San Jose Personal Injury Attorneys

Personal injury is the legal term for some sort of injury to an individual that was caused by another person's actions. Thousands of Californians suffer a personal injury each year in serious accidents caused by another person's bad behavior, at an unacceptably high price in lives, health and dollars. The actions that cause the personal injury do not have to be criminal, although criminal acts could certainly cause a personal injury. Other illegal actions that might cause a personal injury include:

• Negligence or recklessness, which are legal terms for carelessness. A lawsuit stemming from a car accident would probably claim negligence.
• An intentional (deliberate) act. This includes criminal acts, but could also include a non-criminal act that the defendant knew, or should have known, would harm someone.
• "Strict liability" harms. That's a fancy way of saying that by law, certain actions are grounds for a lawsuit if they harmed someone, regardless of how careful the defendant was. An example is "products liability," our right to sue the maker of a defective product that harms us (like tainted food).

The injury a plaintiff can claim in a personal injury lawsuit is often physical, but can also be financial, mental, emotional or some combination. In fact, victims usually have more than one type of injury. For example, if a pedestrian is hit by a careless driver, he or she will probably have physical injuries from the accident and financial injuries from paying for medical care and other costs related to the accident. The victim may have emotional injuries, such as fear of cars, and pain and suffering as well. If the victim dies, his or her family could claim damages for wrongful death, loss of care and comfort and loss of the victim's income, as well as direct financial damages like funeral costs and medical bills.

A personal injury lawyer helps victims of a personal injury recover those and other types of damages in a lawsuit. In a personal injury lawsuit, your attorney will seek to show a jury that you were injured, prove that the injuries were the defendant's fault, and show the extent of your damages. Because personal injury attorneys defend the rights of injured people, who are often financially strapped, they usually offer free case evaluations to potential clients. And for the same reasons, most personal injury law firms work on contingency, which means they don't get paid unless -- and until -- they win your case.

The experienced San Jose personal injury attorneys at Van Der Walde & Associates have won millions of dollars for clients in Silicon Valley and throughout Northern California. We are recognized as a leader in personal injury litigation because we are committed to assertively protecting the rights of our clients. We believe everyone, no matter how small the case, deserves competent representation in a court of law. If you or someone you love has suffered a personal injury, call Van Der Walde & Associates today at (877) 862-6288 for a free case evaluation.

Cupertino Personal Injury Attorney Disclaimer: The California personal injury, serious injury, injury accident, injury victim, or other legal information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice, nor the formation of a lawyer or attorney client relationship. Any results set forth herein are based upon the facts of that particular case and do not represent a promise or guarantee. Please contact a Personal Injury Lawyer or Injury Attorney for a consultation on your particular personal injury matter. This web site is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the state of California.
© 2008 Van Der Walde & Associates - All rights reserved. San Jose Personal Injury Lawyers - Santa Clara County Injury Attorneys - serving the communities of Northern California, including San Jose, Santa Clara and Cupertino.