Maison Law represents injury victims in Bakersfield, regardless of your citizenship status. We know that accidents here can happen anywhere at any time, often when you can least afford it. To learn more about your legal options, contact us today. We’re proud to offer free, no-obligation consultations.
Does Your Citizenship Status Impact Your Legal Rights in Bakersfield?
The good news is, in Bakersfield and throughout California, your citizenship status generally doesn’t affect your legal rights if you’re injured. The laws here protect everyone equally, regardless of where they’re from. If you’re injured because someone else was negligent or acted wrongly, you have the right to file a lawsuit or other claim for your injuries.
With that said, the claims process can be challenging. Here’s what you can expect:
Insurance Claims
In most cases, the first step involves filing a claim with your own insurance company. It provides important documentation for your case, which could be useful if it progresses to a lawsuit. The next step usually involves filing a claim with the responsible party’s insurance company before considering a lawsuit. This approach may be suitable for smaller claims or those likely to settle quickly.
Lawsuits
For more significant claims or severe injuries, filing a lawsuit may be necessary. The decision to settle or proceed with legal action is ultimately yours to make.
Once your lawsuit is filed, the discovery process begins, which can be intricate and time-consuming. Both sides may object to certain requests for information, leading to delays. If the case proceeds to trial, it can be lengthy and expensive, with outcomes that are difficult to predict.
Throughout this process, our firm will keep you updated and work diligently to achieve the best possible outcome for your case.
What Damages Can You Get in a Lawsuit?
Again, the entire point of the legal process is to give injury victims the opportunity to recover financial support for their losses, known as “damages.” While this varies with every case, what you’re able to get back depends on several factors:
- How injured you are and will continue to be
- The mental and emotional toll the accident takes on you
- Whether you lost any property in the accident
- How much work you have to miss
- Who exactly is responsible and what exactly happened
- How much fault you contributed, known as “comparative negligence”
So, your damages are going to be built around these factors. And depending on how strong your claim is, you can potential recover the following in an injury claim:
- Medical expenses – These cover the costs of medical bills and ongoing care you need because of an injury.
- Lost income – These damages are for wages or salary you couldn’t earn because of the injury, including what you might have earned in the future.
- Property loss – This covers fixing or replacing your property that got damaged because of the accident.
- Pain and suffering – These damages are for the hurt you feel physically and mentally because of the injury.
- Emotional distress – These are separate from pain and suffering, and cover the emotional distress of the accident, like anxiety or PTSD that may develop.
- Loss of enjoyment of life – These damages are built around you not being able to do things you loved to do before the accident.
- Loss of companionship – Similarly, these damages deal with the impact the accident and your injuries have on your personal relationships.
When you’re trying to get damages, having an experienced team of lawyers on your side is important. At Maison Law, we’ll work to make your case strong and negotiate on your behalf. Moving quickly is also key to meeting legal deadlines and making sure your claim is filed on time. In California, you have two years from the date of the accident to file an injury claim or lawsuit.
Other Things You Should Do After an Accident
Before you even make it to the claims process, you have to think about what you need to do right after the accident. This becomes especially important later on, but your top priority should always be your health and safety. Taking care of those things usually lets everything else fall into place. However, after any accident you’re in, always make sure to:
- Get medical care right away
- Get to safety, away from danger
- Report the accident to police or any other authorities
- Gather evidence at the scene, like pictures and videos
- Exchange insurance information
- Talk to any witnesses and get their contact information
Contact Maison Law After a Bakersfield Accident
If you get injured in an accident in Bakersfield, it’s very important to have good legal help. At Maison Law, our team of smart and experienced personal injury lawyers understands how fast you need to move to take care of yourself and your rights. To get the legal help you need, contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
