Salinas Personal Injury Lawyers

Injury Risks in Salinas

Salinas is the county seat of Monterey County in California and is attractively located on Monterey Bay just south of San Jose. The most recent United States Census reported that Salinas had a population of 162,791, making it the most populous city in the county.

Salinas is a bustling place with plenty to do—and plenty of places to get injured. Even a seemingly safe and harmless outing with the family can end up in the emergency room with accidental injuries. You might have a car wreck on the way into town, be in a pedestrian accident while crossing the street, or slip and fall while sightseeing in Salinas.

Enjoyable attractions where accidents can take place include:

• The National Steinbeck Center is the museum and memorial dedicated to the great author.
• WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is a racing track for automobile and motorcycle racing, so accidents are relatively common. Monterey Zoo is open seven days a week, including most holidays, so it is a common destination for families.
• Toro County Park is located six miles from downtown Salinas and offers 4,756 acres that include several forms of wildlife, such as deer, coyote, and rare mountain lions or golden eagles. Tatum’s Garden offers an all-access playground for children.
• The Harvey-Baker House, constructed in 1868, is also known as the First Mayor’s House. The Old Town Salinas Certified Farmers Market is a weekly farmers’ market at Main Street and West Gabilan Street.
• United States Route 101 (U.S. 101) is the major north-south thoroughfare in Salinas, connecting the city to San Francisco to the north and Los Angeles to the south. California State Route 68 (CA 68 or SR 68) projects west from US 101, and California State Route 183 (CA 183 or SR 183) runs northwest from downtown.
• Market Street, Alisal Street, Clay Street, Rossi Street, Abbott Street, Sanborn Road, Laurel Drive, and Williams Road are other major roads where accidents frequently occur in Salinas.

Motorcycle Accidents

The unfortunate truth about motorcycle accidents is that such crashes are often likely to result in extremely serious injuries. In many cases, these accidents result from another motorist’s negligence, which means that many injured bikers are entitled to compensation.

Truck Accidents

Truck accidents are often much more complicated than “regular” car accidents due to the number of parties involved. Rather than having just two drivers, you may be dealing with the truck driver, the trucking company, their insurers, and even the owner of the cargo Victims should reach out for legal help quickly in these cases because insurance companies can be more aggressive in getting people to settle cases, often for much less than what they deserve.

Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrians typically have no protection at all when they are involved in an accident with a vehicle. The result is that many pedestrians will often suffer severe injuries in crashes, sometimes leaving them with long-term medical problems. In many cases, negligent drivers try and claim that pedestrians were somehow at fault for their injuries.

Bicycle Accidents

Many people all over Salinas enjoy riding bikes for transportation and exercise. Unfortunately, bike accidents happen with alarming frequency in our state, often because of various forms of driver negligence.

Premises Liability Claims

Premises liability claims can occur when a property owner’s (or leaseholder’s) negligence injures a person. They often involve slips, trips, or falls but can also involve incidents like elevator or escalator accidents, toxic exposure, or fires.

Wrongful Death

California allows certain members of a deceased person’s family to file a wrongful death action when a person’s death results from another person’s negligence or intentional act. Examples of incidents that can lead to wrongful death claims include car accidents and criminal acts. It is critical that anyone that suspects that they have a wrongful death claim speak to an attorney as soon as possible.

Respected and Trusted Injury Representation

Silva Injury Law maintains a proud commitment to helping victims recover as much compensation as possible. We work closely with our clients so they always understand the status of their cases and what we are currently working on. Our firm will not take on any case if we are not willing to go to trial when necessary, so you will know that when we agree to represent you, we will be willing to see your case all the way through.

Michael Joe Silva is fluent in Portuguese because he was born and raised in the Central Valley to Portuguese immigrant parents from the Azores Islands of Portugal. His family includes a wife and three daughters, and he has also been named one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, a SuperLawyers Rising Star, and one of the Best Lawyers Ones to Watch.

Cassidy Jensen attended Chapman University and graduated Magna Cum Laude before attending BYU Law School in Provo, Utah, after being born and raised in Idaho. Cassidy practiced family law at McCormick Barstow and became certified as a sexual trauma responder who now fights for survivors of abuse and violence.

Tanner Combs had a grandfather who hitchhiked at age 15 to the Central Valley from Ohio, and he was born, raised, and continues to live in the Central Valley. Tanner is also fluent in Portuguese, and he spent two years living in Brazil while working as a church missionary.

