FAQ

Understanding Personal Injury Claims

There is no denying the fact that personal injury claims can be lengthy, convoluted and thoroughly frustrating legal battles. They are full of highly technical information, dense legal work and unfamiliar terms and concepts. At a time when injured victims and their families should be focusing on recovery, this legal procedure often proves overwhelming and off-putting.

While our goals at Habbas & Associates are to handle these legal issues on your behalf and obtain the maximum compensation possible, we also value the importance of educating clients about the American legal system, the personal injury claim process and how it applies to their unique situations. We also want to ensure that the clients we represent have a full and solid understanding of the terms and concepts involved in the claim process. By doing this, we find that our clients tend to have a more positive legal experience and are able to make better and more well informed decisions if and when similar problems arise in the future.

Close working relationships are a foundation of our legal services, but we also want to ensure that all injured residents of Turlock and the surrounding communities have a strong starting point to begin their claim process. If you are interested in filing a personal injury claim, the following frequently asked questions and answers can help you become better acquainted with the legal process.

What is a personal injury claim?
A personal injury claim is a lawsuit filed in a civil court. Anyone who suffers an injury or illness as the result of another party's negligence can file a claim against the wrongdoer. There are a number of various areas of law that may be applied to a personal injury claim, and cases can vary drastically. Generally, personal injury claims aim to hold responsible parties liable for compensating victims for the damages they suffered.

How do I know if I have a valid claim?
Valid claims require injuries that occurred in situations that could have been prevented had the responsible person or entity exercised reasonable caution or care. Of course, a number of circumstances and factors can affect the merits of your claim, which is why it is always best to have an attorney from our firm evaluate your case in order to determine if you are eligible to receive compensation.

What does "liable" mean?
Liability is a legal concept that describes a legal obligation. When it is said that someone is liable for a victim's damages, this means that they were at fault for causing them and that they are financially responsible for compensating the victim. Most personal injury claims are hinged on clearly and convincingly establishing liability.

How does compensation work?
When negligence and / or liability have been established and courts have reached a final judgment, victims may be awarded monetary compensation for the damages they incurred. This can include reimbursement for any medical bills they accumulated as the result of their injuries, as well as compensation for any lost wages that were accrued due to their inability to work.

Compensation may also be awarded to victims in the form of non-economic damages. This includes a monetary sum awarded to victims for their pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment or quality of life and for any emotional damages suffered by their family. Some cases may also award punitive damages as a form of further punishing wrongdoers for egregious or extreme negligence or illegal acts.

Do I need an attorney?
In the state of California, it is not a mandatory requirement or law that you file a personal injury claim with the assistance of an attorney. However, you should be aware that claims involve highly technical fields of law, numerous foreign procedures and dense amounts of legal work. For more than 25 years, our attorneys have focused exclusively on personal injury law. Just as doctors specialize in medicine, attorneys also specialize in a particular field of law. In fact, it is not uncommon for other attorneys who practice different areas of law to work with a personal injury attorney during their claim process. Working with experienced and knowledgeable attorneys can provide you with the best chances of resolving your case quickly, favorably and with the best compensation possible.

Contact a Turlock Personal Injury Attorney for More Answers

Our firm chooses to provide these general questions and answers as a basis for injured victims to better understand the personal injury claim process. Claims will always vary from case to case, and it is in your best interest to seek personalized legal assistance from proven personal injury attorneys. If you have more questions or if you would like to learn more about your unique situation, contact Habbas & Associates today.