Oakland Personal Injury Lawyer

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    Results For The People We Don’t Just Talk About Results. We Get Them.

    $21 million

    Mondragon v. City of Fremont

    In June 2022, Adanté Pointer & Patrick Buelna won a $21 Million Jury Trial Verdict for the family of Elena Mondragon who was shot and killed by Fremont police officers when she was sixteen-years-old.

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    Oakland Lawyers For The People

    If you or your loved one was hurt in Oakland by someone else, you have the right under California law to hire a personal injury lawyer to get you compensation for your injuries. Each of us must go about our lives with a reasonable amount of care to avoid hurting other people. If someone breaches their duty of care and hurts you, they should be held liable.

    The Oakland personal injury lawyers at Pointer & Buelna, LLP have worked for years on holding careless individuals and companies responsible for their actions. So if you or someone you love was hurt, our personal injury attorneys are here to help.

    Your Attorney And Your Medical Expenses

    A less understood advantage of hiring an Oakland personal injury attorney is they can help get you medical treatments. However, some medical professionals could be reluctant to treat you because of concerns about payment and months of litigation.
    Your attorney partners with medical professionals in the area and may get your treatments handled with a medical lien. This means you will not need to pay upfront for treatments. Instead, you’ll pay at the end of the case if there is a settlement or jury award.
    Imagine what a relief it is to know you’ll get the medical care you need to recover, and you don’t have to be concerned about coming up with thousands of dollars upfront! Remember, serious accident injuries can cost tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat. Your attorney can mitigate those potentially devastating costs.

    Contact A Personal Injury Lawyer in Oakland Now

    Did another party in California injure you? Do you have damages, injuries, and losses? Then, you could be entitled to compensation. An Oakland personal injury attorney will fight to get you the money you deserve for lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering. Contact Pointer & Buelna, LLP today for a free consultation.

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    AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

     

    watch the video about our firm We Fight For The People

    “Law interested me because I always saw it as being a tool to equalize society so that the West Oaklands of the world could have the resources like the Piedmonts or Beverly Hills of the world.”

    img Adanté Pointer Lawyer for the people

    Our Practice Areas

    Our practice is professional, focused and experienced. We will not stop fighting for the people until justice is served.
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    What People Are Saying About Us

    Recent Client Reviews & Testimonials

      “Patrick is a fantastic lawyer. He worked hard for over a year to secure me a fair settlement and hold those who harmed me accountable. I would recommend highly recommend him and would use him again if the need ever arises. Thanks Patrick and Lawy...

      Ryland Stamey

      “Very friendly & the attorneys are very well rounded!”

      Michele G.

      Great job and are reliable

      Barbara W.

      “Winner. Great job Patrick.”

      Anon

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    Meet The Team

    Our team of experienced trial lawyers are ready to take on any large institution. We have secured many of the largest verdicts and settlements in our practice areas due to our commitment to getting the best possible result for our clients. Learn more about our lawyers here.
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    Call us today at
    (510) 929-5400
    click here to schedule a consultation.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Some of the common questions clients ask us are:

    A personal injury lawyer is your legal advocate if you’re hurt in an accident caused by someone’s negligence. Your attorney can take the negligent person to court and sue them for your damages and losses. Also, the attorney will negotiate with the insurance company to get a fair settlement.

    For example, if you’re hit by a car at a red light in Oakland and have a broken arm, your attorney will try to negotiate a settlement with the other driver’s insurance company. Most personal injury cases end in a settlement because insurance companies know they could pay more if the jury rules against them.

    The attorney will handle all of your case paperwork, depositions, court filings, and haggling with insurance adjusters about a settlement. The Oakland injury lawyer will take them to court if the insurance company doesn’t offer a decent settlement.

    Some of the most common California injury cases your attorney can assist with are:

    • Car accidents
    • Motorcycle accidents
    • Tractor-trailer accidents
    • Pedestrian accidents
    • Bicycle accidents
    • Slip and fall cases
    • Wrongful Death

    Talk to a personal injury attorney soon if you are in one of these accidents and think you have a case. They will quickly determine if there is a case and tell you the next steps.

    Do you need a lawyer after every accident? If you cause the accident, you cannot file a claim. If someone else causes the accident, you don’t have to hire a lawyer. However, an attorney is the most effective method to get maximum compensation for your injuries. So if you have injuries after an accident someone else caused, it is wise to talk to a lawyer.

