Have you been involved in a train accident and suffered personal injuries? If you have, you may be wondering whether or not you have a personal injury claim. You may also be wondering who is responsible for the injuries that you have suffered. Most people involved in an accident of any sort feel lost and helpless after the initial shock of the accident wears off. These feelings are normal. The first thing you need to understand is that you are not alone. We hear a lot these days about car accidents, but it seems as though we don’t hear as much about train accidents. It may surprise you then to know that a train accident or derailing occurs about every hour and a half in the United States. If you have been the victim of one of these accidents, then you are among thousands of other people that suffer injuries or death from train accidents each year. So how do you know if you have a personal injury case and who will ultimately be responsible for your injuries? The first step is to contact an experienced California train accident attorney.
An experienced California train accident attorney can evaluate your case and answer all of your questions in detail. Your attorney will explain the laws of California to you and help you navigate the legal channels required in order to be compensated for your injuries. Your attorney will look at what caused the train accident or derailing in an effort to determine who the negligent (at fault) party or parties were. That’s correct – did you know that there may be more than one person or entity at fault? For instance, you may be able to file a claim against the conductor of the train as well as the company that operated the train. Or maybe the company that built the track was negligent in some way, allowing you to file a claim against them as well. There are an endless number of scenarios for determining who may be negligent, as no two accidents are exactly alike. This is one of the reasons that it is so important that you have an experienced train accident attorney on your side.
You will also need to determine what damages you have suffered. Some damages are considered “actual damages”. These tend to be obvious monetary damages such as a doctor bill. However, did you know that you may also be able to file a claim for punitive damages? Whether or not you can receive damages above and beyond actual damages will depend on your particular case. This is the other big reason why you need legal representation. A trained and experienced California train accident attorney knows the laws of your state and has litigated train accidents many times before. If you have suffered damages as a result of a train accident, don’t settle for less than the full compensation that you deserve.
If you have been involved in a train accident and would like an experienced California train accident attorney to evaluate your case, contact the law offices of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit us at www.ledgerlaw.com.