San Francisco Personal Injury Attorneys

It happens every day—a person suffers an injury or dies due to the negligent misconduct of another party. The effects of such an event can ripple through the entire family, causing immense grief and financial turmoil. Our personal injury attorneys in San Francisco understand what you’re going through, and we are ready to help you pursue the compensation you need to get your life back. We will evaluate your case for free and provide the legal advice you need to make informed decisions. We will tirelessly fight for the highest possible settlement if you decide to hire us for representation. And if the insurance company refuses to cooperate, we will relish the opportunity to take your case to trial. To discuss your claim with a member of our team, dial 1-800-GO-HARRIS. You can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Personal Injury Cases We Handle in San Francisco

• Car Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Motorbike Collisions
• Bicycle Accidents
• 18-Wheeler Wrecks
• Aircraft Accidents
• Boating Accidents
• Slips and Falls
• Premises Liability
• Turo Vehicle Accidents
• Rideshare Vehicle Accidents
• Dog Bites
• Train Accidents
• Scooter Injuries
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Burn Trauma
• Traumatic Brain Injuries
• Bus Accidents
• Wrongful Death
• Other Personal Injuries

More Than $300,000,000 Recovered for Clients

The most crucial factor to consider before hiring an attorney is the results they have achieved in cases similar to yours. Our personal injury lawyers in San Francisco have won more than $300,000,000 for accident victims and their families. Below are just a few of the reasons why we consistently achieve successful outcomes in even the most complex personal injury and wrongful death cases:

• We Intentionally Limit Our Caseload: Many attorneys take on far too many cases to devote sufficient time to any one client. With an overloaded schedule, these attorneys might overlook critical evidence or even advise a client to accept an unfair settlement instead of going to trial. At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we intentionally limit our caseload to ensure all of our clients receive the individual attention they deserve. This is one reason why we’ve received hundreds of 5-star reviews on Google. We will be readily accessible when you have questions and will provide you with regular updates on the progress of your claim.

• We Tailor Our Strategies to the Circumstances: Each personal injury case is unique. The kinds of evidence we use, the types of damages we pursue, and our tactics during settlement negotiations can vary from one claim to the next. Our San Francisco personal injury attorneys will tailor their strategies to the specific circumstances of your case. This approach will put us in a better position to anticipate disputes before they arise and to adapt if we encounter an unexpected complication.

• We Always Prepare for Trial: Some attorneys don’t devote much time investigating claims if an out-of-court settlement is the anticipated outcome. But at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we always expect a fight. No matter how strong your case seems, we will prepare as if we are going to trial.

• We Help Our Clients Avoid Mistakes: Even after you hire an attorney, your statements and actions can still impact the outcome of your case. Our lawyers will help you avoid critical errors that might jeopardize your claim. For example, we will explain the importance of limiting your social media activity, avoiding all dialogue with the insurance company, and tracking your damages.

• We Know How Insurance Adjusters Think: Insurance adjusters represent the insurance company—not you. They have the incentive to find reasons to reduce your claim's value or deny it outright. The adjuster might use all sorts of strategies to pursue that goal, but our attorneys can level the playing field by managing all relevant correspondence. We know how insurance adjusters think, and we will leverage that knowledge to help you fight for the highest settlement possible.

Will Expert Witnesses Play a Role in My Case?   Expert witnesses often serve many essential purposes in a personal injury case. Even if no lawsuit is filed, various experts might help your attorney build the claim and prepare for settlement negotiations. For example, a medical expert might help your lawyer approximate the cost of past and future healthcare. A vocational expert might provide insight into the amount of time you will be out of work and the amount of income lost.  If a lawsuit is filed, expert witnesses may give a deposition regarding specific facts of your case. Below we’ve listed a few kinds of experts that commonly play an essential role in personal injury cases: 

• Medical Experts: Besides helping your attorney estimate the total cost of care, a medical expert can also provide deposition regarding the expected trajectory of your recovery. Sometimes an accident victim will need many years or a lifetime of domestic help and other necessary services. Leaving these costs out of the settlement could lead to financial turmoil down the road and diminish your quality of life. Our personal injury lawyers in San Francisco work with several well-credentialed medical experts in various disciplines who have the experience and qualifications to provide a credible deposition.

