Oxnard Personal
Injury Attorney

From your legal rights to the types of injuries most often associated with common accidents, an Oxnard personal injury attorney knows the options available to help. Even if you need life-long medical care, a proper settlement can cover the costs of treatment and loss of financial resources in your life.

In 2016, there were 1,530 victims of traffic accidents in Oxnard, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The OTS recorded 284 speed-related collisions and 149 hit and run accidents. The most common types of accidents seen by Oxnard personal injury lawyers include:

Car Accidents – Auto accidents affect people from all walks of life. Many are unable to cope with the overwhelming debt caused by a loss of income and expensive medical bills. As if the physical and emotional impacts aren’t enough.

An Oxnard personal injury attorney’s job is to determine whether the defendant was at fault and what actions caused the accident. Distracted driving, drunk driving, failure to yield, illegal turns, failing to maintain a vehicle, and speeding are common forms of negligence that puts Oxnard residents in harm’s way. After an accident, it’s important to have a lawyer on your side who can investigate the case, gather evidence quickly, speak to witnesses, and fight for your rights and interests.

Motorcycle Accidents – Motorcyclists are extremely vulnerable to severe injuries. In Southern California’s warm climate and outdoors culture, motorcycle wrecks are all too common. Injuries range from road rash to broken bones to traumatic brain injuries that can be life-changing if not fatal.

Motorcycle accidents are often caused by speeding, distracted, or otherwise negligent drivers. Making left turns without checking, making unsafe lane changes, and driver fatigue can cause accidents too. Sometimes defective parts can cause a rider to lose control, which can pin liability on a manufacturer. Motorcyclists need to adhere to road rules as well, including safety laws regarding helmet use and more, to ensure the most favorable legal outcome.

Truck Accidents  – Most fatalities in motor vehicle-truck accidents are passenger vehicle occupants. An 18-wheeler can weigh 20 times or more than a passenger car and take up to 40 percent farther to stop. To top it off, many drivers go for longer than the 11-hour stretches allotted by federal law, and fatigue is a known risk factor in truck crashes.

Truck accident negligence and liability may involve the truck driver, but can include their employer, the owner of the vehicle, or a mechanic who performed service on it. A truck or parts manufacturer, loading company, or a weigh station official may be liable as well, depending on the circumstances. Drivers may be lax in keeping evidence such as black box data, receipts, cell phone records, dashcam footage, and accident reports, so it’s important to have an attorney investigate the case immediately.

Pedestrian Accidents – Far too many pedestrians are hit by cars, buses, trains, motorcycles, rideshare vehicles, and trucks. Distracted driving is a common cause, but an attorney must also consider whether a signal malfunction or inadequate signage at the accident scene contributed to a crash. A pedestrian accident can range from minor bumps and bruises to life-changing spinal cord and brain injuries. Vehicle type and speed are important factors. At 16 miles per hour, the risk of severe injury is 10%, while an impact at 23 miles per hour increases that risk to 25%; at 46 miles per hour, it is 90%, according to the AAA Foundation. The average risk for severe injury also goes up with age.

Burn Injury – Every year, more than 450,000 people in the U.S. are burned. Most burn injuries are caused by kitchen accidents involving stoves, boiling liquids, and faulty appliances. Electrical accidents, automotive crashes, and defective products with flammable materials are common causes as well.

Burns range in severity from first-degree burns of the epidermis to second-degree burns that damage the outer dermis. Third-degree burns destroy the skin, leaving it charred and leather-like and damaging underlying tissues and nerves. Over the long-term, a severe burn can limit mobility, impede sweating, create oversensitivity to stimuli, and lead to amputations.

TBI/Head Injury – Like a spinal cord injury, a traumatic brain injury can cause paralysis, numbness, pain, and weakness. A victim may require assistance with breathing or walking. Bleeding, impacts, and physical injuries to the brain can have physical, psychological, emotional, and behavioral effects that may be temporary or permanent. It can sometimes be difficult to predict the long-term effects of a brain injury or how long it will take to reach maximum recovery. Determining an appropriate settlement amount can therefore be challenging, which is why brain injury cases can take such a long time.

Neck Injury – Injuries to the neck range from soft tissue sprains to broken vertebrae, to herniated discs and spinal cord damage. Even damage to spinal discs and smaller nerves can affect control of the arms, neck, and upper body in general. Whiplash, caused by a hyperextension of the head and neck, often leaves a person with chronic pain for many years. Vehicular accidents represent the most common cause of neck injuries, but slip and fall, premises liability, defective product, and medical malpractice cases can involve the neck as well.

Amputations – A leg, arm, foot, hand, toe, or finger amputation may occur directly because of an accident or be a medical necessity thereafter. Amputations can be fatal and are always life-changing. Blunt trauma is the most common cause of amputation, according to The American Journal of Surgery. In addition to compensation for immediate care, amputees often require help with long-term physical limitations, prosthetics, and emotional and psychological care. Legal factors may include motor vehicle negligence, heavy machinery, defective products, or medical malpractice.

Wrongful Death – The death of a loved one is a tragic occurrence that affects every aspect their life. You can be compensated for the costs of medical care to save a spouse, partner, parent, or child, as well as emotional trauma, burial or funeral costs, and financial support the decedent would have provided. Loss of benefits and compensation for household services may be included. Oxnard personal injury lawyers will determine the non-economic damages to pursue in wrongful death cases, including loss of companionship.

Dealing with Insurance Companies – Insurance companies are often the biggest barrier to compensation. The defendant’s insurance company may try to offer a settlement before you file a lawsuit. Without legal help and advice, there’s no way to ensure this amount is what your case is worth. An insurance company may also try to contact you. Never provide them with information because an adjuster may re-interpret your statements to invalidate your claim.

It’s therefore important to retain a lawyer right away. Your attorney will instruct you on how to deal with insurance companies. They’re also someone to refer an adjuster to if they call, so you don’t say anything that could put your case at risk.

Accident Statistics in Oxnard – There were 1,530 fatalities and injuries in Ventura County in 2016; 101 involved pedestrians and 170 involved alcohol. That year, 493 DUI arrests were reported. The fatality/injury rate was up from 2015, when there were 94 reports, and 2014, when 106 individuals were killed or injured in traffic-related accidents. Speed and alcohol remain significant factors in automobile accidents; proving negligence is crucial and where an Oxnard personal injury law firm can best help.

Compensations for Your Injuries – An accident settlement can factor in various types of compensation. Your personal injury attorney may negotiate with an insurance company to include the following: