San Luis Obispo is home to Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. Our personal injury attorneys and our team of case managers and paralegals are dedicated to helping our neighbors and family members fight insurance companies. The Central Coast is where we live and raise our families, which is why we fight aggressively on behalf of our client’s personal injury cases. Our clients often come to us scared and confused about their rights as San Luis Obispo accident victims. Proving negligence is what we do best. Our San Luis Obispo injury attorneys have represented many injured victims who have suffered minor to major and even fatal injuries from accidents they did not cause. We understand that getting into an accident can be life-changing and detrimental to our families. It is your right as an innocent party to seek financial compensation for your injuries from the liable party. Our personal injury lawyers in San Luis Obispo are readily available to help any accident victim seek justice.

We Are San Luis Obispo Personal Injury Lawyers You Can Trust

Harris Personal Injury Lawyers is an award-winning San Luis Obispo law firm that only represents injured victims against large insurance companies. Harris Personal Injury Lawyers was built on the foundation that everyone deserves the same quality legal representation that large insurance companies have. Our team of injury attorneys aware of the mental, emotional and physical damage an accident can cause. With over 700 five-star reviews on Google, our injury law firm has a team of experienced lawyers who are knowledgeable and confident to represent your personal injury claim.  Many San Luis Obispo attorneys practice multiple areas of law; however, Harris Personal Injury Lawyers in San Luis Obispo only represents personal injury plaintiffs. Common accident cases we represent are:

• Car accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Slip and Falls
• Bicycle accidents
• Dog bites
• Truck accidents
• Train accidents
• Brain injuries
• Uber Accidents
• Lyft Accidents
• Wrongful death

Don't Deal with Large Insurance Companies on Your Own

If you are handling your claim on your own, you are likely going to see a decline in help from insurance companies. Insurance companies are known to be on your side until medical bills are due. Our San Luis Obispo personal injury lawyers are knowledgeable of the tactics insurance adjusters use on innocent people. Insurance companies and adjusters for that matter will likely do everything in their power to minimize the value of your claim and possibly deny it altogether. Harris Personal Injury Lawyers focus on communicating with insurance companies and medical providers. Once hired, our team of injury attorneys will take over all of the communication between our injured clients and the insurance companies. We will help preserve our clients’ evidence and maximize the value of their personal injury claim.

Compassionate and Caring Personal Injury Attorneys in San Luis Obispo

It is important to know that at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, our goal is to help you recover, mentally and physically from your accident. Seeking the necessary amount of treatment to ensure recovery is crucial to the evaluation of your personal injury claim. Our team of injury lawyers can help facilitate treatment with local and leading medical professionals or doctors if you are having trouble scheduling. If you are worried about paying your medical bills, we can help facilitate treatment with medical professionals who work on a lien basis. This means payment can be made from any settlement. At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, our San Luis Obispo personal injury lawyers like to keep communication between our clients open and we keep our clients informed about the status of their case on a regular basis.

Do I need legal representation ?

Our skilled team of San Luis Obispo injury attorneys will provide consistent legal advice throughout the entire legal process of filing a claim. Hiring one of our San Luis Obispo personal injury lawyers is essentially risk-free. We do not have any upfront costs or hidden fees. Our injury lawyers work solely on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not get paid unless we win your case.

Signs You Have a Strong Personal Injury Case  

Certain criteria must be met for your claim to yield compensation. Most personal injury claims are brought against the liable party or their insurance company. If this applies to your case, you will have to prove liability, causation, and damages to win a settlement or verdict. Keep in mind that if your intention is to file a claim against your own no-fault insurance provider—for instance, your Med Pay policy—you would not have to prove liability; however, you would still be required to prove causation and damages. Whether you intend to bring a first- or third-party insurance claim, a number of factors could influence the outcome of your case. Here are a few signs that you have a strong personal injury claim: 

• There Were Eyewitnesses: People who saw the accident happen can help corroborate the facts of the case. Your legal team can speak to eyewitnesses to find out what they saw and determine whether their deposition could help strengthen your case. If you recorded the contact details of witnesses, be sure to bring that information with you to the free initial consultation.

