Agoura Hills Train Accident Attorneys

Were you or someone in your family seriously injured in a train wreck? This is likely one of the most confusing and stressful chapters in your life. Our train accident attorneys in Agoura Hills can review your case, answer your questions, and help you determine how best to proceed with your claim. We won’t charge anything for the consultation, and if you choose to retain our legal services, no attorneys’ fees will be owed unless we prevail. To speak with a member of our team, call 1-800-GO-HARRIS.

What Should I Do After a Train Accident?

Your actions after suffering a personal injury or wrongful death in the family can have a major impact on the outcome of your case. It is incredibly common for plaintiffs to make inadvertent mistakes that prevent them from obtaining fair compensation or any compensation whatsoever. Our Agoura Hills train accident lawyers can walk you through the steps you should take to give your claim the best chance of success. They include:

• Visiting a Doctor: The sooner you seek medical attention, the less likely it will be that the insurance company asserts that you have failed to mitigate the damages. In other words, undergoing a medical assessment right away will demonstrate that you are taking reasonable steps to facilitate your medical recovery. Also, it can help tie your injuries to the accident.
• Taking Your Healthcare Seriously: Even if you visited a doctor right away, you could still face a dispute over the mitigation of damages if you do not follow your physician’s orders. This might involve staying home from work for several weeks and avoiding strenuous activities. Living a sedentary lifestyle can be challenging—as can physical therapy and other treatments; however, deviating from your treatment program could seriously jeopardize your claim.
• Preserving Evidence: If you were a passenger on the train, preserve your ticket, emailed itinerary, and any other documentation you have pertaining to the trip. You should also carefully store any photos you took at the scene, statements taken from eyewitnesses, identifying information of officers who attended the scene, medical documents, and any other evidence that might contribute to your claim.
• Starting the Investigation Immediately: You might think it wise to put off your consultation with an Agoura Hills train accident attorney until your health has improved; however, waiting just a few days to start the investigation could allow valuable evidence to become altered or unavailable. You should consult with an attorney as soon as possible—preferably after your first medical assessment, which should happen right after the accident.
• Avoiding Correspondence with the Insurer: It is likely that your statements to the insurance company will be recorded. Even if they are not recorded, your statements could end up harming your claim in a number of ways. It is best to leave this dialogue to your attorney. A seasoned personal injury lawyer will know how to handle correspondence with the insurance adjuster in such a way that does not jeopardize your claim.
• Being Careful About Your Online Activity: Another common source of evidence used to dispute personal injury claims is social media content. Text posts, videos, and photos from your online profiles could all be used as evidence to challenge your claim in one way or another. For instance, a description of the crash might put liability into question, or a photo of you taken after the accident might be used to assert that you have failed to mitigate your damages by disobeying your doctor’s orders.

How Much Compensation Is My Claim Worth?

It won’t be possible to approximate a fair settlement figure until we have performed a thorough investigation. And even then, no attorney who practices with integrity would promise to secure a particular settlement figure, no matter how strong your case seems. A number of factors will impact the potential value of your case. Examples include:

• The severity and permanence of your injuries;
• Whether your own negligence played a role in causing the accident—for example, if you were driving another vehicle and disobeyed a railroad traffic signal;
• Whether you have mitigated the damages;
• The extent of your non-economic damages;
• The amount of income lost due to the accident;
• The cost to repair damaged property;
• Whether punitive damages are warranted; and
• The amount of insurance coverage available.

Contact Us Today to Speak with a Train Accident Lawyer in Agoura Hills

At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we are dedicated to providing aggressive and compassionate representation to accident victims and their families. No matter the size of your claim, we will tenaciously fight for the compensation you need to move on with life. We can come to you if you are unable to come to us. Call 1-800-GO-HARRIS or send us an email to arrange a consultation.