• Financial Experts: An economist might provide deposition regarding the amount of income lost and how inflation and other factors should impact the damages award. 

• Vocational Experts: Sometimes, the insurance company will argue that the claimant can return to work, even though their injuries prevent them. A vocational expert might be deposed regarding how your medical condition would impact your productivity and job performance in this circumstance. 

• Accident Reconstruction Experts: These experts can provide a deposition in cases involving motor vehicle collisions and specific other accident scenarios. Their job is to reconstruct what happened to determine who is liable.   

• Other Specialists: Many legal areas fall under the umbrella of personal injury law. Car accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, and medical malpractice are just a few examples. Some nuances apply to each legal area and many kinds of disputes that might arise. As such, several expert witnesses might play a role in personal injury cases. For example, an auto part specialist might provide a deposition in a car accident case that involves a defective part. In a nursing home abuse case, a current or former facility director might provide deposition regarding the standard of care, staff training procedures, etc. At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we work with a network of well-established expert witnesses, and we regularly use their insights when building claims and litigating cases.

What If I Had an Injury That Was Exacerbated in the Accident? One common dispute in personal injury cases pertains to “causation.” To recover damages against the party who caused your injuries—or, more likely, against their insurance company—you must be able to prove that the damages being claimed were actually caused by the tort. In other words, you will not be able to obtain compensation for medical bills and other damages that would have accrued even if the accident had not happened. If you had a preexisting condition, the insurance company might say that you are seeking damages that stem from that condition. For example, suppose you had a herniated disc before a motor vehicle collision. In that case, you might face a dispute if you try to obtain compensation for a lumbar discectomy since that procedure may have been necessary even if the crash had not happened. Fortunately, our personal injury attorneys in San Francisco have extensive experience in cases that involve preexisting medical conditions. Depending on the circumstances, it may be possible to obtain compensation for the exacerbation of your preexisting condition. As you can imagine, calculating damages in these cases can be complex. It may be necessary for your attorney to bring in medical experts to provide deposition regarding how your injury was aggravated, the cost of necessary medical treatment, and the need for other services such as domestic help.

At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we know what it takes to prevail in these cases. We will use our many years of collective experience to help you pursue the highest possible settlement or verdict. Will It Be Necessary to File a Lawsuit? Hopefully not. The ideal outcome of most personal injury cases is to win a settlement without having to file a suit. Your attorney will pursue this goal by compiling all available evidence and approximating a fair settlement figure based on relevant statutes, case law, and the facts of your situation. However, if the opposing party refuses to pay a reasonable settlement, it might be in your best interests to file a lawsuit. Sometimes just filing a lawsuit is enough to convince the opposing party to settle. If this does not happen, your case will proceed to discovery. There are several stages to litigation, so just because you file a lawsuit does not mean your case will go to trial. More than 90 percent of personal injury cases do not go to trial. Despite this, it is still essential to hire a San Francisco, personal injury attorney with trial experience. This will send a message to the defense that you have the means to see your case through to the end if they refuse to cooperate.   Should I Deactivate My Social Media Accounts Temporarily?  Yes. Social media is a common source of evidence used by insurance companies to deny and undervalue claims. If you or one of your connections posts something online that brings liability, the severity of your injuries, or another aspect of your case into question, it might be used to dispute your claim. If disabling your accounts is not an option, you should modify your privacy settings so only connections can see what you post. You should also refrain from posting until your case has been resolved, and ask your social circle not to publish pictures of you. 

Get the Legal Advice You Need: Call 1-800-GO-HARRIS to Speak with a San Francisco Personal Injury Lawyer

One of the biggest mistakes you can make after a serious injury is waiting too long to speak with an attorney. A single misguided statement could derail your entire case, but our highly experienced personal injury lawyers in San Francisco can protect your claim and provide aggressive representation through every stage of the proceedings. We don’t charge anything for the initial consultation, and we accept cases on a contingency fee basis. That means if we don’t win, you won’t have to pay any attorney’s fees. You have nothing to lose by contacting us to get the advice you need to make informed decisions. You can reach our office anytime, day or night, by calling 1-800-GO-HARRIS. You can also send us a message via our Contact Page.