To recover damages as a result of a Fresno accident, you must suffer a bodily injury or property damage. Unless you were injured at work, it must also be a result of another's negligence. In other words, the person or company who caused the harm must be at fault for you to recover money. This is often one of our client's Frequently Asked Questions about whether they have a Fresno Personal Injury Case or need a Fresno Personal Injury Lawyer.
If there is no settlement offer, obviously our lawyers are taking your case to trial. In most cases, the choice is yours because there is a settlement offer on the table. Because our accident lawyers carefully screen personal injury cases and because our attorneys have a reputation with insurance companies for getting excellent recoveries for our clients, the vast majority of our clients receive reasonable offers to settle before trial. However, because of the many factors involved, it is impossible to predict whether your particular case is one that will be settled or one which must be decided by a jury.
Surprisingly, your personal injury claim will not require a great deal of your time, unless it goes all the way to trial. After the initial interview, our staff will do almost all of the work for you. Your problems become our problems. Your job is to recover the best that you can from your injuries from the accident if you have not yet fully recovered. Your time commitment obviously changes if yours is in the minority of our personal injury cases that goes to trial. The final trial preparation process will require more of a time commitment if your injuries are substantial.
You must file your case within the statute of limitations, a fixed period of time dictated by the law. In many injury cases in California, you are required to bring your case within Two (2) Years from the date of the accident.</p> <p>Important – If your claim is against a governmental entity, you must file a “Governmental Claim” within Six Months (180 days) of the incident or you can lose your right to proceed against that entity in Court. For an explanation of these time limits, always consult with a lawyer experienced in these matters. Some limitations periods are shorter than 2 years. Statutes of Limitations may be extended in certain situations in California personal injury cases, such as when an injured person is under the age of 18. These are only the basics for statutes of limitations relating to California Personal Injury matters. If your case does not involve a personal injury matter, you should contact an attorney in the field of law that applies to your case to get the correct timeframe to file your case in court. Note-If you do not file in time, you lose your right to pursue your claim and all that goes with it.
Typically, most insurance companies we deal with in Fresno and throughout California use computer software to determine the value of auto, truck and other accident injury cases. The most infamous software is one used by a number of companies named Colossus, designed by Computer Sciences Corp., a California based company that values accident cases for insurance companies. Colossus is reportedly used by more than 50 percent of the nation's claims insurance adjusters. Many other insurance companies use a similar program. Essentially, the insurance company does is it inputs the data it receives from your medical records, lost wages, the severity of the accident, and where the accident occurred. The computer will give a higher value for a case in some venues that others based on past jury verdict trends than it would, for example, for the same case in Fresno or the Central Valley since our jurors are typically of the conservative nature. It also inputs the taxpayer ID number of your personal injury lawyer which determines if your accident lawyer has a history of taking cases to verdict in California or whether they simply settle all of their cases. Colossus then specifically looks to your injuries as described in your medical records. One of the most important questions is whether the injuries are permanent. Colossus also gives higher values for objective injuries measured by diagnostic testing than soft tissue injuries. It does give, however, values for muscle spasm (for which Colossus gives particular weight in cases without a defined objective injury), restriction on movement, radiating pain, anxiety, depression, headaches, dizziness, and visual disturbance. Colossus also gives higher value to cases where the patient went to the hospital for initial treatment of the injuries. Our firm is extremely familiar with this software. Colossus then generates a range of settlement values for that case. The problem with Colossus is the same problem we have in society with all computerized systems: they do not grasp the complexity of human beings. There is no computer program that can ascertain the value of a person's pain and suffering, how an injury really impacted a person's life. How much is it worth to not be able to pick up your newborn baby without extreme pain? There is no way a computer can answer this question. This is why your personal injury attorney must adequately articulate why your injuries are different or alternatively be prepared to file a lawsuit. When your accident lawyer files a lawsuit, sometimes the insurance companies do take a second look at a case and give a second look to the real trial value of the case, particularly when they know that the accident lawyers handling the case are willing to go to trial.
This question is often asked by our personal injury clients who deserve compensation for their injuries but are afraid that they will do harm to the person who caused their injuries. Virtually all personal injury claims are handled by insurance company lawyers and paid by insurance, so the person (or company) will not have to pay any money out of their own pocket in most cases. A few exceptions to this general rule is when one of our clients is seriously injured by a drunk or impaired driver or has been the victim or an assault and battery. In this event punitive damages may be sought and enforced.
The short answer is YES! Under the Collateral Source Rule in California, you are entitled to be compensated for your medical bills regardless of whether or not they have been paid by MEDPAY or by your health insurance. The same logic holds true for lost wages. If you miss work, you can collect your lost wages even if your company pays you for the missed time. Usually, the larger part of your personal injury claim is compensation for your Pain and Suffering (General Damages). However, if you are a Medi-Cal or Medicare recipient, you may only be entitled to recover the amount of your medical bills that these two entities actually paid your medical provider(s) in full satisfaction of the original bill. This should not change your pain and suffering although many insurance adjusters will make this argument since one method of calculating your pain and suffering involves treating it in proportion to your medical bills.
