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Accidents strike without warning, leaving victims to suffer the personal and financial strain of their injuries. When another person’s negligence is the cause of these accidents, however, victims have the right to seek monetary compensation. Unfortunately, they can also expect heavy resistance from the lawyers and insurance companies representing the at-fault parties.

When these accidents happen, hiring a personal injury lawyer who understands the strategies they use to avoid paying you, and how to fight back, is one of the most important steps you can take. That’s where Porter Simon Sierra Injury Lawyers comes in. Our Incline Village personal injury lawyers know just how difficult it is to deal with an injury and how important recovering compensation is for your financial future. Contact us to schedule a free consultation and tell us more about your case.

Do You Need a Lawyer After an Accident in Incline Village?

Although accident victims have the right to represent themselves, it is strongly advised that they retain legal counsel. Adjusters may sound sympathetic over the phone, but it’s important to remember that the insurer’s ultimate concern is profits, not your well-being.

Insurance companies are highly skilled at using tactics designed to reduce your compensation, such as disputing the extent of your injuries, downplaying your damages, or even trying to shift blame for the accident to you.

You need someone who not only knows the law but who can develop a personalized legal strategy aimed at countering these tactics and maximizing your damages.

How Our Incline Village Personal Injury Lawyers Can Make a Difference in Your Case

Our dedicated team begins by investigating the accident, identifying who was at fault, and acquiring the evidence that proves their liability. Just as important, we ensure your claim is accurately valued, so that you can pursue every damage you’re eligible to recover. From there, we enter into negotiations with the insurance company, and while most cases are settled at this stage, we always prepare for a courtroom battle.

With over 50 years of service to residents and visitors in the Lake Tahoe region, Porter Simon Sierra Injury Lawyers brings significant local knowledge and resources to the table, including a network of expert witnesses who can play an essential role in your case. Our attorneys are also licensed in both California and Nevada, which means that no matter which side of the border you are from or were hurt on, we can help.

Types of Personal Injury Claims We Handle

Our firm has represented clients in all manner of personal injury claims, including:

• Car accidents and truck accidents: These often result from distracted driving, drunk driving, speeding, and other traffic law violations. Truck accidents in particular tend to be catastrophic due to the size and weight of commercial trucks.
• Motorcycle accidents: Motorcyclists lack the protective steel frames and airbags of passenger vehicles and are therefore prone to suffer severe accident injuries. We help them overcome insurer and jury biases and demand the compensation they deserve.
• Pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents: Pedestrians and bicyclists are also vulnerable to injury because of negligent drivers and others. We work with these victims to recover the money they need for medical bills, lost wages, and more.
• Boat accidents: Negligent boating can be as dangerous as bad driving, leaving victims with what are sometimes life-threatening injuries. Let our legal team help you pursue a claim against an irresponsible boat operator.
• Slip and fall accidents: A slip and fall can happen anywhere due to a wet, slick, or uneven surface. Victims are likely to incur traumatic brain injury and other significant injuries, which can saddle them with steep medical bills.
• Premises liability: Property owners and managers are required to keep their premises free of unreasonable hazards. If they fail to do so, and someone gets hurt as a result, the victim can file a premises liability lawsuit.
• Dog bites and animal attacks: The law requires that owners of dogs and other dangerous animals keep them from biting and attacking people. These injuries are especially serious because of the risk of infection, broken bones, and other major injuries.
• Ski accidents: Ski accidents can happen when resorts fail to properly maintain their slopes, lifts, and lodges. We work to recover the compensation that ski accident victims need to move forward.
• Wrongful death: When someone dies because of their injuries, they leave behind grieving family members who must suffer intense loss. Eligible survivors have the right to seek money for burial expenses, loss of financial support, and other wrongful death damages.

What Damages Can Our Incline Village Attorneys Help You Pursue After an Accident?

The nature and amount of available damages will vary from one personal injury case to another. In general, however, victims can claim the following:

• Medical bills: These include bills that a victim has already incurred as well as money for reasonably estimated future expenses. Victims may need compensation for ambulance care, hospitalization, surgery, prescription medications, physical therapy, adaptive medical equipment, and more.
• Lost income and lost future income: While a victim is recovering from their injuries, they may not be able to work. As a result, they can ask for damages to cover their lost income. They can also pursue compensation for decreased earning capacity and lost future income in the event they cannot work their same job.
• Property damage: Personal injuries often result in significant property damage and loss, especially in car, truck, and motorcycle and bicycle accidents. A victim can ask for money to repair or replace their vehicle and other property that is damaged or destroyed.
• Non-economic damages: The above damages are “economic” because their calculation is fairly objective. However, victims also suffer a number of more subjective “non-economic” losses such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, anxiety, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium (harm to spousal and familial relationships), and more.

