Owen, Patterson & Owen

I got hit by a car as a pedestrian: The average car weighs over four thousand pounds . Even well below the speed limit , that amount of weight coming your way can result in catastrophic injuries – and too often, an early and painful death. If you’ve been hit by a car, your priority should always be to seek immediate medical attention, no matter how little contact you had with the vehicle.  Car accidents happen every single day – and upwards of a hundred people a day die due to motor vehicle crashes in the US. It’s a car owner’s world, and being a pedestrian often means facing a potential public health hazard on every American road.  As a pedestrian, you also have certain legal advantages when facing a driver. Depending on when and where the accident took place, it may be the driver’s responsibility to keep an eye out for you – which means that, if you’ve been hit by a car and have survived your injuries, chances are that you can successfully seek compensation f...

Accidents happen every day. They can be expensive – not just in terms of property damage, but also in terms of medical expenses, emotional trauma, or even the incalculable loss of life. When accidents occur, it is important to establish responsibility in a legal sense. If a person got hurt due to the actions or inaction of someone else, the responsible party may be held liable . In the case of an accident on private or commercial property, property owners and non-owner residents have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their visitors – this responsibility is legally known as the premises liability . And wherever premises liability comes into the picture after an accident or injury, a premises liability lawyer ’s services may be needed.    What is Premises Liability?  Premises liability refers to the legal concept that property owners have a responsibility to ensure that their premises are safe for visitors and guests.  Generally speaking, this means ensu...

Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday, and this year, we have so much to be thankful for. We are so thankful for our families, and when we go around the Thanksgiving table this year to say what we each are thankful for, I already have my answer. First is our work family. As the managing partner of Owen, Patterson & Owen, my plate is filled to overflowing from morning to night. OPO could not help as many people as we do without the care and devotion of our attorneys and staff, all of whom are necessary to each case’s success. The attention to detail, the knowledge, and the compassion of each of these individuals make OPO the law firm to go to when involved in an accident. They allow us to help people who need us. Next are our children, who are scattered across the country. The depth of emotion my husband and partner, Greg, and I feel toward and from our loved ones keeps us going every day. Without the love and support of my family, I would not be able to manage the ca...

In these times of financial uncertainty, many have been forced to let their health insurance lapse, hoping they won’t need medical care during the period they are uninsured. Unfortunately, the inattentive driver on his cellphone may have other plans for you. Your Right to Emergency Medical Treatment After a Car Accident Then Call an Auto Accident Attorney If you are in an accident and believe you are injured, go to the nearest emergency room, where you cannot be refused “emergency medical treatment”; i.e., treatment required to prevent serious injury or death, due to lack of insurance or inability to pay. (See Cal. Health & Safety Code §§1317 et seq.) Your next step is to call Owen, Patterson & Owen. Upon acceptance of your case, OPO will make sure that you have access to the medical care you need following your accident. How a Car Accident Attorney Can Help with Medical Bills What Accident Lawyers Owen, Patterson and Owen Can Do One way to obtain medical treatment is by ...

Simple Fender Bender Car Accidents Can Have Hidden Damages A “fender bender” involving a vehicle manufactured in 2022 is far different than an accident involving an older vehicle. What does that phrase even mean? Literally, it refers to an accident that is so minor that only a fender is bent. At Owen, Patterson, & Owen, our attorneys and support staff are trained to look beyond the property damage to a vehicle involved in an accident when considering the merits of a potential client’s case. Auto Accident Damage Differences Between Older and New Vehicles Think of the safety features which exist in modern cars. Today, airbags will prevent us from being impaled by a steering wheel column, seatbelts keep us in our seats instead of being thrown through broken windows, and a multitude of other features are designed with one purpose: To keep us safe if we are in an accident. I remember the “seatbelt” of my mom’s arm being thrown in front of me when she stopped short for a light. We did...

An Experienced Auto Accident Attorney Can Help Maximize Your Settlement “This is nothing compared to the pain I have gone through!” “I was in a horrible accident, and this is all I get?” How do you, as a driver on the road, prevent this from becoming your reality after an accident? At Owen, Patterson & Owen, our experienced team of personal injury lawyers leaves no stone unturned in finding every possible source of recovery for our injured clients. The sad fact is that sometimes there is inadequate insurance to provide a fair recovery for injuries sustained in an accident. What is the solution? Minimum California Auto Insurance Coverage Really Isn’t Enough Every driver in California is required to carry the minimum insurance coverage of $15,000/$30,000. This means that if you are in an accident and suffer injuries, you will be able to recover the maximum gross amount of $15,000 per individual who is injured, and $30,000 for a single accident if two or more individuals are injure...