Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer

Speak with an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer from the Ernst Law Group who always puts their clients first. We work hard to protect you from unfair settlements and defendants trying to shift the blame onto you.

los angeles personal injury lawyer helping client

Our Practice Areas

Our expert team of Los Angeles personal injury lawyers can help you recover maximum compensation for the damages you’ve suffered. If you or a loved one have been injured in Los Angeles, we may be able to help you.

Our practice areas include:

How does a personal injury claim work?

After your accident, you will need to contact your insurance company. They will cover a certain amount of the expenses for your treatment. Once you know what isn’t covered, you’ll need to hire an LA personal injury lawyer to help you file a claim for the damages that your insurance won’t cover.

We do this in a few steps:

Investigate who was at fault
The opposing insurance company will offer a small settlement that isn’t enough to cover your damages.
File a “complaint” document with the court outlining who the claim is against, what they did wrong, and what kind of compensation you’re seeking.
Hire experts to support your case.
Prepare yourself for trial and potentially take the stand to explain how the injury has affected your life.
Have witnesses take the stand to attest to your altered life
Have witnesses of the accident take the stand
The defendant’s lawyer with use cross-examination to try to shift blame or twist your statements
Closing statements will be made for both parties
The judge and/or jury will determine your verdict

How is Fault Determined Fault In a Los Angeles Personal Injury Accident?

Determining fault is a critical step in any personal injury case. For a case to exist, one party must be found negligent and responsible for the injury the victim suffered. However, this isn’t easy to prove. The guilty party will try to cover up their liability or shift the blame onto the victim. They are focused on trying not to pay damages that the victim is owed.

That is why it’s vital to have an accurate determination of fault in a personal injury case. This can be done through a variety of means, including collecting physical evidence, speaking to witnesses, and accessing footage of the accident that led to the injury. Individuals struggle to obtain this information. They don’t know who to ask or what to look for to help them make their case.

An expert Los Angeles personal injury lawyer is your best defense against incorrect determinations of fault. They can start collecting evidence to determine the cause of the injury and who is liable. The sooner you bring a personal injury lawyer onto the case, the more information they can gather.

If you bring them on immediately, they can work with police to compile an accurate picture of the accident and to inspect the scene of the accident for evidence before it is cleared away. This allows them to defend their rights and seek maximum compensation from the defendant.

Fault is required to award damages in a personal injury case. Without proof of fault, there is no way to collect damages from the guilty party. In fact, they may shift the blame onto the victim and force them to pay out additional funds. Since the person found to be at fault is responsible for paying damages, you must have someone on your side who can accurately prove fault and protect you from false liability.

The expert attorneys at Ernst Law Group know exactly what kind of evidence you need to determine fault in court. We will find this evidence with the help of experts if required.

Don’t get conned by insurance companies or defendants. Hire a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer to protect your right to compensation.

How do Personal Injury Cases Differ from Other Legal Cases?

Personal injury law is one of the most complicated fields of law. Every case is unique, meaning that lawyers cannot recycle past arguments or rely on precedent. This makes the laws unique and ever-changing to adapt to changes in the field.

Our expert LA personal injury lawyers keep up with these changes, learning from every case and applying their knowledge to get every client the maximum compensation they deserve.

What is the Potential Impact of Comparative Fault in California?

California is a pure comparative negligence state. In LA, victims can collect damages for a personal injury even if they are found to be partially at fault for the accident.

Historically, if a victim was even 1% responsible for an accident, they could not seek damages. This made it incredibly easy for defendants to avoid paying fair compensation to personal injury accident victims. Victims could lose claims for small issues, like missing an unrelated step on a safety checklist, having a broken taillight, texting while walking, or driving while slightly drowsy.

Now, it is much easier to get fair compensation. However, there are still some negative impacts of comparative fault in California.

Comparative negligence allows victims to collect damages even if they are partially at fault. The courts determine fault. Your awarded damages are reduced by the amount that you are found to be at fault. For example, a $10,000 verdict would be reduced to $9,000 if the victim was found to be 10% responsible for a slip and fall because they were talking on the phone.

