Union Station LA Accident Injury Lawsuit Attorney

Los Angeles Union Station is the largest railroad terminal in the U.S., in addition to being LA’s main railroad station. Union Station LA opened in 1939 and was originally called the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal. Aside from Metrolink trains to various cities in California, the station services Amtrak lines to Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, and San Antonio.

Train stations are chaotic and crowded places by nature, and Union Station LA is no exception to the rule. Over 300 trains depart from this station on a daily basis, and one can only imagine the number of people boarding and exiting these trains. In addition, many people are walking on the platforms, coming up the stairs, driving through the parking lot, and doing many other things that you normally do at a train station. This is why accidents to pedestrians are so common at transportation hubs like Union Station LA.

It’s essential for owners of any property to keep up with cleaning, maintenance, and security measures. This is even more important at public spaces that are frequented by countless people on a day to day basis. When a property owner fails in their duty of care to the public, they may be liable for the following incidents on their premises:

• Slip and fall
• Trip and fall
• Falling objects
• Car accidents
• Pedestrian accidents / hit and run
• Assault and battery – robbed / mugged at the train station
• Sexual assault

Did you sustain an injury at Los Angeles Union Station due to a dangerous condition? Were you physically attacked due to security issues, like broken locks, lack of security cameras, or failure to remove suspicious individuals from the premises? You may have the right to seek medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other monetary damages from Los Angeles County. No matter the circumstance, please take some time to discuss your case with a train station accident injury lawyer at our office.

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Who is Responsible for an Accident at a Train Station?

A train station is a type of property that can be owned by a private or public entity. Los Angeles Union Station, for example, is owned and operated by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This is an agency that belongs to the government of LA County. Thus, if an injury victim has grounds for a lawsuit, they would need to sue the County of Los Angeles.

But how can you be sure that you have the right to a lawsuit? After all, not every single accident can be blamed on someone else, at least not in the legal sense. In addition, certain laws limit one’s ability to take legal action against the government. On the other hand, there is a legislation known as the California Tort Claims Act, which covers the rules regarding liability claims against government agencies and employees.

In essence, government agencies are responsible for injuries that are caused to another party through acts of negligence of misconduct. For example, if someone is hit by a falling branch at a city park, the city may be sued by the victim for monetary damages. The government must also take responsibility for negligence by their employees, like a car accident that was caused by a careless driver. In these situations, however, it must be shown that the employee was acting within the scope of their job duties or carrying out a government function.

How to File a Claim for an Accident at Union Station LA

Medical care should always be your first priority if you’ve been harmed at a train station. But after you’ve been treated, you are likely to have the following questions on your mind:

• What are my rights as someone that was injured from a dangerous condition?
• Can I sue for an assault and battery incident if I was mugged or beaten up at Los Angeles Union Station?
• If I am eligible for compensation, how do I start the legal process?

The legal process for a lawsuit depends on the type of entity you are suing. For an accident at Union Station LA, you will need to file a government entity claim against the County of Los Angeles. You can download the claim form (Claims for Damages to Person or Property) from the county’s website and mail it back to the County offices or drop it off in person.

The statute of limitations for a compensation claim with Los Angeles County is 6 months from the date of the incident. This is extremely important to remember, as there are no exceptions to the rule if you miss the 6-month deadline. That means you will lose the right to monetary compensation for injuries at Union Station LA if you do not submit your claim by the deadline of 6 months.

While the claim form is only one page, it requires a lot of information that may be difficult for you to figure out on your own. You will also need documentation of your injuries, the total economic and non-economic damages from your accident, and an explanation of the county’s liability for your injuries. Most people fail to provide sufficient information or legal justification for why they deserve compensation, which gives LA County the right to deny your claim.

For the best possible results, we urge you to contact us for assistance with a Los Angeles Union Station accident claim. We will take care of the entire process on your behalf and fight to bring you maximum compensation for your injuries.

What Happens if My Claim is Rejected?

Once you submit your claim, the County has 45 days from the date of receipt to provide you with a response. This may be an acceptance of your demands, or a denial of your claim with an explanation of why it was rejected.

Many victims of injuries at Union Station LA panic when they receive a denial notice, but denial notices are not uncommon. Your next step is to file a lawsuit with the appropriate court system, which you will need to accomplish in 6 months from the date of the rejection letter. It’s highly recommended that you hire an attorney at this point, if you haven’t done so already. A lawsuit is complicated enough to begin with, but even more so when the negligent party is a government agency.

You may be wondering, what happens if I don’t hear back from the county at all, and 45 days have passed since they received my claim form? In that case, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a civil lawsuit.

Potential Settlement Value of a Union Station LA Injury Claim

Putting a value on what someone deserves after an accident is a complex procedure, to say the least. That’s why we hesitate to provide any value that can be described as “average” for a County of Los Angeles compensation claim. While there are many factors we must examine, your injuries and how they affect your life are the most important issues. With that in mind, some claimants are fairly compensated with settlements of $15,000 or less. On the flip side, you may have serious injuries that will take many months to heal, and even then, you may end up with permanent health complications. Such cases may be worth anywhere from $125,000 to $1,000,000 and above.

Our lawyers are happy to assist you if you’d like to learn how much you can potentially receive from a Union Station LA accident injury claim.

How Long Do these Cases Take to Settle?

Realistically, there is no average time frame that we can give for how long it takes to settle a personal injury claim against the government. We always set out with the goal to recovering a client’s payment within 6 months. However, this timeline is more applicable to lawsuits against private entities (homeowners, major retailers, etc.), than government claims. Due to the additional procedures that are involved, reaching a settlement for an accident at Union Station LA can take anywhere from one to several years.

Second Opinion from a Government Agency Lawsuit Attorney

There’s no denying that compensation claims against county agencies take longer than most people expect. But what can you do if you suspect that your lawyer’s incompetence or lack of dedication is the reason why your case is stuck in limbo? A second opinion can be very helpful if you have questions or concerns about a claim against LA County. We provide this service at no cost to you, so feel free to take advantage of this offer at your earliest convenience. For a free second opinion consultation, please give us a call.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation

There is no legal requirement to hire an attorney if you are planning to seek damages from Los Angeles County. But filing a claim and obtaining the payment you deserve is difficult to achieve without expert knowledge of the legal system. To learn how we can be of benefit to you, please consider meeting with us for a free case evaluation or free second opinion.

In the event you decide to work with us, we will represent you at no upfront cost. Our Zero Fee Guarantee will provide you with free legal services for as long as it takes to bring you justice. We ask for all expenses to be covered by LA County, which is included in your settlement check. That means our payment is contingent on winning your case. No matter what, you will never pay a single penny in legal fees here at Normandie Law Firm.

We look forward to providing you with strong and effective legal representation if you suffered an injury while you were at Los Angeles Union Station. Contact us today and schedule a time to discuss your rights and legal options.

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