FAQ: What You Need to Know About California Personal Injury

A personal injury lawsuit can be filed when you've been hurt by a person or entity (a business, organization, or government agency) because of a negligent or intentionally wrongful act.

A personal injury can be anything from physical harm suffered in a car accident to emotional distress that's the result of someone committing libel or slander against you.

These are just some examples of personal injuries:

In other words, an act—that's not a crime—that causes you physical, emotional, or financial injury can be a “tort” (or civil cause of action).

Each state has its own statutes of limitations, which are the filing deadlines for lawsuits. You must file a lawsuit within a specific period of time, or you lose your right to make a claim.

In California, the statute of limitations depends on the type of personal injury lawsuit. For most personal injuries, the statute of limitations is 2 years from the date the injury happened, but there are some exceptions.

Yes and no.

If you were in a car accident that was the other driver's fault, your insurance company should work with their insurance company to have your expenses covered.

In theory.

But in reality, there's only so much your insurance company can do. If the other insurance company refuses to acknowledge the other driver's liability, or if the insurers can't come to an agreement on how much your damages are worth, there's nothing more your insurance company can do.

Your own insurance company might also make you a lowball offer to settle your claim. The less the company pays out in settlements, the more profit it makes. Your insurance company isn't motivated to get you the most money; it's motivated is to settle the claim and spend the least money possible.

If the amount you're being offered by your insurance company doesn't cover your expenses, a personal injury lawyer can help you take the next steps to pursue additional damages or file a lawsuit.

In a personal injury case, the only remedy is money.

If you file a personal injury lawsuit, part of the claim will be a request for a certain amount of “damages,” which is the money that the defendant is obligated to pay you if you win. Your lawyer can help determine what your demand should be based on how much you've lost.

The basis for personal injury law is to make the plaintiff “whole”. In other words, it's intended to restore you to the position you would be in if the accident hadn't happened. The way the court does this is by awarding money that will cover any expenses associated with the injury.

Damages are either economic, non-economic, or punitive.

Some states have damage caps, which means there's a maximum amount a plaintiff can recover for a personal injury.

In California, you can always recover your economic damages to the fullest extent. The only damage cap in state statute is on non-economic damages (for instance, pain and suffering) specifically for medical malpractice cases. If you're a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case in California, you can recover up to $250,000 in non-economic damages.

In every personal injury lawsuit, the plaintiff faces the burden of proof to demonstrate that these elements exist:

• Duty
• Breach
• Causation
• Foreseeability
• Damages

Everyone owes a duty of care to the people around them, whether they're fellow drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, retail store patrons, a doctor/patient relationship, or any other situation that relates one person to another. That means you have a duty to act or not act in a certain way in order to avoid causing harm to other people.

If a defendant breaches that duty and it causes the plaintiff's injury in a way that could've been reasonably foreseeable, the defendant could be considered negligent.

Sometimes a settlement will yield a higher damage award than a trial verdict and there will be fewer expenses. Most personal injury lawyers will try to settle a lawsuit out of court.

Many personal injury lawyers charge a contingency fee. This means that if you receive a settlement or win a damage award, you'd pay a percentage of that amount to your lawyer. There's no standard percentage that lawyers earn, but it's usually around 33% of what you recover. If you lose the case or recover nothing, you won't have to pay attorney fees.

There can be up-front fees involved, too. If your lawyer needs to hire investigators, expert witnesses, or the case requires travel, you might be responsible for paying those costs before you recover any money.

Be sure to read the fine print in any retainer agreement you sign with a lawyer. There might be a little room for negotiation, depending on the size of your case, the defendant, and the likelihood of success. Don't be afraid to ask a prospective lawyer any questions you have before you sign the retainer.

You might be able to file a lawsuit without hiring a lawyer if the case is eligible for small claims court.

You can file any claim in small claims court that you could otherwise, as long as the amount of your demand is less than $10,000. In California, a plaintiff may not file a claim that's worth more than $2,500 more than twice a year. A public entity or business has a limit of $5,000.

If you expect to recover less than $10,000, small claims court might be a good choice that saves you time and money, and allows you to recover your losses quickly. Most people represent themselves in small claims court without attorneys present.

If your injury is work-related, you might be able to handle it on your own through the workers' compensation system.

Selecting a lawyer is very personal, like choosing your doctor or therapist. You need to feel comfortable sharing private information and be confident that your lawyer will be your strongest ally and advocate for what you need to recover.