Unfortunately, defendants have learned how to use comparative negligence in their favor. They shift the blame onto the plaintiff to try and lower the fees that they will be required to pay. They may claim that the plaintiff wasn’t wearing the appropriate level of protective gear, was texting and driving, or was actively ignoring warning signs in the workplace. Even minor details like a broken tail light may be spun to be major contributors to an accident in an attempt to inflate the victim’s fault.

Defendants are looking to protect their financial interests. They don’t care about your well-being and recovery. At Ernst Law Group, we’ve made a name for ourselves protecting the underdog. Let us protect you. Contact a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer for a free, no-obligation consultation.

What is the Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims?

The statute of limitations for a claim is the period during which you must file your lawsuit. If you file once the statute of limitations has expired, it’s unlikely that the court will hear your case.

To ensure you don’t miss out on collecting damages, it is important to file your claim as soon as possible following your personal injury. You have two years from the date of your injury to file your claim in Los Angeles. However, the sooner you file the claim, the sooner you’ll be awarded damages. This improves your legal team’s ability to find critical evidence to support your case.

If your claim is against a government agency, you have a shorter statute of limitations. In this case, you have six months to file your claim.

There are some instances where a court will hear your claim even if the statute of limitations has expired. This frequently occurs in medical malpractice cases where the injury or negligence wasn’t discovered until more than two years after the accident. To determine if your case qualifies to be heard after the statute of limitations has expired, contact an LA personal injury attorney for their expert opinion.

What Are Common Types of Personal Injury Claims?

Personal injury cases occur every day from regular individuals going about their lives. They get injured due to someone else’s negligence, which causes direct harm to the victim. There are so many threats around us that people become blind to them until they are injured. By then, it’s too late.

The Ernst Law Group has assisted victims of many common types of personal injury claims in seeking maximum compensation for their accidents. If you’ve been injured by one of the following causes of personal injury, we can help:

Car Accident
Slip and Fall
Medical Malpractice
Defamation, Libel, and Slander
Dog Bites
Assault
Plane, Boat, or Motorcycle Accident
Pedestrian Accident
Defective Products
Unsafe Work Conditions
Unsafe Property Conditions
Police Misconduct

Potential Damages In a Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawsuit

If you have been the victim of a personal injury in Los Angeles, you may be entitled to damages. These damages are meant to recover any financial losses that you had as a result of getting treatment for your injury, to help you recover mentally after your suffering, and to punish the guilty party. However, the exact amount that you are entitled to varies from case to case.

You shouldn’t have to pay for medical expenses for an accident that was someone else’s fault. Economic damages ensure that the guilty party retroactively covers any expenses that you were forced to pay out of pocket for your care. This can include any medical bills, prescriptions, rehabilitation, hospital stays, forced time off work and lost wages, and any treatment costs.

Suffering isn’t just physical. Victims of personal injury have been through a traumatic event. Accidents can change your world drastically. Non-economic damages are meant to compensate you for the difficult time that you suffered. These damages are often higher than economic damages, as emotional trauma often exceeds the physical.

You can seek non-economic damages for pain and suffering, anguish, loss of companionship for a deceased loved one, change of quality of life, anxiety or depression, and lasting disfigurement due to the accident.

Punitive damages are awarded in cases where the at-fault party was found to be actively negligent, leading to your injury. For example, many impaired drivers are forced to pay punitive damages as they know the risks of driving under the influence and do so anyway. These damages reflect the punishment that the court decides fits the crime. This amount does not reflect the victim’s injuries and suffering but focuses on the actions of the guilty party.

If you have lost a loved one due to an accident, you are entitled to wrongful death damages. These cover the expenses of the deceased’s care up to their death, compensation for the loss of their income, and compensation for the loss of their companionship.

Reasons to Choose Ernst Law Firm as Your Personal Injury Attorneys

We only get paid if you win.

We don’t prioritize payment over your well-being. Other firms accept low settlement offers to avoid lengthy trials. They counsel their clients to appease the guilty parties so they can get their money faster.

The Ernst Law Group is here to help you win your case. We prepare every claim for trial, hiring experts, dealing with insurance companies, and supporting you through the process. We’re so confident that we will win your case that we pay all the costs upfront.

We hold the at-fault party responsible and fight for the victim’s right to compensation. If you have suffered a personal injury in the Los Angeles area, call The Ernst Law Group to determine if you have a case.

We treat clients like family.

