Suffering from an injury caused by someone else’s negligent or reckless actions can be frustrating, especially if the injury or accident was avoidable. If you have recently suffered injuries in an accident in Newport Beach, California, you might be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, disability, and suffering. The experienced Newport Beach personal injury lawyers at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian can help you fight to maximize your financial recovery.
Why Clients Choose Us
Since 1990, our award-winning California trial attorneys have been passionate advocates for accident victims and families in Newport Beach and throughout Orange County. Collectively, we have 75+ years of courtroom and litigation experience in cases involving car accidents, truck accidents, construction accidents, product liability, wrongful death, and other matters of personal injury.
Our attorneys can confidently go up against insurance companies and their claims adjusters in pursuit of maximum compensation for your injuries and losses. We are also prepared to go to trial in the event that a fair settlement cannot be reached. Our results speak volumes, with more than $1 billion in settlements, benefits, and jury awards recovered on behalf of clients like you.
How a Newport Beach Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You
You can benefit in numerous ways from hiring a personal injury lawyer in Newport Beach to represent you as an injured accident victim. The injury claims process can be complicated and difficult to navigate – especially while you are already dealing with serious injuries and keeping up with medical treatments. An attorney can guide you through the legal process while preserving your best interests.
Your lawyer can take over communications with an insurance company for you and negotiate a just settlement on your behalf using proven legal strategies. A law firm has the resources to hire experts, return to the scene of your accident to investigate, collect and present evidence, take care of claims paperwork, and go to trial if necessary. You can take advantage of tailored legal advice and assistance from highly experienced attorneys while you focus on healing.
Our Personal Injury Practice Areas
At Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian, we’re exclusively committed to advocating for people whose lives have been turned upside-down after tragic accidents.
We handle all types of personal injury disputes, including:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Boating accidents
- Product liability
- Premises liability
- Catastrophic injuries, including brain injury, spinal cord injury, burns, and amputation
- Wrongful death
Our reputation as aggressive and successful trial attorneys can provide a huge benefit to you throughout the claims process. Contact our law office to learn more about how our top-rated legal team can help you maximize your financial award.
How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer in Newport Beach Cost?
Do not let the perceived cost of a personal injury lawyer deter you from hiring one for a complicated case. At Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian, you won’t pay your lawyer anything upfront or out of pocket, whether you win or lose.
Our Newport Beach personal injury lawyers operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will only be charged attorney’s fees if your case results in a financial recovery. If we do not win your case, you won’t owe us a dime for legal services rendered.
If your case does result in a settlement or judgment award, we will deduct our fee from the overall amount won. While the rate can change from case to case, it ranges from around 33 percent to 40 percent. We will inform you of the cost of our services before you sign anything.
What Is a Personal Injury Case?
A personal injury case is a type of civil lawsuit that is filed by an injured accident victim in pursuit of financial compensation from one or more parties for causing the harmful incident. The victim or filing party will become the plaintiff in a personal injury case, while the accused party is known as the defendant.
Most personal injury cases are founded on the legal doctrine of negligence. In civil law, negligence refers to the failure to act with proper care. When one person’s negligence, carelessness or recklessness results in injury to another person, the negligent party can be held liable (financially responsible) for the victim’s losses.
Filing a personal injury claim against one or more defendants in Newport Beach could result in financial compensation or damages paid for your past and future losses. However, you or your attorney will need to prove the elements of negligence as more likely to be true than not true to win your case. This is known as “a preponderance of the evidence.”
Evidence to Prove a Newport Beach Personal Injury Case
A burden of proof is a legal concept that refers to the responsibility of a party to provide sufficient evidence to support the claim that is being made in a legal proceeding. The burden of proof varies depending on the type of case. In criminal law, the burden is “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” The burden of proof is not as high in a civil personal injury case.
A preponderance of the evidence means enough proof to demonstrate that the defendant is more likely than not to be responsible for the injury or loss being claimed by the plaintiff. The plaintiff bears the burden of proof in a personal injury case, meaning the victim or victim’s attorney must provide compelling evidence of negligence.
Common types of evidence used in a California personal injury case include police reports, accident reports, medical records, eyewitness statements, expert testimony, employment documents, photographs and video footage, and cell phone records. An attorney from Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian can search for evidence to support your case.
Damages Available to Newport Beach Accident Victims
Whether you file a claim for insurance benefits or pursue damages in a civil personal injury lawsuit, you’ll generally be entitled to compensation for financial losses (economic awards) and personal suffering (non-economic awards).
Collectively, these are known as compensatory damages and can include money for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Nursing care
- Property damage
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
Since every person will have a different experience, there’s no standard settlement for personal injury cases in Newport Beach. Instead, specific details of every case will drive the valuation process.
