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Do you and your family have a plan in place for what will happen if someone is injured? We know that this is not what many people like to talk about, but in the aftermath of an injury that was caused by someone else’s negligence, we want to be able to answer the questions you may have:

Will insurance cover all of these medical expenses?

How will I pay my regular household bills if I cannot work due to my injuries?

At Allegiance Law, our team is ready to step in and help when you need a Burlingame personal injury attorney.

Unexpected Injuries

Today we will go over some common ways in which personal injury cases arise. For this article, we are going to break it down into two sections – vehicle-related injuries and other injuries.

(Please note that every case is different and you need to speak to a legal representative before making any decisions.)

Vehicle-Related

In the state of California, we see hundreds of thousands of vehicle accident injuries a year, of which more than 12,000 are classified as serious (spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, internal bleeding, etc.).

Many of these are caused by negligent driving behavior. Alcohol-impaired drivers caused 27 percent of the traffic fatalities in California’s latest reporting year. We also know that those who drive too fast for conditions cause more accidents than anyone else.

More and more, distracted drivers are causing serious harm, despite efforts by local and state governments to crack down on phone use in vehicles.

Pedestrians are in particular danger from the force of a vehicle slamming into them. Almost every pedestrian accident resulted in an injury or fatality, and there were more than 14,000 of them last year. Bicyclists are in just as much danger and suffer at nearly the same rate. There were almost 12,000 bicycle-related traffic accidents last year.

Other Injuries

Slip and fall accidents are the most common way that people get hurt on someone else’s property. Most of them are preventable and happen when a property owner or their agent (managers and employees) fail to keep an area maintained and dry. Spills, loose carpeting, and ill-repaired floors are major contributors to injuries.

Dog bites occur at alarming rates in the US. In fact, more than 4 million are reported each year. These often occur because an owner lets their dog roam without a leash or lets an aggressive dog be around other people and pets.

Defective products are sold every day and go beyond the stories we see in the nightly news. The website that tracks current recalls shows us that thousands of products are under recall right now.

What Are Your Options?

We know that you may be frustrated right now, especially if the medical bills from your injuries are beginning to come in.

How is it fair that you get stuck with these expenses if someone else is to blame for your injuries?

At Allegiance Law, we will work tirelessly to secure the money you need to cover all of your accident-related expenses. Typically, our firm seeks out a mix of different types of compensation, based on the circumstances surrounding the client’s injuries. This may include:

  • Medical costs: Past, present, and future costs of care are taken into consideration in personal injury claims. This includes costs associated with visits to see a regular doctor or specialist, surgical procedures, hospitalizations, physical and occupational therapy, prescription medications, medical equipment, assistive medical devices, and other medical-related needs. If a disability results from your personal injury, our Burlingame personal injury attorney may also seek out costs of future medical care.
  • Lost earnings: The money you lost while recuperating from your injury is typically awarded as part of your personal injury settlement or a verdict handed down in civil court at the successful completion of litigation. This award may also include the future wages that you will lose as a result of your injuries. In addition, your reduced capacity to earn a living to support yourself or your family may also be included.
  • Non-economic damages: Damages that have no specific cost attached to them are sometimes also compensable. This can include pain and suffering, loss of consortium, grief, shock, humiliation, anxiety, emotional distress, and insomnia. Other non-economic losses may include disfigurement, loss of a limb, loss of an organ, and overall loss of enjoyment in life. Pain and suffering are generally part of any personal injury claim, from car accidents to medical malpractice or claims that arise from slip-and-fall incidents or defective products. California caps pain and suffering damages due to medical malpractice at $250,000.

It is important to note that while economic damages (lost wages, medical bills, etc.) can be determined with a specific formula, non-economic damages cannot. Factors that affect how much non-economic damages are paid to the plaintiff in a personal injury claim include the amount of economic losses incurred, how severe the injury is, the strength of the evidence against the at-fault party, and the intention of the defendant when the injury occurred.

Wrongful Death

If your loved one died as a result of a personal injury accident, you may be able to recover the same damages that your loved one would have recovered, if they did not succumb to their injuries. This includes medical costs and lost wages. It may also include final expenses and funeral costs. In addition, the contribution that the decedent would have made financially to the household if they had lived may also be awarded.

Punitive Damages in Personal Injury Cases

In some instances, plaintiffs may recover punitive damages as part of a verdict in a personal injury case. Punitive damages, as the name suggests, serve as a way of punishing the defendant for extreme harm or recklessness that caused the injuries to the plaintiff.

When you need a Burlingame personal injury attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 415-404-6395.