San Diego Personal Injury Attorney

Vaage Law > Practice Areas > San Diego Personal Injury Attorney

A personal injury can turn your life upside down in an instant. Maybe it was a car accident on the bustling streets of San Diego, a slip on a wet floor in a grocery store, or a medical procedure gone wrong.

Suddenly, you’re facing medical bills piling up faster than you can keep track of, unsure of when or if you’ll be able to return to work. It’s a frustrating and uncertain time, worsened by the fact that it wasn’t your fault.

If you or a loved one has suffered a personal injury because of someone else’s negligence, Vaage Law is here to get you the compensation you need to get your life back on track. Our team has recovered over $175 million for our clients. 

For over 30 years, San Diego injury victims and their families have trusted Vaage Law to fight for the best possible outcome for them. We believe in making our city of San Diego and the community at large a better, safer place. Contact us today online or call (619) 338-0505 to learn how we can help you.

Listen to Our Client Discuss Their Positive Experience with Vaage Law

Types of Personal Injury Cases Our San Diego Personal Injury Law Firm Handles

A personal injury case allows the victim of an avoidable accident to seek compensation from a negligent or otherwise liable party.

It happens when someone is injured because of someone else’s actions or negligence, and they seek financial support to cover medical expenses, lost wages, and other losses caused by the accident.

Since this is a fairly broad definition, personal injury cases can take many forms. Our firm has decades of experience successfully guiding people through various personal injury cases, like: 

• Car Accidents: These cases involve collisions between vehicles, often resulting in injuries that require compensation for medical bills, vehicle damage, and lost wages. In 2019, San Diego County had 19,938 car accidents that caused injuries or deaths, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.

• Bicycle or Motorcycle Accidents: When cyclists are injured due to collisions with vehicles or hazardous road conditions, they may seek compensation for injuries.

• Truck Accidents: Involving large commercial vehicles, such accidents can cause severe injuries or fatalities.

• Product Liability: These cases occur when a defective product causes harm, leading to claims for compensation from manufacturers or distributors.

• Premises Liability: Property owners may be liable for injuries sustained on their premises due to hazards like slippery floors or inadequate security.

• Pedestrian Accidents: Accidents involving pedestrians struck by vehicles or harmed due to unsafe conditions.
• Medical Malpractice: Patients may seek compensation for injuries caused by medical errors, negligence, or improper treatment by healthcare providers.

Also, we have experience representing individuals in personal injury claims involving: 

• Burn Injuries.
• Spinal Cord Injuries.
• Traumatic Brain Injuries.
• Elder Abuse.

If you don’t see the exact injury or circumstances you suffered above, don’t worry. Our team is on standby to discuss the nature of your claim and answer any questions or concerns you might have.

 

Contact Vaage Law online or call (619) 338-0505 to tell us your story and find out how we can support you in your journey toward healing and recovery.

What Will a Personal Injury Attorney in San Diego Need to Show to Prove My Case?

In a personal injury case, showing the following is really important to prove who’s responsible and get money to cover your injuries: 

Duty of Care

Duty of care is the legal obligation to take reasonable measures to avoid harming others. For instance, drivers have a duty to operate their vehicles safely and obey traffic laws to protect others on the road.

Breach of Duty

Breach of duty takes place when someone fails to uphold their duty of care. You must demonstrate that their actions, or lack thereof, were not how most people would behave in that same situation. 

An example would be if a store owner failed to put up a sign to warn customers about a wet floor and someone slips and gets hurt. 

Causation

Causation establishes that the other person’s breach of duty of care directly resulted in your injuries. You must be able to show that, were it not for their actions or failure, you would never have been injured in the first place. 

If a dog owner fails to leash their dog in a park, and the dog bites someone, the owner’s failure to control the dog directly causes the injury to the person bitten.

Damages

Damages refer to all of the losses you suffered because of your injury, including medical expenses, lost wages from missed work, pain and suffering, and other related costs incurred due to your injury. 

Each one of these helps to show how the other person’s actions caused your injuries and why you deserve compensation for what happened. But proving these in or out of court is difficult. 

However, a San Diego personal injury attorney knows how to gather evidence and argue your case to prove these elements of negligence. 

What Can a Personal Injury Lawyer in San Diego Do For My Case?

When you’re recovering from a personal injury, the last thing you need is the stress of dealing with complex legal battles. That’s where a lawyer comes in. They take care of all the tough legal matters while you put all your energy into healing.

A lawyer will serve as a valuable support system and build the strongest case possible for you by: 

• Investigating the truth: They dig deep into the details surrounding your injury, gathering evidence such as witness statements, medical records, and accident reports. 
• Talking with insurance companies: A lawyer manages all interactions with insurance companies, ensuring you are not taken advantage of and that your claim is properly valued.
• Negotiating for the money you deserve: As skilled negotiators, lawyers will work hard to get you a fair settlement that covers medical expenses, lost income, and more.
• ​​Preparing and filing all legal documents: The paperwork that goes into filing a lawsuit can be overwhelming. However, with a lawyer, you can breathe easy knowing it’s filed correctly and within deadlines.
• Representing you in court: A lawyer will go to bat for you in court if settlement negotiations fall short of what you deserve.

