Best Personal Injury Lawyers Long Beach, CA Of 2024

• Alex Behar
• Arnoldo Casillas
• Jesse Creed
• M. Lawrence Lallande
• Keith Lovendosky
• Demetrios Papanikolas
• Lyssa A. Roberts
• Federico C. Sayre
• Laura Frank Sedrish
• Matthew Stumpf

Every state restricts the amount of time a plaintiff has for bringing a civil action against a negligent party. The time limits are defined by statutes of limitations and they change according to the type of dispute and claim. Typically, the time frame to file a lawsuit begins either on the date of incident or discovery of the injury.

The purpose of the statute of limitations is to provide a date by which a case must be filed, allowing all parties involved to move forward with their lives in a timely manner. It also ensures that the defendant is made aware that they are being accused of committing a wrongful action against the plaintiff in a timely manner. Once the statute of limitations expires, the opportunity to seek damages through a civil action for that specific incident also disappears.

In California, the general statute of limitations for all personal injury claims is two years from the date of the incident (or date of death if it’s a wrongful death lawsuit). This rule applies for injuries stemming from auto collision, dog bites, slip and fall, premises liability and other negligence-based incidents. For example, if you were injured in a car accident on September 1st, 2022, your deadline to file a personal injury claim and seek compensation for medical expenses and related losses is September 1st, 2024.

There are some exceptions to this rule:

• Medical malpractice. If the injury occurred due to a healthcare provider or facility’s medical negligence, you have three years from the incident or one year from the date of discovery of the injury, whichever comes first, to file a claim.
• Delayed discovery. If you are unaware of the injury immediately after an accident, such as an auto accident or slip and fall, your two-year statute of limitations begins from the date you discover the injury.
• Government agency. If the injury was caused by a government entity, you must file an administrative claim with the entity within six months of the incident. The government agency then has 45 days to respond. If your claim is denied, you have six months from the denial to file a lawsuit with a court. If the agency does not respond to the administrative claim, you have two years from the injury date to sue.
• Minor or mentally impaired victims. If the victim is a minor at the time of the accident, their statute of limitations is delayed until they turn 18. Similarly, if the victim suffers from a mental impairment at the time of the incident, their time limit begins once the impairment is resolved.
• Defendant is out-of-state. If the person you intend to sue is out of state, the statute of limitations starts when they return to California.

Fault or liability is a crucial factor that impacts the success of your claim and the amount of compensation you can receive.

Since California is an at-fault state, the party found accountable for the accident and injuries is responsible for compensating the losses of the injured party, either through a settlement or a jury award.

The entity responsible for determining liability will vary depending on whether your case settles or goes to trial. During the settlement process, the insurance company assesses liability by conducting an independent investigation. An insurance adjuster may examine the damages and evidence to determine if their policyholder holds blame for the accident. In California, insurers typically have 40 days to investigate a claim and make a decision to accept or deny it.

However, if liability is disputed or if the parties disagree on who was at fault, your Long Beach personal injury attorney may decide to initiate a personal injury lawsuit against the other party and take the case to trial. In this scenario, the jury determines liability after hearing both your and the defendant’s sides of the case.

But what if you also share some amount of fault in the accident? California follows a pure comparative negligence model for cases where both parties may bear some responsibility.

If the court finds both you and the defendant liable for the accident, they assign a percentage of fault to each party. The compensation you can collect is reduced according to your percentage of fault.

For example, consider this situation: A motorcyclist is riding his motorcycle without a helmet, and a car driver, distracted while talking on his phone, runs a red light and crashes into the motorcyclist while he is making a left turn. After assessing the evidence and circumstances, the court determines that the motorcyclist is 20% at fault for not wearing a helmet, and the car driver is 80% at fault for running the red light.

If the motorcyclist sues the car driver for $50,000 in damages, the amount he can collect will be reduced by 20%, resulting in $40,000 (i.e., $50,000 – 20% of $50,000) in compensation.

In a personal injury lawsuit, there are generally two types of damages that you can be awarded: compensatory damages and punitive damages.

