Were You Involved In A Car Accident?
Have you are a loved one been involved in a car accident in San Diego? The aftermath of a vehicle accident can be overwhelming. You're likely dealing with physical injuries, mounting medical bills, lost wages, and car repairs. On top of that, you may be unsure of your legal rights and how to proceed.
Don't let a car accident ruin your life. Get the compensation you deserve
At San Diego Personal Injury Attorneys, our compassionate and experienced San Diego car accident attorneys understand the physical, emotional, and financial challenges car accident victims face.
Our legal team is dedicated to helping you navigate the legal process, fight for the compensation you deserve, and get your life back on track. Call us now to schedule your free consultation (619) 752-2217.
The Impact of a Car Accident in San Diego
Car accidents are a leading cause of injury and death in California. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, there were over 380,000 crashes resulting in injury or death in 2022. San Diego County itself sees a significant portion of these accidents. If you've been involved in a car accident in San Diego, you're not alone.
The impact of a car accident can be far-reaching.
Physical Injuries
Car accidents can cause a wide range of injuries, from minor cuts and bruises to severe spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). These injuries can require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation, leaving you with long-term physical limitations.
Medical Bills
Medical expenses associated with a car accident can quickly add up. These can include ambulance transportation, emergency room visits, doctor's appointments, surgeries, physical therapy, medication, and ongoing medical care.
Lost Wages
Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may be unable to work for weeks, months, or even permanently. This can lead to significant lost wages and financial hardship.
Property Damage
Car accidents can cause significant damage to your vehicle, leaving you without transportation and facing repair or replacement costs.
Do I Need A San Diego Car Accident Attorney?
Following a car accident in San Diego, you may be wondering if you need to hire a lawyer. The truth is, navigating the legal process on your own can be complex and challenging. Here's how a San Diego Car Accident Attorney from San Diego Personal Injury Attorneys can help
We Specialize in Protecting Your Rights and Maximizing Compensation
Our accident attorneys handle the legalities, allowing you to focus on healing.
Why You Need a San Diego Car Accident Attorney
Whether you have been involved in a car accident, a vehicle rollover accident we also help victims of bicycle accidents, semi-truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, uber accidents, or pedestrian accidents, we have the experience and legal understanding to help you. Each type of case has specific laws and issues involving liability, claims, and settlements.
We will guarantee you peace of mind while helping you navigate the treacherous waters of auto insurance claims and personal injury lawsuits. Waiting could cause you to forever lose the legal right to pursue a claim should the statutes of limitations pass.
Over 30yrs experience and $100+ Million recovered for car accident victims
Get Help Today!
Don’t hesitate! The sooner you call us (619) 752-2217 the sooner you will be represented by one of our attorneys, which combined have more than 30 years of experience in handling claims and lawsuits that have secured its clients hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements.
The days and months after a traumatizing auto accident are the most crucial as they decide how much the crash will affect your life financially for years to come.
Call us (619) 752-2217 for a FREE CASE EVALUATION by San Diego's leading car accident attorneys
Common Causes of Car Accidents and Injuries in San Diego County
Car accidents are the number one cause of personal injury claims in the United States. A disaster that is not your fault can deal a significant blow to your finances, your savings, and your income. You may lose earnings if you are too injured or disabled to work. You may encounter property damage or suffer from long-term psychological or physical pain. You will also face the prospect of costly hospital stays, drugs, procedures, and other medical expenses.
A car accident can happen at any point that a driver is distracted from safely operating his or her vehicle. Adverse weather conditions, poor visibility, speeding, cell phone distraction, drugs, and driving while intoxicated can all contribute to a driver losing control of their vehicle.
California Safety Quick Stats show that 42% percent of the drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes, tested positive for legal and/or illegal drugs which can also be considered driving under the influence. In addition, hit and run and rear-end car accidents are also very common and can have personal injury cases built against those at fault. More recently, due to the rising popularity of rideshare apps, there has been an increase in rideshare accidents. The combination of any of these factors increases the likelihood that a car accident with serious injuries to drivers and passengers will result.
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SAN DIEGO CAR ACCIDENT STATISTICS
What to Do After You're Involved in a Car Accident
Under California law, you are required to stop if you are involved in an accident; this is true whether the accident involves a parked car, two or more moving cars or a pedestrian. It is important to remember that you can be charged with a criminal hit-and-run offense for leaving the scene of an accident even if you were not at fault.
If there are any injuries as a result of the accident, you must call the San Diego Police Department right away. You should not leave the scene until you have spoken with a police officer, filed a police report and have taken down the officer’s contact information. California Vehicle Codes require that you report all accidents with injuries or fatalities to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles)
Before you leave the scene of the accident, there are important pieces of information that you should collect, including:
- Names and driver’s license numbers of all persons involved
- Contact information of those involved in the accident, including addresses and phone numbers
- Names and contact information of any witnesses
- License plate numbers of all cars
- Insurance information, including the insurance company name and policy number, of all persons involved
- Pictures of the accident
It is understandable to be upset and rattled after an accident has occurred – be sure to take a moment to regain composure before speaking with the other person involved in the accident, an insurance company or even a car accident lawyer. It is in your best interest to seek help from an experienced San Diego personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
Having an attorney represent you early in the process is important because the other party may try to place blame on you or purposely confuse your account of what truly happened. With the guidance of a trusted San Diego car accident lawyer, you will be less likely to put any damaging information in the record or damage your chance of recovering the damages that are rightfully yours.
