Beverly Hills Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal Injury Attorney in Beverly Hills, CA

Beverly Hills is one of the most renowned cities in the United States and one of the wealthiest areas of the state. While most people imagine the place to be a stunning tourist destination and home of Hollywood stars, serious accidents can still happen in the area in many ways. A personal injury is any incident in which one party inflicts harm on another. Under California law, the at-fault party is responsible for the injured party’s damages. However, resolving a personal injury is often more complex than the victim initially expects.

Compassionate Personal Injury Counsel in Beverly Hills, CA

Heimanson& Wolf, LLP, has an experienced team of Beverly Hills personal injury attorneys who can provide the compassionate and supportive legal counsel you need to feel more confident about the legal issues you face as you seek compensation for your losses. The personal injury claim process could be far more complex than you initially realize, and our team can counsel you through every stage of your recovery efforts until you reach the best possible resolution to your case.

Defining a Personal Injury

The term “personal injury” is relatively broad, and many types of cases can unfold under the personal injury statutes of the state. Most of the personal injury cases filed by Beverly Hills plaintiffs are the result of negligence, or failure to exercise reasonable care in a specific situation. To succeed with this type of case, the victim must identify the party or parties responsible for their damages, prove the full scope of those damages, and then go on to prove those damages are the results of the at-fault party’s actions and not some other cause.

Proving liability for a personal injury in Beverly Hills is usually more complex than most injured claimants realize at first. However, the right attorney handling your case makes an incredible difference when it comes to the quality of the recovery you could potentially reach with their assistance. When you choose Heimanson& Wolf, LLP, for your personal injury claim in response to a damaging act of negligence, we can help you assert the elements of negligence required to firmly establish fault for your damages.

When it comes to proving negligence, the four elements the plaintiff must establish are duty, breach, damage, and causation. The plaintiff must gather strong evidence to prove who caused the damage and why. Once they have accomplished this, the next phase of their case is to prove the negligent act in question directly caused their damage. In other words, the plaintiff must provide compelling evidence and witness testimony that shows the defendant’s actions caused damage and that the damage could not have resulted from any other cause. In the event the personal injury resulted from intentional misconduct or criminal activity, the defendant will likely face criminal prosecution from the state. If this applies to your situation, your attorney will advise you about how this could influence your civil case.

Commonly Reported Personal Injuries in Beverly Hills

The team at Heimanson& Wolf, LLP, is capable of providing comprehensive personal injury claim representation to clients throughout the Beverly Hills area. We have successfully represented a wide range of civil claims for damage, including:

• Car accidents. An auto insurance claim is usually the first step in recovering from a personal injury in Beverly Hills, but even a robust auto insurance policy is unlikely to cover the full scope of damages a defendant caused. In the event your losses exceed the defendant’s insurance coverage, you will need to file a personal injury claim against them to recover your damages.
• Truck accidents. While accidents involving large commercial trucks happen for many of the same reasons as most other vehicle accidents, the damage from truck accidents is typically much more severe. Additionally, proving liability for this type of case is usually far more challenging in several ways. Our team can assist you in assessing fault for the injuries and economic losses you suffered.
• Motorcycle accidents. Accidents involving motorcycles have a very high risk of resulting in life-changing and life-threatening injuries. Motorcycles do not physically protect riders when accidents happen, and many victims of these incidents suffer catastrophic injuries that change their lives significantly.
• Rideshare accidents. Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare services are popular, but when accidents happen involving these vehicles, the subsequent insurance claim process can be incredibly difficult to navigate successfully. A Beverly Hills personal injury attorney can help their client determine their best options for legal recourse after this type of accident, navigating the complex insurance issues they face as they work toward recovering their losses.
• Premises liability cases. A property owner who fails to take appropriate care of their property could face a personal injury suit if a guest or visitor suffers an injury while legally present on their property. If the cause of the injury was a foreseeable hazard the property owner failed to address, they face responsibility for the victim’s damages.
• Medical malpractice. Unfortunately, medical negligence is a leading cause of accidental injuries and deaths in the United States. A medical malpractice claim focuses on a medical professional’s failure to meet the standard of care a patient requires, resulting in harm to the patient. This type of case falls within specific statutes and recovery is somewhat limited, but the right attorney can help their client maximize their case award.
• Construction site accidents. Construction is the most dangerous industry in the United States based on the number of workplace injuries reported each year. If you work in construction and suffer injuries in your workplace, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance may cover some of your damages, but you could also have grounds to file a civil suit if a specific party caused your injury.
• Bone Fracture: Our firm represents clients who have suffered broken bones due to accidents or trauma. We fight to secure compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any resulting disabilities from these serious injuries.
• Catastrophic Injury: Catastrophic injuries like spinal cord trauma, brain damage, or loss of limbs devastate lives. Our compassionate team guides victims through the legal process, ensuring they receive full compensation for lifelong care needs, accommodations, and non-economic damages.
• Swimming Pool Accident: Premises owners have a duty to ensure pool areas are reasonably safe. We pursue claims against negligent property owners/operators when swimming pool accidents cause injuries or wrongful death due to hazards or lack of precautions.
• Dog Bite: Dog attacks can inflict gruesome injuries – from lacerations to permanent disfigurement or emotional trauma. Our litigation seeks compensation from owners and recovery of damages for medical care, scarring, lost income, and other losses.
• PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder can debilitate mental health after traumatic experiences or accidents. We pursue compensation for emotional anguish, therapy costs, lost wages and other damages from parties whose negligence triggered PTSD conditions.
• Spinal Cord Injury: Few injuries are as devastating as spinal cord trauma causing partial or complete paralysis. Our advocacy ensures spinal cord injury victims have access to lifetime care, assistive equipment, home accommodations and compensation reflecting reduced quality of life.
• Traumatic Brain Injury: Traumatic brain injuries often result in permanent cognitive deficits, personal limitations and emotional challenges. Our representation aims to maximize recovery so TBI victims can afford specialized care and other resources to regain independence.

