Personal Injury Lawyer Serving Bloomington, CA

Accidents can happen all over San Bernardino County, even if you’re being careful. A reckless driver may clip you during your commute and cause a major crash while on Interstate 10. You could slip on a wet floor while shopping at Stater Bros. or the nearby Walmart Supercenter in Rialto. Your injuries could leave you out of work for months or cause a permanent disability.

When accidents happen, the Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas can help. Our firm has helped Southern California families with personal injury claims since 1995. We can fight to ensure you receive just compensation to cover your medical bills and other expenses so you can recovery with dignity.

For a free case review with our personal injury lawyers serving Bloomington, CA, contact our law firm today. You can also reach our attorneys by phone at (909) 982-0707.

Signs You Have a Personal Injury Lawsuit

A harmful incident doesn’t automatically qualify you to file a legal claim. These four elements must be present to file a personal injury lawsuit:

• Duty of Care: This means that the other party had a responsibility to act reasonably or keep others safe. Examples of duty of care include promptly wiping up spills in an aisle or following the posted speed limit.
• Breach of Duty: This means that the person or party did not act responsibly.
• Causation: The breach of duty by one party was the cause of an accident or injury. For example, driving faster than the speed limit on I-10 resulted in a car wreck.
• Damages: The incident led to some kind of measurable harm, such as totaling a vehicle and the need for physical rehabilitation from injuries.

When you meet with the team at the Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, we can review what happened and let you know if you can take legal action.

California’s Personal Injury Claim Statute of Limitations

There is a two-year statute of limitations to file a legal claim per California Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) § 335.1. This two-year deadline starts on the date of the injury or accident. Once that deadline has expired, you will not be able to file a legal claim.

There are some exceptions to the two-year statute of limitations. For instance, you may face a shorter timeframe to take action if the accident involved a government entity or employee. This is why it’s best to speak with personal injury lawyers near Bloomington as soon as you can.

Damages in a Personal Injury Lawsuit

A serious injury can disrupt your life in countless ways. The Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas will carefully consider what you experienced and help you understand the true value of your personal injury claim.

Economic damages are the financial and material losses caused by an accident. Common examples include:

• Cost of hospitalization and surgery
• Current and ongoing medical bills
• Physical rehabilitation and occupational therapy
• Lost wages while recovering from injuries
• Loss of future earning potential due to disability
• Damage to personal property

Non-economic damages are the subjective changes in a person’s life caused by an injury. These can be more challenging to calculate, but they are still important. Common examples include:

• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Reduced quality of life
• Loss of consortium

Though rare, some cases may also involve punitive damages. Punitive damages punish a negligent party for their actions rather than compensate someone for their losses. Our personal injury attorneys near Bloomington can let you know if these exemplary damages may be available in your case.

Can I Still Collect Damages If I Was Partially at Fault?

Yes. This is because California is a pure comparative negligence state. That means a person can still seek damages even if they were 99% responsible for an accident. The amount you receive is reduced by your percentage of liability.

As an example, say that you are awarded $100,000 for a motorcycle collision but were found to be 25% liable. You would still receive $75,000 in damages.

Don’t feel intimidated if you have any legal questions. We can provide answers during a consultation. To set up a free and confidential case review, contact our personal injury lawyers.

The Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas can help you with different personal injury claims in Bloomington and nearby communities in the area. You can count on our attorneys to offer strong counsel and support during a difficult time.

Car Accidents

While there’s no Bloomington-specific data from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), the OTS recorded 15,118 injuries or fatalities from car accidents in San Bernardino County during 2023. This speaks to the dangers for anyone commuting to and from this suburb.
The greatest risk of crashes in the neighborhood involves I-10, especially on-ramps and off-ramps for the freeway. There are also collision risks for streets that intersect Cedar Avenue and Bloomington Avenue. Potential causes of car wrecks in the area include speeding, driving while intoxicated, distracted driving, and reckless driving.

Semi-Truck Accidents

Southern California needs big rigs to keep the local economy healthy, yet we can’t deny the dangers that these large vehicles pose to others on the road. There is a major risk of collisions on I-10 due to the size of tractor-trailers and the major blind spots on all four sides of these vehicles. These dangers only increase the further east or west you go down the freeway.
Driver fatigue is one of the most significant contributing factors to semi-truck crashes. Even with federal rest and hours regulations, truckers may be drowsy or inattentive behind the wheel. When truck drivers or trucking companies cause a serious collision, our personal injury lawyers can hold them responsible.

Motorcycle Accidents

Many people in Bloomington enjoy taking their motorcycle out on the open road, whether it’s out toward Palm Springs on I-10 or out toward L.A. proper and Santa Monica. Yet crashes can happen on freeways and surface streets all over San Bernardino County. OTS info found that there were 870 injuries or fatalities from motorcycle accidents in the region during 2023.
Motorcyclists often get lost in other drivers’ blind spots. That means even a careful motorcyclist could get into a crash through no fault of their own. If you’re seriously hurt in a motorcycle collision, our personal injury lawyers can hold the liable party accountable, whether it’s an automaker, another driver, or local road authorities.

Bicycle Accidents

According to OTS numbers, there were 316 injuries or fatalities from bike accidents in San Bernardino County during 2023. This should serve as a strong reminder that local cyclists must exercise caution whenever they are out on the road. If you got injured while riding your bike in the city, our personal injury attorneys can hold the negligent party responsible for your injuries.

Pedestrian Accidents

Even in quiet suburban areas, it’s crucial for pedestrians to be careful and abide by all rules of the road. According to OTS data, there were 651 injuries or fatalities from pedestrian accidents in San Bernardino County during 2023. These kinds of incidents can happen even if you cross at crosswalks. Our personal injury lawyers can help pedestrians seek compensation for their injuries from negligent drivers, truckers, and motorcyclists.

Premises Liability

We mentioned earlier that accidents can happen anywhere. You might trip over an extension cord while running an errand at Target or trying to see someone at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. You could even break your ankle because you lost your footing on broken or uneven sidewalks in the neighborhood.
If you get hurt at a business or someone else’s property, our personal injury attorneys can let you know if you have a premises liability lawsuit worth pursuing. These kinds of claims include slip, trip, and fall accidents, injuries due to insufficient security, and cases involving long-term exposure to harmful substances.

Drowning Accidents

There are hundreds of thousands of residential swimming pools in San Bernardino County and the Greater Los Angeles area. There are also numerous public pools in the region. If someone drowns due to a lack of lifeguards present or is otherwise injured because of poor safety or lack of supervision, the property owner could be held accountable.
California law considers swimming pools an attractive nuisance that could attract children onto someone’s property. This means even if a child is trespassing on a property with a swimming pool, the property owner could be held liable for injuries.

Dog Bites and Animal Attacks

We expect dog owners to keep others safe. When a dog attacks someone at Ayala Park or hurts a delivery person in the neighborhood, the dog owner needs to be held accountable for what happened. These injuries can cause serious scarring as well as psychological trauma, particularly if the victim is a young child.
Our personal injury lawyers can help ensure that negligent dog owners are held liable for any property damage or physical harm their pet may have caused.

Wrongful Death Claims

If you lose a family member in a fatal accident, you have our deepest condolences. When you’re ready to share what happened, our attorneys can help you file a wrongful death claim against the negligent party. Wrongful death lawsuits can help you seek compensation for funeral expenses, grief counseling, and the pain of losing a loved one.