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

The average amount of time to settle a City of San Diego accident claim is 1 to 2 years. These lawsuits involve negligence by the city, either through one of their workers or a city agency / department, like the San Diego Police Department and the Department of Parks & Recreation. In the rare event that your case is tried before a judge and jury, a San Diego city government injury case will take 3 or more years.

If you have some familiarity with personal injury lawsuits, you may have expected a settlement timeline of 6 to 12 months, maybe less. Unfortunately, the process to sue the government is much more involved than most people realize, and that’s why it can take anywhere from 12 to 24 months before a settlement is reached. But there are cases that settle in less time, so ultimately, there’s no way to predict just how long it will take to get paid from an accident injury case against the city of San Diego.

Were you injured from a slip and fall or trip and fall on property that’s owned by the city of San Diego? Did reckless driving or some other negligent act by a city employee cause you bodily harm? Were you sexually abused or physically assaulted due to the city’s failure to provide adequate security?

The lawyers of Normandie can help you understand your rights, which include a claim for monetary damages if the city of San Diego failed to exercise reasonable care for the sake of preventing harm to others. Simply give us a call and talk to a California government claims attorney during a free case review.

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The Deadline for a City of San Diego Compensation Claim is 6 Months

That’s right – you only have 6 months, starting from the incident date, to file a Claim against the City of San Diego. The 6-month statute of limitations applies to any kind of accident or event, whether you had a sidewalk accident (trip and fall or slip and fall) or got into an accident with a city owned or operated vehicle.

The 6-month deadline is a legal requirement of the California Tort Claims Act, often referred to as the CTCA. Thus, if you are more than 6 months from the date of being injured by a city of San Diego worker or agency, you will no longer be allowed to seek compensation from a claim or lawsuit against the city.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to receive payment for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages you deserve as an accident victim. Contact Normandie Law Firm to initiate a claim for monetary damages against the city of San Diego

I Sent in my Claim – What Happens Now?

From the date of receiving your claim, the city’s Risk Management Department must provide you with a written response within 45 days. This may be an acceptance, meaning the city has agreed to pay for your monetary losses. Alternatively, you will get a rejection notice stating the reason for why your claim was denied.

In the event your claim is denied, you have 6 months to file a lawsuit through the civil courts. Another form of denying your claim is a rejection by default, which means that the city has failed to send you a response by the deadline of 45 days. If this happens, your time limit to file a personal injury lawsuit against the City of San Diego is 2 years from the date of injury / damage to property.

Please keep in mind that navigating the legal system is a complex matter unless you have expert knowledge of the laws and the county court system that you will need to petition for a lawsuit. Thus, it’s in your best interest to contact a City of San Diego accident lawsuit attorney, who can guide you through the legal process.

How Much is a City of San Diego Accident Claim Worth?

On the lower end, the value of an injury and/or property damage lawsuit against the city of San Diego can be worth $10,000 to $50,000. In cases of severe injuries and extensive loss of property due to excessive negligence by the city, lawsuit values can fall between $2,000,000 and $5,000,000. Please note that it’s not just physical injuries that factor into a settlement value. Some accidents or traumatic incidents (assault and battery, for example) result in significant mental health issues for the victim. As a result, their non-economic damages, like emotional distress, can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the amount of compensation for a City of San Diego lawsuit.

In conclusion, many factors play a role in how much you can receive as someone that was harmed due to negligence by a San Diego government agency or staff member. Our attorneys will go over each of these elements with you and ensure that you receive maximum payment for your injuries.

Free Second Opinion on Active Injury Claims 

Here at Normandie Law Firm, we believe in helping accident victims with every stage of their lawsuit, even if they have filed a lawsuit with another firm. With that in mind, we would like to offer you a free second opinion if you have a pending lawsuit against the city of San Diego. This is an opportunity to ensure that your lawyer is taking the right steps to bring you the highest possible settlement. You may also be dissatisfied with the service you are currently receiving and want to explore the possibility of finding a new lawyer. We are happy to provide you with advice, completely free of charge, so give us a call to schedule a free second opinion.

Contact Our Law Firm 

Public entities and their employees enjoy a certain degree of immunity when it comes to civil lawsuits. But you still have the right to sue for damages that resulted from acts of negligence or misconduct. However, representation from an experienced attorney is crucial to succeeding in a lawsuit against the city of San Diego.

To ensure that your finances are not affected any more than they are already, we protect you with the Zero Fee Guarantee from day one. Under this policy, all legal fees are covered by San Diego as long as we win your lawsuit. If you don’t receive compensation from a city accident injury claim, you owe us $0, even if your case goes to trial.

We are here for you 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, so contact us anytime to speak with a lawyer who can sue the City of San Diego for injuries from an accident.

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