Compensatory damages are intended to make you whole again by restoring you to the position you were in before the injury occurred. These damages can be economic (monetary) and non-economic (non-monetary).

Examples of compensatory damages include:

• Medical expenses. You can recover the costs of diagnosis, care and treatment, as well as anticipated future medical expenses. Your personal injury attorney in Long Beach, CA, may work with doctors and other experts to figure out how much treatment and care may cost you.
• Lost income. You can be compensated for the wages, bonuses and benefits you missed out on due to your injury. Additionally, reduced earning potential may be considered if your injury resulted in a need to take a lower-paying job.
• Pain and suffering. This compensates you for the emotional and psychological harm caused by the accident, such as anxiety, insomnia, depression and PTSD.
• Loss of enjoyment. Injuries may prevent you from participating in activities you once enjoyed and compensation can be sought for the diminished joy in these activities.

There are other potential damages available depending on your case. Your attorney will work to identify all relevant losses and assign a dollar value to each to determine a fair value for your claim.

On the other hand, punitive damages are awarded in extreme cases where the defendant’s actions were particularly egregious or malicious. Unlike compensatory damages, punitive damages punish the defendant and deter them from similar actions from being repeated in the future. These damages are not commonly awarded and are typically reserved for cases involving severe wrongdoing.

Damage Caps in California Personal Injury Lawsuits

In California, there are no limits on compensatory damages in personal injury lawsuits, which means you can be awarded full compensation for medical expenses, lost income and other quantifiable financial losses resulting from the injury.

However, there is a limit on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. Regardless of the severity of the injury or the number of defendants involved in a medical malpractice case, non-economic damages are currently capped at $350,000, but will increase by $40,000 each year until it reaches $750,000. This cap in medical malpractice cases that involve a wrongful death is currently $500,000 but will increase each year b $50,000 until it reaches $1 million.

The Long Beach personal injury attorney you select can make or break the outcome of your lawsuit. Here are some tips to help you find the perfect lawyer:

• Case-specific knowledge. Just as a person with heart disease would seek treatment from a cardiologist, you should find an attorney with deep expertise in handling the type of accident that caused your injuries. For example, if you were injured in a dog bite incident, seek an attorney experienced in dog bite cases.
• Interview the attorneys. Take advantage of free consultations offered by many personal injury attorneys. Ask about their previous experience, compensation obtained in similar cases and their approach to handling your case. Be cautious of attorneys who promise specific amounts of money as every case is unique.
• Trial experience. Find a personal injury attorney in Long Beach, CA, who has an extensive history presenting cases in court before a jury. If the insurance company keeps offering a subpar settlement, your attorney’s prior litigation and trial experience will come in handy to win the compensation that matches your case’s value.
• Payment structure. Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, meaning they only get paid if you win your case. Inquire about the percentage they will take from your recovery and any additional legal fees you should be aware of.

When creating this list of the Best Personal Injury Lawyers in Long Beach, CA, for 2024, Forbes Advisor considered many factors. Our mathematical module considers and weighs the information collected to calculate a specific rating and reviews these results to find the best attorneys in a given practice area.

Within the model, we review factors that legal professionals and consumers value in an attorney’s qualifications. After assigning weighted scores to hundreds of data points, we narrowed the field down to our top choices based on:

• Legal experience,
• Special licenses and certifications
• Ethics and bar disciplinary measures
• Legal thought leadership
• Education and employment background
• Scholarly lectures and writings
• Awards and honors

Forbes Advisor collects public data from various sources, including state bar associations, court records and other published sources on the internet. This information should not be considered comprehensive, however. It might not include additional relevant information on an attorney’s legal skills and experience.

Each lawyer listed here has their own merits. Remember that our list relates to these lawyers’ legal backgrounds but does not evaluate their personalities or knowledge of the law. One attorney may be more suitable than another for your specific legal situation.

One thing that can’t be quantified, though, is the rapport you establish with your attorney. Personality goes a long way when teaming up with an attorney, especially when facing a potentially difficult legal situation. These rankings should serve as a reference and potential starting point in your search for the right lawyer for you and your legal concerns.

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