Hear Bob Vaage Talk About His Dedicated Approach to Each Case We Take On

Does Hiring a San Diego Personal Injury Lawyer Boost My Chances of Success?

Choosing to work with a lawyer is a great way to increase the possibility of a successful outcome in your claim. Check out a few key facts from a 2016 Martindale-Nolo study that examined the difference a lawyer makes: 

• Higher Chance of Compensation: Over 90% of those with legal representation received a settlement or award, compared to about 50% without a lawyer.
• Increased Compensation: Readers with lawyers received an average compensation of $77,600, significantly higher than the average of $17,600 for those without legal representation.
• Skilled Negotiation: Lawyers are skilled negotiators, often securing settlements $30,700 higher on average than those who accept the initial offer from insurance companies.

As shown in the chart above, you should think twice about accepting an insurance company’s or other representative’s first offer. For example, if you were injured in a car accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance company may try to offer you less than your case is really worth. 

However, a lawyer will look out for you and your best interests, negotiating on your behalf to get the other side to pay you a fair amount of money proportionate to your injuries.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a San Diego Personal Injury Lawyer?

Are you concerned about being able to afford a personal injury lawyer? Don’t worry. At Vaage Law, we know that many people aren’t financially stable after a personal injury accident, with medical bills and time off work adding up.

That’s why we work on a contingency fee basis. That means you won’t have to pay us anything unless we win your case. You will pay no out-of-pocket costs, only paying legal fees if we are successful, and even then, it will only be a portion of your reward.

“Our no-win, no-fee structure is our firm’s way of making sure everyone, regardless of their background or financial status, has access to reliable and quality legal representation when they need it most. I am a firm believer that financial worries should never stop someone from getting the help they need.”

• Founding Attorney, Robert Vaage

What Types of Compensation Can a San Diego Personal Injury Attorney Help Me Get?

A personal injury accident can dramatically change your life. That’s why we help our clients get compensation that will help restore them to how they were before the accident. While we understand that there are some things that compensation cannot fix, it will be helpful in covering:

Compensatory Damages

Most personal injury victims are able to seek compensatory damages in a lawsuit to restore them as close as possible to the state they were in before the incident, both physically and emotionally. Compensatory damages are broken up into: 

• Economic Damages: These compensate you for quantifiable financial losses caused by the injury, such as past and future medical expenses, property damages, and lost wages for when you missed work or if you can’t return to work.
• Noneconomic Damages: These compensate you for more subjective losses that aren’t as easily measurable, like pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, or physical disfigurement and scarring.

Noneconomic damages are usually debated in negotiations or in court because they are so personal and close to home. However, a San Diego personal injury lawyer will consult various professionals and gather the necessary information to show the full extent to which your injuries have affected your life.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are not as common as compensatory damages. They’re given out in cases where the person who harmed you acted extremely recklessly or intentionally. These damages are meant to punish the person and stop others from repeating these actions in the future.

How Much Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?

Figuring out how much you can get in a personal injury case can be tricky. There are several factors that can influence how much you qualify for in a lawsuit, such as: 

• The type of injury you sustained.
• How badly you were injured.
• How your injuries have affected your quality of life.
• The extent of your medical bills.
• Whether you can no longer work.

These are just a few details that can factor into how much financial support you may be able to get. Your lawyer will examine all of these and more to make sure you get everything you need to recover and make it easier for you to get back on your feet.

Successful Resolutions in San Diego Personal Injury Cases Won by Vaage Law

While we’ve already covered that partnering with a lawyer is one of the most important steps in a personal injury case, it’s about choosing the right San Diego personal injury law firm for your case. 

There are hundreds of law firms in San Diego. However, you need one that has a track record that speaks for itself. Vaage Law has recovered over $175 million for our clients, including the following in San Diego personal injury cases:

• $3,100,000 for a neurologist who was rear-ended on the I-15 in San Diego, resulting in cervical injuries impacting her medical practice.
• A group received $700,000 after their allegedly defective rented motorhome went down an embankment while driving on the I-8 in San Diego.
• $400,000 to the family of a 16-year-old who died at Sweetwater High School in San Diego due to a delay in performing CPR after he collapsed during a performance test.
• A client who suffered numerous injuries in a slip and fall accident at an Open House in Solana Beach, CA, won $299,000. 

Vaage Law has secured countless notable settlements and verdicts right here in San Diego. We’ve stood by our community in several personal injury matters. Contact us online or call (619) 338-0505 today to learn how we can fight to get the financial support you deserve.

Why Hire Vaage Law

Vaage Law was founded with one goal in mind: to fight on behalf of personal injury victims. To us, you’re not just another case or number. We take the time to listen to and understand your story to provide personalized legal care.

Since 1992, we have never lost sight of treating our clients with the respect and attention they deserve. Also, founding Attorney Bob Vaage has tried more civil cases in court and achieved verdicts than 95% of attorneys in San Diego, making him one of the area’s top trial lawyers. 

To see if we’re the right fit for your personal injury case, contact Vaage Law online or call (619) 338-0505. Our team stands ready to take on even the most challenging and complex personal injury cases with confidence.

Proudly Representing San Diego Residents