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NO ONE PLANS ON BEING INJURED, BUT WE’RE HERE FOR YOU IF YOU ARE. OUR AWARD-WINNING PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS IN BAKERSFIELD, CA HAVE A SUCCESS RATE OF OVER 99%.
When you hire us, you’re adding unmatched experience to your team, ensuring you get the best possible outcome.
Our firm maintains an impressive 99% win rate, even while accepting difficult cases other law firms have turned away.
Our injury lawyers don’t charge you unless your claim is successful. You have no upfront fees to worry about.
Car Accident Attorneys in Bakersfield
A traumatic car accident (or other personal injury) can have long-lasting, devastating impacts on your life. Sometimes, they require long-term treatment or even cause permanent disabilities. These issues can hinder your ability to earn a living or find new employment.
If you’ve been injured in such an incident and believe it stemmed from someone else’s negligence, contact a car accident lawyer in Bakersfield, CA from the May Firm. Our highly trained Bakersfield accident lawyers have the necessary knowledge and experience to help all Bakersfield residents with a variety of cases. We tackle motorcycle, car, and bicycle accidents, defective products, dangerous premises, catastrophic accidents, and much more.
Each one of our personal injury attorneys is fully dedicated to defending tour clients’ rights and will aggressively pursue the best resolution for each case. Being locally based gives us a lot of hands-on experience with the Bakersfield court system. We utilize this knowledge to make the entire process as smooth and successful as possible.
Also, part of our job is to help you find the resources, including quality treatment, to ensure you’re able to return to health and resume your life. The law provides injury victims compensation for their losses when other parties are liable, and we’ll fight for you.
Located in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley, directly between Fresno and Los Angeles, Bakersfield is the largest city within Kern County, which encompasses more than 8,100 square miles. The largest local employers are in the farming, agriculture, and oil sectors.
These are hugely important industries, both locally and nationally. However, due to the nature of heavy manual labor, workplace accidents are more common than in other trades. Trucking and farming accidents are especially common, but car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and gas tank incidents also occur frequently.
Interstate 5 and State Routes 58 and 99 are some of the busiest and most dangerous highways in California. This leads to heavily congested driving conditions, increasing the likelihood of being involved in a serious collision.
5500 Ming Avenue, Suite 390
Bakersfield, California, 93309
Our attorneys are happy to meet with you at your home, our office, or a convenient location to discuss your personal injury claim and help you determine your best course of action.
The entire May Firm staff understands staff understands the difficult and often delicate nature of personal injury accidents and claims. Our team of Bakersfield injury attorneys provide compassionate, personalized care for each client.
Attorneys at the May Firm earned their excellent reputation by winning numerous awards in the field of personal injury. Additionally, we have successfully recovered millions in damages for our valued clients. Our passion for ensuring the protection of your legal rights stands out in our client reviews and case results.
The May Firm wins cases. Our success rate is roughly 99%. We’ve had two losses in the last five years, and we fought tooth and nail to win those cases. Although we didn’t get the results we were hoping for, we advocated for our clients until the very end.
What separates us from other Fresno personal injury law firms is our track record. Of our many successes in court, we’ve had over three dozen six-figure results and nearly one dozen seven-figure awards. We’ve won slip and fall, auto accident, wrongful death, and dog bite cases.
Whatever the nature of the case, we will win it. Clients choose the Fresno personal injury lawyers and car accident attorneys at our firm because we triumph time and again in the courtroom.
We Have a
99%
Success
Rate
Here are the STORIES Behind the Success…
Medical insurance
“It was such a relief to have [the May Firm] in my corner. The
insurance companies started calling me back with offers.”
If you sustained serious injuries due to the negligence of another party, you may qualify to pursue compensation under the personal injury laws of California.
A knowledgeable and professional personal injury attorney in Bakersfield can help you understand your rights and what compensation you should pursue for your losses.
Here, we answer some of the questions that we hear most frequently from our personal injury clients. Please reach out if your question isn’t answered here.
Not all accidents will result in a lawsuit or claim for damages. But when you suffer injuries because of the negligence of an individual or other party, you may be eligible to pursue compensation.
Personal injury law provides an avenue toward relief for individuals who have sustained avoidable or preventable injuries due to the action (or inaction) of another party.
Personal Injury defined
Most people immediately think of auto accidents when they hear the term “personal injury.” However, numerous other cases belong to this category .
