Santa Clarita is a city of about 300,000 residents in the northern part of Los Angeles County about 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles. With the San Gabriel Mountains to the East and Santa Susana Mountains to the West, the city offers beautiful vistas and is one of the most popular locations for movie ranches in Southern California.
Incorporated in 1987 from the communities of Saugus, Newhall, Valencia, and Canyon Country, Santa Clarita has consistently outpaced the rest of California in population growth, with the city almost doubling in size between 1990 and 2014. Some notable attractions include Six Flags Magic Mountain and the California Institute of the Arts.
Have you been injured in Santa Clarita due to another’s negligence? Did this accident cause you or someone you love severe injury or harm? If so, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your injuries through a personal injury claim or lawsuit. The attorneys at OnderLaw have been helping residents of Santa Clarita and elsewhere get the fair compensation they deserve for nearly twenty years, and they can do the same for you and your family. Call us today for a free consultation, and let us help you get the compensation you deserve after a debilitating injury.
Hiring an attorney for an injury claim can help you in ways you may not realize. We have decades of experience handling claims and lawsuits, and that experience can be invaluable in building and presenting a claim that is based on facts and supported by evidence.
You’ll likely be dealing with an insurance company when demanding compensation, and they may not always have your best interests in mind. An experienced attorney can help you sidestep the underhanded tactics insurance adjusters sometimes employ to get you to accept a settlement less than what your injury is worth, or if necessary, file a lawsuit for damages.
A lawyer can also help you accurately estimate the amount of compensation you should demand. It may seem like a simple job of tallying up the various bills you’ve received related to your injury, but you can be compensated for more than just medical bills for your physical injuries. Compensation for pain and suffering or loss of enjoyment of life can be difficult to estimate, and an experienced attorney can help.
Not all injury lawyers are the same, so it’s important to choose an attorney with the experience and record of success to represent you well, like OnderLaw. We’ve secured over $3 billion in settlements and awards for our clients, and we can represent you with the same tenacity and vigor.
To prove that someone else was responsible for your injuries, you need to prove they were negligent. That means you’ll need to provide evidence to show they were supposed to provide a safe environment for you or that their actions were not supposed to harm you, that they failed in those requirements, and you were injured as a result.
If you’re able to prove this in a personal injury claim, you should be eligible to receive compensation. The elements of negligence can apply in any number of accidents or injuries in California, including the following:
The possible injuries suffered by accident victims in Santa Clarita are just as diverse as the types of accidents. If you’ve suffered any injuries like the ones listed below due to another’s negligence, you should contact an injury attorney and file a claim for compensation. Here are a few of the injuries suffered during common accidents:
An injury in a vehicle crash can be slight or severe, depending upon the speed and weight of the vehicles involved. If you were injured in a crash in Santa Clarita, you could have sustained any of these injuries:
Although we hate to think that our elderly loved ones in nursing homes are victims of anything other than aging and disease, nursing home abuse occurs frequently. If you suspect abuse is taking place, your loved one may be the victim of any of these:
Whether you’re visiting a retail store or a friend’s home, injuries can occur. If you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, you might have these injuries:
Often, when we think of work, we think of desk jobs rather than construction work or the transportation or manufacturing industries. If you were injured at work, you might be suffering from:
It’s almost impossible to determine the exact amount of compensation you may be able to obtain because every accident and injury is unique. In general, the rule of thumb is that the more severe your accident and injuries, the more you should demand in compensation.
Compensation usually applies to certain losses or damages you suffer after the accident. These damages can be economic, non-economic, or punitive.
Economic damages are losses that are quantifiable and definable, such as:
Medical bills. You can demand compensation for any and all medical treatment that was required because of your injury. This can include hospital bills, emergency room bills, emergency transport costs, surgery, prescription medication, rehabilitation, doctor’s visits, or therapy.
Lost wages. If your injury leaves you unable to perform your normal job functions, you can be compensated for any wages you might lose now or in the future. This can also apply to any loved one or family member that was forced to take time off to care for you.
Property damage. If the accident that injured you also damages your property, such as your vehicle, laptop, cell phone, riding leathers, or helmet, you can demand compensation for repairing or replacing this property.
Household expenses. If your injury results in you requiring additional help completing household chores while you recover, you can be compensated for this added expense.
Vocational rehabilitation. If your accident leaves you with a disability that means you will no longer be able to complete your normal work functions, you can recover compensation for retraining in a new job.
Transportation. A severe injury can often lead to multiple trips to a hospital, doctor’s office, or rehab center, and you can recover compensation for every mile traveled for you or anyone who has to assist you with transport.
Non-economic damages can include the following:
Pain and suffering. Compensation for pain and suffering is meant to make up for the loss to your well-being and peace of mind after an injury, essentially the psychological strain that you suffer as a result of the accident.
Mental anguish. You can receive compensation for the significant mental burden caused by an accident or injury, such as feelings of fright, pain, guilt, embarrassment, depression, or anxiety.
Loss of consortium. If an accident ends in you no longer being able to enjoy the activities you once shared with your family member or loved one, you can be compensated for the loss of companionship.
Scarring and disfigurement. A severe accident can leave long-lasting injuries that can scar or disfigure you. Obtaining compensation for scarring and disfigurement can help with the mental toll of dealing with these conditions, as well as assist in paying for surgery to correct them.
Lost opportunity. A severe injury can put a permanent stop to plans you’ve already made, such as plans to attend school, start a new job, or go on a planned vacation. You can demand compensation to cover these losses.
Loss of enjoyment of life. If your accident ends in you being unable to enjoy the activities you once cherished, such as when a debilitating injury ends your ability to run or ski, you can obtain compensation for this loss.
Wrongful death. If an accident ends in the worst-case scenario and you lose the life of a loved one or family member, you may be able to obtain compensation to cover the physical, mental, and financial losses that result.
California also allows some injury claimants to pursue punitive damages. Punitive damages are different from compensatory damages in that they are not designed to compensate you for any loss but rather to punish the malefactor and deter them from ever behaving in the same manner again. Punitive damages are much harder to prove than compensatory damages, as they require you to provide clear and convincing evidence the defendant acted with oppression, malice, or fraud, with distinct definitions for each. There is no cap for punitive damages in California.
Here are some statistics on a few common types of accidents in California:
California places limits on the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit for compensation for certain types of injury claims. For most injuries, you have two years from the date of the injury, or if the injury isn’t discovered until later, one year from the date of the discovery of the injury. For medical malpractice cases, you have three years from the date of the injury or one year from the date of discovery of the injury. For any lawsuits against a government agency, you have six months from the date of the accident.
Be sure to talk to your attorney about statutes of limitation to make sure you don’t miss a deadline when filing suit.
If you or someone you care about was injured in Santa Clarita, you’ll need assistance. We’ve included some helpful links below.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, 23845 McBean Parkway, Valencia CA 91355
661-200-2000
Providence Holy Cross Health Center, 26357 McBean Parkway, Santa Clarita CA 91355
661-288-5900
Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Office
23740 Magic Mountain Parkway, Santa Clarita CA 91355
661-255-1121
28648 The Old Rd, Valencia CA 91355
661-600-1600
Here is a link for car accident victims to report crashes or obtain accident reports:
Newhall Department of Motor Vehicles, 24427 Newhall Ave, Newhall CA 91321
If you or someone you love has been injured in Santa Clarita, the attorneys at OnderLaw are standing by to take your call. Call us for a free, no-obligation consultation, and let us help you move on with your life after a debilitating accident or injury. Call today.