Compensation for Your Injuries and Losses

People seeking financial compensation for their losses following accidents in Salinas are often entitled to compensatory damages. Compensatory damages often come in the forms of economic damages and non-economic damages.

California Civil Code § 1431.2(b)(1) defines economic damages as verifiable monetary losses that include:

• Medical expenses
• Loss of earnings
• Burial costs
• Loss of use of property
• Costs of repair or replacement
• Costs of obtaining substitute domestic services
• Loss of employment and loss of business or employment opportunities

California Civil Code § 1431.2(b)(2) establishes more subjective non-economic damages, including:

• Pain and suffering
• Inconvenience
• Disability
• Disfigurement
• Mental suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of society and companionship
• Loss of consortium
• Injury to reputation and humiliation

Victims may also seek punitive damages, although these awards are much less common and punish people for particularly reckless or egregious misconduct rather than compensate victims. Punitive damages in California require people to prove that negligent parties acted with malice, oppression, or fraud.

California Civil Code § 3294© defines those terms as:

• Malice. Conduct intended by a negligent party to cause injury to a person or despicable conduct carried on by a negligent party with a willful and conscious disregard for the rights or safety of others.

• Oppression. Despicable conduct that subjects a person to cruel and unjust hardship in conscious disregard of that person’s rights.
• Fraud. An intentional misrepresentation, deceit, or concealment of a material fact known to a negligent party with the intention on the part of the negligent party of thereby depriving a person of property or legal rights or otherwise causing injury.

How Our Salinas Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help You

When you retain us to represent you, Silva Injury Law will immediately begin to help you by evaluating the circumstances of your accident. Our investigation will be tremendously important because we will use this opportunity to collect all of the most relevant evidence to your case. We may also consult professionals to provide evidence supporting your case.

Our attorneys may have to secure police reports, and they will also know how to reach out and discuss any issues with police officers. When there are witnesses to accidents, a lawyer can speak to the witnesses and ask them to offer statements about what occurred.

Our legal team will also assess the totality of your damages, including your medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and physical and emotional pain and suffering. Once this assessment is complete, our team will file your claim along with a demand letter setting out the amount of compensation you are seeking,

Insurers are not likely to make much of demand letters, possibly ignoring them altogether, but we know how to use a demand letter to begin engaging in settlement discussions. While some people want to believe they can save themselves a lot of money by negotiating their own settlement and not having to pay a lawyer anything, the truth is that many people who negotiate their own settlements end up leaving a lot of money on the table in comparison to people who retain legal counsel.

Settlement negotiations can play out for several months or even years. In fact, in some cases, the parties cannot reach an agreement at all. When this occurs, we will likely file a lawsuit on your behalf to obtain the compensation you deserve.

In some cases, moving toward trial gets the insurance company to settle a case quicker. Some cases go to trial, and our litigation team is ready to represent your interests in court.

Another important aspect of hiring a personal injury attorney can be your medical attention because many people may experience certain hardships in getting care when they have outstanding medical bills. A lawyer can negotiate a medical lien that allows a person to pay their medical bills out of their settlement or jury award after their case.

Everyone Can Afford Our Salinas Personal Injury Attorneys

Many people are concerned that they cannot afford to hire a lawyer for their personal injury case. Silva Injury Law represents clients on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you will not pay anything to have our lawyers represent you because we will instead be paid a predetermined percentage of any final settlement or award we recover on your behalf. As a result, anyone who has suffered an injury can secure quality legal representation, regardless of their ability to pay upfront.

Consult Our Salinas Personal Injury Law Firm Today

Michael Joe Silva, Personal Injury Attorney

Did you suffer severe injuries, or was your loved one killed in any accident caused by another party’s negligence in or around Salinas? If the answer is yes, it is critically important for you to seek legal counsel without delay, and Silva Injury Law can answer every question related to your claim.

We will review the facts of your case at no cost to you and determine whether you have a viable legal claim. If you choose us to represent you, you will only pay legal fees if we win your case.

Our firm believes strongly in making every one of your clients feel just like family, so you know that we will take the time to get to know all about you and how your accident impacts your life. You can call (831) 204-7152or contact our Salinas personal injury lawyers online for your free consultation.

Testimonial

“I cannot say enough good things about Silva Injury Law. Everyone starting with the front desk were very professional, honest and hardworking. Michael and his team worked diligently to make sure everything went as quickly and as smooth as possible. Silva Injury Law genuinely care about their clients and I would highly recommend them.”-Vallerie Rosas