Stockton Personal Injury Attorneys

We Can Fight for Compensation on Your Behalf

Few things will feel as unfair as having to fight for compensation after another person causes you to suffer a serious injury. But this is the situation thousands of people find themselves in every year across the country. People who cause accidents usually deny any fault because they know that it could cost them in insurance premium increases. Even if someone admits to causing your injuries, the insurance company representing them will probably do what it can to pay as little as possible.

Rather than getting fed up, giving up, or just getting angry about all the problems that can come with a personal injury claim, turn to Rancaño & Rancaño, APLC for reliable and friendly legal services. Our Stockton personal injury lawyers have helped countless personal injury clients since opening our doors in 1989. It has always been our pleasure to handle all the tough parts of a case, including settlement negotiations and litigation, for our clients, so they don’t need to stress about a thing.

Our attorneys have ample experience managing cases that involve:

• Car accidents: There are thousands of car accidents in California each year. If you’ve been in one of them, let us help you demand compensation from the other driver.
• Motorcycle accidents: Local riders know they can count on our law firm for tenacious legal assistance that respects them and their rides, which is more than most insurance companies can say.
• Truck accidents: Severe injuries suffered in truck accidents call for serious legal services, which is exactly what you can find at our firm.
• Wrongful deaths: If you’ve lost a loved one, then we can show you how to seek compensation in a way that allows you to grieve and find some peace of mind.

No matter the intricate details that go into your case, we have the experienced team to manage it on your behalf. Our attorneys are backed by professional support staff. Working together, we can elevate your case to new heights.

Call (209) 255-6849 if you’d like to know more about our Stockton personal injury law firm.

Payment Owed to You by the Negligent Party

Whatever party that is found to be negligent and the cause of an accident can be held liable to pay for any damages that arise due to that accident. In California, pure comparative negligence rules allow you to hold a negligent party liable, even if their negligence is determined to give them just 1% liability. This distinction in liability and negligence laws is important because you could be mostly liable for an accident but experience the majority of damages, which could mean that pursuing a claim is still well worth it.

Four damage types often found in a personal injury claim are:

• Medical bills: You could fall into debt due to unpaid medical costs after a serious accident. An important goal of your personal injury claim will be to get fully reimbursed for all medical treatments you have already undergone and fully paid for all future care that will become necessary, even if your doctor expects that care to occur years later.
• Lost wages: Did you miss days, weeks, or months of work after your accident? Even if you received disability benefits through your employer, you could demand compensation that provides the gap in wages you missed. If you can’t return to work ever due to your injuries, then your lost wages could be steep.
• Pain and suffering: Emotional trauma, mental anguish, and physical pain endured due to severe injuries and disabilities can be repaid through a personal injury claim with noneconomic damage, sometimes simplified as “pain and suffering” damage.
• Property damage: If your property was destroyed in your accident, then you can use an injury claim to seek compensation to have that property repaired or replaced. Property damage claims are commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents.

Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Lawsuits

You only have a limited amount of time to file a personal injury lawsuit after being injured in the Stockton, CA area. California law typically gives injured persons two years from the date of their injury to take legal action against the responsible party. Claims against a city, county or government agency are subject to an even shorter six month timeline. If you attempt to file a claim after the allotted timeframe, your case will almost certainly be dismissed and you will be unable to recover compensation for your injuries. We urge you to contact an attorney from our firm as soon as possible if you are unsure about how the statute of limitations applies to your case.

Pure Comparative Negligence Laws in California

Many people mistakenly believe that they have no legal standing to pursue a personal injury claim if they share any responsibility for the accident or incident that caused their injuries. While this may be true in some states, California is a "pure comparative negligence" state when it comes to shared fault. In short, this means that you can still recover compensation after an injury even if you are found to be 99% at fault for your injuries, though your compensation will be reduced proportionally.

For example, say you were injured in an accident and suffer $100,000 in damages. At trial, the courts find you to be 30% at fault. In this scenario, you would be eligible to receive up to $70,000 in damages (or $100,000 less 30%). The higher your share of fault, the lower your eligible recovery will be.

Do You Need a Stockton Personal Injury Lawyer?

When should you hire a personal injury attorney to help with your claim? If you are unfamiliar with California’s liability laws, or you are worried that losing your case could put you in financial desperation, then you should probably need a personal injury lawyer to help you. We also recommend anyone who has not dealt with an insurance company before or who is unprepared for the pressure they apply to a claim to get an attorney on their side immediately.

Although we want you to call our Stockton personal injury attorneys first, we will always be honest with you about how we think your case should be handled, even if that means we aren’t sure we’re the right fit for it. Our goal – even before you are our client – is to get your case the absolute best possible legal services to give it the best chances of success.

Dial (209) 255-6849 and request a FREE consultation.