Encino Personal Injury Lawyer
An Encino personal injury lawyer helps people who were hurt by someone else’s carelessness. This kind of lawyer also helps families who lost a loved one. The claim can cover medical bills, lost pay, and pain. In California, you usually have two years to sue. You may have just six months if a city or state agency is at fault.
Big Joe Law helps injured people and grieving families in Encino. Our cases come from across the San Fernando Valley and all of Los Angeles County. Our Encino personal injury lawyers take on cases with serious injuries and complex medical records. Our trial team builds each case from day one as if a jury will hear it. A fair settlement is welcome. A low one that shortchanges a client is not.
Were you or a family member hurt in a crash, a fall, or a dog attack? A free consultation with Big Joe Law can help you see where your claim stands and what to protect now.
Need Assistance With Your Case? Get a Free Case Review.
If you find yourself on the wrong side of the law, let us put our knowledge and experience to work for you.
📞 Call Big Joe NowWhat types of personal injury cases does Big Joe Law handle in Encino?
Big Joe Law handles injury and wrongful death cases in Encino. These include car, truck, motorcycle, rideshare, bus, bike, and pedestrian crashes. They also include work site injuries, slip and fall cases, poor security, dog bites, and unsafe products. Wildfire losses and brain, spine, and burn injuries are part of the work too.
Each case type has its own page. Each page explains how the claim works, who may be at fault, and what proof to save early. Start with the one closest to what happened to you.
Crashes on the road
- Car accident lawyer: crashes on Ventura Boulevard, the 101, the 405, and Valley streets
- Self-driving car accident lawyers: crashes where software, the carmaker, and the driver may share the blame
- Truck accident lawyer: big rig crashes with strict safety rules and more than one insurer
- Commercial vehicle accident lawyers: crashes with delivery vans and work trucks, where the employer’s policy may pay
- Motorcycle accident lawyer: rider crashes, including lane splitting, which is legal in California
- Rideshare accident lawyer: Uber and Lyft crashes, where coverage depends on the app
- Bus accident lawyer: LA Metro, school bus, and shuttle crashes, which may have a six-month deadline
- Pedestrian accident lawyer: people on foot hit in parking lots, streets, and driveways
- Crosswalk injury lawyer: people hit while crossing in a crosswalk
Injuries on someone’s property
- Slip and fall accident lawyer: falls on wet floors, broken stairs, and dark walkways
- Inadequate security lawyer: attacks in parking lots, apartments, and hotels with weak security
- Walmart accident lawyer: falls and falling items at Walmart stores
- Target accident lawyer: injuries in and around Target stores
- Dog bite lawyer: bites and attacks, where California holds most dog owners to blame
- Landlord dog bite lawyers: attacks where a landlord knew a dog was dangerous
- Wildfire injury and loss lawyer: harm from wildfires, downed power lines, and fire damage
Work site, product, and other cases
- Construction accident lawyer: falls, scaffold collapses, and falling objects, beyond workers’ comp
- Product liability lawyer: unsafe cars, tools, batteries, e-bikes, and scooters
- Child injury lawyer: harm to children at school, daycare, parks, and on the road
- Church abuse lawyer: abuse claims tied to churches, church schools, and youth groups
- Nursing home abuse lawyer
- Nursing home neglect lawyer
- Wrongful death lawyer: claims by family members after a fatal crash or fall
What injuries do Encino personal injury lawyers handle?
Encino personal injury lawyers handle all kinds of injuries. These include brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burns, and broken bones. They also include back and neck injuries, injuries to organs, lost limbs, and facial scars. Mental harm, such as PTSD, counts too. The type of injury, and whether it will last, shapes the claim.
The most serious injuries need extra proof. That is because the biggest costs may come years later. These pages cover specific injuries:
- Traumatic brain injury lawyer: concussions and brain injuries that affect memory, mood, and work
- Spinal cord injury lawyer: injuries that cause numbness, weakness, or paralysis
- Burn injury lawyer: burns from fires, explosions, and faulty batteries
Other common injuries include broken hips, wrists, and ribs. Herniated discs, torn ligaments, and crush injuries are common too. So are anxiety and fear of driving after a crash. Your doctors record each injury. For lasting injuries, our Encino injury lawyers may also work with life care planners and job loss economists.