• You Sought Immediate Medical Treatment: Even if you only sustained minor injuries, seeking medical attention immediately after the crash will help reduce the chances of facing a dispute when you file the claim. For example, a prompt medical assessment could prevent the opposing party from arguing that your injuries were not caused in the accident, that the injuries aren’t very serious, or that you have failed to take reasonable steps to mitigate damages.

• You Did Not Provide a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Company: Any recorded statements you have provided to the insurer may later be used as evidence to dispute your claim. Many claimants choose to negotiate with the insurer without the help of an attorney, only to later discover that what they said is being used to dispute liability, causation, the severity of injuries, or another aspect of their case. Our personal injury lawyers in San Luis Obispo can handle all correspondence with the insurance adjuster from day one. 

• You Have Followed Your Doctor’s Orders: Your settlement may be reduced if the opposing party is able to prove that you did not take reasonable steps to mitigate the medical expenses and other losses. For instance, if you did not take the medication prescribed by your doctor, the insurance company may claim that this has prolonged your recovery or exacerbated your condition.

• You Did Not Play a Role in Causing the Accident: If your own negligence contributed to the accident, the insurer might say that you were partially or entirely liable. Although it may be possible to recover damages even if you were partially liable, your damages award could be reduced. It is also possible that a dispute will arise regarding how liability is apportioned, which could send the case to litigation.

• The Liable Party Has Insurance: Most people do not have the finances or assets to pay for the damages they cause in an accident. As such, it is always a good sign if the liable party has insurance that covers the scenario in which you were injured. 

How Much Might My Claim Be Worth?

A number of factors can influence the potential value of a personal injury claim. Here are just a few that your San Luis Obispo personal injury attorney may consider when approximating a fair settlement: 

• Medical Costs: Your medical bills will likely make up a significant part of your injury-related expenses. Even minor procedures can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and major injuries can lead to a lifetime of ongoing medical expenses. When estimating a fair settlement, our attorneys will consider both past and future medical procedures, emergency services, lab tests, prescription drugs, orthopedics, physical therapy, prosthetics, and more. Be sure to preserve any records obtained from your healthcare providers since this documentation might be essential for proving your medical costs. 

• Lost Earnings: If you missed work due to your injuries or your condition has affected your income-earning capacity, these lost wages could be included as part of your personal injury claim. At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we have extensive experience helping clients obtain compensation for lost income and loss of future earnings. We work closely with a network of vocational and financial experts who can assist with the settlement calculations and provide deposition should your case proceed to litigation. 

• Property Damage: If any property was damaged or destroyed in the accident, the cost of repairs or replacement may be factored into the settlement calculations. For example, if you were involved in an auto accident and your car was damaged beyond repair, you may be entitled to compensation for the cost of replacing it. 

• Pain and Suffering: These “non-economic” damages often account for a major portion of a personal injury settlement or verdict. Lawyers sometimes calculate pain and suffering by multiplying the combined cost of your medical bills by a number between 1.5 and 5. This multiplier is determined by the seriousness of your injuries and a few other factors. However, some attorneys utilize the “per diem” approach, which involves assigning a dollar amount to each day from the date you first sustained the injury until the day you reach maximum medical improvement. 

• Punitive Damages: The state of California allows for punitive damages awards if the liable party acted with malice, oppression, or fraud. For example, you may be entitled to these damages if you were injured by a drunk driver, or if the defendant attempted to alter evidence to cover up negligence.

• Your Own Negligence: If you were partially responsible for causing the accident that led to your injuries, your award of damages might be reduced by your own percentage of fault. Your financial recovery may also be reduced if you fail to mitigate damages by putting off the clinical evaluation or deviating from your doctor’s orders.

• The Available Insurance Coverage: Although this won’t impact the value of your damages, it might influence your net recovery. If the defendant does not have sufficient coverage to pay for your losses, our San Luis Obispo personal injury lawyers can assess other options such as the defendant’s assets or your own insurance policies. 

Our San Luis Obispo Legal Team is Available 24/7 to Schedule Your Consultation

Our San Luis Obispo law office is available 24/7 to schedule a free case consultation. If you cannot make it into our office, we can come to you. Our San Luis Obispo law firm represents clients from the Central Coast, to Bakersfield, Fresno, and beyond.