Car Accident Details
There are millions of car accidents per year, and over two million injuries stemming from crashes. If you have been one such victim, you should take appropriate legal action against the individual responsible for the damage. A car accident can occur for many reasons; the majority of the time, the crash is due to the driver making an error. However, there are times when drivers are driving normally and other factors contribute to a crash, such as poor weather, vehicular malfunctions, road defects, and more.
Examples of driver error and oversight include:
- Drunk driving
- Texting while driving
- Driving while tired
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Ignoring right of way laws
- Running red lights
- Not fully stopping at stop signs
- Not yielding to pedestrians or other vehicles
- Turning into oncoming traffic
- Improper merging on the highway
- Broken bones
- Sprains
- Fractures
- Nerve damage
- Torn muscles
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Closed head injuries
- Knee and hip injuries
- Neck and spinal cord damage
- Internal organ damage
- Whiplash
- Herniated discs
- CRPS
- Paraplegia and quadriplegia
- Limb paralysis
- Severed digits
- Coma
- Death
What To Do After A Car Accident?
After a car accident, it is important that you do all you can to gather your evidence for a lawsuit. Immediately after the incident, you should check to see if you or any passengers are injured. You should get medical attention at once even if you feel that you were not hurt. The paramedics can treat you at the scene or transport you to the emergency room, or you could go to the doctor the next day.
The reason it is important that you get medical help is simple. For one, you may not have any signs of injuries, but they could still be present. Adrenaline tends to cause injuries to not show up at first and you may feel as though you are perfectly healthy when in fact you are just not feeling the damage. Further, by getting medical attention quickly, you will solidify your lawsuit. If the insurance agent sees that you took too much time between the injury and the treatment, he can claim that you were obviously not severely injured or that you were involved in a different accident.
Next, you should immediately gather your evidence by taking photos of the scene of the accident, photographing your injuries, taking pictures of the damage done to your car and the environment, and more.
You should then interview any eyewitnesses and passengers who saw the crash so you can have a different perspective on the issue and add to your evidence. If you were merely hit from behind, for example, someone could back up that the car was speeding or that the responsible driver was looking down at his phone when the impact happened.
If the crash happened near a business or in a parking structure, there may be security cameras and surveillance footage available for you to use.
The police may have come to the scene of the accident, especially if there were injuries or if they needed to direct traffic to move an immobile vehicle. You can call the station when the police report is done being finalized and use it for your claim.
It is important that you get the contact information and insurance details from the responsible driver. You should be able to reach out to him or to his insurance company for anything during the claim process.
Lastly, victims of car accidents should always pursue the necessary legal action to have their expenses covered. Our Santa Clarita car accident attorneys have handled hundreds of lawsuits and will be able to expertly secure you the compensation you deserve. Many people try to handle their claims themselves but do not have legal experience. Your focus should be on healing and returning to your normal life after an accident, not on painstaking legal work. We are available to take care of all your lawsuit needs.
Potential Settlement Value of Your Lawsuit
Your car accident lawsuit can result in you receiving various types of compensation for your damages. If you were severely injured, you may be able to receive full coverage for your injuries as well as disability for your job if you can no longer go to work.Learn more about your options for compensation by calling (213) 389-3765.
An insurance agent will consider numerous factors when determining the value of your claim. He will look at how impactful your injuries were and if they changed your daily life or if they impacted your job. He will also look at your age, the type of work you do, and if you could be held responsible for the accident in any way. If you were partially negligent or responsible, you could have a reduced settlement offer from the agent. Our Santa Clarita car accident attorneys will strive to get you the maximum compensation for your case. We will seek coverage for the following expenses:- Medical bills from the past and future for hospitalization, surgery, physical rehabilitation and therapy, medication, ambulatory transportation, anesthesiologist fees, and more
- Secondary fees associated with the incident, such as wheelchair costs, cane costs, restructuring of your home, making your apartment or vehicle handicap accessible
- Property damage for your vehicle or personal items that were lost or broken in the car accident
- Lost income from days you missed at work from the past and future
- Wrongful death expenses if a family member or loved individual was killed, which can include coverage for pre-death medical bills and pain and suffering, loss of expected savings and inheritance, loss of consortium and relations, funeral and burial fees, and more.
- Punitive damages to cover gross negligence or intentional harm, but these are often viewed as excessive and are difficult to win
Time Limit to File a Lawsuit
In California, you have 2 years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit against the responsible driver after a car accident. If you miss out on this deadline, you will be unable to sue and will not be able to get compensation for your damages. The statute of limitations is in place to ensure that claims are filed within an acceptable amount of time and does not cause either party to be at a disadvantage. If you wait too long to sue, your evidence may get lost or corrupted, and your claim may have no viable way of getting resolved. You may have all the expenses long covered or the responsible party could have no reasonable way of paying. In the event that you were under the age of 18 at the time of the car accident, you could wait until you turn legal age to adhere to the statute of limitations. You also can have the statute of limitations extended if you were left physically or mentally incapacitated after the accident. The deadline would resume once you return to functioning health. Additionally, if the defendant vacated the state after the accident, your statute would not count down until he returns. It can be confusing to follow certain dates and be aware of when you have to sue by. If you want to have the best chance of success with your claim, you can contact our firm. We will make sure that your case is attended to on time and that all the necessary documents are submitted within the acceptable limit. Call our car accident lawyers in Santa Clarita for more assistance.Find out more about how we can help you. CHAT LIVE with a representative now.
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