Can I sue someone in California if their negligence caused my injury?
Yes. In California, you can sue when someone failed to act with reasonable care and that failure hurt you. This is called a negligence claim. It can cover your medical bills, lost pay, and pain. It applies to drivers, property owners, stores, builders, and public agencies.
A negligence claim has four parts:
- Duty: the other person had a duty to be careful, like a driver’s duty to watch the road
- Breach: the person was not careful, such as by running a red light
- Cause: that mistake caused your injury
- Harm: you had real losses, such as bills, lost work, or pain
Some claims do not require proof of carelessness. In California, a dog owner is to blame for most bites. A maker or seller can be to blame for a faulty product. Claims against a public agency follow special rules. Examples include the City of Los Angeles, LA Metro, and Caltrans. You must first file a written claim with the agency.
What compensation can I recover in an Encino personal injury case?
In an Encino personal injury case, you can seek money for past and future medical bills and lost pay. You can also seek money if you can no longer earn as much. You can seek money for pain, stress, and lost joy in life as well. California sets no cap on pain and suffering in most injury cases.
A jury may consider these types of losses:
- Past medical bills, such as the ambulance, ER, surgery, and therapy
- Future medical care, such as more surgery, home care, or equipment
- Lost pay, including wages, bonuses, and benefits
- Lost earning power if you can no longer do your job
- Damage to your car, phone, or other things
- Pain and suffering, both now and in the future
- Loss of the hobbies, activities, and family time you once enjoyed
- Scars and changes to how you look
- A spouse’s claim for lost companionship and support
In rare cases, a jury may add punitive damages. These punish very bad conduct, such as fraud or malice. When a person dies, the family can bring a wrongful death claim. The estate can also bring a separate claim for losses before death.
What factors affect the value of a personal injury claim in California?
The value of a California personal injury claim depends on many things. These include how bad the injury is and whether it will last. They also include your medical records, any gaps in care, and test results. Proof of fault, insurance limits, and where the case is filed count too. So does readiness for trial.
No honest lawyer can name a number at the start. These factors shape the value of a claim:
- How serious the injury is, and whether you needed surgery
- Whether your medical records are steady, with no gaps in care
- What X-rays, MRIs, and other tests show
- How the injury affects your job and daily life
- How the other person acted before and after the incident
- Proof of fault, such as witnesses, video, and car data
- How believable you and the witnesses are under oath
- How much insurance is available, including your own UM/UIM coverage
- How the insurance company has handled the claim
- Where the case is filed, such as the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County
Can I still recover if I was partly at fault in California?
Yes. California lets you recover even if you were partly at fault. Your award is cut by your share of the blame. For example, if you were 25 percent at fault, you can still get 75 percent of your losses. Insurers often try to put more blame on you because it lowers what they pay.
Sometimes more than one person is to blame. In that case, each one is fully on the hook for your medical bills and lost pay. Pain and suffering is split based on each person’s share of fault.
There is one exception many drivers do not know. If you had no car insurance at the time of a crash, you usually cannot get money for pain and suffering. That is true even if the other driver was fully at fault. A few limited exceptions apply.
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in California?
In California, you usually have two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit. For damage to property only, you have three years. If a public agency is at fault, you often must file a written claim within six months. For a hurt child, the clock usually waits until age 18.
This deadline is called the statute of limitations. Talking with an insurance adjuster does not stop the clock. In some cases, the clock starts when you find out about the injury. For a wrongful death claim, you usually have two years from the date of death.
A government claim is a written claim you must send to a public agency before you can sue. Examples include a crash with a city bus or truck, or a fall on a broken city sidewalk. These cases often have the six-month deadline.
What should I do after being injured by someone else’s negligence?
