Orange County is one of the most popular tourist destinations in California and the entire country. Home to attractions like Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Huntington Beach, Balboa Island, and Crystal Cove State Park, Orange County has something for everyone packed into a relatively small geographical area.

Home to 34 incorporated cities, Orange County has a population of over 3 million people and is situated along the southern edge of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. The county was incorporated in 1889 after it seceded from nearby Los Angeles county. Orange County is home to regional headquarters for many international businesses, such as Samsung, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi, as well as home to tech companies, such as Blizzard Entertainment and Vizio. The area is known for good shopping, good food, and a wide variety of arts and cultural experiences.

Have you been in an accident in Orange County that ended in serious injury? Was this accident caused by another party’s negligence? If so, you should contact the attorneys of OnderLaw right away to see if you’re eligible to obtain compensation for your injuries through an injury claim or lawsuit.

Call us today for a free consultation, and let us help you get the restitution you deserve after a debilitating injury.

How Can an Attorney Help with My Injury Claim?

Obtaining compensation for an injury takes more than providing your side of the story. Hiring an attorney is essential before submitting a claim to make sure that your submission is complete and error-free.

Here are some other ways hiring a lawyer can help with your claim for compensation.

We take our time. If you file a claim on your own, you may be pleasantly surprised at how quick and responsive the insurance company is to your needs. They may offer you a settlement immediately, hoping to get the matter settled quickly. What they won’t tell you is that faster is not always better. They may be hoping to capitalize on your lack of experience by offering a settlement before your treatment is complete and the full extent of your injury is known. They may also take advantage of the financial pressure a debilitating injury can place on you and offer a small sum that can satisfy your current needs but is actually far less than what you deserve. When you hire us, we will take the time to gather all the necessary information before we submit your claim to make sure that you get the full amount you’re owed.

We have the experience. Injury attorneys deal with a wide variety of claims day in and day out. We know the ins and outs of the claims process, and we can use our experience to make sure your claim is handled correctly the first time. We can help you avoid novice mistakes and legal pitfalls and make sure that all statutes and pertinent dates are properly observed.

You have a life outside of your injury. The physical, financial, and mental stress of a serious injury can bring your life to a sudden halt. Your attorney can relieve you of the burden of any activity having to do with your claim, from answering calls from insurance adjusters to gathering evidence to support your side of the story. We will write the letters, take the calls, and do the logistical work necessary to prove your claim and let you move on with rebuilding your life.

We help you get the full amount you’re due. The compensation you’re owed for your injury is determined by tallying up the losses you’ve suffered. Some of these losses are material and easy to quantify, such as lost wages, but others are not so clear-cut and take an experienced attorney to help you estimate. Losses like “loss of enjoyment of life” or “pain and suffering” are not easily identified, but a lawyer can explain how they work and help make sure you’re adequately compensated for all your losses, not just the ones you can see.

We’re with you until the end. Injury claims can sometimes take months or even years to fully resolve, especially when they involve a costly and debilitating injury. You may have to wait for settlement negotiations to conclude, for the injury to fully heal, or for scheduling difficulties to be corrected. Insurance companies can use these delays to their advantage in the hopes that you may become exhausted with the process and drop your claim. Hiring a lawyer means that if the insurance company continues dragging its feet, you can file a lawsuit against the responsible party. This gives you the advantage. A lawsuit can be more costly for them than a fair settlement because even if they’re successful, they have to pay for attorneys.

Common Injury Claims in Orange County

We have experience handling a wide variety of injury claims in Orange County, such as:

Motor Vehicle Accidents

California is car country, and we are no stranger to car and truck accidents. We handle all kinds of motor vehicle claims, like the following:

Premises Liability Accidents

Premises liability claims include any accidents that occur on someone else’s property, such as:

Nursing Home Abuse Accidents

Orange County is home to a large population of people over 65, and like the rest of California, that population is projected to grow quickly in the coming years. That makes this an area prone to various types of nursing home abuse, such as:

  • Physical abuse
  • Psychological abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Incorrect medication accidents
  • Preventable illnesses
  • Abandonment
  • Neglect
  • Financial Abuse
  • Wrongful death
  • Slip and fall accidents

Workers’ Compensation Accidents

We have experience helping workers’ compensation accident victims of all types, including the following:

  • Slip and fall cases
  • Construction site accidents
  • Commercial vehicle accidents
  • Industrial accidents
  • Toxic exposure accidents
  • Workplace assault
  • Repetitive trauma claims
  • Harassment
  • Hazardous working conditions

Common Injuries in Orange County

The types of injuries in Orange County are just as diverse as the types of claims and include the following:

Motor Vehicle Injuries

Vehicle crashes, even low-speed ones, can cause a variety of injuries, such as:

  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Concussion
  • Whiplash
  • Lacerations
  • Broken bones
  • Soft tissue damage
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Sprains and strains
  • Amputation
  • Dislocation
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Coma
  • Death

Premises Liability Injuries

Injuries in premises liability claims can also vary widely and can be costly for all involved. Some of these injuries include:

