Getting injured in an accident in Irvine can affect many aspects of your life, from your ability to do your job to being able to enjoy time spent with family. At Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian, we represent victims who have been injured in accidents to help them achieve justice, accountability and fair financial compensation. If you or someone you love has been injured due to the careless or wrongful acts of another person, find out how we can help you. Request a free case consultation with our lawyers in Irvine today.
Why Choose Our Irvine Personal Injury Lawyer
- Our team of Orange County personal injury lawyers has over 75 years of courtroom and litigation experience. This allows us to maximize our results while minimizing the stress of the legal process.
- We have collected record-breaking settlements and verdicts for our personal injury clients, including a $13.5 billion settlement for California wildfire victims.
- Our law firm always puts clients first. Our client testimonials demonstrate our dedication to client success. You will never be left in the dark about the status of your personal injury case.
- We take on 100 percent of the financial risk associated with a case by operating on a contingency fee basis. Our clients don’t pay us anything unless we secure them financial compensation.
How We Can Help
During a personal injury case, an insurance company may try to take advantage of you. The insurer that receives your claim will not want you to recover maximum financial compensation for your losses; instead, it will want to save itself as much money as possible on your claim. To protect your legal rights as much as possible, hire an experienced personal injury attorney in Irvine. Securing compensation for a personal injury case requires proving fault and providing evidence against the accused party. An attorney can help you with these tasks by thoroughly investigating your accident, preserving and collecting evidence, and hiring experts to strengthen your case. Your lawyer can take over settlement negotiations with an insurance provider to ensure that you are treated fairly. If necessary, your attorney can litigate your legal matter in court for maximum compensation. You can count on an attorney to handle the legal process for you while you concentrate on recovering from your injuries and rebuilding your life.
Areas We Serve
Our team of trial attorneys provides unparalleled legal representation for clients across California. The areas we serve include:
- All of California
- Anaheim
- Fullerton
- Newport Beach
- Orange County
- Santa Ana
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Rosa
The law office location closest to Irvine is 26 Corporate Plaza, Suite 250, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Get directions.
How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer in Irvine Cost?
At Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian, we are sympathetic to the financial strife that comes with a personal injury accident. We understand that our clients are often dealing with expensive medical bills and the inability to work at full capacity. We keep our services affordable and reasonably priced by operating on a contingency fee basis. If we don’t win your case, you won’t pay us a dime for our services, guaranteed. With this payment arrangement, our clients never have to pay us out of their own pockets. We only charge a fee for our services if we are successful in securing financial compensation for the client’s losses. If we do win the case, we deduct our fee as a percentage of the overall amount won. We take our fee directly out of the settlement or jury verdict rather than billing the client.
Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?
Not all harmful accidents in Irvine give victims the right to file personal injury claims. Certain factors must exist to give the victim or the victim’s family the ability to hold someone else accountable. Most personal injury claims in California are based on the legal doctrine of negligence, meaning someone’s failure to act with reasonable care. Proving negligence in a personal injury case requires evidence of four key elements:
- Duty of care: a responsibility that the accused party (defendant) had to act in a certain way to prevent harm to others.
- Breach of duty: an act or omission that violates the defendant’s duty of care; something that a reasonable and prudent party would not have done in the same circumstances.
- Causation: proof that the defendant’s negligent act or omission was the proximate or actual cause of the victim’s injuries.
- Damages: actual losses suffered by the victim (known as the plaintiff) because of the defendant’s negligence.
The required elements of a personal injury case must be proven based on a “preponderance of the evidence,” meaning that the claim is more likely to be true than not true. Meeting this burden of proof requires clear and convincing evidence. An experienced personal injury lawyer in Irvine can help you obtain compelling evidence to support and prove your case.
California Negligence Laws
Every state has its own unique set of personal injury laws. If you get injured in any type of accident in Irvine, you will need to navigate California’s negligence laws if you wish to seek damages (financial compensation) for your losses. Our attorneys can help you understand the laws that apply to your case, which may include:
- Fault law: California is a fault-based car insurance state. When a car accident occurs, this law allows victims to file claims against the at-fault parties. The victim must prove fault to qualify for coverage from another driver’s auto insurance company.
- Comparative negligence law: an accident victim in California will still be eligible for financial compensation if he or she is partially at fault for the accident or injury. If a portion of fault is allocated to the plaintiff, his or her financial recovery will be reduced by a matching percentage.
- California dog bite law: while some states require dog bite victims to prove that the animal had bitten someone or exhibited vicious behaviors previously, California has a strict liability law that makes dog owners responsible for bite injuries regardless of any former behaviors by the dog.
These are just three of the many negligence laws that may factor into your Irvine personal injury case. Our attorneys can advise you on your rights under California law and give you personalized legal advice that you can trust.
