injury. For instance, personal injuries to the spinal cord will almost always result in higher compensation than a broken hand. What you receive could also depend on the actions of the insurance company. If they’re unwilling to make a fair offer from the start, they could potentially face punitive damages in court. And if the judge thinks the insurer was acting in bad faith, they could find themselves facing a separate legal claim altogether.

Outcomes could also vary depending on what happened prior to the injury. A car accident caused by texting may be seen as negligent, but reckless endangerment could be viewed as an even bigger issue. Regardless of the specifics of any given case, you may be entitled to the following damages if your attorney can prove negligence:

• Compensation for tangible losses such as medical bills, lost wages, and property damage
• Compensation for intangible losses such as emotional distress, loss of a loved one, etc.
• Attorneys’ fees
• Punitive damages are meant to punish liable parties for negligent behavior

Securing clients’ maximum compensation means striving to recover the fairest amount in each of these areas. Keep in mind that these damages will not all be available in every circumstance. For instance, punitive awards are typically reserved for extreme cases of recklessness or purposeful actions. Since no one can predict an eventual settlement or court award, though, you should find a law firm that works on a contingency fee basis. This means they won’t get paid unless you do.

That’s how we work at Murphy & Murphy Law Offices. Whether you’ve experienced burn injuries, medical malpractice, motorcycle accidents, or any other incident caused by the negligence of another, we’re ready to help. With our trial lawyers on your side, you’ll be in a better position to receive every penny you deserve.

CONTACT A PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER IN CALIFORNIA TODAY

Personal injury victims often have a difficult road ahead of them. It’s not just the fact that they have to deal with an insurance company and try to seek compensation; it’s the fact that they have to do this while typically also dealing with catastrophic injuries, continuing medical expenses, lost wages from an inability to work, and even the wrongful death of a loved one. Even when liability is clear and accident victims obviously deserve some form of compensation, dealing with a lawsuit can feel like an overbearing task.

That’s exactly why the personal injury attorneys at Murphy & Murphy Law Offices are here to help. From handling the insurance company to arguing cases in front of a judge, there’s nothing that we won’t do to ensure our clients are properly compensated. This is also why we will provide a free consultation on your case — because injury victims and their families shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket just to learn where they stand. A personal injury lawyer in California can help you get justice, and we truly believe we’re the law firm that can help you do that.

Contact us today by calling (805) 330-3393 for a free case evaluation. Let us help you in your fight to get every penny you deserve.