While we would love to be able to give you a definitive answer, there is no definite period of time in which a personal injury case will settle or go to trial. Every case has unique facts. What we can promise you is this: we will move your Fresno Personal Injury case forward toward settlement or verdict at trial in a manner that avoids unnecessary delays. It is difficult to be paid on a case where it is clear that the attorneys representing you will not go to trial. Our firm goes to trial and insurance companies know this. If a case settles, in most (but not all) cases we need to wait until the patient has finished receiving medical care and treatment (or reached a point of maximum medical improvement). We then order any remaining medical bills and underlying records from your health care providers. Then we prepare and submit a demand package to the insurance company, letting them know how much you are willing to accept to resolve your claim. We expect a response to our demand letter from the insurance companies. We usually receive an offer in a reasonable time period; if not we recommend filing a lawsuit. Our firm takes great care to diligently pursue your case with vigor and eliminate unnecessary delays in resolving your personal injury case. Your case is our case and we will fight for you to get the highest possible recovery as quickly as possible. Accordingly, we do everything we can do to move your case forward.
In Fresno Personal Injury Cases and throughout California, if you have knowingly and voluntarily assumed the risk inherent in a particular action or inaction that causes an accident, this can be used as a defense to reduce the value of your case or have it thrown out of court on a pre-trial motion called a Motion for Summary Judgment. For example, if you get in a friend’s car for a drag race and suffer personal injuries in an accident, you assumed the risk of those injuries. Defense lawyers in California love to raise the assumption of the risk defense in personal injury cases. But, as a practical matter, the assumption of the risk defense is applicable in very few personal injury cases in California that are not recreational sports accident cases. This defense is also commonly utilized in premises liability matters.
In Fresno Personal Injury cases and throughout California, a Plaintiff may sometimes be partially at-fault or liable for an accident wherein they suffer an injury. For example, if someone is the victim of a motor vehicle collision and sustained injuries but was not wearing their seatbelt at the time of the collision. If a portion of the injuries sustained by the Plaintiff could have been prevented if she was wearing her seatbelt, a jury will be asked to place a percentage on the comparative fault of the Plaintiff. When this occurs, the verdict or settlement will be reduced by the Plaintiff's percentage of fault. Comparative fault or shared responsibility does not mean you cannot recover for your injuries.
A “Soft Tissue Injury” (STI) is the damage of muscles, ligaments and tendons throughout the body. Common soft tissue injuries usually occur from a sprain, strain, a one-off blow resulting in a contusion or overuse of a particular part of the body. Soft tissue injuries can result in pain, swelling, bruising and loss of function. If severe pain persists after the first 24 hours, it is recommended that an individual consult with a professional who can provide a medical diagnosis and implement a treatment plan, so the patient can return to everyday activities as soon as possible. Often times the best and most experienced doctors that treat ``Soft Tissue Injuries`` are Doctors of Chiropractic Medicine (D.C.). These are doctors that most commonly deal with accident victims and accordingly they are familiar with the injuries sustained and provide hands on and active treatment to aid in the recovery of accident related injuries.
Some herniated disc injuries leave a patient in constant pain for the rest of their lives. These patients try traction, steroid injections, therapy and eventually surgery and still find themselves in pain that will last a lifetime. Assuming (1) no question as to responsibility for the auto accident; (2) no preexisting injury or pre-accident degenerative disease; and (3) reasonable insurance coverage for the at-fault driver, the settlement value of these types of herniated disc cases are almost invariably six figure and sometimes even seven figure cases. One important factor to note when assessing the value of a herniated disc case, the insurance money to recover must be there in order to recover full value of the injury. That is why we are constantly discussing Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage within this site and on our blog.</p> <p>The more complicated cases involve preexisting injuries. A favorite tactic of lawyers defending personal injury cases on behalf of the insurance companies involving herniated discs is pointing the finger at preexisting degenerative problems with a patient's spine, such as Spinal Stenosis, Osteoarthritis, and Spondylolisthesis. Most of these are conditions that begin in many people in their early 30s. Therefore, it must be established that the patient's problems are not due to the degenerative condition, but to the trauma sustained in the accident.</p> <p>All of this begs the question of what happens when a person has a preexisting herniated disc or some type of degenerative changes and was asymptomatic (without symptoms) before the accident. There are two California jury instructions on point: Judicial Council of California – Civil Jury Instruction - 3927 Aggravation of Preexisting Condition or Disability and Judicial Council of California – Civil Jury Instruction 3928 - Unusually Susceptible Plaintiff. If you have either one of these issues, you and your attorney must be able to clearly articulate the difference between your problems and treatment before the auto accident and your current condition. If there is no difference in your condition after the accident, your chances of a substantial recovery diminish dramatically. On the other hand, if there is a notable difference in your way of life after the accident that would not have occurred in the absence of the auto accident, your chance of a quality settlement increases dramatically. Select here to visit our herniated disc information page.
Maybe it won’t get that far, but those who care about these international law disputes think China and the U.S. are on a collision course because both sides hew closely to contradictory readings of international law. One would assume the conflict won’t go nuclear, because that’s a patently absurd result for economically intertwined nations. Maybe it won’t get that far, but those who care about these international law disputes think China and the U.S. are on a collision course because both sides hew closely to contradictory readings of international law.