  • Sprains and strains
  • Broken bones
  • Skull fracture
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Burns
  • Abrasions
  • Lacerations
  • Dog bites
  • Drowning
  • Concussion
  • Amputation
  • Dislocation

Workers’ Compensation Injuries

No matter what industry you’re in, an accident at work can often end in serious injury, like the following:

  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Burn injuries
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Broken bones
  • Whiplash
  • Hearing loss
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Preventable illness
  • Toxic exposure diseases
  • Soft tissue damage
  • Internal injuries
  • Organ Damage

Nursing Home Abuse Injuries

The thought of abusing the elderly may seem unconscionable to most, but nursing home abuse is frequent and can cause severe injury, such as:

  • Bedsores
  • Malnutrition
  • Dehydration
  • Incorrect medication
  • Depression
  • Emotional trauma
  • Broken bones
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Sexual abuse injuries
  • Isolation
  • Property or identity theft

What Compensation Can I Obtain?

The amount of compensation you can get depends greatly on the severity of your accident and injuries. In general, the more serious your accident or injury, the more compensation you should demand.

Compensation is determined by reviewing the losses you’ve suffered as a result of your injury. Some of these losses, like property damage, are easy to identify and have a specific dollar amount attached. These are called economic damages. There are other losses you suffer after an injury that are not so easily defined, like pain and suffering. These are called non-economic damages.

Economic, or special damages, include the following:

Lost wages. A serious injury can disrupt your ability to provide for yourself and your family financially, sometimes permanently. You may be able to recover compensation for any time spent away from work as a result of your injury or for anyone that has to take time off to care for you.

Property damage. It’s easy to overlook the ancillary losses in an accident that causes debilitating injury, but you can be compensated for the cost of repairing or replacing any personal property that is damaged.

Medical bills. If your injury ends in a large stack of medical bills, you may be able to recover compensation for your out-of-pocket expenses. This can include emergency room visits, hospital visits, doctor’s appointments, or even prescription medication.

Here are some examples of non-economic, or general damages:

Pain and suffering. Compensation for pain and suffering is meant to make up for the losses to your well-being and peace of mind after an accident.

Mental distress. This type of loss refers to anxiety, fear, worry, insomnia, PTSD, or depression that can accompany a serious injury.

Lost opportunity. An injury can bring any future plans, like going to school or a planned vacation, to an abrupt halt. You may be able to recover compensation for these losses.

In cases of extreme malice, oppression, or fraud, California allows some claimants to seek punitive damages as well as compensatory damages. Punitive damages are intended to punish the party responsible for your injury and dissuade them from ever behaving in the same manner again. There is no cap on punitive damages in California.

California Accident Statistics

Here are some statistics surrounding common accidents in California and across the country:

  • According to data from the California Department of Industrial Relations from 2018, 36% of fatal workplace injuries were transportation-related.
  • A further 22% of workplace fatalities were caused by workplace violence
  • 17% of fatalities were attributed to slip and fall accidents

The National Floor Safety Institute states the following:

  • Women are statistically more likely to suffer a slip and fall accident than men, but women and men are about even in slip and fall fatalities.
  • Slip and fall accidents represent the biggest cause of missing days from work.

Bicycle accidents are becoming more common, according to this report:

  • More cyclists died on California roads between 2016 and 2018 than in any three-year period over the last 25 years.
  • 455 cyclists died in traffic accidents in California from 2016 to 2018

Statute of Limitations on Injury Claims in California

California state law places a limit on the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit for damages after an injury. For most claims, this limit is two years from the date of the injury or one year from the date of the discovery of the injury, though there are exceptions.

The limit on medical malpractice claims is one year from the date of the injury.

The limit on filing suit against government agencies is six months regardless of the type of claim.

Resources for Accident Victims in Orange County

If you or someone you love was injured in Orange County, you probably need emergency help. We’ve included the contact details of locations where you can get assistance.

Local Hospitals

Orange County Global Medical Center

1001 N Tustin Ave, Santa Ana Ca 92705

714-953-3500

Providence St. Joseph Hospital Orange

1100 W Stewart Dr, Orange CA 92868

714-771-8000

Huntington Beach Hospital

17772 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach CA 92647

714-843-5000

Local Law Enforcement Offices

Orange Police Department

1107 N Batavia St, Orange CA 92866

714-744-7444

Orange County Sheriff’s Department

550 N Flower St, Santa Ana CA 92703

714-647-7000

Orange County Department of Motor Vehicles

If your injury was caused by a motor vehicle crash, it’s important to notify the local DMV as soon as you can. Make sure to get a copy of the accident report for your records.

DMV Santa Ana

1330 E First St, Santa Ana CA 92701

800-777-0133

Call Today for a Free Consultation

If you’ve been hurt in an accident, you have limited time to contact an attorney and start the claims process. Call OnderLaw for a free, no-obligation legal consultation, and let us help you and your family move on after a debilitating injury. We’re here for you.