Essentially, injuries you suffer from another’s personal negligence or malice all represent personal injuries. Animal attacks are a major example. Also, if you are injured on another person’s or business’s property, they can be held accountable. Examples of this can include an unsafe yard on personal property or a wet and unmarked floor in a business.
You should always retain – or at least consult – an attorney if you’ve been in an auto accident or suffered any other personal injury that wasn’t your fault. In numerous situations, you’ll interact with one or more large businesses, insurance companies, or government agencies. All of these groups have considerable resources, and you shouldn’t try taking them on by representing yourself.
With a Bakersfield injury attorney by your side, you can focus on recovering from any physical and emotional injuries. All the while, your accident lawyer will fight the insurance companies and any at-fault parties to help you get any compensation you deserve.
Liability for personal injury cases will indicate who bears responsibility for paying for the losses and injuries you have sustained. While an at-fault party may constitute the primary liable party, many other parties can also face liability for your damages.
Through a settlement or lawsuit, a court or insurance company will assign a percentage of fauilt to all parties whose negligence contributed to your injuries. This allows victims to seek compensation for the full value of their injuries, based on the calculation of damages.
Liability for personal injury cases may include one or more of the following parties:
Shared Fault Laws
California follows a legal concept known as shared fault. For example, if you’re badly injured in an automobile accident, your actions while driving will be taken under consideration. While someone running a red light and striking your car would be mostly at fault if you were driving 10 miles over the speed limit at the time of the accident, your speeding is also considered.
At-fault laws don’t mean a 50/50 split. You may be found completely innocent of fault in some cases, or your fault may be considered very minor. In such cases, you may have to pay for a small percentage of the total cost of your injuries. This can include medical bills and lost wages.
When victims suffer injuries in an accident, they should focus on their health and recovery. However, a personal injury victim may soon feel consumed by stress and worry regarding the financial consequences and impacts that stem from their injuries. California law delineates the type of damages that injured individuals may pursue.
Economic Damages
These damages include the losses that many victims first consider: the financial expenses and costs of the injuries they have suffered. These damages constitute tangible monetary losses that you can easily estimate and calculate based on specific evidence, such as bills, receipts, and other records.
In California, the economic losses in a personal injury case most commonly include:
Non-Economic Damages
Some of the most impactful and traumatic losses don’t relate to your finances at all. These non-economic losses involve changes in your way of life.
Non-economic damages in a personal injury case can include:
Limits on damages
In certain cases, California law limits the amounts recoverable for injuries. Consider these two examples.
If an uninsured driver is injured by another’s negligence, they typically can’t recover non-economic damages like pain and suffering. The only exception is if the individual at fault was under the influence and received a DUI conviction for events directly related to the accident.
Situations following a car accident that fall under the umbrella of medical malpractice have another hard cap on damages. Under the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA), non-economic damages in malpractice cases can be no greater than $250,000. By comparison, economic damages have no limit.
After a personal injury occurs, injured individuals have a very narrow window in which they can take legal action against the parties responsible for the injuries and damages. This time window constitutes the statute of limitations. Each state sets its own rules on how long plaintiffs have to file for recovery of their losses from a negligent party.
In California, the statute of limitations gives a claimant only two years from the date of an accident to initiate a lawsuit against a responsible party. Also, if you’re filing against the state of California, you only have six months to do so.
Any claimant that fails to file in the time required by the statute may lose the right to pursue any financial recovery. While two years may seem like a long time, it can pass quickly when a personal injury matter proves complex. Ultimately, your attorney will work to settle your case out of court, but if that proves unviable, you may need to file a lawsuit to protect and preserve your rights to recovery.
Any materials you can bring that support your claim, such as accident photos, medical records, proof of lost earnings, and other information, are all helpful. Such materials help us build a solid foundation for your specific case.
There is no way to tell from the beginning of your case if your case will go to court or not. However, it’s common for personal injury cases to resolve outside of the courtroom.
The personal injury attorneys at The May Firm will work diligently to negotiate a settlement in your favor before pursuing action through the court system. No matter what happens, we’ll fight hard on your behalf to ensure you’re appropriately compensated for your injuries.
If you’ve been injured by somebody else because of negligence, you’re more likely to have a case. However, it is not always as easy as it may sound, even if your injuries are obvious. It may take a lot of work and consideration to establish that the person at fault or the defendant has indeed caused you harm by being negligent.
