Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer
Experienced Injury Attorney Serving Los Angeles Area Residents
Accidents that result in severe injuries can happen suddenly, creating an intense emotional and financial strain on both the victims and their loved ones. When the harm is caused by the carelessness of another party, it may be in your best interest to try to hold that party legally responsible. Injury lawyer Vann H. Slatter has dedicated his practice to helping people in Los Angeles and the surrounding cities pursue compensation for the negligence of others. We are a boutique firm proud to build sincere and honest relationships with our clients, with our Los Angeles personal injury lawyer giving their cases the individualized attention that they need while aggressively advocating on their behalf.
Taking Legal Action through a Negligence Claim
A personal injury action is essentially a lawsuit filed by a plaintiff against a defendant alleging that the defendant is legally responsible for the victim’s injuries. There are many kinds of these cases, ranging from car accidents and dog bites to wrongful death claims. They are usually brought under the legal theory of negligence, which recognizes that a person or entity may be held responsible for careless actions that result in foreseeable harm to others. In California, personal injury actions usually must be brought within two years from the accident, or one year from the date that the harm was discovered, although there may be exceptions that apply in certain situations. A Los Angeles personal injury attorney can help you determine whether you still have time to file your lawsuit.
Although the facts of each personal injury case are unique, the plaintiff will have the burden to establish the same four basic elements of any negligence claim by a preponderance of the evidence. The first element, duty, requires the plaintiff to prove that the defendant owed him or her a legal duty of care under the circumstances surrounding the accident. In general, each person has a duty to conform to a standard of conduct for the protection of others against unreasonable risks. Depending on the details of the case, this standard may vary if there is a special relationship between the parties, such as landlord-tenant, or in certain factual situations.