After you are hurt by someone else’s carelessness, get medical care first. Report what happened to the police or the property owner. Take photos and get the names of witnesses. Keep anything that was damaged and follow your doctor’s advice. Do not give a recorded statement or sign anything for the other side’s insurer.
Proof can vanish fast. Store cameras may record over video within days. Hazards get fixed and cars get repaired. These steps help protect your claim:
- Get medical care right away, even if the pain seems minor
- Call the police after a crash, and report a fall to the store in writing
- Take photos of the hazard, the scene, the cars, and your injuries
- Get names and phone numbers from witnesses and everyone involved
- Keep the clothes, shoes, or helmet you had on
- Go to every doctor visit and avoid gaps in care
- Keep your bills, pay stubs, and receipts in one place
- Stay off social media about the incident
- Say no to recorded statements and broad medical record requests from the other side’s insurer
How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer in California?
Most personal injury lawyers in California work on a contingency fee. That means the fee is a share of any money you recover, not an hourly rate. California requires the fee deal to be in writing. It must state the percentage and how case costs are handled. It must also say the fee can be negotiated.
Case costs are separate from the fee. They can include court filing fees, medical record charges, and the cost of outside professionals. Your written agreement should say whether costs come out before or after the fee. It should also say whether you owe costs if there is no recovery.
You can ask about fees, costs, and medical liens at your free consultation with Big Joe Law.
What is the personal injury claims process in Encino?
The personal injury claims process in Encino usually starts with medical care and fact gathering. Next comes the insurance claim and a demand for payment. If the claim does not settle, the case moves to a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California. Then comes the exchange of evidence, mediation, and, if needed, a jury trial.
Most cases follow these steps, but not every case reaches each one:
- Free consultation and early fact gathering
- Medical care until your doctors say you have healed as much as you will
- A demand to each insurer, followed by talks
- Filing the lawsuit, called the complaint and summons
- Sharing evidence, including written questions and sworn interviews called depositions
- A medical exam by a doctor the other side chooses
- Motions, which are requests for the judge to rule on an issue
- Mediation and a settlement conference before trial
- A jury trial and verdict
- Appeals, if needed, to the California Court of Appeal
- Paying off medical liens and sending you your share
How Can an Encino Personal Injury Lawyer Help Maximize My Compensation?
An Encino personal injury lawyer can help you recover more by saving proof early and finding every party and policy that may pay. Your lawyer also handles all calls with insurers and proves the full cost of your injuries. Other tasks include clearing liens, meeting every deadline, and getting the case ready for trial from the start.
Our Encino personal injury lawyers follow these steps, from the first call through trial:
- Save proof: send letters to keep video, car data, and other evidence safe
- Find coverage: identify every insurer, your own UM/UIM policy, and any public agency
- Meet deadlines: file the six-month government claim when one applies
- Handle insurers: take every call, request, and offer from the adjuster
- Prove your losses: work with your doctors, life care planners, economists, and accident reconstruction engineers
- Clear liens: deal with health insurance, Medi-Cal, and Medicare claims for repayment
- File suit: draft the complaint, gather evidence, and take depositions
- Go to trial: present the case at mediation and, if needed, to a jury in Los Angeles County or another court
Our Encino personal injury attorneys cannot promise any result. What our trial team can do is build the proof the law allows. Our Encino personal injury lawyers tell the full story of how the injury changed your life.
Where else does Big Joe Law represent injured people near Encino?
Big Joe Law helps injured people and families across the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles County. This includes Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills, and Tarzana. Cases are filed in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County. Cases may also be filed in nearby counties such as Ventura, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Kern.
Contact Our Encino Personal Injury Lawyers
Were you hurt in a crash, a fall, or a dog attack? Did you lose a loved one? Big Joe Law in Encino, California offers a free consultation. Our Encino injury team will review what happened, the deadlines that apply, and the proof to save. Reach out to our Encino personal injury attorneys to set up a time to talk.
Need Assistance With Your Case? Get a Free Case Review.
If you find yourself on the wrong side of the law, let us put our knowledge and experience to work for you.
📞 Call Big Joe NowThis page is attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This page is general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
