Costa Mesa Personal Injury Lawyer

Costa Mesa Personal Injury Attorney

Costa Mesa is a flourishing community of around 110,000 residents situated in Orange County, California. Many families move to Costa Mesa for the friendly neighborhoods and job opportunities working in manufacturing, retail, commerce, and more. While the city is relatively safe, accidents do happen in Costa Mesa. If you have been involved in an accident in Costa Mesa and the surrounding area, a Costa Mesa personal injury lawyer from Duque & Price can support you with your case.

Duque & Price: Your Costa Mesa Personal Injury Lawyers

The personal injury legal team at Duque & Price understands how difficult it can be to experience an accident, whether it occurs during transit, work, at home, or in other settings. Therefore, we work hard to provide compassionate, personalized services that address the needs and concerns of our clients. During your initial consultation, we can work one-on-one with you to understand the details of your case, inform you of your personal injury rights, and help steer you toward the optimal route to achieve compensation for your associated accident damages.

Common Personal Injury Accidents in Costa Mesa, California

Accidents can occur in Costa Mesa, CA, that result in either serious injuries, such as long-term disabilities and paralysis, or more minor injuries, such as sprains or whiplash. They can happen in high-risk places, such as construction sites and mines, or less suspected places, such as driveways and swimming pools. Below are some of the most common personal injury accidents that our personal injury firm, Duque & Price, can represent on your behalf.

Traffic Accidents

Traffic accidents involving motor vehicles are among the most common types of personal injury accidents in Costa Mesa, California. Such accidents can involve large vehicles, like trucks and tractor-trailers, or smaller motor vehicles, such as scooters, e-bikes, and motorized skateboards. Trucking accidents tend to have higher settlements on average due to the severity of the injuries that follow from the associated high-impact crashes.

Automobile accidents tend to be the most common type of traffic accidents, and these can range from minor fender benders to serious crashes that result in death. Motorcycle accidents can result in serious injuries for the motorcyclist due to the lack of structural protection. Such injuries may require multiple surgeries and increased medical bills.

Pedestrian accidents can occur when pedestrians are struck by motor vehicles, which often occurs in urban areas. For this type of accident, wrongful death claims are often being submitted. In Costa Mesa, our personal injury lawyers are proud to represent victims of all kinds of traffic accidents in the city and surrounding areas, as our work contributes to holding irresponsible behavior accountable and keeping the community safe and secure.

Product Liability Accidents

Product liability cases come up when a person is harmed as the result of a product that has been poorly designed or inadequately manufactured. These cases all arise from products that do not have adequate warnings about the dangers associated with their use. It is possible to sue a product manufacturer and win, even without proving that they were at fault for the incident. However, if you try to file a claim against other parties in the product distribution chain, then you will need to prove fault.

There are certain cases that may involve another kind of accident and product liability. For example, a truck incident may have been caused by a combination of the recklessness of a truck driver and faulty brake equipment in the truck. This case could involve suing the truck driver and the truck brake manufacturing company. At Duque & Price, our personal injury lawyers have years of experience representing clients who have fallen victim to product liability accidents.

Medical Malpractice Accidents

Medical malpractice is a common form of personal injury accident that can occur when a medical provider harms a patient due to irresponsible, reckless, or negligent behavior. This can involve making an error during a surgical procedure or misdiagnosing a client, causing false treatment to be administered and the condition to subsequently worsen.

It can also involve administering the wrong prescription or treatment and failing to diagnose a serious, life-threatening condition. Medical malpractice examples can include having the wrong tooth removed and being unable to recover sensation or feeling in an extremity after receiving anesthesia during surgery.

Medical malpractice cases are complex, requiring litigators who are highly experienced in navigating such cases and working with expert medical witnesses. At Duque & Price, our personal injury lawyers are available to help you get the settlement you deserve after facing medical malpractice in Costa Mesa, California.

Wrongful Death in Costa Mesa, California

Wrongful death accidents involve the death of one or more people involved in an incident that was caused by the negligence or recklessness of another person or organization. Losing a loved one to a personal injury accident can be devastating beyond words. Our compassionate lawyers at Duque & Price are here for you during this difficult time to help you get the compensation that you and your family are entitled to.

