motor vehicle accidents

Have you been injured in a car wreck? Are you concerned about how you are going to cover your medical bills, car repairs and los wages from missed work? The attorneys at Ryneal & Ryneal have represented motor vehicle accident victims throughout the Inland Empire and Southern California for over 45 years.

Car accidents happen every day. Sadly, even the most experienced drivers can be caught in a serious wreck. When a motor vehicle crash is caused by the negligence of someone else, the victims have a legal right to be compensated by the at fault party. In California, the statute of limitations for filing a car accident claim is two years from the date of the accident.

Though it would be impossible to list every possible factor that can lead to a motor vehicle accident, some of the most common causes include:

• Distracted driving

• Driving under the influence

• Speeding

• Reckless driving

• Violation of Vehicle Code statutes

dog bites

If you, your child or loved one has been bitten by a dog and suffered serious injury you may be able to file a personal injury claim against the dog’s owner. At Ryneal & Ryneal our attorneys have over 45 years experience handling and litigating dog bite cases for clients in the Inland Empire and throughout Southern California. We can help you receive fair and just compensation that you are entitled to.

Under California’s dog bite statute, the owner of a dog is generally held strictly liable if their dog bites another person and causes injury. In other words, the liability of the owner is not based on the concept of negligence, such as failure to control their dog while in public, but instead California law imposes automatic liability on the owner from the mere fact that their dog big another person and caused injury. Although the rule of strict liability applied regardless of whether the dog had known vicious propensities prior to the incident, a possible defense to liability arises if the dog was provoked or taunted in some what.

construction accidents

Working in construction can be both rewarding and dangerous. Those who work in this field must be aware of the dangers posed by the many moving and unstable elements that come with working on a construction site. Even with experience and training under your belt and safety precautions in place accidents can and do occur. In the unfortunate event that you or a loved one is hurt while working in construction it is import to know where to turn and what to do in order to achieve the best possible recovery.

You can rely on the experienced attorneys at Ryneal & Ryneal to expertly navigate your construction injury case caused by accidents that may be caused by:

• Being hit by a vehicle. Construction workers are at risk of being hit by negligent motorists while working on a road or highway.

• Electrocution. During the construction process, exposed live wires can pose a danger. Unfinished electrical systems and downed power lines pose a risk as well.

• Explosions. Explosions or fires can be caused by exposed wires and gas leaks.

• Falling debris. Loose materials, improperly assembled scaffolding, unsecured tools and other things can fall and strike those working below.

• Machinery accidents. Defective or improperly controlled machinery can cause serious injury or death.

• Slip and falls. Slippery surfaces, exposed wires, debris and other hazards can lead to a worker slipping, tripping or falling. This is especially deadly when a worker falls from a great height.

• Trench or ground collapses.  Trenches and other construction related excavations can cause the ground and surrounding areas to become unstable and collapse.

premesis liability

Have you been injured due to a dangerous condition of property. Ryneal & Ryneal has been representing victims like you for over 45 years representing injured clients. Our lawyers will fight for the compensation you need to pay for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other expenses related to your accident.

When you visit someone else’s property – whether it be a private residence, land or a business – the owner or manager of that property is legally responsible for your safety in certain ways. Most importantly, it is a property owner’s duty to keep visitors safe from hazards that the property owner knows or should reasonably know about. This usually comes about in the form of the property owner either failing to repair, block off or warn about something defective – a hole in the floor, for instance.

A slip and fall is the most common premises liability accident. A slip-and-fall accident occurs when an individual slips, trips, and/or falls and injures themselves due to an obstruction or defect. For example, if a restaurant employee mops and then forgets to put up a sign warning that the floor is wet, a person who slips on the remaining water and suffers a head injury can sue the business. Other examples of slip-and-fall hazards include water leaks, snow, ice, loose flooring or carpeting, uneven surfaces, missing handrails, electrical cords or cables, and uncleaned clutter.

Other hazards that can lead to a premises liability case include:

• Amusement park ride malfunctions

• Fires

• Improperly maintained elevators

• Poor security (which can lead to assault)

• Toxic fumes or chemicals

• Uncovered swimming pools

• Water leaks or flooding

If an unsupervised child falls into an uncovered pool and drowns, for example, the victims or their families may be able to sue the property owner for premises liability. However, they must be able to prove that the property owner’s negligence directly contributed to the accident in some way.

defective products

If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, you may be able to file a claim against the product’s designer, manufacturer or marketer. The attorneys at Ryneal & Ryneal have decades of experience in product liability claims.

Injured persons are frequently hurt when using a product that was defectively designed or manufactured. These kinds of cases are called product liability cases, and the law in California holds the manufacturers, sellers and distributors of commercial products strictly liable to the consumer who is injured while using a defective product.

Types of defects that may cause injury in a product liability case include:

• Manufacturing defects. A defectively manufactured product is dangerous due to an error that occurred while it was being made. This usually means that most of the same product produced at the same time do function correctly, but the particular product that caused injury was defective in its manufacture in some way.

• Design defects. Defectively designed products are inherently dangerous due to a flaw in the design. This means that all of the products produced in a single line that were created using this design are defective, which may lead to a recall.

• Marketing defects. A defectively marketed product is usually the result of the failure to provide adequate warnings or instructions. Any product that can be dangerous in a away that is not obvious must come with instructions that provides this information to alert the consumer of any foreseeably known dangers.

governmental liability accidents

Sometimes people are injured due to the negligence of a "public" employee, someone who works for an agency or department of the local city, county, or state government. A negligent bus driver working for the local city-operated bus system who crashes into a cyclist would be one example.

In a similar vein, people can be hurt due to an unsafe condition on publicly owned property, such as a defective city sidewalk that leads to a fall or a dangerous county road that contributes to a car accident.

If you are involved in an accident similar to the situations described above in which you are injured due to the negligence of a public employee or by some unsafe condition of public property, then you may have a "government tort liability" claim for monetary damages.

At Ryneal & Ryneal, our Riverside government liability attorneys has been helping injured clients recover throughout the Inland Empire for over 45 years. If you or a loved one has been hurt due to the negligence of a government worker or unsafe conditions of a public property, we can help you receive compensation for your injuries and other damages and help you get back on your feet.

How & When to File a Government Liability Claim

A government tort liability claim is not against some private individual or company, but rather it is against the particular governmental entity that employed the negligent employee or owned and maintained the public property that was found to be in a dangerous and unsafe condition causing your accident.

If this is the case, then you should know that the law provides for special rules that are only applicable to claims or lawsuits against governmental or "public entities." For example, the time limits to assert your claim or file suit are much more restrictive when suing a public entity versus a private individual or company. Typically you only have six months from the date of the accident to file your written claim for damages with the appropriate governmental entity, and thereafter your time to even file suit on your rejected claim (virtually all claims are rejected by the public entity involved) is also equally restrictive.

Similarly, there are numerous statutory defenses to your claim available to the governmental entity that are not available to a private person or company if they are a defendant in a claim or suit that you may file.

That is why it's extremely important following such an accident that you consult with an attorney who specializes in governmental (public entity) tort liability as soon as possible. This will allow you to preserve your rights and file your claim against the "appropriate" public entity responsible for your accident in a timely manner.

Think you have a government liability claim? Contact us now to learn more during a free case evaluation with an attorney.