California personal injury law is one of the most extensive areas in civil law; personal injury law is designed to protect those affected by the negligence, recklessness, or inaction of others. Also referred to as "tort law," it encompasses a wide range of legal claims, including car accidents, bicycle accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, commercial and semi truck accidents, construction accidents, wrongful death, and product liability.
I was involved in a motorcycle accident. My bike was totaled, and my body was beat-up. I endured three painful operations. I was able to concentrate on healing, and not have to worry about the formalities of the accident. Dean took care of every detail quickly, and professionally. -->More
Jeff
I can't say enough about my attorney Mr. Goetz and his singular abilities as a legal strategist in my bicycle crash case. -->More
Jane Underwood 
For more than 30 years, the water supply at Camp Lejeune — a Marine Corp base in Jacksonville, North Carolina — contained harmful levels of water contaminants. The CDC has stated that up to one million military and civilian staff and their families may have been exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
Exposure to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune has been linked to cancer and other serious diseases, disorders, and health conditions. For years, military members and civilians that were harmed due to their exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune were unable to recover full compensation for their losses.
Those who were harmed by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune may finally be able to obtain the compensation they deserve. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, which is expected to be signed into law, allows individuals exposed to contaminated water to bring a private lawsuit for their injuries.
It may be difficult to place a dollar amount based on injuries you or a loved one suffer in an accident as there are many factors to consider.
Those who are injured by someone else and file personal injury claims may be eligible to receive financial compensation based on their physical and/or emotional harm.
Medical bills, lost wages, insurance coverage, if you've got questions call me as soon as possible to get answers. It is extremely important that I get involved as soon as possible in order to take steps to identify and preserve important evidence. See my FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) for quick help.
$1,900,000 Structured Settlement
Dean's client was a paraplegic due to a motorcycle accident that had occurred several years before. Unique circumstances required Dean to secure that money by using a structured settlement so that his client could keep his Social Security Disability, money that Social Security was paying his mother to care for him, his Medicare, and Medi-Cal that paid for his medical bills going forward. Dean discusses more details of this case and the importance of securing a structured settlement for his client.
San Diego personal injury attorney Dean Goetz has represented and obtained sizeable settlements for numerous bicycle riders whose cases were rejected by other attorneys because they did not want to sue a City or a large road building contractor for negligence and damages.
My law office in the Ocean Building is right on California Highway 101 which is the most biked road in America and everyday all year long I see many bicyclists going by. All types of cyclists enjoy our year round bicycling weather from teams to recreational riders and families pulling trailers, even bicycle commuters.
Bicyclists often face prejudice just because they are on two wheels, similar to the type of bias that motorcyclists experience. This is why it is important, especially if you are injured, that you find an experienced bicycle attorney who will fight for your legal rights and who is experienced in handling bicycle accident cases.
San Diego personal injury attorney Dean A. Goetz and the Gomez Law Firm were the attorneys for Mr. Loren Kranksy, the Plaintiff in the first Depuy ASR XL trial in the US which took place in Los Angeles, California.
March 8, 2013 at 9:38 a.m. PST A jury found Depuy liable to Mr. Loren Bill Kransky today in a Los Angeles Superior Court. The jury awarded Mr. Kransky $8,000,000 in general damages and $328,330 in compensatory damages. Attorney Dean Goetz of the Law Offices of Dean Goetz and John Gomez of the Gomez firm represented Bill Kransky, who was a Montana resident. We are proud to be the Kransky lawyers.
This is the FIRST verdict in the United States against Depuy and it is for $8,328,000.
If you have a hip device and you want the lawyers who represented Mr. Kransky on your side, call Dean Goetz 858-481-8844.
Individuals who received the Stryker Rejuvenate Modular Hip System or the Stryker ABG II Modular-Neck Hip Stem may not be having symptoms right now, but they will likely have symptoms in the future. If you wait until you have symptoms to seek legal representation, it may be too late. The law requires all lawsuits to be filed within a certain period of time, and, if they are not, the case is forever barred. Therefore, if you suspect you have a Stryker implant, contact Dean Goetz right away for a free consultation.
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1. How do I get my medical bills paid?
2. How do I get my lost wages paid?
5. What is Medical Payments Coverage?
6. How do I know the other driver's insurance policy limits?
9. How can I get medical treatment if I don't have medical insurance?
10. What can I do if the other driver was uninsured?
11. The doctors are coming after me for unpaid bills, can you help?
12. Will I get to talk to an experienced California personal injury attorney if I call?
13. What if I can't get to your office for a consultation?
14. Why should I hire Dean Goetz?
16. What type of accident cases do you handle?
17. How soon after my accident should I call an attorney?
18. How long will it take to settle my California personal injury case?
19. Will pursuing my California personal injury case take up a lot of my time?
20. Will I have to go to trial?
21. Do I need a California personal injury attorney?
22. The doctors are coming after me for unpaid bills, can you help?
The California bodily injury liability (BI) is part of your mandatory auto insurance policy; this coverage pays for wage loss, medical bills, etc. from the at fault driver's Bodily Injury Liability auto insurance.