You aren’t just a number at Ernst Law Group. Your case is personal to us. We believe in taking on cases that make a difference in creating a safer community for us all. Your claim helps bring us one step closer to creating a safer community for our own families.

The Ernst Law Group believes in actively building a better community. We do our best to take on clients who can’t afford legal services, such as at-risk elders or low-income individuals. Every client we help is another brick in the foundation of the community we want to create.

We prepare every case for trial.

Personal injury law has become synonymous with settlements. Insurance companies use settlements to avoid paying fair compensation to victims. Some personal injury lawyers use settlements to get paid faster, even though they know their clients’ cases are worth more. They want to avoid working harder at trial.

The Ernst Law Group is a plaintiff trial firm. We prepare to take every claim to trial, regardless of how much work it is for us. We hire experts, investigate faults, liaise with police, and support our clients through the trial process.

Our LA personal injury lawyers have helped clients get damages from corporations, insurance companies, and at-fault individuals who caused their injuries. We ensured that they were held responsible for the damage that they caused and punished for their actions. Making them pay damages is the best way to ensure that they never harm another individual through their negligence. That’s why we believe in the value of preparing every case for trial.

We earn maximum compensation for personal injuries.

Judges award higher compensation than victims would receive through a settlement. That is why insurance companies want to avoid going to trial, and that is why we prepare to go to trial. We believe that victims are owed no less than the maximum compensation for their injuries. We’re willing to fight to ensure they get it.

Maximum compensation varies case by case. Our expert Los Angeles personal injury lawyers know what you could be owed for your injury or wrongful death.

We’ll work to get you that figure. We believe that every dollar that the guilty party is forced to pay increases their incentive to be more careful in the future. Holding them responsible for their actions and punishing them makes it less likely that they’ll repeat their actions. The more noteworthy the amount, the less likely anyone else in the LA area is going to repeat the negligent actions as well.

Contact a Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer Today

You deserve support after an injury. Our team of personal injury lawyers is here to represent you against intimidating insurance companies. Insurance companies are more focused on their bottom line than on helping you recover. They will offer small settlements and try to bully you into accepting them. We will ensure that you don’t accept less than you’re owed.

Whatever type of injury you suffered in Los Angeles or the surrounding area, we can help you file for damages. Contact our California personal injury attorneys for more information.

Personal Injury Questions and Answers

Why do I need a personal injury lawyer?

A personal injury lawyer is an expert in the field. A Los Angeles personal injury lawyer from Ernst Law Group has been supporting individuals like you who were the victims of someone else’s negligence for over 35 years.

We have the skills to defend you against corporations, insurance companies, or threatening defendants. We won’t let others bully you into taking smaller settlements or shifting the blame to prevent you from getting any compensation. A Los Angeles personal injury lawyer will be on your side throughout this challenging process and ensure that you get maximum compensation.

What do I do when an insurance company calls me about my injury?

The insurance company will try to downplay your injuries to reduce the amount that they need to pay you. Having a legal representative speak for you is safer. Ask your personal injury attorney for advice on what to say to your insurance company to ensure that they cannot withhold compensation.

Should I call the police at the scene of a personal injury?

You should call the police to the scene if your personal injury is an accident, such as a car or truck accident. Other cases, such as slips and falls or medical malpractice, don’t typically warrant calling the police.

You will need to make this determination based on the circumstances of the accident and if any criminal negligence is present.

What is a wrongful death in California?

Wrongful death in California is defined as when someone’s actions result in the death of a victim, regardless of whether those actions were due to negligence or malice. The plaintiff will need to prove that a person died due to negligence or intention to harm the defendant.

Only surviving family members of the deceased are able to file a wrongful death suit to seek monetary damages for their loss.

How long do I have to file a lawsuit after a personal injury?

In Los Angeles, you have two years from the date of the accident that caused your personal injury to file a lawsuit. However, if you are filing against a US government organization, you only have six months to file your claim. It is unlikely that your case will be heard if you file after this period.

Helpful resources for those injured in Los Angeles

Medical care

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- 8700 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Public services

Los Angeles County Superior Court
- 111 N Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Los Angeles City Clerk
- 200 N Spring St, Room 395, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Legal assistance

Ernst Law Group
- 1020 Palm St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Phone – 805-779-3630