How Does a Personal Injury Claim Work?

After you hire our personal injury law firm, we will immediately get to work investigating the accident to determine how it happened and who was responsible. During this process, we will work to gather evidence that pieces together what happened, from photos you captured of the accident scene to police reports and footage from surveillance or dashboard cameras. Once we have the basic facts, it’s time to determine how much your damages are worth. This may eventually require input from an expert witness, especially when calculating more complex damages like reasonably estimated future medical bills.

Armed with the evidence and a dollar value to cover your losses, we will reach out to the at-fault party’s insurer or attorney. This means sending a demand letter that explains how the party caused the accident and how much money will reasonably compensate you. The demand letter opens the door to negotiations, which usually take place through mediation (a form of alternative dispute resolution).

We may need to file a lawsuit if the insurance company refuses to negotiate or if you are approaching the statute of limitations (the deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit). Filing a lawsuit allows us to conduct discovery, the formal stage of litigation in which parties request and exchange relevant documents and information. Negotiation, mediation, and settlement are still possible, even up to the date of trial. If the insurers and at-fault parties refuse to negotiate in good faith, however, we can take your case to court.

What Should You Do After an Incline Village Accident to Protect Your Legal Rights?

The decisions you make immediately after an accident will affect your health and your legal rights. Our firm suggests doing the following:

• Call 911 and report the accident: Report the accident or injury to emergency services and ask for a police officer to come to the scene. The officer will create an accident report, which will contain vital information you will need for your claim.
• Get medical attention right away: Even if you do not believe you were hurt or that your injuries are minor, let a doctor make that determination. Failure to see a doctor could put your health at risk and give the at-fault party an excuse to blame you for aggravating your own injuries.
• Start gathering evidence: To the extent possible, you should start gathering evidence. Take photos and record videos of the accident scene and of your injuries. You should do so as soon as you can because officials will eventually clean up the site and may destroy evidence.
• Talk to witnesses, but be careful: Ask any witnesses to the accident for their names and contact information. However, you should be careful not to speculate about fault or the nature of your injuries. Do not apologize or admit liability, even if you think you might have been to blame.
• Contact a personal injury attorney in Incline Village​: Finally, reach out to a personal injury lawyer to start building your case as soon as possible. Your attorney can investigate the accident, determine the value of your case, and work to settle or litigate your claim.

Incline Village Personal Injury Lawyer: FAQs

Do I Have to Pay Anything Upfront to Hire an Incline Village Injury Lawyer?

We offer victims a free case consultation, and we work on a contingency basis, which means we don’t collect any money unless we win. You don’t pay anything up front. If we win your case, we collect a percentage of your compensation as our legal fee.

What Is the Deadline to File a Personal Injury Claim in Incline Village?

Victims generally have two years from the date of a personal injury to file a lawsuit, but there are certain circumstances that can extend or shorten this deadline. Even if you’ve just suffered an accident, we recommend reaching out to us as soon as possible, especially since evidence can be lost and finer details about what happened can fade from memory over time.

How Long Will My Personal Injury Case Take to Resolve?

A personal injury case may settle within a few months of the accident. If a trial is necessary, it may take a year or longer. The actual timeline depends on various factors like the nature of your injuries and the number of at-fault parties. We work to settle cases expeditiously, but fairly, for our clients.

Do I Still Have a Case If I Was Partly Responsible for the Accident?

Even if you were partly responsible for the accident, you may be able to recover damages. A court will assign a percentage of liability to you in this situation. As long as you are not more than 50% liable, Nevada law allows you to recover damages (California law allows recovery up to 99% liability).

However, your damages will be reduced by whatever percentage of fault is assigned to you. If, for instance, you are found to be 30% liable, and your damages would have been worth $100,000, your award will be lowered by 30% ($30,000) to a total of $70,000.

What Affects How Much My Personal Injury Case is Worth?

The value of your case will depend on such factors as the nature of your injuries, your future medical needs, the amount of income you lose, your ability to work in the future, any long-term care you need, and your non-economic damages (e.g., pain and suffering). We will seek the maximum amount of compensation to which the law entitles you.