Riverside Personal Injury Lawyer

If you were injured due to someone else’s negligence or failure to act, you might be able to recover financially with a personal injury claim. After an accident, medical bills can quickly become overwhelming. Also, your accident might prevent you from going to work to earn money to pay your medical bills. When you need help pursuing the full and fair compensation you deserve, a Riverside personal injury lawyer at Gonzales Law Offices can help.

Personal Injury Cases We Handle

While Gonzales Law Offices can help you with any personal injury case, we focus on the types of personal injury cases most common in the Inland Empire. We’ve built our five-star reputation representing the following types of cases:

• Car Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Bus Accidents
• Assault & Battery
• Dog Bites
• Brain Injuries
• Slip-and-Fall Accidents
• Wrongful Death Cases

This is not a complete list, and if you believe you have grounds for a personal injury claim, it is crucial to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney.

Recovering From a Personal Injury Accident

In California, you may be able to recover compensation following a personal injury accident. You may be able to seek recovery for the following damages:

• Medical treatment expenses
• Lost wages
• Out-of-pocket expenses directly related to the incident
• Pain and suffering, and emotional distress
• Property damage – when you can prove the costs are related to the incident

It is important to consult with an attorney to discuss the time frame for filing your personal injury action. An experienced attorney can ensure you promptly file documents with the court, investigate your claim, and protect your legal rights following an accident.

How to Build a Strong Personal Injury Claim

Once you have decided to meet with an attorney and file a personal injury claim, it is important to take active steps to maximize your individual compensation to ensure you have adequate financial compensation for your full medical recovery.

Seek medical attention right away. If you have been hurt in an accident, it can be easy to underestimate how important it is to get medical attention immediately. It is often the case that the longer you wait for medical treatment, the harder it can be to recover damages. Plus, the opposing side may argue your injuries weren’t serious if you wait.

Plan to speak honestly with your treating doctor. Being able to speak openly with the doctor treating you can help them properly diagnose you after the accident. Also, it can help strengthen your personal injury claim, as they can help assess all of your symptoms and document your pain levels right after an accident.

Ensure you follow every order from your doctor. Sometimes, people fail to follow their doctor’s orders, and insurance companies are then able to poke holes in their claims for damages. It may ultimately delay your medical improvement if you do not follow your doctor’s orders. Rely on your doctor’s suggested steps for medical care and take their orders seriously to help you improve and protect your claim rights.

Make sure you attend all scheduled medical appointments. Insurance companies might try to deny or reduce the value of your claim if you routinely miss doctor’s appointments scheduled after your accident. They might question the seriousness of your injuries and whether you actually need medical care if you fail to show up to doctor appointments.

By following these steps, you can actively help your own injury case and ensure you get the maximum amount of recovery possible.

Collect and Preserve Relevant Claim Evidence

You can help maximize your recovery from your personal injury claim if you gather and keep all possible pieces of relevant evidence. Many types of physical evidence can help your personal injury case, including:

1. A police report, especially when there are serious injuries. You can request a copy of the police report filed by the responding police officers. This can help keep track of the accident details, and it usually helps determine legal responsibility for the accident.
2. An accident report. If you were involved in a personal injury accident that wasn’t a car crash (like a slip-and-fall), you can get a copy of the accident report, which is also sometimes called an incident report.

Most properties keep these on file if there’s an accident, and you should be able to get a copy. You can contact the owner of the property where you suffered your accident to get a copy, or if you have retained an attorney, they can typically help. This document can help prove you suffered from injuries while at the property.

3. Photographs and videos. If you are able to after an accident, it is important to take photographs and videos of the scene of your accident, any conditions you think may have caused your accident, any property damage you incurred, the seriousness of your injuries, and anything else you believe may be important to your claim.

Also, your personal injury attorney can look into whether or not surveillance video exists of the accident, which you could use as relevant claim evidence.

4. Your personal journal or calendar. After an accident, you can keep a personal journal or a place where you discuss the important details of the accident. You may want to record any ways you believe your life was impacted by the accident. It is hard to put a dollar amount on the value of your emotional damages (like for pain and suffering) so a journal can help address this type of compensation.
5. Witness statements. Eyewitnesses can help provide essential details about your claim. You can gather their contact information, including their names, address, and phone numbers. Witness statements can play a valuable role in an accident case.
6. Lost wages documentation. As part of your personal injury claim, you may be entitled to recover your lost wages. In order to get reimbursement, you must be able to demonstrate the amount of your lost wages. Your employer can help prove a lost wage claim with details about your rate of pay, any time you missed work because of your accident, and the amount of your lost wages.
7. Bills and documentation for medical care and treatment. Documents for your medical expenses, such as bills from treating doctors, receipts from surgeries, prescription receipts, and more, can help keep track of all you are due.

If you were hurt in a personal injury incident, it is critical to collect and preserve the evidence relevant to your claim. With this important evidence, you can help prepare a solid personal injury case. The Gonzales Law Offices can help you gather all available and needed evidence for your individual case.

Some Common Mistakes People Make When Handling Their Own Personal Injury Claim

Sometimes, people working without the help of an attorney make avoidable mistakes that affect their personal injury claim.

• Failing to collect relevant evidence to prove your claim.
• Failing to collect witness contact information and witness statements.
• Not filing your claim in a timely manner could preclude your claim.
• Failing to get immediate medical attention.
• Not contacting a trusted personal injury lawyer.

These mistakes can negatively impact a personal injury claim. However, with an attorney advocating on your behalf, you can have help avoiding such mistakes throughout your case. A skilled attorney can help during the entire process and help make the claim process as seamless as possible. Plus, they can fight for the full and fair compensation you deserve. Consult our experienced attorney at Gonzales Law Offices today to discuss your personal injury claim.

FAQs

Contact Gonzales Law Offices Today for Your Riverside Personal Injury Case

Attorney Mark “The Shark” Gonzales and the legal team at Gonzales Law Offices offer personal injury representation from our law office near downtown Riverside, California.

If you’re looking to maximize the compensation you receive if you’ve been injured due to negligence and/or malfeasance, we can help. While compensation is not justice, it can help you rebuild your life after it’s been changed by personal injury. Mark Gonzales and his bilingual staff can help. Our history of legal victories is well-established.

Regardless of the type of personal injury you’ve experienced, contact Gonzales Law Offices to schedule a free case evaluation. You’ll pay nothing upfront and we charge no fees unless we win your case. Get the compensation you’re owed for your injuries. Contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation.