Experienced Personal Injury Attorney In Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Rancho Cucamonga, CA and the Greater Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorneys
In the realm of Personal Injury law, every day witnesses thousands of Californians enduring harm without bearing responsibility for their misfortune. The aftermath of an unforeseen accident can be devastating for the victim and their loved ones. In many cases, they will suffer long-term physical and emotional pain, lost income, permanent disability and much more—more than enough to change things forever.
If you or a loved one has been hurt, you understand how deeply this affects your life. You deserve to hold anyone who may have caused your injury responsible and could be entitled to receive compensation for all of the damages sustained in your accident.
Personal Injury Attorneys That Treat You Like Family
At Amicus Legal Group, we pride ourselves on not being like other law firms. As a firm we strive to be approachable, knowledgeable and helpful to each one of our existing and potential clients. We take every case personally and treat our clients like family. This means we give the same care, attention and skilled service to anyone who needs legal representation in a personal injury case.
If you or a loved one were hurt or killed in an accident of some kind, the Amicus Legal Group can help. In order to fully protect your right to be compensated for damages caused by someone else’s carelessness you need an understanding and experienced personal injury attorney on your side.
Personal Injury Practice Areas
The Amicus Legal Group is prepared to handle a variety of personal injury cases. Our practice areas include:
CAR ACCIDENTS
Car Accidents
After a car accident, recovery takes many forms: physical, emotional, financial and more.
MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS
Motorcycle Accidents
Other motorists owe riders a duty of care.
TRUCK ACCIDENTS
Truck Accidents
In a truck accident, people who are not passengers of the truck are most often injured.
DRUNK DRIVING ACCIDENTS
Drunk Driving Accidents
Even if you drive safely, other drivers my behave recklessly.
PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS
Pedestrian Accidents
No one expects to be injured when simply walking.
TRAIN ACCIDENTS
Train Accidents
Multiple parties may be held liable for a train accident. We will find all responsible entities and hold them accountable.
SLIP & FALL ACCIDENTS
Slip & Fall Accidents
These accidents can lead to head and other serious injuries.
DOG BITES
Dog Bites
Owners are liable for injuries caused by their pets.
WRONGFUL DEATH
Wrongful Death
We are committed to holding responsible parties at fault.
Potential Damages in a Personal Injury Case
An injured person might be entitled to both special damages, or economic damages, and general damages, ones that are not easily assigned a dollar value. In very rare cases in which someone acted in an extremely reckless or malicious manner and injured or killed another person, punitive damages could also be awarded. These are designed to act as a punishment or deterrent.
It is important to remember that general damages may be harder to quantify but are no less important or valid. The consequences of an injury and the effect they have on life cannot be overstated. A qualified personal injury attorney can help you calculate what damages you could be entitled to in your case.
Proving Negligence
To be compensated for economic and non-economic damages in a personal injury case in California, the plaintiff must prove three things:
That another party owed them a duty of care
That that party was negligent
That this negligence substantially contributed to the injuries
Duty of Care
Duty of care refers to the general responsibility people have to protect others from harm. This varies greatly from situation to situation. For example, drivers must follow traffic laws to keep other motorists safe from accidents. Business owners must maintain a safe environment to keep patrons safe while using their facilities. Dog owners must keep their pets leashed and controlled to protect others from being bitten.
Negligence
Negligence is legally defined as a failure to act reasonably to prevent harm. Did they do something that a reasonably careful person would not do? Did they not do something that a reasonably careful person would do in the situation?
Establishing a duty of care and determining negligence after an injury can be complicated. Consult a California personal injury attorney for help.
California injury laws and negligence
California follows a comparative negligence rule. This means that in some cases the injured person could share liability for their injury. This can affect the amount of compensation received by the injured person in their lawsuit.
Comparative Negligence in California
Slip and fall injury at a business
For example, if the plaintiff were injured in a fall on a slippery walkway at a business, they potentially can sue the business owner for negligence. However, if the business owner finds security footage showing that the injured person was running when they slipped, they could then claim that the plaintiff shares some of the responsibility.
The court will then assign a corresponding percentage of shared responsibility. If the plaintiff shares 20 percent of the liability and they are awarded $10,000 for damages, the amount they receive will be reduced by 20 percent. In this case, the plaintiff would receive $8,000.
