Ventura Car Accident Lawyer

Welcome to Zavala Law. If you’re here, it’s probably because you or someone you know has been hurt in a car accident, slip and fall, or other personal injury incident, and you’re not sure how to proceed to get the financial recovery you need and you know you are entitled to. If you are worried the insurance company is not treating you fairly or doing their best for you, you’re not wrong, and you’re not alone. Contact experienced Ventura car accident lawyer, Matt Zavala, for representation you deserve.

Meet Matt Zavala – The Attorney Who Fights For You

Unlike your run-of-the-mill personal injury attorneys who only know insurance claims from one side of the case, Matt Zavala knows the ins and outs of insurance games because he spent over a decade on the other side defending negligent parties against claims like yours. He has seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to avoid paying you what you deserve, and he won’t let you get taken advantage of. The bottom line: You’ve been hurt, and Zavala Law can help.

When the Going Gets Tough, Matt Gets Going

A lot of personal injury lawyers are fine when it comes to a quick settlement, but that’s usually not what’s best for you. They’ll let the case simmer for a few months and then send a demand letter to the insurance company, but then they give in and give up at the slightest pushback, shifting their gears toward convincing you the insurance company’s offer is the best you can get. Matt Zavala doesn’t practice that way. He has a great deal of litigation and trial experience that he brings to the table, and he is willing and able to take your case as far as it needs to go to win. If we can settle your case for the right amount without filing a lawsuit, that’s great, and our reputation as litigators helps us do just that. But we aren’t here just for the quick settlement; we are here to get you the justice you rightfully deserve.

More Than Just a Litigator: The Matt Zavala Difference

The Zavala Law difference doesn’t stop at a former insurance defense lawyer with abundant experience trying cases in the courtroom. Matt is also an experienced mediator who has sat as a neutral third party, looking at cases from all angles and helping disputing parties resolve their differences. Why should this matter to you? Because it means Matt knows how to negotiate and strategize to get a result that recognizes the full value of the claim based on all the relevant factors. He’s even taught future lawyers as an adjunct law school professor. Matt is truly a lawyer who sees and understands the big picture; he figures out the best path to success and pursues it.

A Positive Client Experience: Our Top Priority at Zavala Law

When you call up some companies, you might expect to be greeted with an automated phone system that tries your patience before finally connecting you to a live person who can’t really help you and just shuffles you from one person to another. You don’t like it, but you put up with it. Well, your law firm experience should never be that way, and at Zavala Law, it never will. Matt Zavala is extremely accessible to his clients. You can call the office and speak to Matt personally, not his assistant, not his secretary. Here you’ll find a lawyer you can talk to; one who relates to you like a person and gives you straight-up advice and guidance, not legalese.

Make no mistake. We know that you’ve come here seeking and needing results, and our aim is definitely to achieve a great outcome for you. But equally important to us is providing you with a positive, excellent client experience for the entire time you are with us. This means we’ll explain your options and give you our recommendations. We’ll hold your hand throughout the process if that’s what you need, guiding you and keeping you informed of the status of your case at all times. If that kind of approach is important to you too, then you’ve found the law firm you are looking for in Ventura County.

Why Choose Zavala Law in Ventura County

Let’s recap the reasons why Zavala Law should be your go-to personal injury law firm in Ventura County, and then you can pick up the phone and give us a call. With Matt Zavala leading the charge at Zavala Law, you can count on:

• In-depth insurance industry knowledge
• Tough litigation and trial expertise
• Mediation and negotiation skills
• Unmatched client accessibility
• Spanish-capable law office
• Free consultations and no fee unless we win

California Personal Injury FAQs

Recovering from an accident and going through a personal injury claim are trying times. Accident victims are dealing with pain, discomfort, and disability, and working hard to get back to work or put their life back in order. Meanwhile, the personal injury claim process – dealing with negligent drivers, store owners, insurance companies and other parties – can be stressful and confusing. At Zavala Law, we take on all aspects of the claim process and work hand-in-hand with you to make sure your experience pursuing justice and compensation is as painless as possible.

To that end, we are providing answers to some of the questions we hear most often from accident victims looking for information related to California personal injury law and the claim process. We hope you find this page helpful. If you have other questions, or if you or a family member has been hurt in a Ventura County car accident, slip and fall, or other accident, please call Zavala Law at 805-429-4292 for a free consultation with an experienced and dedicated Ventura personal injury attorney.

How does a contingency fee work?

