(562) 698-6446
(562) 698-6446
Our Whittier personal injury attorneys at Hanning & Sacchetto, LLP know there is a lot of confusion surrounding civil legal claims in California. We also realize a lot of that uncertainty comes from the injurious incident itself. After all, no one expects to leave their home or work only to be injured by another person’s negligence. When it happens, everything changes.
Whether someone is hurt because of another’s negligent action or inaction, they have the right to file a personal injury claim against the liable party’s insurance company for their damages.
With few exceptions, the California statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the injury. You have two years from your accident to file a suit. While this may seem like an unlimited timeline to pursue results, there are multiple reasons why injury victims should act sooner rather than later to help ensure their physical, emotional, and financial recovery is the priority.
Acting Right Away Helps Accurately Outline Your Injuries.
Our California personal injury lawyers encourage all injury victims to seek medical care immediately after their accident. You cannot diagnose your injuries without professional medical help. If you wait, you could suffer delayed, catastrophic injuries to the head, neck, back, or internal organs that go undiagnosed.
Seek medical care immediately, ensure a treatment plan is in place, and follow all your physician’s directions in the future.
Acting Right Away Helps Preserve Crucial Evidence.
No matter where your injury occurred, the person, party, or entity who may be liable for your damages will do what they can to remove any potentially critical evidence from the scene that points to their liability.
For instance, if you fell into an open area at a construction site that should have been fenced off, take pictures — or enlist a friend or family member to take pictures — of the area before you leave the scene. The site will be blocked or repaired if you wait to record the details of the accident scene.
Likewise, if you are in an accident with a commercial vehicle, retaining a personal injury attorney quickly will allow your representative to review the truck driver’s logbooks and essential records, the trucking company’s employee records, and all crucial evidence that proves either — or both — are liable for your injuries. If even a day goes by, these critical details can be destroyed.
Acting Right Away Gives the Insurance Company Little Room to Deny Your Claim.
Depending on how your injury occurred, you may pursue a vehicle insurance policy, a commercial property insurance policy, or even a homeowner’s insurance policy for your damages. The one thing they all have in common is that standing between you and your financial recovery is an insurance company.
Insurance companies will do all they can to avoid paying claims. Even when they do, they will search for reasons to undervalue your damages.
If you wait to seek medical care, speak with an attorney, and preserve crucial evidence, you may open the door for the insurance company to deny your claim. The insurance representative may state that since you waited to get medical care — or if you didn’t follow your physician’s complete instructions — you are not as hurt as your claim proposed. Likewise, if you did not preserve any evidence or work closely with a personal injury attorney who could, you simply prove you were injured because of their policyholder’s negligence.
Contact Our California Personal Injury Attorneys at Hanning & Sacchetto Today
If you have been injured because of another person or party’s negligence, contact our experienced personal injury attorneys in Whittier today by calling (562) 698-6446 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your legal rights and options to pursue the liable party for your complete compensation needs.