    A personal injury lawyer is a powerful legal advocate during tough insurance settlement negotiations. If you try to negotiate with the insurance company alone, they’ll know you don’t have legal and negotiating experience. So it’s best to send an experienced litigator into settlement talks so you can get the most money.

    If your accident involves serious injuries, hiring a lawyer is almost always best. Some of the critical tasks your attorney can assist with are:

    • Reconstructing and investigating the incident to determine fault
    • Collecting and preserving evidence for insurance negotiations and court
    • Turning in documents to the insurance company to prove your injuries
    • Setting you up with doctors who won’t ask for payment upfront
    • Hiring experts to provide testimony to build the case
    • Handling settlement negotiations
    • Going to court as needed

    Remember, your attorney works for you, and they get paid more by getting more money in your pocket. Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency agreement. They will receive approximately ⅓ of your settlement or award. So, they have a solid motivation to get you more money.

    Most injured clients let trained professionals handle the legal side so they can focus on their recovery. Some issues that often crop up after an injury that you may not be equipped to handle effectively are:

    • Medical bills pile up over the weeks and months. Finally, healthcare providers will start to nag you about payment and could threaten to stop treating you. Your attorney can handle this situation so you can continue treatments.
    • If you were in a severe car accident, the police would want to interview you and follow up.
    • The insurance company will want to talk to you and try to get you to say things that hurt your case. Never speak to the defendant’s insurance company without your lawyer.
    • If you fall on someone’s property, their insurance company will want to question you.

    Your Oakland personal injury attorney is the best choice to negotiate these tricky waters so you can focus on your recovery. However, when these issues are incorrectly handled, it can damage your case.

    A common insurance tactic is to contact the injured person and get them to say they are fine. Unfortunately, that can reduce your settlement. Instead, have your attorney handle every legal and administrative detail of your case.

    Civil courts and insurance companies in Oakland may provide compensation to you based on the unique aspects of the situation. Your attorney will review your case during the initial interview and tell you if there is a case. If there is, you may be entitled to these damages:

    • Medical bills
    • Property damage
    • Pain and suffering
    • Lost wages
    • Punitive damages in some cases

    Note that you may be entitled not just to your past and current medical expenses but to what will happen in the future. Your lawyer will review your medical records and bills as your treatments conclude.

    If you have attained maximum recovery, your lawyer will request medical reports from your doctors. The reports discuss your injuries, treatments, and prognosis. Based on these reports, your attorney will estimate the amount of money to demand from the insurance company for future medical costs.

    California has laws limiting how much compensation you get after an accident. Caps are sometimes put in place to prevent medical facilities and doctors from going bankrupt from a large settlement or verdict.

    California’s Proposition 213 established a damage cap for auto accident victims who did not have auto insurance. If you do not have insurance after a car crash, you are disallowed from receiving compensation for pain and suffering.

    California also has a damages cap in place for medical malpractice claims. If a doctor injures you, you only may receive a maximum of $250,000 for pain and suffering.

    Your personal injury lawyer in Oakland fully understands the personal injury laws in California. However, these rules and regulations can make or break your case, so it is always best to hire an attorney after an accident. For example, if you miss the two years statute of limitations deadline, you’re barred from filing a claim.

    Some California laws in accident cases include:

    Auto Accidents

    This state has established a fault-based system for auto accidents. After a car accident, all injured parties must file a claim with the liable driver’s insurance company. Your lawyer must show who caused the accident. This is how you get the other driver’s insurance company to cover your losses.

    California has established a pure comparative negligence rule to determine fault in car accidents. Therefore, if you were partially at fault, your potential settlement would be reduced by your degree of responsibility. For example, if you were 25% at fault for an accident with $10,000 in damages, you only receive $7,500.

    Big Rig Accidents

    If the crash involved a tractor-trailer, there are different regulations in California. For example, truck companies and drivers must obey federal rules that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration administers. For instance, hours-of-service rules limit how many hours drivers can be behind the wheel in a certain period. If the driver is on the road for too many hours and causes a crash, they and their employer can be found negligent.

    Some critical evidence your attorney may look for to prove your case include:

    • The truck’s black box recorder
    • Service records for the truck and trailer
    • Regulation compliance reports
    • Readouts from electronic logging devices to determine vehicle speed and behavior before the crash
    • Cell phone records
    • Truck driver medical records

    Wrongful Death

    If you lose a loved one in an accident caused by another party, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit. These claims must be filed within two years of the person’s death. Also, only certain people can file wrongful death claims in this state:

    • The surviving spouse
    • Domestic partner
    • Child
    • A parent or someone who is entitled to the person’s estate