How long do I have to file a claim?
The statute of limitations for personal injury cases is two years from the date of the injury in California. If the harm was not discovered immediately, the statute of limitations begins upon the date of discovery of the injury. Claims against a city, county or state government agency must be filed within six months of the injury.
California injury laws and negligence
California follows a comparative negligence rule. This means that in some cases the injured person could share liability for their injury. This can affect the amount of compensation received by the injured person in their lawsuit.
How long do I have to file a claim?
The statute of limitations for personal injury cases is two years from the date of the injury in California. If the harm was not discovered immediately, the statute of limitations begins upon the date of discovery of the injury. Claims against a city, county or state government agency must be filed within six months of the injury.
Statute of limitations laws refer to the amount of time a person has to file a lawsuit.
After this deadline has expired, however, the injured person can no longer sue for damages related to the injury. It is important to consult a qualified California personal injury attorney regarding your case and your right to recover compensation in a lawsuit.
A claim must only be filed within the two-year period, not resolved.
Although two years seems like plenty of time to act, do not delay starting your case. Work must be done before filing that will help prove that someone else’s negligence contributed to your injury. This is essential to success so it should be given as much time and attention as necessary.
Our Mission
It is our mission to provide the highest quality legal services with integrity, professionalism and respect for our clients and the community. It is our greatest desire to continue to grow as a team and serve our clients vigorously and tenaciously. We are committed to bringing the best law firm experience to clients in the Los Angeles area and throughout the Southland and our team of professionals all share the same vision for a bright future.
Amicus Legal Group Can Help
An injury is scary and stressful, and no one should go through the aftermath alone. Any attorney can help with the legalities of your case but with the Amicus Legal Group you will receive friendly service too. We are committed to maintaining a client-centered practice and an approachability that can be rare at bigger law firms. You can expect to be fully informed throughout every step of your case. We will always explain what is happening and answer your questions quickly.
To schedule an initial consultation with an Amicus Legal Group personal injury attorney, contact us at (888) 588-1777. There is no fee for your consultation, and you will meet with the attorney who will handle your case should you decide to move forward with us.
Client Testimonials
Lawrence Brock
Attorney John Paul-Serrao helped us to win our case against the insurance company after we were involved in a traffic accident where our car was rear ended, we tried to handle it ourselves with the insurance company and they did not want to cooperate with us, so we hired Mr. Serrao and he was able to get us a settlement above with the insurance company was willing to pay. I would highly recommend him.
Lupe G.
John-Paul is a superb attorney. He was my mentor when I was in law school, and now as an attorney I still go to him for advice on complex cases. When my brother required representation I referred him to John-Paul. That is how highly I think of JP as an attorney. I would highly recommend him to anyone who needs representation.
Kit Westbrook
Mr. Serrao worked on my DUI charge earlier this year and all I can say is WOW! Not only did he keep me updated with the case but his knowledge of the process helped calm my nerves, which was very important to me. He showed care for me as a client and I can’t thank him enough. I would recommend him to anyone in need of a quality criminal defense attorney.
Derrick J.
Occasionally you meet another attorney who is so impressive both personally and professionally that you want to be affiliated with them in any way you can both personally and professionally. That is how I feel about John-Paul. I not only consider him one of the finest attorneys I know, but I now proudly call him my friend. He is among the very best.
David Booth
John-Paul is an extremely effective criminal defense attorney. The one thing that makes him stand out from other defense attorneys is that he talks to his clients to learn the circumstances surrounding their incident and then he makes a forceful and articulate argument in defense of his clients. I recommend my clients to John-Paul when they are in need of a criminal defense attorney because I know he will stand up for them.
Stephen Rinka
John-Paul took my civil case when no one else would because other lawyers didn’t have confidence in my daughter who has special needs to testify, if needed. John-Paul won her case against the school district without a jury because he cared about my child, believed she was honest and deserved justice. He still doesn’t mind taking my calls whenever I have a question regarding her case.
Dionne L.
I had the pleasure of working a very large scale drug case with Mr. Serrao, representing co-defendants. Mr. Serrao was a pleasure to work with. Highly skilled and very aggressive in his advocacy on his client’s behalf. I highly recommend Mr. Serrao for anyone looking for a criminal defense attorney.
Babak Farahan