Important considerations include your age and earning capacity, the type of injury you suffered, shared responsibility, available insurance benefits, and how your life has been changed (and will continue to change) because of your accident.
Our personal injury attorneys in Newport Beach, California will aggressively pursue maximum compensation on your behalf. We’ll work closely with experts and specialists and dig deep to understand the full scope and impact of your injuries.
California Personal Injury Laws
A successful personal injury claim in Newport Beach requires proper navigation of California’s related laws. If you make a mistake – such as missing California’s statute of limitations (deadline for filing a claim) – you could give up the right to sue forever. This is why it is essential to discuss your legal matter with an attorney as soon as possible.
Three key California personal injury laws to know are:
- Fault-based car insurance law. California is an “at-fault” state for car accident cases. This means the person or party at fault can be held financially responsible for the victim’s losses. In no-fault states, each party pays for their own damages, regardless of fault.
- Comparative negligence rule. California law states that a plaintiff’s fault for causing an injury does not preclude him or her from making a financial recovery. However, the plaintiff’s financial award will be reduced by an amount equivalent to his or her percentage of fault.
- Damage caps. In California, there is a cap or limit on the amount of financial compensation that can be awarded to a plaintiff in medical malpractice cases. This law limits a victim’s recovery to no more than $250,000 for noneconomic damages (pain and suffering).
Virtually hundreds of personal injury laws may apply to your case in Newport Beach. Our lawyers can explain and help you navigate the federal, state and local statutes that pertain to your specific legal situation. We can use our in-depth knowledge of the law to your advantage during settlement negotiations or a personal injury trial.
Steps to Take After a Personal Injury Accident in Newport Beach
If you get injured in any type of accident in Newport Beach, it is important to try to remain calm and remember which steps to take to protect yourself. Skipping steps or forgetting to do certain things could make it more difficult for you to receive the compensation you deserve for an injury in Southern California.
The basic steps you should take include:
- Prioritize safety. Get to a safe location to check yourself and others for injuries.
- Call 911 to report the accident and request medical assistance.
- Seek immediate medical attention for your injuries.
- If you get injured at work or on someone else’s property, notify your employer or the property owner.
- Exchange information with all other parties involved, including eyewitnesses.
- Document the scene before you leave by taking photos and videos.
- Write down a detailed description of events while they are still fresh in your mind.
- Follow your doctor’s treatment orders while you heal from your injury.
- Collect copies of all accident reports, medical records and other relevant documents.
- Contact a personal injury lawyer for further advice and instruction.
Do not admit fault for the accident or give too many details when asked questions by police officers or insurance company claims adjusters. Avoid posting about your accident on social media. Most importantly, protect yourself by consulting with an attorney as soon as possible. A lawyer can take over the claims process to ensure your rights are protected.
Do All Personal Injury Cases Go to Court?
A personal injury case in Newport Beach does not necessarily have to go to court to reach a resolution. The majority of personal injury claims reach settlements outside of court. A settlement is an agreement between an insurance company and a claimant to resolve a legal dispute for an agreed-upon sum of money. It is important to hire a trial attorney in Newport Beach, however, in case your legal matter does require going to court.
How to Choose the Right Personal Injury Lawyer
In addition to trial experience, you should look for many other traits in your ideal personal injury lawyer in Newport Beach. Not all lawyers are created equal. It is crucial to take the time to research your options before deciding which attorney to hire. The right lawyer will have everything your case needs to succeed.
Things to look for include:
- Experience in your specific type of personal injury claim.
- Positive case results acquired for past clients.
- Good law firm reviews and client testimonials.
- A strong network of relationships in the legal community.
- Reasonable and transparent attorney’s fees.
- Frequent communication with your attorney, not an assistant or paralegal.
- Law offices available in convenient locations near you.
- A compassionate and empathetic attorney who cares about your future.
Meet with an attorney during a free case consultation to get legal advice about your specific case and come to an informed decision about which lawyer to hire. The attorneys at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian have been a top choice for injured accident victims in Southern California since 1990.
Timeline to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit
The statute of limitations for most personal injury claims in Newport Beach, California is two years. If you don’t file your claim on time, you’ll miss the opportunity to recover the compensation you need and deserve. You can protect your rights – and set yourself up for victory – by calling Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian for help right after your accident.
Contact an Experienced Newport Beach Personal Injury Attorney Today
Our Newport Beach personal injury attorneys are ready to invest the time, resources, and teamwork needed to get you top results. We’ll stand up to the insurance company and at-fault parties on your behalf so that you can focus on getting better, so give our Newport Beach law office a call at (931)-831-6611 (toll free: 833-758-0785) today to schedule your free consultation.