In any type of personal injury claim, the victim needs experienced legal counsel on their side to guide them through the process of gathering evidence, meeting their procedural requirements with the court, and proving the full extent of their claimable damages.

How to Prove Liability for a Personal Injury in Beverly Hills

Before a plaintiff can recover any compensation for their damages in a personal injury claim, they must first prove fault for the incident in question. The process of establishing fault will differ from case to case, but most personal injury claimants will require physical evidence from the location where their injury occurred, testimony from witnesses who saw the incident in question, and sometimes various experts will need to provide their professional insights to help the claimant prove liability.

Whether your personal injury was the result of negligence or intentional misconduct of some kind, it is crucial to understand your obligations when it comes to proving liability for your personal injury. One important statute to remember if you intend to file any type of personal injury claim is the state’s negligence law. Most states operate under a comparative negligence statute, which allows fault for a personal injury to be split among multiple parties, including the plaintiff. With a modified comparative negligence rule, the plaintiff may still recover damages from a defendant as long as their fault is less than 50%.

California upholds the pure comparative negligence rule, meaning the plaintiff can recover compensation for their damages no matter what level of fault they hold for causing those damages. The judge ruling on the case must assign fault percentages to both parties, and if the plaintiff is assigned a fault percentage, they lose an equal percentage of their case award. Under the modified comparative negligence rule, plaintiff recovery is usually barred at 50% fault, but there is no threshold of fault that would bar their recovery under the pure comparative negligence rule.

Damages Available to Beverly Hills Personal Injury Claimants

The personal injury statutes include rules regarding compensation for damages. In most personal injury cases in Beverly Hills, plaintiffs are legally entitled to claim both economic and non-economic damages from the parties responsible for harming them. Economic damages include the direct financial effects of the incident in question, and this aspect of the claim is generally proven with the appropriate documentation. Depending on how your injury occurred and the scope of harm you incurred, the economic damages you could seek from the defendant in your claim are likely to include:

• Health care costs resulting from your injuries. If the defendant caused an injury or illness you have the right to hold them accountable for all the medical treatment you require to recover completely. Hospital bills, prescription medication costs, and ambulance fees are a few commonly claimed medical expenses in Beverly Hills personal injury claims. Plaintiffs may also recover the cost of any ongoing treatments they require for managing severe injuries and permanent disabilities. Your Beverly Hills personal injury attorney will be invaluable for proving the full scope of medical expenses you face due to the defendant’s negligence or misconduct.
• Lost income. When the injury you suffered is severe enough to prevent you from working, you can seek repayment of the wages you were unable to earn during your recovery. You may have been forced to use vacation time during a hospital stay, or your business may have suffered if you were unable to manage your operations. You have the right to claim any income lost from the defendant’s actions as economic damages in your personal injury claim.
• Lost earning capacity. Unfortunately, some personal injuries result in permanent harm, and the victim may be unable to work for an extended time until they recover. If you are permanently unable to work because of the injury you suffered, you have the right to hold the defendant accountable for the future income you could have earned if they had not injured you.
• Damaged property. If the defendant’s actions damaged your home, your vehicle, or any of your personal belongings, your Beverly Hills personal injury attorney can help you claim compensation for this property damage in your personal injury case.

