Personal Injury Legal Services
The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR handle all types of personal injury, wrongful death, and Elder Abuse cases throughout California. We have helped thousands of individuals recover financial compensation for their injuries and damages.
When choosing an attorney to represent you, it is important to hire an attorney and law firm that has the skill, manpower, and financial resources to successfully handle your case.
Practice Areas
We focus on the following types of cases:
CAR ACCIDENTS
As you know, a car accident can be devastating to an individual. A major accident can cause serious personal injuries, lost earnings for the time you miss from your job, immense pain and suffering, and substantial medical bills. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR will guide you and your family through the process, assist you in getting the medical treatment you need, and the financial compensation you deserve.
BUS, TRUCK AND TRAIN ACCIDENTS
These accidents often involve mass casualties and can be devastating to an individual. These accidents usually involve a professional driver or operator. These professionals have additional experience and training, additional rules and regulations to follow, and a higher standard of care. The involved vehicles sometimes have surveillance devices to capture the accident and/or a black box to record the vehicle's movements before and during the accident. As a common carrier or carrier for reward, these professionals owe the utmost duty of care to their passengers. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have had great success in settlement and trial against these professional drivers and train operators. In a recent case we were successful in settling the case by convincing the defendant trucking company that they were responsible for the wrongful death of a pedestrian due to its failure to install pedestrian safety mirrors on its cement trucks. The defendant driver failed to see the pedestrian standing the blind spot created at the right front bumper of the truck. A pedestrian safety mirror - at the cost of $50 -- would have allowed the truck driver to see the pedestrian and to have avoided the accident. After the case resolved, defendant equipped its fleet of trucks with these pedestrian safety mirrors.
MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS
A motorcycle accident usually involves very serious personal injuries or death. The typical injuries from a motorcycle accident include death, head and brain injuries, paralysis, amputations, and severe orthopedic injuries. Although all motorists are required to share the road with motorcycles and follow the same rules of the road, motorcyclists are especially vulnerable. What makes these cases even more difficult sometimes, is the general attitude of the public (non-motorcycle riders) who always want to blame the motorcyclist for the accident. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have had great success representing motorcyclists involved in accidents, including many law enforcement officers who are injured while riding motorcycles in the course of their law enforcement jobs. We have also successfully handled product liability actions against manufacturers for defects in their accelerator cables and steering assemblies which have caused or contributed to the motorcycle accidents and the rider's injuries.
BICYCLE ACCIDENTS
A bicycle accident can also involve serious personal injuries or death. Bicycle riders are also vulnerable to accidents when riding on the street as motorists do not always see them or pay proper attention to them. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have had great success representing bicyclists involved in accidents, including several product liability actions against bicycle manufacturers for defects in their aluminum frames and forks which failed causing the accident and rider's injuries.
PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS
A pedestrian accident often results in life-altering injuries, as there is no protection for the pedestrian. These cases can involve being struck by a motorist in the street, the crosswalk, a parking lot, or on the sidewalk. These cases can also involve a pedestrian tripping and falling on a poorly maintained sidewalk or pedestrian walkway. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have handled numerous cases where pedestrians have been struck by motorists or have been injured due to a dangerous or defective sidewalk, walkway or parking lot. In a recent wrongful death case, we were able to settle the case for the policy limits after convincing the defendant's insurance company that the defendant should have seen the pedestrian crossing the roadway and have avoided the accident.
CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS
A construction project can be a very dangerous place with numerous hazards. Construction workers often sustain significant injuries during the course of their work whether by chemical explosions, heavy machinery, falling debris and material, dangerous scaffolding or work platforms, defective equipment and tools, and open trenches just to identify a few of the hazards. Construction projects are also littered with trip and fall hazards for the workers. Construction cases offer unique challenges to the injured worker and their attorney under California law. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have had great success with these cases including their involvement in the Walnut Creek Liquid Petroleum Pipeline Explosion Case.
PRODUCT LIABILITY CASES
These cases involve injuries caused by defective products such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles, industrial machines, roller skates, scooters, power tools and saws, light fixtures and light bulbs, and cement, just to name a few products. These cases can involve an unguarded pinch point on a machine, the failure to interlock a machine's guarding mechanism, or the failure of a cement company to provide a warning that cement can cause burn injuries. Sometimes these cases involve a component part of the product which makes it defective, such as the seatbelt or seatback of the car which fails in an accident, the motorcycle's accelerator which sticks, the bicycle's aluminum frame or forks which break due to fatigue, a screw breaks which holds the scooters handlebars in place, or the wheels on the skate shoes which are not properly aligned. Everyone in the stream of commerce for the defective product, including the designer, manufacturer, distributor and seller of the product can be responsible to compensate you for your injuries. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have successfully handled many product liability cases on behalf of their clients.