Predicting the trial value of any California Personal Injury case is almost impossible. There are many factors that can affect the value of a case. Your attorney can only give you a very general idea of the value of your case based on cases we have handled with similar injuries and will not be able to predict the specific amount you will receive. That said, our lawyers generally are able to give our clients a settlement range that they can reasonably expect after our lawyers have reviewed the client's personal injury case. With respect to the value of your personal injury case if taken to trial by our firm, the results are even more difficult to predict. That value of your case is that value placed on it by 12 California Jurors in State Court and 6 Jurors in Federal Court. They decide together how much money to award you for your injuries. Accordingly, the value ranges for the exact same injury with similar facts vary widely depending upon who those jurors are. Jurors bring with them, just as all of us do, their own personal biases that can either help or hurt you. If you are like many of us, you still want some data, something to give you some idea of what juries are awarding in personal injury cases in California. In 2007 - certainly a while ago but this is the data we have, and we don't think things have changed much - a company that analyzes jury verdicts in personal injury cases did a study that found that the nationwide median jury award in a personal injury case was $38,461 and the nationwide plaintiff recovery probability was 55 percent. The percentage relating to probability of recovery has dropped over the years due to many factors but now it is believed to be closer to 46 percent. The average jury award in California car accident personal injury cases was $11,277. The most likely explanation for this is that the insurance companies have targeted certain types of cases to take to trial based on the percentage of likelihood based on past case results that a defense verdict will be the result. What does this data mean for your case? Virtually nothing. If this data is discouraging to you regarding the value of your personal injury case, you might be comforted that Benjamin P. Tryk, prior to forming Tryk Law previously worked for dozens of insurance companies. During his tenure as a partner for a large statewide insurance defense firm, Ben was exposed to how insurance companies evaluate a liability position, how they calculate potential settlement value, how they calculate risk in addition to defense tactics and many other nuances that may benefit you and your case whether it settles or proceeds to trial. A good well-prepared California Personal Injury Lawyer (and there are many good injury attorneys in California) that meticulously prepare a case and present it honestly and fairly to a jury typically get much better jury awards than those who do not. You need to discuss with your lawyers the specific facts of your personal injury case, the pros and cons, and come to a conclusion about the fair value of your case and the goal you hope to achieve in addition to a worst-case scenario. This will include a discussion of the severity of your injuries, the amount of available insurance, how clear the connection is between your injuries and the accident, how strong your liability case is, the quality of the witnesses, and the expected jury perceptions of you and the defendant (remember, the jury is not told there is insurance covering the claim). This discussion will also include analysis of the venue where the case is being tried. In California, as we mentioned earlier, Fresno and the Central Valley in general are considered extremely conservative venues (which means our jury pool is hesitant to award damages unless the case merits such an award). This is true across the country -- juries typically award more money in urban areas than they do in rural areas. Click here for further information on personal injury case valuation.
Most insurance companies (I say ``most`` because some are decent and fair, but these are growing increasingly rare) do not give Soft Tissue Injuries (STI) view Soft Tissue Injury cases as risky to challenge or even credible for that matter. Soft Tissue Claims are assigned to newer insurance adjusters out of the gate and that adjuster is given limited authority (money) to settle the claim. In order to get more authority, the assigned adjuster is required to request it from their claims supervisor. The supervising adjusters typically do not like it when junior adjusters come into their office to ask for additional authority on a claim that is not viewed with urgency or seriousness in their eyes. Now you may be asking at this point, is this his opinion? How am I qualified to discuss this? I know this because I have been to several claims offices throughout the Country during my years as an Insurance Defense Attorney. I regularly lectured to various insurance companies on new topics or issues. I regularly lectured about the mechanics of new laws and how to legally and effectively apply them to the claims process. During my tenure as an Insurance Defense Attorney, I was asked man times to sit in on adjuster roundtable meetings. These are when a list of claims with urgent issues are discussed by about 5-10 Insurance Adjusters, Supervising Adjusters and Insurance Defense Attorneys, at times. The issues that I am discussing are based on firsthand knowledge of strategy and tactical claims handling procedure. During my years as an Insurance Defense Attorney, I had the opportunity to meet and speak to many adjusters on a variety of social and professional levels. To be fair, I can say that there are many decent insurance adjusters out there that will try to be fair to the extent they are allowed by their employer.<br /> For the most part, insurance companies see soft tissue injury claimants as opportunistic people with a tendency to exaggerate. When there is a soft tissue injury coupled with what may appear to be a low impact collision, the claims are often assigned to the insurance company's SIU (Special Investigations Unit). While it may sound scary and intimidating, SUI simply is a more proficient and aggressive unit when it comes to gathering information about the accident and the parties involved. In 2007, there was an extremely informative story conducted by CNN entitled AUTO INSURERS PLAY HARDBALL IN MINOR CRASH CLAIMS, authored by Drew Griffin and Kathleen Johnson. Check it out on Youtube and you will get a better understanding at what you are dealing with - especially if you are handling your case alone.