Our Practice Areas in Irvine
It is important to hire a personal injury lawyer with experience handling your specific type of case. This can ensure that the attorney has the knowledge necessary to effectively handle your legal matter and resolve your case to the best possible outcome. Our team has extensive experience in a wide range of personal injury matters. Our practice areas include:
- Amputation injuries
- Brain injuries
- Burn injuries
- Car accidents
- Catastrophic injuries
- Construction accidents
- Fatal car accidents
- Mass tort litigation
- Motorcycle accidents
- Spinal cord injuries
- Truck accidents
- Uber and Lyft accidents
- Wildfire claims
- Workplace injuries
- Wrongful death
Litigation is our specialty at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian. We never back down from a challenge and are not afraid to go up against any adversary, big or small. However, we also take great pride in achieving outstanding results for our clients prior to the litigation stage to minimize costs and stress.
Damages Available in an Irvine Personal Injury Case
Bringing a personal injury cause of action in Irvine could allow you to recover financial compensation for your losses from one or more parties. While the damages recoverable vary from case to case, the California civil justice system allows accident victims to obtain both economic and noneconomic damages. The available compensation in a personal injury case in Irvine may include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages and employment benefits
- Loss of the capacity to earn due to a debilitating injury
- Accommodations for a permanent disability
- Property damage repairs or replacement
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and psychological harm
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
- Wrongful death damages, if applicable
The losses in the list above are “compensable damages,” meaning they are awarded for the purpose of compensating a victim for his or her monetary and nonmonetary losses. Another damage category known as punitive or exemplary damages may also be available if it is shown with clear and convincing evidence that a defendant acted with malice, fraud or oppression.
How Much Is My Case Worth?
The only way to accurately determine the value of your personal injury case in Irvine is by consulting with an attorney who can assess the factors involved. Every personal injury case is unique. Case values are based on factors such as injury severity, the amount of the victim’s medical bills, whether the victim will suffer any permanent damage and the amount of insurance coverage available.
What to Do After an Accident in Irvine
After a harmful accident in Irvine, you can take steps right away to protect your rights and strengthen any claim you may need to file later. If you can, take the following actions early on after an accident to protect your physical safety and legal rights:
- Try to remain calm and assess yourself for injuries. If you experience any back pain or numbness or tingling anywhere in your body, avoid sudden movements, as you may have a spinal cord injury.
- Get medical care immediately. Go to the nearest hospital for prompt injury treatment. This is important for your health as well as to document your injury for legal purposes.
- Report the accident to the correct authorities. Depending on the situation, you may need to report the incident to the police, a property owner, a store manager or your employer.
- Document the accident. Get an accident or injury report, if you can. Exchange information with everyone involved, including eyewitnesses. Take photographs of the scene of the accident.
- Consult with a personal injury lawyer. When you are ready to pursue financial compensation for your accident, start by contacting an attorney for legal advice and assistance.
Hiring an attorney can ensure the protection of your rights from the very beginning of your case. Your lawyer can help you file a claim with the correct insurance company and navigate the legal process involved in collecting fair financial compensation for your injuries.
Tips for Dealing With an Insurance Company After an Accident in Irvine
When you file a claim, an individual with the title “insurance claims adjuster” will be assigned to your case. Be wary of the insurance adjuster, even if he or she sounds friendly. The adjuster works for the insurance company – not for you. Do not agree to give the adjuster a recorded statement about your accident and injuries. When asked questions about your accident, be honest, but do not admit fault or give more information than is strictly necessary. Do not accept the very first settlement offer or sign a release of liability waiver until you have spoken to an attorney. Once you accept a settlement, you generally cannot go back and renegotiate for a higher amount.
What Is the Statute of Limitations on a Personal Injury Case in Irvine?
If you wish to file a personal injury case in Irvine, it is important to do so before your legal deadline expires. A law known as the statute of limitations gives accident victims in California no more than two years to file a claim. This is the law under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, which states: “Within two years: An action for assault, battery, or injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another.” In limited circumstances, the statute of limitations on a personal injury case may be reduced or extended. This is why it is important to contact an attorney about a potential claim as soon as possible. If the victim’s discovery of an injury is delayed, for example, the clock may be tolled (paused) until the date of reasonable injury discovery. Do not wait to contact an attorney about a potential case.
Injured in an Accident in Irvine? Contact Us for a Free Case Consultation
Being injured in an accident in Irvine could impact you for the rest of your life. If you believe that someone else is at fault for causing your injuries, do not hesitate to contact the attorneys at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian for a free legal review of your case. We will listen to your story and determine whether your case has merit. A lawyer can review your legal options and help you choose the right route moving forward. To schedule a free case evaluation, contact us by calling (949) 831-6611 or sending us a message. We are here to help you and your family pursue justice.