PREMISES LIABILITY -- SLIP and FALL/TRIP and FALL ACCIDENTS
Falls are a leading cause of injuries in the United States, especially with our aging population. Slip and falls and trip and falls can cause head and brain injuries, neck and back injuries, broken arms and legs, and fractured hips. These accidents often occur on property which fails to comply with the required building codes or Americans with Disabilities Act, elevators which are not properly maintained, stairs which fail to include a handrail, steps which are not properly marked, and property which is maintained in a dangerous condition. These cases can also involve the property owner/manager's negligence in providing adequate security guards or lifeguards for events being held on the property. If the property owner and/or property manager was negligent in maintenance and management of their property, we can help. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have successfully handled these cases including two recent cases where the matters settled and defendants actually fixed the dangerous walkway at the mall and resurfaced the deteriorated parking lot.
HEAD and BRAIN INJURIES
Head and brain injuries can be a result of various types of accidents and can range in severity. A traumatic brain injury can lead to permanent damage and cognitive limitations. Head and brain injuries can be very subtle and may not be readily apparent. These injuries can affect your personality, emotions, and ability to function independently. These injuries can affect your memory - long and/or short term memory, your speech and language, vision, sense of smell and taste, and your hearing, including Tinnitus or ringing in your ears. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR are extremely knowledgeable and successful in handling these cases. Our success is due at least in part, to our creativity as attorneys and our ability to hire qualified experts witnesses to testify concerning the nature of the injuries.
BURN INJURIES
Burn injuries can be physically and emotionally devastating to the victim. Burn injuries can occur in a variety of ways, whether from an explosion, a property fire, fires following an automobile accident, and the use of chemicals. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have been successful in handling these cases, including explosion cases and chemical burn cases. We have recently been involved in a case involving third degree burns from the use of cement. The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) failed to warn the consumer of the risks of burns while using cement. The defendant that sold the cement was unaware that cement could cause burn injuries.
WRONGFUL DEATH
Losing a loved one in an accident - whether a spouse, child or parent - is one of the worst things a person will ever have to face. Beyond the grief and distress of losing a family member is the loss of the emotional and financial support. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have handled numerous wrongful death cases arising from all different types of accidents and events.
ELDER ABUSE
Elder Abuse is unfortunately becoming a growing and more common problem with our elderly population and dependent adults. Elder Abuse can include physical, emotional, and financial abuse towards elderly and dependent adults. Elder Abuse can occur at the hands of the home caregiver, family members providing assistance, or the staff at an assisted living/convalescent home. The injuries from Elder Abuse range from wrongful death from an untreated decubitus ulcer/bedsore, the pain and discomfort from an untreated medical condition, the deprivation of necessary food, water, and medication, a caregiver dropping a loved one while moving them from the bed to wheel chair causing injuries, deprivation of family and friends, and theft of money and other property. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR are extremely knowledgeable and successful in handling these cases. In a somewhat recent case we sued a home caregiver company for the wrongful death of an elderly parent due to an untreated decubitus ulcer. Not only were we able to obtain a very favorable settlement for the three surviving children, but we also got the home caregiver company to change the way it did business. They hired someone with a medical background to run the company and stopped advertising that they provided medical care for their clients.
ON THE JOB INJURIES/WORK RELATED INJURIES
When you are injured at work or on the job, in addition to worker's compensation benefits you may also be entitled to compensation from the responsible third party - anyone other than your employer - in a civil case. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have had great success representing injured workers in their third party injury cases against other motorists, property owners, governmental entities, machine manufacturers, construction workers, and others. We will work closely with your worker's compensation attorney to maximize your recovery both in the worker's compensation case and in your third party civil case.
GOVERNMENTAL LIABILITY CASES/SCHOOL LIABILITY
If you are injured due to the negligence of a government employee or a dangerous condition of public property the government entity, including the city, county and/or state may be responsible. These cases range from an automobile accident with a government vehicle, an accident which occurred as a result of a dangerous roadway, or a trip and fall on public property. These cases can also include a student's injuries at school due to the conduct of the school's faculty and staff in the supervision and control of its employees, other students, and the school's property. The attorneys at KANTOR & KANTOR have had great success handling these cases. Recently, we made new law in California with the case of Jennifer C v. LAUSD (2008) 168 Cal. App.4
th 1320, expanding the school's duty to protect special education students from assaults, including sexual assaults.