Santa Fe Springs is one of the Gateway Cities in southeast Los Angeles County. The town was named after the mineral springs that were in the area, and during the late 1800s, Santa Fe Springs was known as the home of Fulton’s Sulfur Wells, a health spa where people with various ailments came to in the hopes of curing their disease. Today, it is largely known as an industrial and manufacturing community, and most of the residents work at places like Bumble Bee Foods, Shaw Industries, and McMaster-Carr.
Just like any other city, Santa Fe Springs is managed by numerous city departments, like Fire and Rescue, Parks and Rec, and Transportation Services. These agencies have many duties to the general public, like taking care of the roads, maintaining city parks, and providing adequate security in city-owned buildings. When the city is lax in their duty of care, people may end up with injuries from one of the following incidents:
- Car accidents with city vehicles (buses, police cars, fire trucks, etc.)
- Injuries due to hazardous road conditions
- Trip and fall or slip and fall (sidewalk accidents, falling down in a government building)
- Falling object incidents
- Injured by a collapsing structure
As an injury victim, you may have grounds to file a claim against the city for monetary damages. We are ready to help with the advice and guidance you need, so contact us immediately to schedule a free case evaluation.
Our Recent Verdicts and Settlements
$2.5 Million
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$1.5 Million
$600,000
$525,000
$734,851
How to File a City of Santa Fe Springs Compensation Claim
As with any claim for damages against a city, you will need to start by obtaining the correct paperwork. For Santa Fe Springs, the forms can be downloaded from this page or by contacting the City Clerk at (562) 409-7514.
Once you’ve completed the “Claim Against the City of Santa Fe Springs for Damages to Persons or Property,” you can mail them to the address indicated on the first page of the form. That’s simple enough, but filling out the form with the correct answers is a whole different story. Based on how much space is available, it may seem like the questions are easy to answer. In truth, you will need to provide detailed answers that are supported by evidence (medical records, diagrams, photos, etc.). Furthermore, questions about how the city is responsible require a legal basis, which involves advanced knowledge of concepts like negligence and liability.
Frankly, it’s very difficult to hold the government accountable without help from an experienced personal injury attorney. Our law firm is ready to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so please reach out to us if you were injured due to careless or reckless conduct by a Santa Fe Springs city employee or agency.
6 Month Deadline to File Claim with the City of Santa Fe Springs
A personal injury lawsuit typically has a deadline of 2 years, but the deadline to file a government claim for injury or property damage is 6 months. And yes, we can agree that this is not much time when you are dealing with the aftermath of an unexpected accident. But this is a legal requirement according to the CTCA (California Tort Claims Act), so you must submit your claim no later 6 months from the incident that was caused by the city’s negligence. Considering how little time you have, we urge you to contact us right away and seek help from a lawyer with experience in lawsuits against city government in California.
Waiting to Hear Back from the City – How Long Does it Take?
You’ve completed the paperwork and mailed it to the address listed on the form. So, how long will it take before the city gets back to you about the status of your claim?
The CTCA sets a firm deadline of 45 days for government agencies to respond to a claim for monetary damages. Keep in mind that the 45 days begin on the date of receiving your claim, so we recommend that you contact the City Clerk and verify when they processed your forms. If the city sends you a letter saying that your claim has been approved, it’s simply a matter of waiting for the funds you are entitled to. If, on the other hand, the city says your claim cannot be paid, you have 6 months from the rejection date to file a civil lawsuit.
Most claimants do get a response within the allotted time, but if you don’t, you can still file a lawsuit up to 2 years from when the incident occurred. We know that figuring out the timeline for a lawsuit can be complicated, so please contact us and talk to a lawyer who can explain the process to you in more detail.
Average Value of Lawsuits against the City of Santa Fe Springs
While people often approach us to ask about average settlement values, how much you can receive from an injury claim can vary from a few thousand dollars to over $5,000,000. Lawsuits at our law firm are often settled for anywhere between $75,000 and $2,000,000, but this is still a very wide range that doesn’t give you a sense of the “average” payout for a claim against the city of Santa Fe Springs. At the end of the day, settlement values depend on a multitude of factors that are specific to your accident and the harm you suffered. That’s why we must learn more about you and the details of your case before we can determine the value of your lawsuit against the City of Santa Fe Springs. To schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys, contact our office.
How Long will My Case Take to Settle?
Proving that a city government is liable and negotiating a fair settlement award takes 12 to 24 months on average. This is generally the expected amount of time to settle injury and property damage claims against government entities, though we do sometimes succeed in reaching a settlement within 6 months. In rare instances, we have a case that goes to trial, and the process obtaining the victim’s payment can take over 3 years. But it’s important to note that trials are required in less than 5% of personal injury lawsuits, so you typically don’t have to worry about the prospect of going to court.
Contact Normandie Law Firm
Our legal team has decades of experience in representing accident victims who have been injured by the government’s negligence. We are ready to investigate your case and build a solid foundation for a lawsuit against the city of Santa Fe Springs.
As an accident victim, you have enough things to worry about, and charging you for the cost of legal fees is the last thing we want to do. Instead, our law firm has a Zero Fee Guarantee where all of our expenses are billed to the city government. Once we obtain your settlement, the city pays us for the cost of representing you. If we don’t win your case, you owe us $0, so you will never pay out of pocket, no matter what happens.
The government claims lawsuit attorneys of Normandie look forward to speaking with you and fighting for the payment you deserve.
Other Pages on Our Website Related to This Topic
How to File a Claim against the City of Cerritos
How to File a Claim against the City of Artesia
How to File an Accident Injury Claim against the City of Beaumont, CA
