Burbank Personal Injury Lawyer

Burbank Personal Injury Attorney

A Burbank personal injury attorney is a crucial asset after a personal injury. Injuries are hard enough on their own, but they often come with extra costs. Those costs might be medical bills or lost wages, or they might be things like pain and suffering or mental anguish. Sometimes, we bear these costs because our injury was caused by the negligence, or even malice, of someone else. In those cases, the law says that we are owed damages for your injuries.

You may have to fight for what is rightfully yours if you’ve been injured. However, that fight isn’t one that you have to face alone. At The Law Office of Nabil Chelico, we have the skills and experience you need to get the most optimal outcome. We are prepared to evaluate your claim and present a strong case for you to get the maximum recovery you are entitled to.

How Can I Get Help After a Personal Injury?

A personal injury happens when you suffer losses due to harm that’s been caused by another person or entity, such as a business. That person or entity may have been negligent, reckless, and, at times, may have acted intentionally in causing harm to you. The harm they have caused may be physical, but it could be emotional or psychological and economical as well. Some more common personal injuries include:

• Car accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Truck accidents
• Slip-and-falls
• Premises liability
• Medical malpractice
• Dog bites
• Bicycle accidents
• Product liability
• Rideshare accidents
• Traumatic brain injury
• Wrongful death

When to File a Personal Injury Claim

There is a limit to how long after the injury occurs that you can file, so it’s important to talk with a lawyer quickly. In most cases, the statute of limitations is two years. However, it may vary for certain kinds of personal injury cases. For instance, claims regarding property damage have a statute of limitations of three years. There are special rules that govern the statute of limitations to claims made by minors as well as other applicable circumstances. You should consult an attorney to determine whether your claim will be timely. They will be able to assess your situation and determine the relevant statute of limitations.

How to Prove Negligence After a Personal Injury in Burbank, CA

The key to a successful personal injury claim in Burbank, CA is the ability to prove negligence. Proving this element is what places the defendant at fault for the injuries. To prove negligence, 3 things must be demonstrated:

• Duty of Care – The plaintiff must be able to show that the defendant had a duty of care in the circumstance that led to the injury. In other words, the defendant should have reasonably expected there to be other people around and have behaved in a way that didn’t create an unreasonable risk for them. This is something that is generally understood in normal public circumstances. For instance, when driving, it’s acknowledged that drivers have a responsibility to follow traffic rules and not behave recklessly. That way, the drivers around them know what to expect and can behave accordingly.
• Breach of Duty – The plaintiff must also show that the defendant did not live up to the duty of care in that situation. The standard for this is typically how a reasonably careful person would have behaved. This means that the actions or lack thereof (not to act is a kind of action in this sense) of the defendant will be considered negligent if they are different from the way that a reasonably careful person would have acted, given the same circumstances.
• Causes – Lastly, the plaintiff must show that the actions of the defendant were the cause of their injuries. There must be a direct link between the negligent actions of the defendant to the plaintiff’s injuries. In other words, if the defendant’s actions had not occurred, then it’s unlikely that the injury would have as well.

What Kind of Damages Can You Expect After a Burbank Personal Injury

If the plaintiff can show that the defendant has been negligent, then they may be eligible to collect damages. These are meant to cover the costs and losses related to the injury. Expenses are only eligible for damages if they can be shown to be directly related to the injury that was caused by the defendant’s negligence. Damages are typically awarded in two different categories, but they can be awarded in a third category, known as punitive damages, in some circumstances. The two main categories of damages are:

• Economic Damages – These are damages that cover the quantifiable costs of the injury. These are the kinds of things that have a clear price associated with them, even if there needs to be some estimation of future value, as may be the case with future medical costs or lost earning capacity. Besides those two things, these damages cover medical bills, lost wages, property damages, and other quantifiable costs.
• Non-Economic Damages – These are damages that cover costs that are unquantifiable. It can be difficult to place a number on certain things that can’t really be fixed by monetary payments. However, because a monetary award is the only thing possible, precedence is considered, and an estimated amount of money is associated with these costs. The money is not meant to fix things but ease the injured person’s burdens while they either bear through pain and suffering or attempt to work through depression and anxiety. These damages cover the emotional and psychological costs that come from the injury.

What to Do After an Injury in Burbank, CA

The most important time determining the success of a personal injury case is often right after the incident in question. There are some things that can be done early on that can help you in the success of your case.

• Get Help If Needed – It’s always important to seek any medical attention that might be needed as quickly as possible. The paramedics will look for any traumatic injuries and do whatever they can to help. If you contact emergency services, then the police will come to the scene as well, and they will investigate the situation and prepare a report. The police report will be a valuable starting point for your attorney’s investigation of the case and your future claim.
• Document What You Can – In the immediate aftermath and throughout the process of managing your injury, documenting everything can be critical to your case. If you are able to take any pictures of the injuries or the scene of the incident that caused the injury, they may prove to be helpful in making your case. If you are too injured to take any photos and someone with you can do so, that can be helpful as well. As your management of the injury continues, make sure that you keep a good record of any medical bills and missed wages that were caused by the injury.
• Use Caution – Other than with the police, be careful with whom and how you discuss the accident, as anything that you say that sounds like taking the blame may be used against you. In particular, be careful when speaking with insurance companies. They may ask leading questions and look for you to admit some fault. You should speak with your lawyer, if you can, before having any conversations with insurance companies.
• Get a Medical Assessment – The paramedics at the scene are trained to look for traumatic injuries, but they may miss injuries that are more subtle or take time to manifest. Getting to a doctor for a fuller medical assessment can help uncover the full extent of your injuries. It’s important to do this quickly, as any delay could lead to claims that the injuries aren’t serious or were gotten elsewhere.
• Get Property Damage Assessed – It’s important to get an estimate of what any property that was damaged, such as a vehicle, will cost. Even if the insurance companies perform their own assessment, it may be valuable to have a second opinion.
• Contact Your Lawyer – Reach out to us at The Law Office of Nabil Chelico as soon as you can. We can help investigate your incident, negotiate with the insurance companies on your behalf, and take your claim to court if needed. The sooner you reach out to us, the more time we can have for investigation and building a strong case. We can also help you with how to handle speaking with insurance agents in the early days after the incident.

Find an Experienced Burbank Personal Injury Attorney

If you have been injured by someone else, then you may well be owed damages. Whether it was a car accident, dog bite, slip-and-fall, or any other kind of injury, it’s not likely that you will be able to get what you are owed without having to stand up and fight for it.

You don’t have to deal with insurance companies alone. The Law Office of Nabil Chelico is ready to stand up and be your representative. We can investigate the circumstances of your injury and prepare a claim for you. We can negotiate on your behalf to see if the long, drawn-out process of a trial can be avoided. If the case does go to trial, we are ready to demonstrate negligence by the other party and help you seek the damages that you’re owed. Contact us to take a look at your case today.