Maison Law supports skateboarders’ rights after they’ve been hit by a car in Porterville. If you or a loved one has been injured in a skateboarding accident due to a careless driver, the Personal Injury Attorneys at Maison Law can help you get compensation for your injuries and protect you from liability. It only takes a split second of inattention for a driver to hit a skateboarder attempting to cross the street. And when a vehicle hits a skateboarder who has nothing more than a helmet for protection, the resulting injuries tend to be life-altering.
That’s why, at Maison Law, we stand up for skateboarders who have been injured by reckless drivers in Porterville. If you’re an injured skateboarder who is suffering injuries, financial losses, and mental trauma after being hit by a vehicle, our firm is ready to advocate on your behalf and protect your right to compensation. Don’t wait until it’s too late to take legal action. Contact Maison Law today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
Do I Need a Lawyer for a Skateboard Accident?
Sadly, Porterville is notorious for car accidents, and the unfortunate reality is that many of these accidents involve skateboarders. According to the National Safety Council, over 220,000 skateboarders had to be treated in an emergency room after suffering an injury while out skateboarding. Car accidents remain at all-time highs in Porterville since it is a growing Central Valley City where main roads and intersections on highways SR-65 and SR-190 have frequent collisions.
Unfortunately, when a skateboarder is injured by a careless driver, they are often neglected by insurance companies. Typically, injured skateboarders are offered extremely low settlements that do not come close to covering the full extent of their injuries. On top of that, skateboarders are frequently blamed for causing accidents on the road by drivers, further complicating their path toward recovering compensation.
But that’s where the Skateboard Accident Lawyers at Maison Law can help. We advocate on behalf of injured skateboarders in Porterville by protecting them from liability after being involved in an accident and ensuring they receive financial compensation for the following damages:
- Economic damages: financial damages you incurred due to the accident.
- Medical bills
- Lost Wages
- Loss of future potential earnings
- Loss of property
- Cost of property repair or replacement
- Non-economic damages: these are subjective, non-compensatory damages.
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages: these are damages awarded to serve as punishment to the at-fault party.
- Reckless behavior (DUI, street racing)
- Actions performed out of spite
Steps You Should Take After a Skateboard Accident in Porterville
A skateboard accident can be life-altering, which is why it is important to make sure you take the necessary steps to get your life back on track. At Maison Law, we can handle your case for you, so you don’t have to worry about being taken advantage of by the insurance company or missing out on compensation you may need for current and future medical procedures. We recommend taking the following steps to ensure you have a strong case:
- Collect Medical Records: Even if your injuries seem minor, they can manifest into something much worse weeks later. So, it is recommended to check in with a doctor and get a record of your injury. An MRI or an X-ray can reveal substantial damage that you might not be aware of. These documents will be essential to building a strong case.
- Get a Police Report: Failing to alert the police does not help your case, especially if the case comes down to your word over the person responsible for your injuries. A police officer will file an accident report and may even assign blame based on their assessment. A police report is critical evidence in any claim and will play a key role in ensuring you are fully compensated.
- Gather Evidence: You should document the accident as thoroughly as possible. Take pictures of the property where the accident occurred. Take a video of yourself recounting the accident while it is still fresh in your mind.
- Collect Eye Witness Statements: if there are any eyewitnesses, try and get a statement from them. Or, at least, get their names and numbers, as they can testify on your behalf or provide a statement to corroborate your story later.
- Collect General Information: Exchange insurance information with the party responsible for your injuries, and be sure to get their name, phone number, and contact information.
- Contact Maison Law: Our firm is standing by to help skateboard accident victims in Porterville, physically and financially recover. Call, text, or email. Our door is always open to the community, and we’d love to help you through this difficult time.
What Info is Needed During a Law Firm’s Intake Process?
The intake process usually starts off with a questionnaire to assess the merits of the case. This questionnaire will provide the law firm with key information to help determine if a case is worth pursuing or not. However, if you’d like to speak directly to an attorney, you can usually setup a brief meeting to discuss the details of your situation prior to answering a questionnaire. The following data is what potential clients will need to begin the intake process with a law firm:
- Employment details: current or former employer, job title, dates of employment, and compensation information.
- Nature of the complaint: type of carelessness that led to your injury (premise liability, car accident, defective equipment)
- Timeline of events: dates of key incidents, formal complaints filed, relevant communications with employer
- Witnesses: names and contact information of potential witnesses to the alleged misconduct
- Documentation: list of relevant documents (x-rays, MRIs, doctor’s diagnosis, physical therapy appointments, workers’ compensation forms)
- Prior legal action: if you’ve filed previous personal injury claims, then the details of your previous case may be relevant to your new case
- Medical information: details about your medical diagnosis and treatment plan
- Social media presence: your injury may be documented online, as well as you discussing the details of your personal injury
How Maison Law Will Help You Win a Fair Settlement
At Maison Law, we aggressively pursue a fair settlement on your behalf. We understand that a personal injury claim is your one chance to recover compensation for your current and future damages. So, we exercise every legal avenue to get you the financial compensation you need. We accomplish this through:
- Accurate damage calculation: we calculate damages based on expert testimony, medical evaluations, and economic analyses to cover every aspect of your current and long-term, medical needs.