A contingency fee means that we take your case without charging any fee upfront, and we only collect a fee if we are successful on your case. Our fee is “contingent” on our success, and if we don’t win, you don’t pay. The amount of our fee is also tied to the amount we recover for you. Further, we advance all costs related to pursuing your case and only recover them at the end out of the settlement or judgment. This way, every injury victim can have access to high-quality legal representation without regard to their ability to afford to hire a lawyer. Justice is for everyone, not just the wealthy.

Can I pursue a car accident claim against a negligent driver if I wasn’t wearing my seat belt at the time of the crash?

Seat belts are required by law in California and for good reason, they save lives. If you weren’t wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, you might be considered negligent and partially at fault for your injuries. For instance, the insurance company might claim your injuries are more severe because you weren’t wearing your seat belt. One important thing to know here is that not wearing a seat belt does not automatically make you negligent or blameful under California law. Instead, the insurance company would have to prove how your failure to wear a seat belt contributed to the accident or your injuries, and this is actually a complex area that can be difficult to prove.

Another important thing to know is that even if you are considered partially at fault, you can still recover damages from the at-fault party by proving your case against them; your total damages award will be offset by any percentage of negligence assigned to you, but it won’t keep you from holding them accountable for their share of the blame.

If I got hit by a drunk driver, can I hold the bar accountable for overserving their customer and sending a drunk driver out into the streets?

Many states recognize this legal concept, known as dram shop liability, and some California courts in the past have recognized it as well. However, since then, the state legislature passed a law that makes it clear that the drunk driver is the responsible party, not any third party that sold or furnished the alcohol, even if they overserved an obviously drunk patron. This includes commercial establishments like restaurants and bars as well as social hosts throwing a party.

One exception to this law is when an adult knowingly furnishes alcohol to a minor under 21 at their residence, and that person goes on to cause a crash. Here it might be possible to hold the adult liable for causing the crash, whether they are the driver’s parent, guardian, or some other third party.

What if I don’t have a regular doctor to go to?

Getting the right medical treatment after your accident is critical to your physical recovery; seeing a doctor soon after the accident will maximize your recovery, and it’s also important for your insurance claim as well. If you don’t have a regular doctor or if your injuries require you to see a certain kind of specialist, we can put you in touch with a physician who can treat you. We work with and know of many doctors in the area and can give you some recommendations. Many of the doctors we work with will agree to treat you without charging you upfront, only collecting their fee after your case has concluded successfully.

Will I have to go to court?

The vast majority of personal injury cases tend to settle without going to court. In fact, if we can settle your case satisfactorily without ever filing a lawsuit, we certainly will. Even if a lawsuit is filed, the case is still likely to settle before actually going to trial. In a few cases, though, it is necessary to have a trial to hold the negligent party accountable for the harm they’ve done. Before we file a lawsuit or go to court, we’ll make sure you fully understand the implications and want to proceed; otherwise, we won’t do it. We’ll also make sure you are fully prepared before you are required to attend any deposition or show up in court. You’ll know what to expect, and we’ll always be by your side should you have any questions or need any support. Attorney Matt Zavala has a great deal of trial and litigation experience, so you know your case is in good hands.

What Is an IME?

If your case ends up in litigation, which means a lawsuit gets filed and you might eventually wind up in court, you might be ordered to attend an Independent Medical Examination (IME). This happens when the insurance company is disputing your injury; either they say it isn’t as serious as you claim, or they say it happened in some other way besides in the accident. For instance, they might say your injury is from a preexisting condition, or that it couldn’t have happened in the accident as you describe. An IME is conducted by a doctor hired by and paid by the insurance company, so it really isn’t “independent.” In addition, the purpose of the IME is not to provide you with any treatment or helpful information; the purpose is to give the insurance company a medical opinion that differs from your treating physician that they can use as ammunition against you.

If an IME is ordered, yes, you have to go. If the request is unnecessary, duplicative, or unreasonable, we’ll fight it in court. If you do have to attend, we’ll help you get ready by letting you know what you can expect, what the limits of the examination are, etc.

Contact Ventura Auto Accident & Personal Injury Firm Zavala Law Today

Join the ranks of satisfied clients who’ve found justice, peace of mind, and a damn good attorney in Matt Zavala. Injured in Ventura County? Don’t play the insurance company’s game—change the rules with Zavala Law. Give our Ventura car accident attorney a call and let Matt make things right. Call 805-429-4292 or contact us online to get started now.