Located off of Interstate 5, Patterson is a city in Stanislaus County of approximately 20,000 people. It is known as the “Apricot capital of the world” and is famous for its annual Apricot Fiesta. This is a 3-day celebration consisting of beauty pageants, art shows, fireworks, and hot air balloon rides.
The city also provides residents with vital services, like road repairs, law enforcement, and managing the town’s budget. What happens, though, when city officials exercise bad judgment or fail to provide adequate supervision and accountability for their staff members? What if there are dangerous conditions on city-owned properties that are not resolved in a timely manner? This can lead to various incidents of injury and property damage from accidents, such as:
- Car accident caused by fire or police department vehicles
- Trip and fall on sidewalks or roads maintained by the city
- Injured from a slip and fall in a government building
- Hit by falling debris
- Police brutality and other acts of assault and battery
- Sexual assault
- Property damage and/or injuries caused by city contractors
- Accidents caused by a Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority bus (The S)
By contacting our law firm, you will receive a free case evaluation from one of our attorneys on how to file an accident lawsuit against the city of Patterson, California. This is the best way to understand your rights as an injury victim and decide if filing a compensation claim is the right course of action.
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How to File an Injury Claim against the City of Patterson
In this section, we will go over the steps you must take to file an accident lawsuit against the city of Patterson, California. Just as you would with any government entity, the lawsuit process begins with a claim. The claim forms for Patterson, CA can be found here or at the City Clerk’s Office at 1 Plaza, Patterson, CA 95363.
Make sure to provide detailed information on questions that have to do with your accident and why the city is legally responsible. In addition, you must itemize all the expenses you are seeking and how you derived these amounts. You will need to attach additional pages to the claim form, as well as evidence, like receipts, medical records, witness statements, and diagrams / photos of the accident scene.
Because the form is only a couple of pages, most accident victims assume that the questions are easy to answer. In actuality, it can be very difficult to prove the city’s liability and make a convincing case that is based on sound legal principles. That’s why finding a lawyer to help you with a City of Patterson claim is highly recommended.
Statute of Limitations to Sue the City of Patterson
Please don’t wait to file a claim for damages against the city of Patterson, as you only have 6 months from the date of your accident to complete this process. If you miss the deadline, you will permanently lose the right to any compensation, even if you have solid evidence of the city’s liability.
Once you complete the paperwork and file it at the City Clerk’s Office, it will be reviewed by the city’s Risk Management Authority. Within 45 days, you should receive a response from this office with a decision on whether your claim is approved or denied. Having the city reject your request for payment is frustrating, but you have the option of filing a lawsuit with the city at this point. But you only have 6 months to petition the court system for a lawsuit, so don’t delay in contacting us and allowing us to help you.
The city is generally successful in meeting the deadline of 45 days to get back to you. In the event they fail to rule on your case by 45 days, you can go ahead with a lawsuit, just as if the city had rejected your claim in writing. In this instance, however, you have up to 2 years from the date of being injured to sue the city of Patterson.
Suing the Patterson Joint Unified School District for an Accident
Though a school district is a public entity, it’s separate from the local city / county government. As a special purpose government entity, school districts have their own forms and procedures for the filing of an injury claim. Our law firm can help you file a claim for compensation if you or your family member was injured at any of the following Patterson Joint Unified School District institutions:
- Apricot Valley Elementary School
- Northmead Elementary School
- Walnut Grove Elementary School
- Grayson Elementary School
- Las Palmas Elementary School
- Creekside Middle School
- Open Valley School
- West Valley Learning Center
- Del Puerto High School
- Patterson High School
- Patterson Adult School
- Rising Sun Adult Transition School
Average Value of a City of Patterson Liability Claim
A claim for injuries against the city of Patterson can have values ranging from $10,000 to more than $3,000,000. How much you will receive is based on many factors, particularly the injuries you sustained and how they negatively impact your life. For serious injuries that may have permanent complications, you may be eligible for lifetime medical care and lost wages, along with compensation for pain and suffering. We want to make sure that you receive every penny you deserve for the harm you suffered. Contact Normandie Law Firm to discuss the potential amount you can receive from a City of Patterson accident claim.
When can I Expect to Receive Payment from the City?
If you are likely to experience full recovery from relatively minor injuries, you may be able to settle your claim with the city within a few months, maybe even a few weeks, though this will depend on how soon the city can review your case. However, those who have sustained serious injuries probably have 6 to 18 months ahead of them in order to get paid from the city of Patterson. The majority of cases, especially car accidents and assault and battery, involve long-term injuries with various health complications, including some level of permanent disability. That’s why it can take between 1 and 2 years for claims in Patterson to reach the point where a settlement is achieved.
Zero Fee Guarantee
What is the Zero Fee Guarantee? It’s our way of providing you with free legal services from the moment you reach out to us. We believe that the cost of hiring a lawyer should be billed to the party that’s responsible for the accident. That’s why we ask the City of Patterson to add our expenses to the amount you receive from a lawsuit. As a result, our payment is based on our ability to win your case, and if we don’t win, you owe us absolutely nothing.
Contact our office as soon as possible and learn about your rights and legal options if you were harmed due to careless or reckless conduct by the city of Patterson.
Other Pages on Our Website Related to This Topic
How to File an Injury Claim against the City of Ridgecrest CA
How to File an Accident Claim against the City of Hanford, CA
How to File a Claim against the City of Aliso Viejo