- Clear reports and expert witness testimony: our firm compiles detailed reports that outline the extent of your injuries and the impact they will have on the rest of your life. We organize expert witness testimony to reinforce the credibility of your claim and the incident.
- Minimizing liability: if you file a claim or lawsuit against an at-fault party, they will most likely attempt to put some or all of the blame onto you. Our firm will analyze your case and work to minimize or eliminate liability in your personal injury accident.
- Negotiating with insurers: our experienced team of lawyers are expert negotiators and understand the tacts insurance companies will take to attempt to minimize your damages and compensation. We ensure our clients receive a fair settlement that fully covers their current and future needs.
- Court Representation: our trial lawyers will represent you in court and build a strong case, highlighting the depth of your injuries and the necessity for recovering damages.
How Does Fault Work in a Porterville Skateboard Injury Accident?
In California, fault is determined by a “comparative negligence” system. Comparative negligence allows an injured party who shares fault for their injuries to receive compensation, a legal action covered by the Comparative Negligence Law, which states:
“Under the pure comparative negligence rule, the state allows the plaintiff to claim damages for the 1% they are not at fault even when they are 99% at fault.”
For example, let’s say a skateboarder gets hit by a car when the vehicle takes a sudden right turn without signaling in front of a skateboarder bombing a hill down a highway in Porterville. The skateboarder suffers broken ribs and is unable to work for 6 months.
In a hypothetical case like this, the injured skateboarder could be found by a jury to be at 40% fault for their injury for bombing a hill on a skateboard, which is prohibited in Porterville. This would leave the driver with 60% of the fault for turning without signaling and not watching out for others on the road. So, if the final verdict rewards the injured skateboarder with $400,000, they will get $160,000 because their compensation will be reduced by the 40% they were found at fault.
California Skateboard Law
California state law permits local governments like Porterville to form their own skateboarding laws. That’s why you’ll find skateboarding laws differing from city to city across the Golden State. However, in the state of California, all bicyclists, scooter riders, and skateboarders have the legal right to use the road in California. But even with the general right to skateboard on the road, there are provisions skateboarders must follow, according to state law:
- Skateboarders under the age of 18 are required by law to wear helmets at all times
- Must stop at stop signs and red lights
- Must yield to all vehicles at yield signs
- Skateboarders are required to yield to both marked and unmarked crosswalks
- Must not impede traffic or interfere with the flow of traffic
- Cannot be towed by a motor vehicle or bicycle at an unsafe speed
- Skateboarders must yield to bicyclists in the bike lane
- Skateboarders cannot leave a curb or any roadside place of safety and travel in the path of a vehicle
How Skateboard Injury Accidents Occur
Serious skateboarding injuries happen when you lose control of your board. This could be a result of a premises liability such as a damaged ramp, objects left on the ground, or unsafe conditions. Losing control of your board could cause you to fall into a motor vehicle, a road hazard, a pedestrian, or another skateboarder, resulting in serious injury. Skateboarders can put themselves at even greater risk of injuries if they:
- Don’t use protective equipment
- Don’t maintain the quality of their skateboard
- Skateboard on irregular surfaces
- Attempt a trick beyond their skill level
Skateboarders at the highest risk of injury include:
- Inexperienced skateboarders: those who have been skating for less than a week, make up for one-third of skateboarding injuries.
- Skateboarders who fail to wear protective gear: helmets, wrist guards, elbow guards, and knee pads can prevent serious injury in a skateboarding accident.
- Skateboarders who attempt stunts on uneven surfaces: irregular riding surfaces can give pause to even the most experienced skateboarders as the risk of injury is high when attempting tricks on uneven surfaces.
FAQs
Q: How does “duty of care” apply to a skateboard accident?
A: Property owners must exercise a “duty of care” to take reasonable steps to maintain their property, discover potential hazards, and warn visitors of foreseeable hazards that exist.
Q: How many skateboard injury cases end up going to trial?
A: Very few skateboard injury cases go to trial. If there is an unwillingness to settle, then you will go to trial. However, 95% of civil cases will end up settling out of court.
Q: What’s the deadline for filing a skateboard injury claim in Porterville?
A: The statute of limitations for personal injuries is 2 years from the date of the accident.
Q: Do I have to go to court to receive compensation?
A: No, you do not have to go to court to receive compensation. Most personal injury lawsuits settle out of court, in which case your attorney will collect your compensation from the insurance company and give it to you.
Contact a Porterville Skateboard Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one has suffered injuries due to a skateboard accident anywhere in Porterville, the attorneys at Maison Law are here to help. We’ll aggressively pursue fair compensation on your behalf and protect you from liability. Too often, skateboarders are viewed in a negative light by the law, which is why they need legal representation when seeking compensation for their injuries. To get the compensation you need after a skateboarding injury, contact Maison Law today for a free, no-obligation consultation and case evaluation. There are no upfront fees, and you don’t pay a cent unless we win your case.
Additional Resources:
