A personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles can be your best ally as you and your family recover from a devastating accident. Sean Salamati started his practice with a compassionate heart to help people who were suffering due to someone else’s negligence. Since 2005, he has held responsible parties accountable for their reckless actions, earning multi-million-dollar awards for his clients.
When you call the Salamati Law Firm, you’re not only accessing the expertise of a personal injury attorney, but you’re also gaining access to our investigative network, medical experts, industry analysts, and paralegals. We build strong cases that often settle outside court in the shortest timeframe, although we’re willing to go to bat for you at trial if the other side tries to lowball an offer. If you’ve sustained an injury due to the negligence of another party, schedule a free consultation with a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer.
Why Choose Salamati Law or Your Personal Injury Case?
While a personal injury lawyer is not mandated by law to pursue a claim in court, our clients who have attempted to do it alone report feeling frustrated and helpless. A legal advocate who is deeply connected with the courts will keep you appraised of the situation every step of the way and let you know what to expect so you don’t feel as though your claim is being ignored, sitting at the bottom of the pile.
We also look at every possible legal angle to determine the best approach to win you the most compensation. Sometimes, the cases are straightforward and have a clearly defined defendant, but other times, product liability, government entities, or other contributing factors may be involved. Our research capabilities are second to none.
Holding careless or willfully destructive individuals fully accountable for their actions is the best way to ensure similar accidents do not occur in the future. An aggressive personal injury lawyer committed to justice won’t settle for less just to add another victory to the roster. We’re no strangers to the courtroom. This sets us apart from other personal injury firms in Los Angeles.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
The cases we accept include but are not limited to the following:
- Car accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Construction accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bike accidents
- Bus accidents
- Dog bites
- Wrongful death
Unlike criminal cases that the government initiates, personal injury cases are filed by individual victims and their families. Sometimes, the victim can be partially at fault but still collect compensation.
The Personal Injury Lawsuit Process in Los Angeles
The legal process for filing a personal injury claim in Los Angeles involves several key steps:
- Consulting an Attorney: The first step is to consult with a qualified personal injury lawyer at Salamati Law Firm. We offer a free consultation, during which a personal injury lawyer will assess your case and provide guidance on the best course of action.
- Filing the Complaint: A formal complaint must be filed in the appropriate court, either the Superior Court for claims exceeding $25,000 or in limited jurisdiction courts for smaller claims. The type of court will depend on the amount of damages sought.
- Statute of Limitations: In California, personal injury claims must generally be filed within two years from the date of the injury. However, special rules apply for claims against government entities (which must be filed within six months) and for cases involving minors.
- Investigation and Evidence Gathering: After hiring a lawyer, our legal team will gather evidence, such as medical records, witness statements, and accident reports. This stage may also involve settlement negotiations with insurance companies.
- Pre-Trial and Discovery: If the case does not settle, the discovery phase begins, where both parties exchange information. This may include depositions, interrogatories, and document requests.
- Trial: If no settlement is reached, the case proceeds to trial, where a judge or jury will determine liability and damages. Cases must generally be resolved within a year of filing.
Throughout the process, having an experienced attorney is crucial for navigating the legal complexities and maximizing compensation.
Compensation in a Personal Injury Lawsuit
In successful cases, plaintiffs can potentially recover economic damages for the hard costs associated with their injury and non-economic damages for pain and suffering:
Medical Expenses
Medical expenses are economic damages. These include hospitalization costs, surgery, doctor visits, physical therapy, and medication. Home healthcare, home modifications, and rehabilitative treatment may also be included depending on your diagnosis.
Lost Wages & Lost Future Earnings
Lost wages are economic damages and cover the income you have already lost due to the injury. It includes any wages, salary, bonuses, commissions, or self-employment income you would have earned from the time of the injury until you recovered. It can also cover lost benefits like health insurance or retirement contributions if the injury prevents you from working temporarily.
Future lost wages, also known as “lost earning capacity,” compensate for income you are likely to lose in the future because the injury has either permanently or partially disabled you. This can apply if the injury prevents you from returning to your previous job or forces you to take a lower-paying job due to physical or psychological limitations. It may also account for lost opportunities, promotions, or business growth potential.
Pain and Suffering
Physical pain and emotional anguish are non-economic damages and have an undeniable impact on a person’s well-being. They can affect work, family, relationships, and employment. California allows compensation for these intangible losses. While there is no standard formula for calculating pain and suffering, the multiplier method involves adding the economic damages and multiplying them by a number between 1.5 and 5 based on the severity of the injuries.
Punitive Damages
In California, punitive damages are a special type of compensation awarded in personal injury cases that go beyond compensating the victim for actual losses. They are intended to punish the defendant for particularly egregious, reckless, or malicious behavior and deter similar conduct in the future.
How Does Pure Comparative Negligence Affect Compensation in Los Angeles?
In California, pure comparative negligence is a legal doctrine used in personal injury cases to determine how damages are allocated when more than one party is at fault for an accident.
Under pure comparative negligence:
- Each party’s degree of fault is assessed as a percentage. Even if the injured party (plaintiff) is partially at fault, they can still recover damages, but their percentage of fault will reduce the amount they receive.
For example, you are awarded $100,000 in damages in a car accident with a distracted driver but are found to be 30 percent at fault because you were going ten miles over the speed limit. In that case, your compensation will be reduced by 30 percent, leaving you with $70,000.
This underscores the necessity of hiring a skilled lawyer to counter the defense’s arguments that you bear a higher percentage of liability.
Contact Salamati Law for a Free Consultation
If you’ve been injured in Los Angeles due to someone else’s negligence, you deserve compensation for your pain, lost wages, and medical bills. At Salamati Law, we’ve been fighting for the rights of injury victims for years, ensuring they receive the justice and financial support they need to move forward. Don’t let the stress of an accident hold you back—contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation. There are no legal fees unless we win your case.
Los Angeles Personal Injury Law Blog
- Settlement Compensation for Fractured or Broken Bones
- Is It Worth It to Sue Over a Small Fracture?
- Injuries After School-Sponsored Athletics
- How COVID-19 May Impact Your Personal Injury Lawsuit
- What are the Most Common Causes of Fatal Car Accidents?
Additional Personal Injury resources:
- California Legislative Information, CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE – CCP, PART 2. OF CIVIL ACTIONS [307 – 1062.20] TITLE 2. OF THE TIME OF COMMENCING CIVIL ACTIONS [312 – 366.3] CHAPTER 3. The Time of Commencing Actions Other Than for the Recovery of Real Property [335 – 349.4], http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CCP§ionNum=338
- California Courts, The Judicial Branch of California, http://www.courts.ca.gov/courts.htm