In California, many personal injury cases arise from traffic accidents, medical malpractice, and defective products,. Negligence is possible in all these situations: Drivers, medical practitioners, and manufacturers all have safety standards they must follow to avoid harming others. When a motorist, patient, or consumer suffers an injury, one must determine if someone’s carelessness regarding the aforementioned standards led to that injury.
With a lawyer’s help, this is how you’d initially try to prove negligence. The next step would be to prove your injury stemmed from the defendant’s misconduct.
Say you have been in a serious car accident that caused injuries to your physical being and damage to your car. You would have made it safely to your destination, but because somebody decided to drive beyond the speed limit and failed to follow traffic signs, that driver ended up crashing into your car. This led to injuries, damages, and pain and suffering.
To prove this in court, your attorney must gather and present relevant information regarding the accident to substantiate your statement against the defendant. Valid evidence supporting their wrongdoing may include the following:
Eyewitness Accounts
An ideal eyewitness must have seen the incident and volunteered to show up in court. If a potential eyewitness does not agree to show up in court, ask for a written statement of what he or she witnessed during the incident. This will still be valuable for proving negligence.
Police Report
After almost any car accident (but especially any serious one), a police officer usually shows up at the scene. They fill out an accident report form containing the personal information of all parties involved and a brief statement of their professional opinion on the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The document will likely also include notes on any traffic violations that might have caused the accident. You may secure a copy of this report at the police station and present it to support all other evidence you’ve gathered.
Photographs and Visuals: Any photographs taken at the scene just after (or during) the accident are excellent evidence. You may also present photos of the damage to your vehicle and any marks or bruises left on your skin after the accident.
Additionally, you may create a diagram displaying what happened – for example, which part of the road you were on and where the defendant’s car came from to hit you. You may ask permission from the judge to present these as evidence.
Medical Records: One of the most important things that you should not forget is getting seen by a physician right after an accident. Seeking medical attention should be your priority after any accident. Primarily, this is for the sake of your well-being, but it also serves as valid documentation you can present in court. It can help prove your claim for injuries, given that its timestamps should roughly correspond to those logged by the police.
Evidence presented in court plays an important role in establishing the defendant’s fault. Remember that only a skilled personal injury attorney can increase your chances of recovering all your losses, including damages to your car, hospital bills, and even lost wages. Be sure to hire someone who is experienced particularly in the California state court system.
It’s always a good idea to talk to a few personal injury law firms to find the best fit for you and your case. That’s why The May Firm offers a free, no-obligation consultation to all potential clients.
Our first meeting with potential clients is always a free consultation. There’s no obligation to continue working together if the fit is not right. During this conversation, a May Firm attorney will sit down with you and ask you questions to find out every detail about your situation.
We will ask how the accident happened, what injuries you suffered because of the accident, and what your life is like as you recover and heal from your physical injuries. This allows us to determine if you have a case. If so, we will go over the next steps with you, including a list of documents you’ll need to gather for us as a starting point in building a strong case for you.
It is difficult to say exactly how long it will take to settle your case. There is no specific time frame for either negotiated settlements or civil trials. The insurance companies will push you to settle quickly, which may be enticing when you are struggling to pay your medical bills or cover the costs of missing work for an extended period.
However, a quick settlement is usually not in your best interest. These are typically well below the amount of compensation you actually deserve. The personal injury attorneys at The May Firm will work as fast as possible to get you full and fair compensation. We will communicate with you every step of the way so you understand what is happening.
Insurance companies can be especially daunting. As they’re in business to make a profit, they often try to find reasons to deny claims. Alternatively, they may offer settlements that seem considerable at first but ultimately might not cover all your expenses. Furthermore, unless ordered to by the ruling of a civil court, an insurance company will not pay out on a claim until you agree to a settlement.
Keep your interactions with insurers as short as possible to reduce the chances of falling for their gambits.
After the accident, give the insurance adjuster your name, the date, time, and location of the accident, and your attorney’s contact information. Let your car accident attorney in Bakersfield handle all other interactions.
If you try to negotiate with them alone, they may later twist your words and attempt to place blame for the accident on you. If they can show the accident was your fault, they’ll have grounds to deny your claim or offer you a low settlement that likely won’t cover your medical bills.
Accidents can happen at any time and anywhere. How an accident occurs will hold great weight in whether you have a valid claim for compensation under the law. The law does not limit the scenarios or situations that qualify an individual to seek compensation under the law. If you can show that a party’s negligence caused your harm, you may qualify for compensation for all of your losses.
