Located next to the China Lake, the naval air weapons station, the city of Ridgecrest is surrounded by 4 mountain ranges – the Sierra Nevada, the Cosos, the Argus Range, and the El Paso Mountains. The city began as a community called Crumville in Kern County, and was named after dairy farmers Roberts and James Crum.
While Ridgecrest has a relatively small population compared to cities like Los Angeles, it has plenty to offer residents and tourists. Hiking in the Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons, visiting the Maturango Museum, playing golf, hunting, and camping are just a few of the activities you can enjoy in Ridgecrest.
Keeping order and safeguarding residents are two of the most important functions for the city government. The City of Ridgecrest is comprised of various agencies, like the Police Department, Animal Control, and Public Works. Each of these departments has a duty of care to the public, but government workers may engage in dangerous or careless conduct. The result is an accident that causes harm to innocent people, which is grounds for a compensation claim against the city.
The lawyers of Normandie have decades of litigation experience with government entity claims. Here are just some of the accident claims we can help you with:
- Car accident with a city vehicle
- Trip and fall on city sidewalk
- Injuries from a slip and fall
- Hurt by falling objects or collapsing structures
- Assault and battery / sexual assault
- Public transportation accidents (Ridgecrest Transit shuttle bus service)
For immediate assistance from a city of Ridgecrest accident injury lawyer, contact our office 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How to File an Accident Injury Lawsuit against the City of Ridgecrest, CA
The process of suing a city begins with a compensation claim, which must be filed on the forms that are provided by each city government. You can go to the city’s website or click here to download the “Claim against the City of Ridgefield” application. The form is only one page, but please note that you are expected to attach more pages for detailed questions, like “Describe accident or occurrence in detail” and “Basis of computation,” meaning how you calculated the amount you are seeking. You must also have proof of the damages you have incurred, i.e., medical bills, witness statesman’s (if applicable), and statement of lost wages from your employer.
At the end of the day, filling out a clam and meeting the standards to prove liability by the city of Ridgecrest can be very challenging for the average accident victim. This is why city governments recommend talking to a lawyer who can provide you with advice and guidance.
Once your claim is processed by the City Clerk, you will need to wait 45 days for the city to decide if they will accept responsibility for what happened to you. In the event the city denies your claim, you are not out of options when it comes to your right to compensation. Within 6 months of your claim being rejected, you can file a lawsuit with help from a personal injury attorney. For more information on how to file a lawsuit against the city of Ridgecrest, contact us at your earliest convenience.
I Didn’t Get Anything from the City – Now What?
While it’s unlikely, it’s possible that you won’t get a notice in writing from the city after 45 days of filing the claim. First, we suggest that you check on the status of your claim with the City Clerk to make sure that nothing was mailed out to you. This may be a case of the mail being slow or getting lost, and in that case, the City Clerk may opt to mail you another letter or send it you via email. If it is indeed the case that the city failed to notify you of their decision on time, you can move on to filing a lawsuit through the county courts. Since the city government did not provide you with a rejection notice, you can default to the standard amount of time to file a lawsuit, which is 2 years starting from the accident date.
You Must File a City of Ridgecrest Claim in 6 Months
Waiting to file an incident claim against the city of Ridgecrest is a bad idea, as the deadline to seek compensation for an accident is 6 months. The clock starts ticking from the moment you are injured, and before you know it, you are past the 6-month deadline. Because this is a time limit established under the California Tort Claims Act, you cannot apply for an extension, meaning you will permanently lose the right to sue the City of Ridgecrest. Please contact us as soon as possible to initiate a city government injury claim with one of our attorneys.
Filing a City of Ridgecrest Public School Claim
A school district is a public entity, but they are actually separate from the local government, which is why they are referred to as a special purpose government entity. Each school district makes their own rules for how they govern themselves, and this includes how to file a claim for an accident in a public school.
Students in Hanford, CA are served by the Sierra Sands Unified School District, which includes the following schools:
- Burroughs High School
- Faller Elementary School
- Gateway Elementary School
- Inyokern Elementary School
- James Monroe Middle School
- Las Flores Elementary School
- Mesquite Cont. High School
- Murray Middle School
- Pierce Elementary School
- Richmond Elementary School
- Sierra Sands Unified School District Adult School
If you or your loved one suffered injuries at any of these institutions, please reach out to us as soon as possible. Like claims against the city of Ridgecrest, you will need to file the necessary paperwork within 6 months. A public school district lawsuit attorney will take care of the claims process and ensure that you are paid for your medical treatments, pain and suffering, and other qualifying damages.
Average Amount of Compensation for a Claim against the City of Ridgecrest
Those who are injured due to negligence by a city government may receive anywhere from a few thousand dollars to over $3,000,000 in damages. The value of a City of Ridgecrest accident claim depends on various elements that have to do with your injuries, their impact on your life, and the city’s role in causing you to be injured (liability). Once we examine all the necessary factors that are involved in your case, we can provide you with an accurate value that’s based on the harm you’ve suffered. All you have to do is contact our law firm and schedule a free consultation.
How Long Do City of Ridgecrest Accident Claims Take to Settle?
If you have relatively minor injuries, there’s a good chance of getting paid from a claim with the City of Ridgecrest within a few months. But if you have moderate to serious injuries, it will probably take up to 1 year, and possibly 2 or more years before a favorable settlement is reached. Claims for extensive bodily harm and/or property damage typically proceed to a lawsuit, and this is a major factor in why these cases take so long. If your lawsuit is taken to court, it can take more than 3 years to be compensated by the city, but over 95% of all injury claims are settled privately between the plaintiff and defendant’s attorneys.
Would You Like to Receive Free Legal Services?
If so, please take a moment to contact our office and take advantage of the Zero Fee Guarantee. This is a policy where you can hire a personal injury lawyer for $0. Instead of billing our clients, we add the cost of representing you to the settlement you are owed by the City of Ridgecrest. So, our payment is conditional on winning your case, meaning you won’t be responsible for any legal fees in the event we fail to recover your settlement.
Our lawyers are available 24/7 if you would like to discuss your rights and legal options. Contact us today and schedule a free case evaluation.
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