Visit Your Doctor to Properly Document All Injuries
If you are injured in an accident, it is vital that you pay close attention to the instructions of your doctor. You should retain copies of all documents and expenses related to your injuries so that you can be compensated for the amounts that you are forced to pay out of pocket.
What are the Rights of a Car Accident Victim?
As the victim of a car accident, you are entitled to be made whole again after your injuries. Auto liability coverage is mandatory in California – every driver on the road must be insured up to a certain amount. However, some drivers do not carry insurance, which means that you would have to attempt to recover your losses by suing an uninsured driver directly.
If the driver responsible for the accident is insured, the settlement of all auto accident claims will be processed by the other party’s insurance provider. The car insurance provider must first accept the responsibility on behalf of the insured, which does not always happen right away in some cases. If there is a question as to which driver was at fault for the accident, this issue may end up being litigated in court.
Once the responsible driver’s auto insurance company admits fault, the next step is to send a demand letter to the insurance company that includes the amount you are requesting for compensation for your injuries. The advantage of having an attorney communicate on your behalf is that it tends to expedite the process of agreeing on a settlement amount and issuing payment.
Understanding California’s Comparative Fault
Many car accidents are not clear-cut in terms of who is at fault and who is not. Understanding that California is a comparative fault state, may help. Comparative fault means responsibility for a crash can be divided among any and all parties at fault in the collision.
California law explicitly accounts for this type of a situation by way of a legal doctrine known as comparative negligence, or comparative fault. California is a “pure” comparative negligence jurisdiction. What this means is that a plaintiff that files a California personal injury lawsuit against a driver can recover damages even if he or she was more than 50 percent at fault.
For example, if three parties are involved in a crash, the courts may determine that one party shoulders 40 percent of the responsibility, another 50 percent, and the last party the remaining 10 percent. If you were that last party, 10 percent of the damages awarded to you would be withheld.
This is not a reason to not protect your legal rights. You need to contact our experienced car accident lawyer team to help you determine who may be at fault for the crash and if it’s you and the other driver, how much fault is yours and how much is the other driver’s.
Types of Damages and Compensation for Car Accident Victims
An accident can be debilitating and no amount of money could possibly reverse the pain and suffering you or a loved one have encountered. But financial compensation can lessen the weight of healthcare costs and lost wages. Our car accident lawyers can assure you that your attention and your thoughts are fully with your loved one and not with banks, insurance companies, and debt collectors.
Don’t try to go it alone without a car accident lawyer when seeking financial compensation and dealing with insurance companies. Insurance companies are motivated by profits and are interested in doling out settlements and payments that are usually low and unfavorable to you.
As the #1 San Diego car accident attorney, we will help you better fight for your rights and maximize the amount of money you gain from your settlements and claims. In doing so, our lawyers ensure that your family does not spiral into bankruptcy as a result of the tragedy.
In many cases, even when you or your family member is not the party at fault, the insurance company will not pay all the costs of the disaster. You will need a lawyer to help you hold the insurance company and the other party in the car accident accountable. We will help you file claims for the costs of property damage, medical costs, lost wages, and psychological pain to the full extent of the law. On your behalf, a lawyer from our office will deal with insurance companies that stall or delay claims and settlements. We will help you fight insurance companies should they deny a claim or argue that the other party was not at fault or that you were partially negligent. We will also represent you when the negligent party does not have insurance.
The amount of settlement that you may receive will depend on the severity of your injuries and the relative fault of the parties involved in the accident. California follows the pure comparative fault rule for recovering damages, which means that if you have a portion of the blame for the accident, another party who is also at fault may recover against you, but this recovery would be discounted by that party’s percentage of fault for the accident.
The categories of damages for which an accident victim may recover include:
- Reimbursement for medical bills
- Loss of wages and future earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Wrongful death damages
The driver seeking to recover damages in an accident must prove the liability of the driver at fault and provide evidence to support the damages demanded. This is why it is so important that you retain all documents related to any injuries that you sustain from a car accident.
If you are offered a settlement amount from another driver’s auto insurance company, you must consider the offer carefully before accepting. Payment of the settlement amount will require you to sign a release, which means that you cannot seek any additional recovery from the party involved down the line. Your attorney should review all documents before you sign anything because you could give up your right to recover the full amount entitled to if you sign a release too soon.
Hire a San Diego Car Accident Lawyer Today
Our experienced car accident attorneys at San Diego Personal Injury Attorneys will get you the compensation you deserve. By hiring us, we will be sure to communicate appropriately with your insurance company, the other party's insurance company, and even the other attorney if the other party has one. We will aggressively fight for you! For a free consultation call us (619) 752-2217
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