Some of the most common personal injury claims stem from the following types of accidents:
A statute of limitations is a time limit placed on action taken in a personal injury claim. In the majority of cases, after the statute of limitations expires, you can no longer seek damages or other compensation through a personal injury claim. For a typical personal injury case, you will usually have to take action within two (2) years from the date of the accident in order to remain within the statute of limitations. However, the statute is different for medical malpractice claims and for cases against a government entity. It is best to consult with a qualified personal injury attorney at The May Firm right away for detailed information specific to your case. We offer free, no-obligation consultations and we will fight for your rights under California law.
We at The May Firm have extensive experience in a variety of personal injury cases. These include, but are not limited to:
The May Firm attorneys enjoy working with clients. We will put all of our energy into achieving a successful outcome for your case. We will always put your case first, with personal attention and a hands-on approach to guide you through each step of your case.
A personal injury lawyer should be called whenever you experience an injury due to someone else’s negligence. Common personal injury cases may include: motorcycle accidents, car accidents, truck accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, dog bites, construction accidents, and injuries due to a defective product. It doesn’t matter if your injury is minor or severe, a personal injury attorney can help you manage claims against your insurance company, or the insurance company of the person who is responsible for the accident. An attorney will act as your advocate during this difficult time to ensure your rights are protected and fought for. The personal injury attorneys at The May Firm can also assist you in recovering damages for your time spent out of work due to your injury.
You don’t. When you retain a personal injury attorney, the consultation is free. We also take cases on a contingency fee basis; this means we only collect our fees as a portion of any compensation we successfully secure for you, whether through settlement or court award. You’ll pay for nothing out of your own pocket.
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At The May Firm we strive to be involved and connected to our local community. We strive to be a positive force and give back to those who need our help. We’re passionate about serving our clients and looking for ways to help the community of Bakersfield as a whole. As an example, during the holidays, we ran bicycle and Christmas tree giveaways dedicated to local residents.
Bakersfield is the largest city within Kern County, which encompasses more than 8,100 square miles. Bakersfield is conveniently located in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley, directly between Fresno and Los Angeles. The largest local employers are in the farming, agriculture, and oil industries.
These are hugely important industries, both locally and nationally. However, due to the nature of heavy, manual labor, workplace accidents are more common. Trucking and farming accidents are especially common, but car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and gas tank incidents are also frequent occurrences.
No matter how careful you are, accidents can happen. Call us today to speak with a personal injury attorney or car accident lawyer in Bakersfield, CA.
No personal injury case is too small – or too complicated – for the May Firm to consider. Whether you’re injured in a motorcycle crash or you’re hit by a drunk driver, we’re here for you. The types of claims we can help with include:
Even if your type of claim is not listed here, don’t hesitate to reach out for a free case evaluation.
“My number one goal is to help others. When you step foot into our firm, you’ll be treated like family—period.”
“Rob May and his team achieved over and above what I ever anticipated. I am thankful I found them, and I hold them in the highest esteem. Should you ever need a conscientious and diligent personal injury lawyer, I strongly recommend Robert May. He’s awesome. Thanks, guys, for your patience and professionalism. You rock!”
Have you been injured in an auto accident or other incident that was not your fault? Contact a Bakersfield car accident attorney or personal injury lawyer at the May Firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
You deserve to know your legal rights. Contact our personal injury attorneys in Bakersfield for a free consultation now.
At the May Firm, we care deeply about your well-being. Cost should not be a barrier to pursuing justice, which is why we don’t charge you legal fees unless we win your case.
We’re here to help you get the damages you’re owed. Whether you need a car accident attorney in Fresno or a local dog bite lawyer, we’re here for you. Get peace of mind and focus on recovery – retain our services today.
We’re dedicated to helping people just like you get back on their feet by getting the compensation and the justice they deserve. The May Firm represents injured clients throughout Bakersfield and the entire San Joaquin Valley.
Our Bakersfield office is located in the heart of downtown on California Avenue. Call us now, stop by, or reach out via the contact form below to learn more about personal injury law, how it impacts your rights, and what we can potentially do for you. Let our passion and experience be your guide.
“I feel that when I first called, you guys were all over it. You actually drove to Paso Robles, which was huge at the time. You guys were great at communicating with me through the whole process. Thank you.”
5500 Ming Avenue,
Suite 390 Bakersfield, California 93309