Oakland Personal Injury Attorneys

Our mission at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers is to help accident and injury victims obtain the compensation they are entitled to under the law. Accidents happen on a daily basis. Some are minor and everyone simply brushes themselves off and move on. But many accidents are much more serious and cause significant and catastrophic injuries. If you or a loved one were seriously hurt in an accident, and you believe another person was at fault, then we recommend calling one of our Oakland personal injury lawyers. When another person’s carelessness, recklessness, or intentional misconduct causes you harm, then you have the right to hold that person liable under the law. Through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, you can demand full and fair compensation for your physical, emotional, and financial injuries. Our team at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers has won over $300 million in settlements and court rulings for more than 5,000 clients. We want to do the same for you. Call us at 1-800-GO-HARRIS or contact us through our online form to schedule a free consultation.

Our Oakland Personal Injury Attorneys Handle All Types of Cases

Our accident lawyers in Oakland offer experienced and aggressive representation following:

• Auto Accidents
• Bike Accidents
• Bus Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Uber & Lyft Accidents
• Turo Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Scooter Injuries
• Airplane Accidents
• Boat Accidents
• Train Accidents
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Severe Burn Injuries
• Traumatic Brain Injuries
• Premises Liability Accidents
• Slip and Falls
• Dog Bite and Animal Attacks
• Other Personal Injury Claims

We are also here to help following fatal accidents. If your spouse, parent, child, or other relative was killed in an accident, call us right away. Let us explain your rights and legal options under California’s wrongful death law.

How Our Oakland Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help

Before you contact a lawyer, you want to know it is the right decision for you and your family. You want to be confident that hiring an attorney will make your life easier and help you reach the desired outcome in your case. At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we cannot promise a specific outcome. No lawyer or law firm can. We can promise to do everything within our power to obtain you a just insurance settlement or court ruling in your favor. To pursue compensation for your injuries, we will:

• Conduct an independent investigation: You should not rely on a police report or an insurance company’s investigation and conclusions. You should have someone on your side to thoroughly investigate the accident, gather evidence, and analyze the evidence to build you the strongest case possible. When you hire Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we work for you—no one else. The insurer cannot say that since it will lookout for what is best for the company and its policyholder.
• Connect you with resources: We have decades of experience as personal injury and wrongful death lawyers. We have connections with medical providers, expert witnesses, and other professionals throughout the state. When necessary, we will connect you with doctors and facilities that will help you get the best possible care. We also will hire whatever experts are necessary to establish your claim and damages.
• Calculate the value of your claim: An important step in the personal injury and wrongful death claim process is determining the potential value of your physical, psychological, and economic injuries. We will work with you and your medical providers to calculate the cost of your medical bills. If you will need medical care in the future, we may work with an expert to calculate that cost. We will work with you to develop evidence of your pain and suffering, including recommending you keep a diary of your injuries and experience.
• Handle the insurance claim: After an accident, you do not want to have to deal with a claim adjuster, calls and letters, and requests for documents. You need time to rest and heal without this stress. Our Oakland personal injury lawyers will handle the insurance claim process, including answering the adjuster’s questions, responding to requests for documents, and making sure the company has all the evidence necessary to approve and settle your claim.
• Participate in settlement negotiations: If your insurance claim is approved, the next step is receiving a settlement offer. We will identify lowball settlement offers and begin the negotiation process. We always strive to obtain you the greatest amount possible.
• Litigate your case: We may recommend you file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit right away. During the discovery phase of a lawsuit, we can gather additional information and evidence, which can help us strengthen your claim. Filing a lawsuit also shows the at-fault party and their insurer that we are serious. If we cannot reach a settlement, then we will represent you at trial.

What Should I Bring to the Initial Consultation?

During your free consultation, you will have an opportunity to ask questions about your case, personal injury proceedings, and what to expect over the coming weeks and months. This consultation is also an opportunity for an attorney to assess the evidence you have gathered and determine the most strategic way to proceed.  Here are some of the items you should bring to the initial consultation: 

• Evidence from the Scene: Some of the most valuable evidence to strengthen a personal injury case can often be gathered at the scene. These include photos of injuries, eyewitness statements, video footage of the scene, the names and badge numbers of responding officers, and the contact and insurance details of the parties involved. This information will help ensure your legal team’s investigation gets off to a strong start.