How Can I Secure Compensation for My Personal Injury After an Accident in Costa Mesa?

Getting into an accident in Costa Mesa can be challenging, and the aftermath can be physically, emotionally, and financially difficult. On top of that, trying to navigate the complex claims process to get compensation for damages can prove to be even more of a challenge. The general rules for filing a claim after facing a personal injury accident include:

• A Personal Injury Accident Occurring: To file a personal injury claim in California, you must have sustained injuries from an accident that was caused by another person due to their recklessness or negligence.
• Seeking Safety: After getting in an accident, it is critical to make sure that you are no longer in immediate danger. For example, ensure that you are not near explosives or falling objects.
• Seeking Immediate Medical Support: Even if you didn’t sustain serious immediate injuries, it’s important to get medical care to make sure that there are no underlying conditions or delayed symptoms. Keep copies of all your medical records.
• Letting Authorities Know: After an accident, you will need to notify the appropriate authorities, including law enforcement. If your accident occurred in the workplace, then you will need to notify your employer.
• Getting the Information of Involved Parties: Before everyone leaves the scene of an accident, be sure to get their information, including their name and contact information, along with their insurance company information if necessary. Try to get the information of any witnesses, as they can provide witness testimony later on.
• Documenting the Accident: If it is safe to do so, document the accident by taking photos and videos of the surrounding accident area, specifically focusing on damages to personal or public property. Take pictures of all relevant injuries as well, and get a copy of the police report or other reports that are generated after your accident.
• Working With an Attorney: By working with an attorney on your case, they can leverage their knowledge to help you gather strong evidence for your case and submit your claim. They can also inform you of your personal injury rights and make sure that your interests are protected.
• Filing the Claim: After all the adequate documentation is collected, a personal injury attorney can assist you in filing a claim with the insurance company of the at-fault party. They can lay out the details of the case and all the associated damages and injuries.
• Waiting for the Investigation Process: The insurance company will conduct its own investigation of what happened during the accident. As a result, their agents may request clarification on certain topics, or they may ask for more evidence.
• Negotiating and Settling: After the insurance company has completed the investigation process, their representatives will come back with an initial offer. Your attorney may counter with their own settlement offer. This process may go back and forth multiple times until an agreement is finally reached.
• Pursuing Litigation: In some cases, if your lawyer is not able to get the insurance company to come to a reasonable settlement, then they may have to go through the courts to fight for the money that you are entitled to. This can also happen if the at-fault party does not have adequate insurance to cover the damages accrued.
• Getting a Resolution: During the court case, your attorney and the insurance company or the defendant may be able to reach a settlement before it resolves, therefore ending the trial early. If not, then the resolution will be determined during the trial. In many cases, if you are not content with the settlement, then you can appeal.

Working to obtain a fair settlement for damages accrued during an accident can be a difficult and lengthy process. Therefore, it is incredibly helpful to have a knowledgeable lawyer on your side who can walk you through each step and explain to you the legal and bureaucratic processes involved. They can handle all the minute details for you so that you or your loved one can focus on healing and getting back to normal.

Costa Mesa, California, Personal Injury Statistics

While Costa Mesa, California, is a lively town to work in, live in, and visit, it is no exception to the rest of California in that accidents do happen there. Costa Mesa is located in Orange County, which has similar representative personal injury statistics to the city itself. According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control’s WONDER database, in Orange County, there were 1,483 unintentional deaths from personal injury accidents in 2021 out of a population of 3,167,809, meaning that 46.8 per 100,000 county residents died from personal injury accidents.

To put these numbers in perspective, it should be noted that 10.9 per 100,000 county residents died by suicide, and 3.0 per 100,000 county residents died by homicide. In terms of the 1,483 who died from personal injury incidents, 982 of them were from poisoning. This means that 31 per 100,000 residents in Orange County died of poisoning in 2021.