If an insurance claim is a preliminary recovery option in your situation, a successful claim could compensate for some of these losses. However, the average person will need an experienced attorney’s assistance to accurately calculate the full breadth of immediate and future economic damages they can recover from the defendant. When you choose Heimanson& Wolf, LLP, for your personal injury suit, we have the experience and resources necessary to accurately uncover the full scope of the economic damages you can seek from the defendant or defendants named in your case.

Pain and Suffering in Personal Injury Cases

Non-economic damages in a personal injury claim include pain and suffering, which may sound difficult to translate into monetary amounts. You have the right to claim compensation for physical pain and psychological suffering the defendant caused you, and your Beverly Hills personal injury attorney will be a crucial asset when it comes to asserting a suitable figure based on the scope and severity of your losses.

The state does not place a cap on pain and suffering in personal injury cases with the exception of medical malpractice claims. As long as your personal injury case does not fall under the purview of medical malpractice, there is no limit to the amount of pain and suffering you can seek in your personal injury claim. If a plaintiff suffered permanent harm of any kind, their attorney is likely to multiply their total economic damage by a factor of one to five to reflect the severity of their condition. If the plaintiff is expected to fully recover in a relatively short time, their attorney is more likely to seek per diem pain and suffering compensation on their behalf, which awards a set amount for each day they spend in recovery.

FAQs About Beverly Hills, CA Personal Injury Law

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Beverly Hills Personal Injury Attorney?

When you are already struggling with the effects of an unexpected injury, imagining hiring an attorney can seem like an additional economic strain in an already stressful situation. While it’s understandable to be worried about your potential legal fees, most personal injury attorneys in Beverly Hills and throughout the state accept cases with contingency fee billing. This means the client only pays a legal fee if the attorney wins their case, and the fee is a predetermined percentage of their final case award.

How Long Do I Have to File My Personal Injury Case in Beverly Hills?

The state enforces a two-year time limit on personal injury cases, known as the “statute of limitations.” Similar statutes exist for other types of legal cases, and the claimant must file their case with the court within this time limit or they lose grounds to pursue damages. Don’t assume that this seemingly generous time limit is plenty of time to file your case, as many variables can arise unexpectedly in the preliminary stages of any case. It is always best to start working on your case as soon as possible after you stabilize from your injury.

How Much Will I Win for My Personal Injury?

It’s understandable to wonder how much compensation you could potentially win from your personal injury case, and there are several factors that might influence your recovery substantially. It’s common for personal injury plaintiffs to initially undervalue their claims, unaware of the full breadth of damages they can seek from the defendants who injured them. If you want to maximize the compensation you win from the defendant in your claim, a Beverly Hills personal injury attorney is essential.

Will the Defendant Who Injured Me Go to Jail?

When a defendant caused a personal injury through simple negligence and did not intend to cause harm or break a law, it is unlikely they will face jail time in response to the incident. However, it is possible for jail time to become a factor in the case if they caused the personal injury through any form of illegal misconduct or an intentional desire to harm the victim. For example, if a drunk driver caused your personal injury, they could face jail time as a penalty for conviction in the criminal case filed against them by the state.

What Difference Can a Beverly Hills Personal Injury Attorney Make in My Case?

Many personal injury victims wonder whether it is really necessary to hire legal counsel, and while fault for your recent injury might seem clear to you, and you may believe you have a firm grasp of the damages you can seek from the defendant, legal counsel you can trust is invaluable. Your attorney can not only improve your chances of winning your case, but with their help you are also far more likely to secure as much compensation as the law allows for your damages.

Contact Our Experienced Beverly Hills, CA Personal Injury Lawyers Today

The attorneys at Heimanson& Wolf, LLP, have the experience necessary to handle the most challenging personal injury claims in the Beverly Hills area. We know the obstacles our clients are likely to face in their pursuit of compensation for the damage inflicted by others. Your situation may seem uncertain and desperate, but the sooner you connect with experienced legal counsel, the sooner you can feel more confident about your situation and approach the case with confidence and peace of mind. Contact Heimanson& Wolf, LLP, today and schedule a consultation with a Beverly Hills personal injury attorney.