• A Detailed Description of What Happened: Write down every detail you remember about what happened before, during, and immediately after the accident that caused your injury. 

• Relevant Contact Information: There are many parties your Oakland personal injury lawyer may want to contact when performing the investigation. Eyewitnesses, for example, may be able to provide valuable insight into what happened. If a liability dispute arises, the deposition of eyewitnesses could help strengthen your case. Your attorney may also want to contact any police officers who attended the scene, the other parties involved in the accident, and your healthcare team. 

• Your Insurance Policies: There are many potential sources of compensation that might be worth evaluating after a personal injury. Most of these claims are brought against the insurance company of the liable party. This is called a “third-party insurance claim.” But what if the liable party does not have insurance or lacks the coverage limits to pay for all of your damages? In this scenario, your own insurance policies might come into play.

• Medical Records: Your attorney will need a clear understanding of your diagnosis and prognosis. The types of injuries you have suffered, their severity, and their long-term implications can have a major impact on how your legal team approaches the case. For instance, if you suffered a catastrophic injury such as brain trauma or spinal cord damage, it is likely that the insurance company will invest considerable resources into disputing your claim since the settlement being sought will likely be substantial. Also, the type of injury you sustained will have an impact on the kinds of evidence needed to build your claim. For example, if you suffered a traumatic brain injury, your attorney might need to bring in various medical experts to provide deposition regarding the types of care needed and the associated cost. A financial expert may also have to provide deposition regarding the value of future damages such as loss of future income. If you had a preexisting condition that was exacerbated in the accident, your lawyer will need to review your medical records from both before and after the accident to assess the likelihood of facing a dispute regarding causation, and to approximate a fair settlement figure.

• Evidence of Damages: Damages are the losses incurred as a result of a tort. In California, a variety of compensatory damages may be recoverable in a personal injury case including medical bills, lost wages, property repairs, and pain and suffering. Any evidence you have to prove the kinds of damages incurred and their value should be brought to the free legal consultation. Examples of such evidence include medical records, financial records, photos of injuries and the accident scene, your personal injury journal, and receipts and invoices for necessary services like child care and domestic assistance. 

What Should I Do While the Case Is Pending?

If your financial security is on the line, you probably want to do everything in your power to give your case the best possible chance of success. Although the outcome of your claim is largely out of your control, there are steps you can take that could prevent disputes.    It is important that you are careful about what you say and do while the case is pending. It’s not uncommon for personal injury claimants to make inadvertent mistakes that end up prolonging the proceedings or reducing the amount of compensation they are able to recover.   Below we’ve listed some of the steps you can take to protect your case: 

• Adhere to Your Doctor’s Orders: If your doctor instructs you to stay off work and rest for an extended period of time, you must do so even if you are falling behind on essential bills. Otherwise, the insurance company might say that your own negligence has caused your medical bills and other damages to increase, and you therefore should not be compensated for 100 percent of your losses.

• Limit Your Online Activity: If you’re like most Americans, you probably have at least one social media account. While you might think it is only natural to use social media to correspond with friends and family after an accident, doing so could severely jeopardize your case. The insurance adjuster may be monitoring your social media accounts for posts that can be used to challenge your claim.

• Let Your Attorney Handle Dialogue with the Insurer: Do not provide a recorded statement to the insurance company. This will not help your situation and, in fact, will likely cause harm. You may be asked questions by the insurance adjuster that are intended to elicit responses that can be used to challenge your claim. Rather than take the risk of providing a statement that derails your case, you should let your Oakland personal injury attorney handle all such correspondence. 

• Take Your Medical Recovery Seriously: We’ve already mentioned the importance of following your doctor’s orders. You should also avoid any activities that have the potential to exacerbate your medical condition or prolong your recovery. Otherwise, the insurance company might say that you are not taking reasonable steps to mitigate your damages, which could lead to a reduction of your financial award. 

Call 1-800-GO-HARRIS to Talk With a Personal Injury Lawyers in Oakland

To learn more about how Harris Personal Injury Lawyers can help you after a serious or fatal accident, call us today or use our online form to request a free consultation.