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CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS
WHEN TO GET A LAWYER AFTER AN AUTO ACCIDENT
Especially when you’ve never been involved in a serious crash before, it’s understandable that you would wonder whether you really need a lawyer. The truth is: Not every car accident claim requires help from an attorney. If the only thing hurt is your vehicle, you can handle a property damage claim on your own. However, if you were injured ─ even if you’re not sure yet how badly ─ you should consult with a car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
Car accident injuries can require expensive medical treatment and leave you with mounting losses. The sooner you get a trusted attorney on your side, the better off you will be.
You should seek medical treatment after a car accident, even if you feel fine immediately afterward. Many injuries are not apparent immediately after a crash and take days or weeks to develop symptoms. Waiting too long to treat them could lead to additional complications. You should see a doctor immediately to get a full exam and have any injuries diagnosed and treated.
The amount you can recover for losses in a car accident will depend on the severity of your injuries and other factors. However, most victims of car wrecks can pursue compensation for the following losses:
- Medical expenses related to treating your injuries from the crash
- Lost wages if you cannot work while you heal
- Reduced future earnings if your injuries are permanent
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life due to permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Damaged personal property
Failing to wear a seatbelt during a crash does not bar you from seeking compensation for your injuries and other losses. However, you should always use a seatbelt to decrease the likelihood of severe injuries in an accident.
In California, you can still pursue compensation for a car accident if you were partially at fault. California follows a pure comparative negligence rule, which means a person can be compensated for injuries from an accident as long as they are not 100 percent to blame for the wreck. However, keep in mind that your compensation will be reduced according to your share of the fault. For example, if you seek $100,000 but are found to be 25 percent at fault, you will be entitled to up to $75,000. A skilled lawyer can work to minimize your share of fault and maximize your compensation.
If another driver caused the accident, they would ultimately be responsible for paying for your medical care. While your case is pending, you would likely need to pay for your own care. However, your insurance provider may step in to cover your medical care until it can be reimbursed through a settlement or verdict. Alternatively, the hospital may provide your medical care on the condition that you repay them with any compensation you recover from the at-fault party. If you have health insurance, your policy may cover some of your medical expenses.
The dedicated attorneys at The Law Office of Black & DePaoli, APC, are ready to help you after a car accident . We can investigate the crash, determine who is at fault, file an insurance claim or lawsuit on your behalf, and handle all settlement negotiations. Contact us today to get started with a free consultation.
TOPICS ON THIS PAGE
- When To Get A Lawyer After An Auto Accident
- Car Accident
- Should I Seek Medical Treatment After A Car Accident, Even If I Feel Fine At First?
- How Much Money Can You Get For A Car Accident?
- Can I Still Recover Damages If I Was Not Wearing A Seatbelt At The Time Of The Accident?
- What If The Accident Was Partly My Fault?
- Who Pays My Medical Expenses While My Case Is Pending?
- How Our Folsom Car Accident Lawyers Can Help
- Why You Need A Folsom Car Accident Lawyer To Handle Your Case
- How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Car Accident Lawyer In Folsom?
- How Much Is My Car Accident Injury Claim Worth?
- How Is Fault Determined In A Car Accident Investigation?
- How Long Do You Have To File A Car Accident Injury Claim
- Tips For Protecting Your Rights After A Car Accident In Folsom
- Common Causes Of Car Crashes In Folsom, CA
- Types Of Car Accident Claims We Can Help With
- Common Injury Cases We Handle From Car Accidents
- Get Help From A Folsom Car Accident Lawyer Today
WHY YOU NEED A CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER TO HANDLE YOUR CASE
You should never try to handle a car accident injury claim on your own. Insurance adjusters are at a distinct advantage over you. They spend their careers working to minimize payouts on personal injury claims like yours. You need an experienced car accident attorney on your side to:
- Launch an immediate investigation into the crash and gather all the evidence before it is lost or destroyed
- Identify all possible sources of compensation, including looking at your own insurance coverage if necessary
- Make sure you have access to the medical care you need, including specialists who can properly diagnose and treat your injuries
- Document your medical expenses and other losses, including intangible losses like pain and suffering
- Work with experts to analyze your accident and the resulting injuries
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Maximize the value of your claim to ensure you are demanding the full amount you deserve
Negotiate aggressively for a fair car accident settlement that takes into account your total losses - Argue your case at trial if going to court is the best option for pursuing full payment
At The Law Office of Black & DePaoli, APC, we have more than 30 years’ combined experience representing crash victims across California. Our car accident lawyers have recovered millions of dollars for individuals and families who found themselves facing off against big-name insurance companies.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIRE A CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER ?
One of the first questions many people ask us is how we get paid. Our car accident law firm handles cases on a contingency fee basis. You don’t pay unless we win. Our fee is contingent upon the settlement of your case. If we do not recover money for you, you don’t owe us anything. This fee arrangement ensures there is no risk for you in choosing us to handle your car accident claim.
