Fontana is a city of approximately 214,000 people that nestles against the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. With a mix of industrial might and beautiful vistas, Fontana is the largest city in San Bernardino County and has been voted one of the safest cities in the country in which to raise a family and one of the best cities in California for young people.

Founded in 1913 as an agricultural community, Fontana came into its own during World War II when Henry J. Kaiser built one of the largest steel manufacturing plants west of the Mississippi River to support the war effort. The new plant brought scores of workers from California and elsewhere. Kaiser had to find a way to keep them healthy and working, so he also founded The Fontana Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, which has grown to become the largest managed-care provider in the United States.

With a vibrant community life and rich history, Fontana is one of the fastest-growing cities in California.

Have you or someone you care about been in an accident in Fontana because of someone else’s negligence? Did this accident leave you with debilitating injuries? If so, you should hire an attorney to assist you in filing a claim or lawsuit for compensation. The attorneys at OnderLaw have years of experience in helping people just like you get the compensation they need to move on with their lives after an injury.

Call us today for a free consultation, and let us use our experience and skills to get you the help you need.

How Can a Lawyer Help with My Injury Claim?

Hiring a lawyer to assist with your claim is a good idea for many reasons. We can do more than provide a well-written letter. We can provide the knowledge, support, and experience to build a comprehensive claim that is hard to refute.

Here are some reasons why hiring an attorney can help:

Knowledge and experience. We’ve done this work before, and we know the best way to get good results. When you hire an experienced attorney from OnderLaw , we will bring the full weight of our knowledge and skills to bear on your claim and help you avoid novice mistakes and legal pitfalls that may delay your claim or get it denied entirely. Our familiarity with the claims process can be invaluable in pursuing compensation for your injuries.

Reputation. Name recognition is important in injury law, and insurance adjusters know who we are. Although you’re certainly able to pursue a claim on your own, delivering a demand letter to an insurance company on our letterhead instead of writing one yourself sends the clear message that you don’t intend to settle for less than your claim is worth, and they need to take your claim seriously.

Leave the details to us. Building a comprehensive claim takes time, experience, and energy. If you’ve just been in an accident and are recovering from your injuries or helping a family member to do the same, you’ve got more important things to concentrate on than whether or not your doctor provided the correct medical records or getting a signed statement from a witness. When you hire an attorney, we take on the detailed work that is necessary to build your claim. We collect the documents, we interview witnesses, and we will do the negotiating with the insurance companies. We write the letters and answer the phone calls, so you have time to do what you need to do for yourself and your family.

Don’t leave money on the table. In order to obtain compensation for injuries, you need to be able to accurately define exactly how your injuries have affected your life and attach a dollar value. For losses like medical bills or lost wages, this is a simple affair, but for losses like “loss of enjoyment of life” or “pain and suffering,” it’s far more complex. An experienced attorney can review the information you provide and help you reach a number that recovers all your losses, including the ones that aren’t easily quantifiable.

We don’t give up at a denial letter. Hiring an attorney means you have full access to the tools that you need to keep pursuing compensation even after the insurance company issues a denial letter. On your own, there’s relatively little you can do if your claim is denied, but an attorney can help you in filing a robust lawsuit against the responsible party and fully exhaust all your options for obtaining compensation.

Common Injury Claims We Handle in Fontana

Injury law covers a wide variety of possible claims and accidents, such as:

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents are the basis for a large portion of the injury claims we handle. Some of these include the following:

Premises Liability Claims

A premises liability accident is any claim for an injury that takes place on a property owned or managed by someone else, such as a public square or an amusement park. Some common claims include:

  • Claims from hazards that aren’t secured and caused an injury
  • Theme park accidents
  • Slip and fall claims
  • Brain injuries
  • Construction site accidents
  • Falling object claims
  • Dog bites
  • Elevator/escalator accidents
  • Burn claims
  • Drowning accidents

Workers’ Compensation Claims

Claims for injuries sustained on the job can vary widely and include several types of accidents such as:

  • Commercial vehicle accidents
  • Construction accidents
  • Industrial accidents
  • Slip and fall claims
  • Falling object claims
  • Dangerous or hazardous condition claims
  • Workplace assault
  • Repetitive trauma claims
  • Toxic exposure claims
  • Harassment claims

Nursing Home Abuse Claims

Sadly, nursing home abuse is a common and growing problem in the United States. Some common claims include:

  • Neglect
  • Incorrect medication claims
  • Slip and fall accidents
  • Physical abuse
  • Psychological abuse
  • Sexual abuse claims
  • Abandonment
  • Financial abuse
  • Malnutrition/dehydration

Common Injuries in Fontana

The large number of possible claims can lead to an even wider variety of possible injuries, including the following:

Vehicle Accident Injuries

Even low-speed vehicle accidents can cause serious injury, such as:

  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Lacerations
  • Broken bones
  • Road rash
  • Sprain or strain
  • Torn muscles
  • Torn ligaments or tendons
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Paralysis
  • Burn injuries
  • Amputations
  • Internal injuries
  • Coma
  • Death

Premises Liability Injuries

Property owners and managers are required to provide a hazard-free environment for anyone on the property, and neglecting this duty can lead to the following injuries:

  • Soft tissue damage
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Broken bones
  • Sprains and strains
  • Burns
  • Lacerations
  • Illness
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Electric shock
  • Dog bites
  • Drowning
  • Death

Workers’ Compensation Injuries

Any job can have dangerous elements, even a seemingly peaceful office job. Working in an office or at a dangerous job or workplace can result in the following injuries:

  • Broken bones
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Chemical burns
  • Electrical burns
  • Sprains and strains
  • Eye injuries
  • Toxic exposure diseases
  • Hearing loss from exposure to noise
  • Lacerations
  • Torn muscles

Nursing Home Abuse Injuries

The most vulnerable among us are also the most prone to injury, especially in nursing homes. Some common nursing home abuse injuries include:

  • Neglect
  • Malnutrition
  • Incorrect medication
  • Falls
  • Broken hips
  • Bedsores
  • Broken bones
  • Infections
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Bedrail injuries
  • Dehydration
  • Sexual abuse injuries
  • Psychological damage

What Kind of Compensation Can I Obtain?