However, if you are at fault in the auto accident, your bodily injury liability coverage will not cover your own injuries. You will either need to open a personal injury protection (PIP) claim, if you chose this optional medical coverage, or you will need to use your own health insurance.
In California, the at fault driver's mandatory Bodily Injury Liability coverage of at least $15,000 will pay for your medical bills for the first $15,000. Any amount over this will be covered by your health care insurance, if you have that. If you purchased under-insured or uninsured motorist coverage, you will have additional coverage for your medical bills to rely on in the event that your medical bills exceed the other driver's Bodily Injury Liability (BI) coverage. If you purchased medical payments coverage with your own auto insurance policy, that will also be part of how you get your medical bills paid.
The California bodily injury liability (BI) is part of your mandatory auto insurance policy by law and this coverage pays for wage loss from the at fault driver's insurance coverage.
If you were at fault, then your own medical payments coverage with your own auto insurance policy will also be available to help you regardless of fault.
In the event you were involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist, if you purchased this type of coverage you may have additional help.
It is important to understand that California minimum auto insurance coverage is for liability insurance which compensates a person other than the policy holder for personal injury or property damage.
An auto insurance policy with the required minimum liability coverages will pay out in the event of an accident as follows:
California is an, "At Fault State," so your auto insurance company and the company for the other driver will pay damages for medical claims, wage loss and other expenses based on the degree of fault. In California, "fault," is based on what is sometimes called, "comparative negligence, or comparative fault." What this means is that an injured person can recover damages even if the injured person was held to be 99% at fault for the auto accident, but that recovery of damages will be reduced by the amount of fault, in this case 99% reduced.
This means that you can still recover money for damages and injury even if you are held to be partially at fault for the accident.
Medical Payments Coverage - Covers the medical costs (up to the specified limit) resulting from an auto accident for you, your family, or others in your car. This coverage pays regardless of fault. This is also referred to as Personal Injury Protection (PIP).
California does not require Medical Payments Coverage, under the minimum auto insurance requirement law. You may have not chosen to get the medical payments coverage when you purchased your auto insurance policy.
Unlike the bodily injury liability insurance, the medical bills coverage is no fault insurance, and it will pay for your medical bills even if you were at fault in the accident. With Personal Injury Protection medical bills coverage, you'll have a policy that helps pay for the treatment of you and your family even when you are on a bicycle, motorcycle, or pedestrian.
This medical payments - personal injury coverage extends to cover expenses beyond just medical bills, it also covers your loss of wages or services, and in some cases, funeral costs. Personal Injury Protection insurance also can extend to take care of your passengers' bills.
This coverage also covers you and your immediate family when you are on foot as a pedestrian or on a bicycle. This means that say you and your spouse were riding bicycles and hit by a hit and run driver, this no fault medical payments coverage will take care of both of your medicals bills and lost wages.
Auto insurance companies will rarely give out this information. You need to hire a personal injury attorney who will file a lawsuit. Once that lawsuit is filed the insurance company is required to provide your lawyer with a copy of the insured driver's policy limits.
Often, uninsured and under insured (UM / UIM) coverages are offered as a package in auto accident insurance additional coverage.
Uninsured or under insured motorist (UM / UIM) auto accident insurance coverage protects the policy holder involved in an accident with a driver who either does not have liability insurance or who does not have sufficient bodily injury liability limits to pay for the medical bills of the driver not at fault in the accident.
If you were seriously injured by an at fault driver doesn't have enough, "Bodily Injury Liability," coverage, you could get help from your own insurance policy if you purchased what is called, "under insured motorist," coverage. This is an additional auto insurance coverage beyond the minimum California state law.
For example, if you are involved in an auto accident and the at fault driver only had the minimum California Bodily Injury Liability coverage of $15,000 and your medical bills exceed $100,000, your own insurance, the underinsured motorist coverage part, will pay the remaining $85,000, depending on your policy limits that you purchased. There are additional complexities as to how these bills will get paid and by whom, but you should be provided for by the additional coverages that you added if you got this additional insurance.
Adding as much uninsured and under insured motorist coverage as you can afford to your auto insurance policy will help protect you and your family not only in the car, but also on bicycle or as a pedestrian or riding a motorcycle.
Very often bicycle, pedestrian, or motorcycle riders find themselves the victims of a hit and run driver. Statistically, uninsured drivers are the most dangerous on the roads; they tend to be involved in more accidents, as well as more serious injury accidents, and driving older more dangerous vehicles.