The second leading cause of unintentional personal injury deaths in 2021 was motor vehicle traffic accidents, with the death rate being 7.8 per 100,000 residents in the county. Falls were also prevalent, with 7.5 deaths per 100,000 residents occurring due to death after a slip and fall accident. Firearm incidents led to the death of 5.1 people per 100,000 residents in 2021.

Other common forms of deadly personal injury incidents included suffocation, drowning, and cutting/piercing, which led to 4.2 per 100,000, 1.4 per 100,000, and 0.8 per 100,000, respectively.

Average Personal Injury Settlement Amounts in Costa Mesa

Personal injury settlement amounts in Costa Mesa can vary, depending on:

• The type of injury
• The involved past and future lost wages
• The damages and injuries sustained and subsequent medical bills
• The knowledge and experience of your legal representation

Therefore, personal injury settlement amounts can vary from around $10,000 to $1,000,000 or greater.

Certain accidents, such as medical malpractice, truck accidents, and defective products, tend to yield greater settlement amounts than other kinds of cases, such as dog bites or car accidents. For example, Chavez v. Sunset Construction Company involved a construction worker who suffered injuries at work and got a settlement of $2,500,000. On the other hand, a pedestrian was awarded $650,000 after being struck by a vehicle at a Los Angeles intersection.

Costa Mesa Personal Injury Law FAQs

Q: Where Do Most Truck Accidents Happen in California?

A: According to TIMS Berkeley, in 2022, most truck accidents in California occurred in Los Angeles County, with the number being 1,830. San Bernardino had the second-greatest truck accident incident rate, with 800 truck crashes. Riverside County, Orange County, and San Diego County had 626, 394, and 379 truck accidents, respectively. Risks for truck accidents include:

• Crowded roads
• Poorly designed infrastructure, such as intersections
• Lack of safety and driver education
• Distracted driving
• Driving without adequate rest or breaks
• Driving under the influence

Q: If I Am Partially at Fault for a California Accident, Can I Still Get Compensation?

A: In California, drivers who are shown to be partially at fault for an accident are still entitled to compensation, according to the laws of comparative negligence in the state. However, this means that they will be entitled to recover less compensation for damages. For example, if an accident victim is found to be 40% responsible for an accident, then they can recover only 60% of the resulting injuries or damages. A CA personal injury lawyer can help you understand the compensation that you are entitled to.

Q: Do I Have to Hire a California Personal Injury Lawyer to Settle My Case?

A: Under California law, you can represent yourself in a personal injury case by collecting all pertinent evidence related to your accident and presenting it to the appropriate insurance companies as a claim. You will need to have a strong understanding of how to financially evaluate all damages, including the worth of future lost wages or income. Then, you will need to know how to negotiate with insurance companies and take the case to court if necessary.

All of these processes are difficult to facilitate without the aid of a personal injury lawyer.

Q: How Should I Respond to an Insurance Company’s Initial Settlement Offer?

A: If you have submitted a demand letter, with relevant evidence to back your personal injury claim, to the at-fault party’s insurance company, then they will typically take a few weeks to generate an initial settlement offer. The appropriate response to the settlement offer will vary depending on whether the offer is reasonable compared to all the past and future evaluated damages that occurred as a result of your personal injury accident.

Q: How Much Can I Get for Pain and Suffering After Medical Malpractice in CA?

A: If you have been a victim of medical malpractice in California, then there is a cap on the amount of money that you can get for pain and suffering. The maximum allocated settlement for pain and suffering after a medical malpractice accident is $250,000. For other types of cases, there is no maximum limit on pain and suffering compensation payouts. If you are suffering after a medical malpractice incident, then there are other options to help you get the compensation you need, such as arguing that you face a loss of wages and income.

Get Support From a Dedicated Costa Mesa Personal Injury Lawyer

At Duque & Price, our team of dedicated personal injury lawyers is committed to helping you secure the compensation that you are entitled to. Whether your injuries are minor, such as soft tissue damage or a sprain, or more serious, such as a traumatic brain injury or an amputation, our team can help you develop an optimal strategy to secure the compensation that you are entitled to. To get started discussing your case, reach out to one of our personal injury lawyers today.