The actual amount of a settlement or award due to a claimant is nearly impossible to determine because each accident is unique, but the more severe your accident or injuries, the more you should demand in compensation. Your attorney can help you come up with an amount that satisfies your needs and makes recovery easier.

Compensation is broken down and defined in terms of losses or damages. Economic damages are any losses with a specific dollar amount attached to them, such as lost wages, while non-economic damages, or general damages, are any losses that cannot be easily defined or quantified, such as emotional distress.

Economic damages include the following:

  • Lost wages. If an accident leaves you injured and unable to return to work, or a family member or loved one’s injury means you need to take time off work to care for them while they recover, you can demand compensation for any lost income, both now and in the future.
  • Medical bills. A debilitating injury can often leave you with out-of-pocket medical expenses. You can demand compensation to cover any hospital bills, emergency room visits, office visits, prescription medication, medical devices or prosthetics, rehabilitation, or therapy.
  • A severe injury can make it harder to get to where you need to be, such as the doctor’s office or to run simple errands. You can demand compensation to cover every mile of travel for anything related to your injury, for you or anyone who drives for you.
  • Living expenses. If your injury means that you need to hire help around the house or even move to a different location with more space, you may be able to obtain compensation to cover the difference in general expenses.

Non-economic damages have several definitions, such as:

  • Pain and suffering. Compensation for pain and suffering is meant to make up for the pain you suffer, as well as for losses to well-being after an injury.
  • Mental distress. An injury can cause damage to your mental health. Compensation for mental distress is meant to make up for losses suffered as a result of anxiety, worry, insomnia, fear, or depression.
  • Lost opportunity. An injury can put a stop to plans you may have for the future, such as starting school, starting a business, or taking a planned vacation. Compensation for lost opportunity is meant to make up for these losses.
  • Loss of enjoyment of life. If a debilitating injury means you can no longer take part in activities you once enjoyed, you can be compensated for the loss of the pleasure your activities provided.

California also allows punitive damages in some injury claims. Punitive damages are not intended to help you recover from any loss but rather to financially punish the wrongdoer and dissuade them from acting in the same manner again. Punitive damages also require a higher burden of proof than compensatory damages. According to state law, punitive damages require that the plaintiff provide “clear and convincing evidence that the defendant has been guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice,” as opposed to proving beyond a reasonable doubt that they were at fault so win compensatory damages. If you’re able to prove that the defendant in your claim intentionally or maliciously caused your injuries, you may be able to obtain punitive damages.

California Accident Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics on common accidents in and around Fontana. According to California’s Office of Traffic Safety, traffic deaths decreased almost across the board between 2018 and 2019:

  • Overall traffic fatalities decreased 5.1%
  • Alcohol-impaired fatalities decreased 4.5%
  • Motorcycle fatalities decreased 9.4%
  • Teen driver fatalities decreased 12.7%

The California Department of Aging has some interesting facts about elder abuse in California:

  • San Bernardino County is expecting a more than 200% increase in people over age 60 by 2060.
  • We expect a more than 400% increase in people over age 85 by 2060.
  • San Bernardino County saw over 13,000 emergency room visits by people over age 65 that suffered falls in 2016

Statute of Limitations on Injury Claims in California

There is a time limit for filing a lawsuit for certain types of injury claims in California. This limit, called the statute of limitations, means that if you try to file a lawsuit after the statutory date has passed, it will likely be dismissed by a judge, so make sure and keep track of dates with your attorney.

The following statutes apply to filing injury lawsuits in California:

  • Most accident/injuries: two years from the date of the injury, or one year from the date the injury was discovered
  • Medical malpractice suits: one year from the date of the injury
  • Lawsuits against government agencies: six months from the date of the accident/injury

Resources for Accident Victims in Fontana

If you or a loved one was injured in Fontana, you’ll need emergency resources. We’ve listed some here. 

Local Hospitals and Medical Centers

Kaiser Permanente

17046 Marygold Ave., Fontana CA 92335

866-205-3595

Dignity Health Community Hospital of San Bernardino

1805 Medical Center Dr., San Bernardino CA 92411

909-587-1754

Local Law Enforcement Offices

City of Fontana Police Department

17005 Upland Ave., Fontana CA 92335

909-350-7740

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office

17780 Arrow Blvd., Fontana CA 92335

909-356-6767

California Highway Patrol – Fontana

13892 Victoria St., Fontana CA 92336

909-428-5400

Local Department of Motor Vehicles

If you’re in a vehicle accident, you’ll want to report it to your local DMV office and obtain a copy of the report for your records.

Fontana DMV

8026 Hemlock Ave., Fontana CA 92355

800-777-0133

or

16499 Merrill Ave., Fontana CA 92335

800-777-0133

Call OnderLaw Today

 If you’ve been injured in an accident, don’t wait any longer to get the help you need. Contact the attorneys at OnderLaw today by calling for a free, no-obligation consultation. Let us help you get the fair and just compensation you deserve. You have nothing to lose. Call now.