- DUI/DWICar accidents have a number of causes. Many stem from negligent driving including texting behind the wheel, cell phone abuse and DUI. Driver error or negligence is the number one cause of automobile accidents in North America. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a factor in 33% of all fatal automobile accidents throughout the U.S.
- Wrongful DeathMajor injury accident victims are often frightened, confused and disoriented following a catastrophic injury. The sudden and wrongful death of a loved one is both devastating and numbing. Insurance companies often rush in with a quick settlement offer that barely covers medical or funeral expenses. Compensation for past and future lost wages and for pain and suffering is often overlooked. The loss of love, care, comfort and support of a loved one cannot be overstated. Not knowing where to turn, many major injury and wrongful death victims make the mistake of settling too soon without knowing just how serious and long term their injuries are or how pervasive the loss of their loved one truly is. Very often, once a case is settled, there can be no further recovery.
- Traffic ViolationsOther forms of driver negligence that form grounds for a personal injury claim include: speeding, reckless driving, and failure to obey traffic laws. Driver errors like failing to check for oncoming traffic before making a left turn or a lane change of failing to check the blind spot, or not looking both ways before entering traffic at an intersection might also constitute grounds for a lawsuit.
- Assault
- HomicideAs explained above, a wrongful death claimant may not recover the medical expenses of the decedent, even if those expenses were made necessary by the person or entity that caused the wrongful death in the first place. Even if the decedent, had he or she lived, been entitled to recover punitive damages, the wrongful death claimant cannot recover punitive damages under California law (with the exception of death from felony homicide.) Generally, only the loss of love, care, comfort, society and support are recoverable damages for a wrongful death plaintiff in California.
- Workers CompensationIf you are looking for an attorney for personal injury or workers compensation, then you have looked no further. Lou Cutrone and his staff get things done. His office is 100% first class when helping a client in a situation. I have been working with... Read More --Ken F.
- Employment DiscriminationLou Cutrone is a superb plaintiff's attorney whose people skills separate him from other practitioners. I am a criminal lawyer and have referred him both injury and employment discrimination cases. One thing that I find particularly accommodating... Read More --Jim G.
- Premises LiabilitySlip, trip and fall accidents fall under the legal category of premises liability claims. Under California law, the fact that you slipped or tripped and then fell at someone else’s home, store, mall, supermarket, hospital, restaurant, movie theater, parking lot, swimming pool or other property does not necessarily mean you have a case, even if you were badly injured. The law in California requires that the property owner or manager have enough notice that a dangerous condition exists on the property to be able to clean it up, repair it, or otherwise post a warning sign. The key here is notice; without it, there is no case. California courts hold that in the absence of notice, property owners and managers do not owe a duty to persons coming onto their property to keep them safe from a property defect they don’t know exists. To better illustrate this legal point, let’s look at the example of the broken mayonnaise jar at the supermarket mentioned above.
- Landlord-Tenant DisputesMany California personal injury lawyers are asked, “What is a defective products liability lawsuit and how are these claims handled under California law.” To begin with, personal injury is a broad field of law. It primarily addresses a particular type of injury rather than any unique type of case. Let me explain that. In order for a case or claim to be of the “personal injury type,” it must involve an injury to one’s person (as opposed to a breach of contract or landlord tenant type of dispute.) An injury to one’s person can include a physical injury to one’s body, or to one’s mind. It can include emotional damages and even an injury to one’s reputation, such as defamation by libel or slander. The key thing to remember is that a personal injury claim involves just that, a personal injury. It stands to reason then that a personal injury can be sustained in any number of ways including those caused by a negligent driver, an assault and battery, a slip and fall and a defective product.
- Property DamageFailure to exchange this information in the event of a car accident is an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $250. The second responsibility is to complete Form SR-1 and file it with the DMV if anyone was injured in the accident or if resulting property damage exceeds $750.
- Personal InjuryCutrone & Associates is not a mill practice. We don’t have and we don’t want hundreds of cases at a time. We limit our caseload so that each client’s matter is well managed by an experienced lawyer rather than paralegals and assistants. Every client’s call is promptly returned by their attorney. We are not afraid to take a case to trial and we will never sell a client’s case short for a quick settlement. We obtain exceptional results for our clients and have a proven track record of success. When it comes to personal injury law, Cutrone & Associates is second to none.
- Medical MalpracticeCRPS is almost always caused by an initial trauma such as a slip and fall, an auto accident, being hit or struck or being injured by a defective product. CRPS can also be caused by surgery or other medical treatment done wrong, otherwise known as medical malpractice. One of the key identifiers of CRPS is that the pain that persists and grows worse far exceeds what would be expected for the injury sustained. There are often changes in skin color and temperature and hair growth over the affected area. So sensitive is the afflicted body part, that the mere touching with a feather can ignite waves and waves of searing pain. Often times clothing cannot be worn over the afflicted body part. Many researchers explain CRPS as the body’s natural inflammatory healing processes out of control, with inflammation continuing and exacerbating long after the initial injury has resolved. To date, there is no known cure for CRPS/RSD.
- Auto Accidents