If you purchased this uninsured motorist coverage and your medical bills exceed the limits of your UM / UIM coverage limit, you can still be covered by your own auto insurance medical bills coverage (personal injury protection - PIP). Together, these additional coverages, beyond the minimum insurance coverage required by California law, can greatly help you and give you peace of mind.
The value of your accident injury claim depends on the amount of your incurred and future medical expenses, your loss of income, and the severity of your injuries. Contact me for a free consultation so I can assess your claim and tell you what to expect.
If you don't have medical insurance, we will immediately find you a doctor who will help you.
If you have uninsured/underinsurance motorist coverage, you can recover your damages from your insurance company. You will be able to recover for your medical bills, loss of income and pain and suffering even if the other driver had no insurance.
I will contact the health care providers and I can usually get them to wait until the case is settled to get paid. When there is not enough insurance coverage to pay all of the medical bills, I can usually get healthcare providers to substantially reduce their bills so my clients maximize their net recovery. I am very skilled at getting health care providers to reduce their bills, frequently by more than 50%.
Yes. If you want some answers right now call because everyone who calls for a free consultation gets to talk to me, Dean Goetz, right away or later the same day.
I will make arrangements to come to the hospital, your home or your office.
Because Dean Goetz is an excellent experienced lawyer who will personally fight for you every step of the way. He understands how traumatic it is to be injured in an accident that was caused by another person's negligence. He and his staff will treat you like family and do everything they can to make sure you are compensated for the damages you have suffered.
Yes. I can answer your questions and advise you on the best course of action. I can frequently give you an estimate of what the insurance company may offer to settle your claim. If your best choice is to settle without an attorney, I will tell you.
I handle motorcycle injury accidents, bicycle injury accidents, auto injury accidents, construction accidents, dog bites, boating injury accidents, slip and fall injury accidents and any other case where someone else causes a personal injury.
Call me immediately at 858-481-8844. Do not give the insurance company a statement until you have consulted with a lawyer. I return all calls and e-mails as soon as possible. If you have suffered a personal injury, you need to know right away what to do, how to do it and what you can expect. You need to know how much insurance coverage is available to cover your medical expenses and lost wages. You need answers so call 858-481-8844.
It depends on the nature of your personal injury claim. Some cases settle within a few weeks or months. Larger personal injury cases typically take longer to settle.
Probably not, since we will be the ones spending time on your case. We may only need to meet for the initial interview and then we can just talk over the phone or just meet when you want to. If the other side takes your deposition or we have to go to court, it will take more of your time.
The vast majority of personal injury cases are settled before trial. However, I treat each case as if it is going to go to trial so you have to be willing to go to trial to maximize your settlement.
If you want to maximize your recovery in a significant injury case, you do need an experienced personal injury attorney. If you are not represented by a lawyer you will have to deal with the insurance companies. Their goal is to pay you as little as possible. You are not experienced so you are at a severe disadvantage. You have no ideas what your claim is worth so you can't know what a fair settlement amount is. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you determine that amount and reach a fair settlement.
You will not pay a retainer or a fee up front. I handle California personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means YOU DO NOT OWE ME A LEGAL FEE UNLESS I OBTAIN A RECOVERY FOR YOU. I do not ask for any attorney fees up front. If there is no recovery, you will not pay a fee.
No, I will advance all of the costs including investigative costs, filing fees, court costs, deposition costs, and expert witness costs. I know that most people cannot afford these costs up front, so I forward these costs up front. I am willing to pay the costs and expenses required to make sure you maximize your recovery. Spending a few thousand dollars on a good expert witness can make the difference between obtaining no settlement and getting thousands of dollars for your claim. Before you hire a lawyer, make sure that the attorney is willing to advance the monies needed to adequately pursue your personal injury case. Otherwise, you may be forced into taking a minimal settlement.
Yes, if a third-party (someone other than your employer, a co-employee or yourself) negligently caused your injury. In other words if your injuries are caused by someone other than your employer, such as another driver, faulty equipment, general contractor, owner, or subcontractor, I will handle your case. If you only have a first-party workers compensation claim, I can refer you to a lawyer who specializes in these claims.
I use highly skilled accident reconstruction experts who can uncover the evidence required to prove third party negligence.
Case for a client who was seriously injured in a truck v car accident where the driver of the truck had only $100,000 insurance coverage. I was able to get this seven figure settlement because I identified an additional defendant.
In most of these cases liability was contested but after I had my investigators and accident reconstruction experts investigate and prepare reports, the cases were settled for most often the policy limits.
These bicycle riders had their cases rejected by other attorneys because they did not want to sue a City or a large road building contractor for negligence and damages. It is a lot of work, but I am proud that I have fought for cyclists rights and succeeded.