Malibu, CA Injury Lawyer

Nobody expects to suffer a severe or life-threatening injury in Malibu, California. Unfortunately, however, accidents and injuries happen more often than you might think. Whether you live in Southern California or are visiting Malibu to enjoy the beaches and hikes, and injury can happen suddenly and without any warning. In many injury cases, it is possible to file a claim for financial compensation. At Fisher & Talwar, we are committed to serving injured plaintiffs throughout the Malibu area who have been injured because of another party’s careless behavior or intentional wrongdoing. A dedicated and compassionate Malibu, CA injury lawyer at our firm is here to speak with you about your case.

Our Malibu Injury Lawyers Handle a Wide Variety of Injury Claims

Accidents and injuries can happen almost anywhere and at any time. More often than not, injuries happen because of another party’s negligence or wrongdoing. When another party is liable for your injuries, it is essential to speak with a Malibu CA injury attorney about filing a claim for financial compensation. At Fisher & Talwar, we have years of experience representing injured plaintiffs in a variety of injury claims, including but not limited to the following:

Auto accidents;
Motorcycle accidents;
Truck accidents;
Bicycle accidents;
Pedestrian accidents;
Bus accidents;
Train accidents;
Boating and other watercraft accidents;
Dog bites;
Slip, trip, and fall accidents;
Construction accidents;
Elevator and escalator injuries;
Swimming pool accidents and injuries;
Product defect claims, including defective medical products and dangerous drugs; and
Wrongful death claims.

Common Injuries in a Malibu, CA Personal Injury Lawsuit

Injuries in Malibu can range widely in terms of severity. While some personal injuries may be minor and result in only a short recovery period, other injuries can result in long-term and even permanent disabilities, while some of those severe injuries can lead to death. At Fisher & Talwar, we routinely represent clients in personal injury claims with many different types of injuries. Examples include but are not limited to the following:

Burn injuries;
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs);
Spinal cord injuries (SCIs);
Fractures or broken bones; and
Electric shock injuries.

You should never assume that your injuries are not sufficiently severe to be compensated. Even if you sustained seemingly minor injuries in a car accident, for example, you could have lengthy effects of an injury like whiplash that could require numerous visits to the doctor’s office. You should not be responsible for paying the financial costs of an injury caused by someone else’s negligence. And when it comes to catastrophic injuries like brain trauma or spinal cord injuries, it is essential to get in touch with a Malibu injury attorney to get started on your claim as quickly as possible.

Statute of Limitations for Your Malibu, CA Injury Claim

When you are injured in Malibu, it is extremely important to know that you only have a limited time window in which you can file a claim for financial compensation. This is known as the statute of limitations. Under California law, most injury lawsuits have a two-year statute of limitations. The “clock” on the statute of limitations usually begins to “tick” on the date you suffer the injury. Then, you have two years from the date—while the clock remains ticking—to file your lawsuit. When a plaintiff does not file a lawsuit within the time window allotted by the statute of limitations, then the plaintiff has what the law calls a “time-barred” claim. In other words, the fact that time ran out on your claim means that you are barred from filing a lawsuit.

While most injury lawsuits do have a two-year statute of limitations, the time window can actually be much shorter in some circumstances. In claims against government agencies (including government employees), the statute of limitations is either 6 months or one year from the date of the accident. For instance, if you were injured in a car crash caused by a government vehicle driven by a government employee, you will likely be required to file a claim within either 6 months or 1 year. Similarly, if you are injured, for instance, in a slip and fall accident outside a government building, you will likely need to file your lawsuit more quickly.

In some cases, the statute of limitations may be extended beyond the two-year period. If you did not discover your injury right away (and reasonably could not have discovered it right away), then you may have up to one year from the date that the injury was discovered (or reasonably should have been discovered) to file a lawsuit. This extended statute of limitations is most common in medical malpractice claims.

Damages in a Malibu, California Injury Lawsuit

What kind of damages can you expect if you file an injury claim in Malibu? The majority of claimants will typically ask for compensatory damages. As the term implies, compensatory damages are meant to make up for the harm that a plaintiff has suffered. California has two different types of compensatory damages:

Pecuniary, or economic damages: These damages compensate a plaintiff for objective pecuniary losses, such as hospital bills, lost wages, property damage, prescription medication costs, physician bills, rehabilitative therapy, and necessary medical devices.
Non-economic damages: These damages pay a plaintiff for subjective losses, such as pain and suffering, mental distress, disfigurement, physical impairment, and the loss of enjoyment of life, which do not have an associated objective cost.

Depending upon the specific circumstances of your case, you also may be able to seek punitive damages. Under California law, these damages are known as “exemplary damages,” and they are only eligible in certain cases. A plaintiff is only eligible for exemplary damages when the defendant has acted with malice, oppression, or fraud according to the law. To put it another way, the defendant must have been egregiously reckless or must have intentionally harmed the plaintiff in order for exemplary damages to arise.

Contact a Lawyer if You Have Suffered a Personal Injury in Malibu

Were you recently injured in or around Malibu, California? Accidents and injuries frequently occur when another party is careless or reckless—from negligent motorists to irresponsible property owners. The aggressive Malibu injury attorneys at our firm can assess your case and discuss your options for seeking financial compensation. Contact Fisher & Talwar for more information.

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