Were you or a member of your family injured as a direct result of the negligence of a city employee, city office, or city agency? If so, you could be eligible to file a lawsuit against the city. If you are considering your legal options, it is normal for you to have questions regarding how to file an accident claim with the city of Bakersfield.
Our injury attorneys are ready here at Normandie Law Firm are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to file your claim against the city of Bakersfield.
Possible Incidents that Could Lead to Lawsuits against the City of Bakersfield
There are a number of incidents that could occur that could involve city employees, a city office, or a city agency that could leave affected parties eligible to file a lawsuit against the city. Some examples of these incidents include the following:
- Assault and battery by a city employee
- Auto accidents resulting from being hit by a city truck, city, work truck, city fire department vehicle, police car, etc.
- Pedestrian accidents resulting from being hit by a government vehicle, city vehicle, etc.
- Pedestrian and auto accidents resulting from unsafe road conditions caused by lack of maintenance
- Police shootings, police excessive use of force, etc.
- Sexual assault by a city employee
- Tree collapse incidents or tree branch falling incidents resulting from a lack of maintenance
- Trip and fall accidents resulting from broken, raised, or defective sidewalks
If you or a member of your family were injured in any of the incidents listed above and you suffered harm, then you might have grounds to file a lawsuit against the city of Bakersfield. That is, you could file a government claim against the specific city entity/agency.
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Understanding the Process of Filing a Government Claim against
The process of filing an injury claim against the city of Bakersfield, like any other city, can be difficult – mostly because it requires a very specific process. Claimants can’t just jump straight into filing a civil lawsuit against the city. First, claimants have to file a government claim.
The first step is filing a claim, an administrative claim, directly with the city agency involved in the accident. This means, if the incident involved a city school district, you would file this claim with the school district directly. Similarly, if the incident involved a city bus agency, you would file this claim with the bus company. You only have 6 months to file this administrative claim.
After filing the administrative claim, the city agency will have a total of 45 days to respond to your claim. If the city responds and approves the claim, then your claim will settle and that will be the end of your claim. If the city agency responds with a rejection, you will have 6 months to file your civil lawsuit in court. If the city agency fails to respond to your claim, then the claim is technically considered rejected, and you will have 2 years to file your lawsuit in civil court.
Because filing a government claim is a very specific process, it can be complex – mostly due to the different deadlines and requirements. To ensure that your claim is successful, we recommend that you have a lawyer to guide you every step of the way.
Contact Us Today
For more information about how to file an injury claim against the city of Bakersfield, contact our experts today. Our lawyers here at Normandie Law Firm are experienced in government claims and are ready to guide you every step of the way with the goal of getting you the highest recovery possible. Contact us at your earliest convenience to learn more about how to file and injury claim with the City of Bakersfield.
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