Santa Clarita Personal Injury Lawyers

I Also Handle Personal Injury Cases

Click here to visit my Personal Injury Law Website.

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One of my favorite topics is Marketing.

I was reading a great book about Legal Marketing, and the author writes, "Don't assume your clients know all the areas of law you practice!"

It occurred to me - I'm supposed to tell you that! So here it goes....

Most of my clients and friends know I practice in the areas of estate planning, probate and trusts.

However, most people do not know that I also practice Personal Injury Law.

Why?

Well, I used to be a defense lawyer for a major insurance company for over 10 years. I was a trial lawyer, 7 days a week, arguing in court and in front of juries. I handled simple cases, all the way to complicated brain-injury cases.

Now that I have my own practice, I devote a portion of it to personal injury matters, because part of me still enjoys being a trial lawyer. Also, having been a former defense lawyer provides me with a unique perspective and advantage when handling a personal case for the plaintiff. It's like having a former IRS agent helping you with your tax audit.

My personal injury website is www.valencialawyer.com and my estate planning/probate website is www.mansourlaw.com.

So there...I did it! Now you all have no excuse...you now know all the areas of law I practice!

In all seriousness, if you or someone you know is injured at the hands of others, please consider my office for some candid and helpful advice.

And now for my TOP 5 TIPS if you've been in an accident.

1) If your vehicle sustained damages, take plenty of photos of the damage to your car and the other car - if you can. Many cell phones have cameras, or if you don't have any kind of camera, have a friend or family member buy a cheap camera from a nearby store and take as many photos of the scene and the vehicles as you can. If you call them from the scene, ask them to bring a digital camera with them.

2) If you have visible injuries (bruises, scrapes, cuts, etc), have a friend or family member take photos of those injuries ASAP! You can talk to people about your injuries all day, but showing them photos is an entirely different story!

3) Be civil at the scene of the accident. There is no need to fly off the handle. Things you say and do at the accident scene often come back to haunt you. Don't apologize for the accident unless you are 100% sure you are at fault.

4) The insurance company for the other party will likely want to take your statement by phone or otherwise. You are under no obligation to do so. In my experience, there is very little (or nothing) to be gained from giving a statement. At least talk to a lawyer first. The insurance company representative will often act interested in your case, sympathetic, etc...but in my experience, they are usually trying to "box" you into a story so you can't argue otherwise in the future. For example, they will ask, "How do you feel?" Then you will say, "Well, considering all that happened, I feel OK." Then a few days later when you can't move due to sore muscles, or worse, you may decide to file a claim. They will say, "Well, we took your statement the day after the accident, and you said you feel "OK" so we don't understand why you're changing your story!"

5) Finally, if you were injured in the accident (or even if you're not sure!), by all means seek medical help (at least an exam) as soon as possible. Most people try to "tough it out" or "see how they feel" before deciding to see a doctor. One of the biggest reasons personal injury claims fail, or get short-changed, is because the individual waited too long before seeking medical attention. How long is too long? In my experience, insurance companies will give you a very hard time and discount (or even deny) any injury claim if you wait longer than one week. Remember your actions speak louder than words.

Anyhow, I wanted to tell you about this area of practice because it occurred to me that many of you may not know that I handle this area of law. I hope you found the tips helpful. Please forward to a friend if you think they would benefit.