How Long Does it Take the City of San Bernardino to Settle an Accident Injury Lawsuit?

On average, it takes 1 to 2 years to settle an injury or property damage claim against the city of San Bernardino. If you are unable to reach an agreement on the amount of compensation and your case goes to trial, resolving your lawsuit against the city will take over 3 years.

These timelines are typical when it comes to suing a government agency, city employee, or a public school district. When a city government is negligent in its duty of care to the public, people can be injured from all sorts of accidents, like trip and fall and slip and fall incidents. Fall injuries from a sidewalk accident are especially common due to lack of maintenance by the Operations and Maintenance Division. An accident with city owned / operated vehicles can happen because of careless or reckless conduct by a city worker. Lack of security on properties managed by the city may be the reason that someone is beaten up or sexually assaulted.

Ultimately, how long it takes to settle a city of San Bernardino accident case depends on many factors, which we cannot predict ahead of time. Sometimes, we are able to negotiate a favorable settlement on behalf of a client within 4 to 6 months. But if we look at lawsuits against the government, we would have to say that reaching a settlement with a public entity usually takes 12 months or longer.

For more information on settling a personal injury claim against the city of San Bernardino, please keep reading. As we can only provide general information, contact our office if you have questions or concerns about your rights as an injury victim.

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You have 6 Months to File a City of San Bernardino Compensation Claim

Before you can sue the city of San Bernardino, you must file a claim with the city to demand compensation for an incident that caused you bodily harm or property loss / damage. This is a requirement of the CTCA (California Tort Claims Act), a legislation that outlines the procedures for how to recover monetary damages from a county, state, or city government in California.

As with any personal injury lawsuit, you must show that the city of San Bernardino is liable for the harm you suffered, meaning that a city agency or one of their employees failed to exercise reasonable care. For example, you may have been injured by a falling tree because of neglect by the Department of Parks & Recreation Department. Alternatively, you had a car accident when you were cut off in traffic by a vehicle owned by the city of San Bernardino.

If the city bears any responsibility for what happened to you, the deadline to file a liability claim form is 6 months after the incident date. The 6 month rule cannot be waived, so will end up losing your right to monetary compensation if you miss the statute of limitations to file a city of San Bernardino accident claim.

What Do I Do Once I Submit my Claim?

Once you follow the instructions to submit your paperwork, the applicable agency has 45 days to provide you with a written response. The city may choose to pay you the requested amount, or they will send you a rejection notice. If your claim is denied, you have 6 months from the date on the rejection notice to file a lawsuit against the city of San Bernardino. Or, you will find that 45 days have gone since the city received your claim, but you have not received anything from them in the mail. At that point, the statute of limitations to sue the city is 2 years from when the accident occurred.

Suing an entity of the government is complicated endeavor, so it’s highly recommended that you seek help from a lawyer who is familiar with compensation claims against the city of San Bernardino.

Average Settlement for a City of San Bernardino Injury Claim

A lawsuit for injuries or property damage caused by the City of San Bernardino can be worth anywhere between $10,000 and $2,000,000, and even more depending on the degree of injury and negligence by the city. The majority of settlements recovered by our attorneys fall within the range of $75,000 to $1,000,000, but there are many factors that affect the amount you will end up with if you sue the city of San Bernardino. While bodily harm is the primary factor, emotional trauma from incidents like sexual assault has a significant value on the overall value of a settlement award. This is why it’s essential to discuss your case in detail with a California city government lawsuit attorney.

Free Second Opinion 

Our legal team isn’t just there for people who are at the beginning of the legal process. Do you have a pending claim or lawsuit against the city of San Bernardino? Would you like a free second opinion on your case from a lawyer with experience in personal injury lawsuits against the government? If so, don’t hesitate to give us a call, as we are more than happy to discuss any concerns you have about your case. This a private, confidential case review with no pressure to switch lawyers, so you have nothing to lose by taking some time to meet with us.

Zero Fee Guarantee

The legal system can be difficult to navigate, especially when the party that harmed you is a public entity. Thus, it’s in your best interest to work with a law firm that’s experienced in lawsuits against the government. Of course, we understand that you may be concerned about the cost of hiring a lawyer to handle your case.

That’s why we offer a Zero Fee Guarantee, where you pay $0 out of pocket if you want us to represent you in a lawsuit against the city of San Bernardino. It’s the city that pays us to represent you, and we only receive payment by winning your case, so you won’t be charged for any legal fees if we don’t recover your settlement.

To schedule a free case evaluation with a city of San Bernardino accident injury attorney, contact us today.

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