San Diego Open Manhole Injury Lawyer

With 1.4 million residents living in the city of San Diego and another 1.8 million in the remainder of the county, San Diego can face many traffic issues. City streets can come to a standstill as traffic backs up for miles, especially in the summer months when millions of tourists are eager to see all San Diego has to offer, from unique dining and entertainment to countless amazing beaches and parks. As a resident or returning guest to San Diego, you are sure to know that traveling on foot can be much faster than trying to reach a nearby destination in a car.

However, it is equally vital to understand the potential safety concerns and hazards when joining the packs of people walking along the sidewalks and crossing streets while touring the city. As a part of a large group of pedestrians, you could easily be sacrificing personal space and the ability to even see the ground as you walk along sidewalks and through crosswalks. In most cases, you simply follow the person in front of you and suffer no ill result. However, when a worker in the area fails to work carefully and thoughtfully, your day could take a sudden turn for the worse. Few incidents are as alarming and potentially hazardous as a San Diego open manhole.

If you or a loved one recently suffered harm because of an open manhole in San Diego, please know that the dedicated and skilled legal team at Normandie Law Firm is here to help. Our expert office staff can be reached 24/7 to assist you with answers to your general legal questions and gain a better understanding of your rights as the victim of a personal injury such as a fall into an open manhole. In addition, the staff is eager to assist you in booking your free consultation with a Normandie Law Firm San Diego open manhole injury lawyer to further evaluate the case.

Once you have shared all the facts and details of the incident, your Normandie Law Firm open manhole injury lawyer will provide a complete evaluation of the legal merit of the case and your ability to seek compensation for your expenses via a personal injury lawsuit. With this valuable information, you will be well-prepared to begin making well-informed choices about your future and how to handle the challenges and expenses created by harm you suffered due to someone else’s negligence. But please know that you will never be obligated to pursue legal action or hire Normandie Law Firm, even if you decide to file a lawsuit. Our only goal is to ensure that all personal injury victims like yourself have the resources and legal information needed to make wise choices that will best meet their immediate and long-term needs. But please contact our support staff as quickly as possible as there is a time limit to file a claim with the court that could be shorter than you might expect.

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How Is A San Diego Manhole Left Open?
You look at a three-foot-wide hole in the street or sidewalk and wonder how anyone could forget to replace the large, heavy cover that keeps pedestrians safe from falling into a manhole. But the reality is that replacing that cover is just one more routine step in many people’s workday. In addition, they are likely in a rush to complete their work in the underground vault or tunnel as they were forced to close or barricade a section of the sidewalk or street to access the manhole.

Unfortunately, replacing the cover on an open manhole can be overlooked as just one more task involved in removing the safety barriers and reopening access to the area for vehicles, bikes, and foot traffic. But that is often the cause of the injuries suffered by a victim of an open manhole incident. Rarely is there any malicious action, such as a prank by children or teens who have removed the heavy metal cover of a manhole. Instead, it is an oversight that has a very costly impact on one or more victims of a fall into an open San Diego manhole.

Are Open Manhole Injury Victims Seriously Hurt?
Unlike a simple slip and fall or trip and fall where the victim falls only a few feet to the ground in most instances, falling into an open manhole can be terrifying and result in significant injuries. The opening often provides access to a vault or tunnel that houses water lines and large metal valves, electrical boxes, cables, and other components used by local utilities or telecom equipment. Falling on these items can often increase the number of injuries sustained by the victim or victims. Some of the more serious harm they sustain can include:

• Shattered or broken bones
• Compound fractures
• Partial or complete amputations
• Severe lacerations or puncture wounds that can also include damage to internal organs and internal bleeding
• Joint dislocations and destruction of the soft connective tissue of joints
• Soft tissue injuries and severing of nerves
• Back, neck, and spinal cord damage
• Crushing and compression injuries
• Harm to the delicate skin of the face and the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth
• Head injuries that can include a severe concussion, skull fracture, brain bleed, or other traumatic brain injuries

Who Should Be Held Accountable For San Diego Open Manhole Injuries?
Most open manhole injury victims are overwhelmed by many aspects of their injuries, from the severity of the harm to the number of people or entities that could be responsible for the incident. Fortunately, the skilled Normandie Law Firm legal team is here to provide their expertise in sorting out this complex legal matter while allowing you to relax and focus solely on your healing and recovery.

Our staff will explore all the common and less typical candidates who could be liable or share in the responsibility for the negligence that caused your open manhole injuries. The list of possible parties and entities includes:

• The city of San Diego, if a city worker was in the vault or tunnel and forgot to properly replace the manhole cover after completing their work
• A local utility or telecom company, if the negligence was on the part of one of their employees working in the area
• A local business if they have a facility nearby or the open manhole was on their property and the cause of the incident was an employee of theirs failing to cover the open pit
• The blame or partial blame could also fall on a contractor who was hired to service or inspect the tunnel, vault, or equipment that was located in them but failed to carefully replace the cover after the work was completed

What Will My San Diego Open Manhole Injury Lawsuit Be Worth?
Personal injury victims need to understand that no predetermined compensation amounts are awarded for certain injuries or incidents. Instead, the compensation amount awarded is based on the actual losses and expenses incurred by the victim because of the harm they sustained. Working closely with your Normandie Law Firm San Diego open manhole injury lawyer, you will gather all the documentation to support your allowable expenses used in the valuation process. The items typically used in the process include but are not always limited to:

• The replacement cost of any personal property that was damaged or destroyed in the open manhole injury incident
• All current and estimated future medical costs associated with the treatment and rehabilitation of your open manhole injuries
• The cost of all legal services to prepare, file, and litigate your San Diego open manhole injury lawsuit
• Your lost income if the injuries sustained in the open manhole incident in San Diego prevented you from working at your regular job until you made a complete recovery

In cases that involve severe injuries and a lengthy recovery time, victims are permitted to seek added compensation for the pain and suffering they endure. As this is not a documented amount, it is common to seek guidance in selecting a fair and reasonable amount from your Normandie Law Firm open manhole injury lawyer. They will review recently resolved cases with similar injuries to ensure you are getting the most robust compensation possible for the harm caused by someone else’s negligence and poor choices.

What Is The Time Limit To File My Claim?
Most personal injury cases allow the victim two years from the date of the injury incident to file their claim with the court. This time limit is strictly enforced, and once it expires, the victim no longer has the right to seek compensation via a lawsuit. However, in cases where the responsible party is a government entity or agency, such as the City of San Diego, the county, state, or federal government, the time to file a claim is decreased to only six months from the date of the incident. It is also critical to understand that very few exceptions would provide the victim added time to make a claim once the original time limit has passed. Please reach out to Normandie Law Firm today to determine the time remaining for you to take legal action.

No Upfront Legal Fees
At Normandie Law Firm, we never charge any upfront legal fees that might add to the stress and challenges of our clients. Instead, the firm only gets paid after the matter is resolved, and our client receives compensation that includes funds to cover their legal costs and other expenses. In addition, if our staff fails to deliver the win and compensation our client needs to cover their expenses, they owe Normandie Law Firm nothing for the time and investment made to prepare the case. Don’t hesitate to contact our office team today to learn more about the process that can provide the solutions you need to overcome the expenses and losses caused when you suffer a San Diego open manhole injury.

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