A car accident lawyer from our firm can meet with you in person or over the phone to discuss your case in a free, no-obligation consultation. We are available to talk anytime, including after hours and on the weekend ─ whatever is most convenient for you.
HOW MUCH IS MY CAR ACCIDENT INJURY CLAIM WORTH?
After a motor vehicle accident, it can take time to get a full understanding of your injuries and how they will affect you in the months and possibly years to come. It is important that you have this big-picture view of your case, so you can pursue the full amount you need to be made whole.
Although every case is unique, some of the common damages we pursue include payment for:
- Medical bills
- Vehicle repair or replacement costs
- Future treatment costs
- Long-term care needs
- Lost income
- Reduced earning capacity for the future
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of quality of life
HOW IS FAULT DETERMINED IN A CAR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION?
If you are injured in a car accident, your attorney will need to identify all of the parties that were potentially at-fault. This may include other drivers, property owners that permitted dangerous conditions on the road, and even manufacturers of malfunctioning automobile parts.
Our Firm has in-depth knowledge of the vehicle code and can look at reports from the law enforcement perspective. This gives us an advantage in investigating crashes to determine who was at fault.
Some of the evidence our legal team may gather as we work to build your case includes:
- Photos of the accident scene, damage to vehicles, and injuries
- Videos from nearby surveillance cameras or traffic cameras
- Law enforcement crash reports and interviews with responding law enforcement officers
- Witness statements
- Examination of the vehicles involved
- Accident reconstruction analysis, where experts evaluate all the evidence to determine exactly what happened
HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO FILE A CAR ACCIDENT INJURY CLAIM
- You have two years from the date of an accident to file a personal injury lawsuit.
- If the at-fault party is a local or state government entity, you must provide notice of your claim within six months of the crash.
- If you have lost a loved one in a crash, you have two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
- You have three years to file a claim for property damage.
TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT IN California
- Save all evidence from the scene. This includes photos, witness contact information, and any notes about what happened.
- Follow your treatment plan. Attend all follow-up visits and get any tests the doctor orders. Be sure to get the rest you need.
- Stay off social media. Do not post updates about how you are feeling or your case. The best thing you can do is refrain from posting until your case is resolved.
- Do not give a written or recorded statement to the insurance company. The insurance adjusters will try to get you to say anything they can use against you.
- Do not wait to get legal advice. The best time to speak with a lawyer is immediately after a crash.
KELSEY DEPAOLI
Kelsey DePaoli brings experience to a wide variety of personal injury cases, including vehicle collisions, wrongful death, dog bites, premise liability, public entity liability, and general negligence.
TOPICS ON THIS PAGE
- T-Bone Collision
- Uber & Lyft Accidents
- Common Injuries In Car Accidents
- Car Accidents And Poor Vehicle Maintenance
- Backover Accident
- Drugged Driving Accident
- Drunk Driving Accident
- Failure To Maintain Lane Accident
- Hit-And-Run Accident
- Failure To Yield Accident
- Distracted Driving Accidents
- Rear-End Collision
- Reckless Driving Accident
- Tailgating Accident
- Side-Impact Collision
- Sudden Stop Accident
- SUV Rollover Accident
- Aggressive Driving Accident
- Texting While Driving Accident
- Traffic Signal Violation Accident
- Fatal Car Accident
- Speeding Accident
- Teen Driver Accident
- Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Accident
- Highway Accidents
- Multiple Vehicle Pile-Up Accident
- Sideswipe Accident Lawyer In Folsom
- Whiplash Injury Lawyer In Folsom
COMMON CAUSES OF CAR CRASHES IN California
Our firm has investigated countless crashes on the streets and highways around . Some of the most common causes of crashes we have seen include:
- Distracted driving
- Aggressive driving
- Reckless driving
- Drunk driving
- Drugged driving
- Fatigued driving
- Traffic signal violations
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Sudden stops
- Failure to maintain lane
- Failure to yield
- Improper passing
- Night driving
- Poor road conditions
TYPES OF CAR ACCIDENT CLAIMS WE CAN HELP WITH
- Uber and Lyft accidents
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist accidents
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Rear-end accidents
- Highway accidents
- Side-impact collisions
- T-bone accidents
- Head-on collisions
- Rollover crashes
- Teen driver accidents
- Multiple vehicle pile-ups
- Fatal car accidents
- Fatal car accidents
COMMON INJURY CASES WE HANDLE FROM CAR ACCIDENTS
Our compassionate legal team has successfully recovered compensation for accident victims struggling to cope with life-altering injuries, such as:
- Internal organ damage and internal bleeding
- Broken bones
- Neck injuries such as
- Traumatic amputations
- Shoulder injuries
- Fatigued driving
- Knee injuries
- Severe lacerations and bruising
- Facial injuries
- Burns
- Head and traumatic brain injuries
- Disfigurement and scarring
