Santa Barbara Serious Injury Attorney

A serious injury can have a permanent impact on your quality of life. While no one can change the past, if you have sustained a major injury resulting from another party’s negligence, you may be able to recover financial compensation for certain losses associated with your injury.

Review your case with a Santa Barbara serious injury attorney at the Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Herman for more information about your legal options. If you have a valid case, we are prepared to offer the representation you need.

Santa Barbara Serious Injury Cases: What is a ‘Serious’ Injury?

Serious injuries come in many forms. Generally, an injury may be considered serious or catastrophic if it substantially interferes with a victim’s ability to work and/or go about their daily lives without assistance. Often, victims who sustain these types of injuries are left with permanent disabilities.

Examples include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Loss of limbs
• Loss of vision
• Loss of hearing
• Major burns, scarring, or disfigurement
• Cognitive problems
• Paralysis

This is not an exhaustive list. Review your case with a Santa Barbara serious injury lawyer if you’re not certain whether your injuries qualify as serious or catastrophic.

Causes of Santa Barbara Serious Injuries

Victims may sustain a serious injuries as a result of:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Fires/explosions
• Exposure to hazardous chemicals or materials
• Falling accidents
• Workplace accidents
• …and more

The types of injuries likely to result in long-term challenges include (but aren’t necessarily limited to):

• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Crushing injuries
• Injuries that result in amputation

How a Santa Barbara Serious Injury Attorney Helps

If you’ve sustained a major injury because someone else was negligent, you may be able to seek financial compensation for such losses/damages as:

• Medical treatment expenses
• Lost income
• Pain
• Loss of enjoyment of life

You may pursue the compensation you deserve by filing a claim with the negligent party’s insurance carrier. Before doing so, strongly consider hiring a Santa Barbara serious injury law firm.

A Santa Barbara serious injury attorney can help you win your case by:

• Conducting a thorough investigation. This is necessary in order to properly identify the liable parties and to gather evidence proving you were injured as a result of their actions or carelessness.
• Reviewing all your past, current, and potential future losses resulting from your injuries to determine how much compensation you may be eligible to recover. This process can sometimes involve assigning a monetary value to such non-economic losses as pain and suffering.
• Filing a claim with the insurance company and entering into negotiations for a fair settlement.

That last point is important. An insurance company will often attempt to convince a victim to settle for less than their claim is worth. This is particularly true in a Santa Barbara serious injury case, when the amount of money a victim may deserve to receive can be fairly substantial.

Don’t let an insurer take advantage of you during this difficult time. Hire a lawyer qualified to negotiate aggressively on your behalf.

How to Prepare for a Consultation With a Santa Barbara Serious Injury Attorney

You don’t need to hire a lawyer to learn about the merits of your case. At our Santa Barbara serious injury law firm, we offer free consultations. During an initial consultation, you can review your case with an expert to learn more about your legal options. You’re not obligated to hire us even if we determine we’re prepared to handle your case.

Your goal is to ensure a free consultation is as productive and informative as possible for both you and a Santa Barbara serious injury attorney. To achieve this goal, prepare ahead of time by taking these essential steps:

• Write down or record your full recollections of the accident which resulted in your injury. You’ll be more likely to provide a lawyer with all the information they need if you can refer to a narrative when describing how you were injured. Be sure to include such details as:
  The date and time of the accident
  What you were doing when the accident occurred
  How you believe the accident happened
  Whether anyone witnessed the accident
  How you proceeded in the immediate aftermath
• Make a list of losses/damages you’ve already incurred as a result of your accident. This may include economic losses like medical bills and lost wages. It could also potentially include non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering. Bring documentation of your economic losses (such as copies of your medical bills) with you to your free consultation with a Santa Barbara serious injury attorney if you have them on hand.
• You may have thought to take down the names and contact information of witnesses at the scene of your accident. While you can certainly still pursue a case if you didn’t take this step, if you have, bring a list of witnesses along with their contact information with you when you meet with a lawyer. Under the name and contact info of every witness, you might want to include a description of how they described seeing your accident if this is something you discussed when you first spoke with them.
• You might have also taken pictures of the accident scene/your injuries. Depending on the circumstances, you may even have footage of the accident as it happened. Gather this evidence in preparation for your case review if so.

There may be additional forms of evidence you have access to that could prove valuable when our Santa Barbara serious injury attorney evaluates your case. For example, maybe you already have a copy of a police report you can share with a lawyer if you were harmed in a motor vehicle collision or similar accident.

Don’t worry if you’re unable to take any or even all of the steps listed above. An attorney can still review your case and discuss your options. Again, they can also conduct an investigation to uncover evidence that may help you demonstrate why you’re eligible to receive compensation. You simply want to prepare as thoroughly as you can when getting ready to discuss your case with a legal professional for the first time.

Contact a Santa Barbara Serious Injury Attorney

At The Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Herman, we are committed to helping victims of negligence recover proper compensation for their losses. Learn more about what a Santa Barbara serious injury attorney can do for you by contacting us online or calling us at 805-983-2344.