Understanding the Legal Concepts Involved in Los Angeles Personal Injury

Personal injury is a broad legal term – an umbrella term in many instances. Since personal injury is considered as one of the most complex and versatile legal concepts in the jurisprudence of the United States, learning its basics should be done sparingly.

In California, where hundreds and even thousands of personal injury claims are asserted each year, some citizens still find it difficult to learn the legal concepts behind tort-related cases. In order to solve such problem, citizens should learn the most common principles involved in personal injury cases.

The following are the answers to the commonly asked questions by people not familiar with personal injury lawsuits:

1. What are the common accidents that are considered personal injury-related?

The most common form of personal injury mishap in California is vehicle accidents. However, personal injury is not only limited to road accidents, it also includes slip and fall mishaps, medical malpractice, dog bite accidents, defective product-related accidents, among other negligence-based mishaps.

2. What benefits would I get if I assert for a personal injury claim?

If you want to receive compensations for your physical and emotionally injuries, then you should file a personal injury lawsuit against the person who caused you trouble. Under the tort law, people who cause injury or harm to another person must provide adequate amount of compensatory damages (economic and/or non-economic).

3. What should I do to get compensations for my injuries?

The best way to receive compensations legally is to get the help of a Los Angeles attorney who specializes in handling various personal injury cases. By doing this, you can be assured that your case would be handled well thus increasing your chance of getting high amount of compensations.

4. How can I contact personal injury lawyers?

There are myriad of ways on how you can find a reputable lawyer. For example, if you want to consult with a Santa Monica personal injury lawyer, you may do so by asking your friends or relatives for referral. You may also do some research on the Internet.

Provisions under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)

The employment discrimination law in California provides its citizens with equal rights and protection against attempts that seek to degrade people’s worth within the human society.  The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) is the agency that governs anti-employment discrimination laws in the State. True to its promise, in the course of years, DFEH has created different ways to be able to extend its hand to employees whom were maltreated by owners.

DFEH adheres to the provisions under the Fair Employmentand Housing Act or FEHA. Under this Act, it is illegal to discriminate against workers with respect to California labor laws. Under FEHA, the following are the protected classes:

·         Age (40 and over)

·         Ancestry

·         Color

·         Religious Creed

·         Denial of Family and Medical Care Leave

·         Disability (mental and physical) including HIV and AIDS

·         Marital Status

·         Medical Condition (cancer and genetic characteristics)

·         National Origin

·         Race

·         Religion

·         Sex

·         Sexual Orientation

Here are some of the provisions under the California labor laws as implemented by the DFEH

1.    Create a progressive environment for workers and strictly prohibiting harassments in the workplace.

2.    Leave benefits that enable employees to take care of a seriously sick relative or to nurse a newly born infant.

3.    Retaliation is strictly unlawful and employers who resort to this method should be duly reported to government agencies.

4.    Hiring an employee should not be based on discrimination and the admission of the employee for work should be based on their qualifications.

Employers are prompted by the law to provide the needs of workers. This is seen through the implementation of the reasonable accommodation policies implemented for the disabled employees. One of the particular and readily visible representations of these is through the comfort rooms for people with disabilities.

The Basics of Dog Bites

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 4.5 million individuals who get bitten by dogs every year. Out of such statistics, 885,000, or almost one out of five need medical attention for dog bite-related injuries. In 2006, more than 31,000 people went through reconstructive surgery as a result of being dog-bitten.

This is also one of the reasons why there is a great need for a competent and well-versed Los Angeles accident lawyer who focuses on dog bite cases. Regardless of the extent of the injury caused by the bite, it is better to seek for a lawyer’s help.

Meanwhile, those who are most at risk are the children. The rate of dog bite incident is greatly high for those ages five to nine years old. In addition, children are likely to require medical attention for dog bites than adults. Even though the recent study revealed that the rate of dog-bite related injuries among kids appears to be decreasing, parents should still be aware of the threats brought by canines.

Additionally, males have more possibility of being bitten than females. Individuals with dogs in their homes also present a lot of dangers to the family members. Having dogs inside the household is actually one of the reasons why there are many dog bite incidents. In fact, according to the CDC, adults with two or more dogs in the household have five times chances of being bitten than those living without dogs at home.

If you were injured by a canine owned by another person, you can ask a Los Angeles accident lawyer concentrating on dog bite cases about your rights and whether or not you are qualified to file a damages compensation claim. You can also seek the lawyer’s help in order for you to know your legal protection.