Skilled Legal Guidance for Accident Victims in West LA and Santa Monica

As anyone hurt in an accident understands, the consequences for your health and finances can become a difficult hardship to bear. You may be entitled to compensation from the party that caused your harm if that person or entity was acting carelessly. Santa Monica attorney Lennon M. Slatter assists victims of car accidents and other harmful events in pursuing compensation. He is experienced in a variety of personal injury cases, ranging from motor vehicle collisions to slip and falls. With over 30 years of legal experience, he has the skill and dedication needed to protect your interests.

Asserting Your Rights Through a Negligence Claim

Personal injury refers to an area of law involving physical harm caused by another person. It encompasses strict liability claims, intentional torts, and most often negligence. In order to establish a negligence claim, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant owed the victim a duty of care, the defendant failed to comply with that duty, the defendant’s acts caused the injury to the plaintiff, and the plaintiff incurred actual damages.

The duty in most situations consists of exercising reasonable care and refraining from creating a foreseeable risk that someone else will be harmed. However, that standard may vary according to the situation and the relationship between the parties. To show that the defendant breached the duty of care, the plaintiff must demonstrate that the defendant’s conduct was not how a reasonably prudent person would have acted in taking proper precautions under the circumstances. For example, if someone is driving 30 mph over the speed limit and causes an accident, a jury would most likely find that the driver was not exercising reasonable care and thus had breached the applicable duty.

The plaintiff must also prove that the defendant’s actions were the actual and proximate cause of the injury. In other words, the plaintiff must show that “but for” the defendant’s actions, the accident would not have happened. The accident also must have been reasonably foreseeable. Damages in a negligence case may include both economic damages, such as medical expenses and lost wages from missing work, and non-economic damages, like pain and suffering. In California, even if you are partially responsible for an accident, you may still recover damages proportionate to the fault of the other negligent party. However, there is a strict time window within which you must file your claim, known as the statute of limitations. Failing to comply with this requirement likely would undermine your ability to assert your rights.

Enlist a West LA Accident Attorney to Seek Compensation for Your Injuries

Just as your accident case is important to you, it is important to us. Our legal team values our clients, providing them with regularly updated information regarding their case as well as promptly returned communications. People in West LA or Santa Monica who have been involved in a car crash, a premises liability incident, or an animal attack may need a skilled lawyer. Lennon M. Slatter can explain your legal options and advocate aggressively for your rights. We also assist accident victims in Lancaster, Palmdale, Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Panorama City, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Silicon Valley, Monterey and other cities across Southern California. To schedule a free consultation, contact our office at 310-405-0964 or through our online form.