Personal injury lawyer serving Costa Mesa, CA

Every case is different, so there is no way to tell at the beginning how long your personal injury case in Costa Mesa will take. We can try to settle your case by negotiating with the negligent party and their liability insurance company. Most personal injury cases get resolved by settlement rather than trial. However, we can file a lawsuit if the other side refuses to pay a fair amount to settle your injury claim.

One of the first things you should do after an accident is to get medical attention for your injuries. Your medical records will serve multiple functions, like showing the extent and severity of your injuries. With medical records, you will have strong evidence from a third party who described your wounds.

It is possible to get injured and not feel pain right away. Some injuries do not exhibit noticeable symptoms immediately. If you have been in a significant accident, you should get an evaluation at a doctor’s office or emergency room. Sometimes, the shock or adrenaline of the accident will temporarily block the pain sensation. Also, you might have internal bleeding or a head injury that does not necessarily have detectable signs until you are in a medical crisis.

When an attorney represents you on your Costa Mesa personal injury claim, the defendant and their insurer are not supposed to contact you directly. If they call you, tell them that you have a lawyer. Get the name and contact information of the person calling you, then notify your personal injury attorney so that your lawyer can reach out to them.

Many variables can affect how long it takes to settle your Costa Mesa personal injury case. Two of the most important considerations are finishing your medical treatment and not missing the filing deadline. You generally should not settle until you know the full extent of your injuries and future medical needs. Insurance companies often push for early settlements before you finish treatment. California’s statute of limitations gives you a limited time to file a lawsuit, so we track that deadline while negotiations continue.

California law does not force you to work with a personal injury lawyer on your case, but doing so can be a smart decision. The insurance company hires entire teams of claims adjusters, investigators, and defense lawyers who work full-time trying to find ways to pay injured people as little money as possible.

California has statutes of limitations, which specify the amount of time you have to file certain types of lawsuits if someone else injured you through negligence or an intentional act. The amount of time you have to file your case depends on what type of matter it is. For example, you must start the administrative claim process within six months if you have a claim against a government entity, like a city or a government agency. You must exhaust your administrative remedies before you can file a lawsuit.