Have you been injured in a car wreck in California? Los Angeles personal injury attorney David Woolf is here to fight for the biggest settlement possible in your case.
Below David answers all of your frequently-asked-questions:
- 1. I was just in a car crash – what do I do?
- 2. Can I still sue if I was partly at fault?
- 3. How much money can I get?
- 4. Whom else can I sue besides the other driver?
- 5. Do I really need an attorney?
1. I was just in a car crash – what do I do?
If you were just in an automobile collision, follow these ten steps:
- Do not admit fault to anyone, and do not say you are uninjured.
- Stay at the scene, or if necessary move to a safe area close by.
- Call for medical help if there are injuries.
- Exchange contact information with the other drivers and witnesses (or leave your contact info if the other vehicle or property is unoccupied).
- Record the information about the other vehicles involved in the accident.
- Write down everything that happened, including the weather, your injuries, and any other details.
- Take photos and video of the accident scene.
- Report the accident to the DMV if anyone was injured or if there was more than $1,000 in property damage.
- Report the accident to your insurer.
- Hire a personal injury attorney.
2. Can I still sue if I was partly at fault?
Yes. Under California’s comparative fault laws, accident victims may still have a viable legal claim even if they were not blameless. But the important thing is never presume you were partly at fault. Car crashes are traumatic experiences, and victims may be too quick to blame themselves for being involved.
A good personal injury attorney will conduct a thorough investigation of the incident – possibly with accident reconstruction experts – to unearth the real story. Perhaps the other party is more at fault than you think.
3. How much money can I get?
A good personal injury lawyer will fight for the most money available to compensate victims for all their:
- Doctor’s bills and medical expenses,
- Car and property repair bills,
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity, and
- Pain and suffering
Even a relatively minor crash can yield a big monetary reward. An accident attorney will play every card possible to maximize the settlement.
4. Whom else can I sue besides the other driver?
Depending on the case, car crash plaintiffs may also be able to file a claim against:
- The other driver’s employer, if the driver was on-duty
- The manufacturer of the vehicles, if they were defective
- The last mechanics to work on the vehicles, if they may have caused a defect
- The local government, if poor road maintenance or signage contributed to the crash
A personal injury attorney will bring lawsuits against all the responsible parties with the deepest pockets in attempt to win as much money damages as possible.
5. Do I really need an attorney?
It is highly encouraged for crash victims to retain legal counsel for three reasons:
- Fighting a lawsuit takes time, energy, and legal training. People who have been injured in a car crash need to concentrate on healing and moving on with their lives, not on haggling with insurance adjusters who are paid by the hour to ensure victims get little-to-no payout. A personal injury lawyer can handle the dirty work while the the accident victim can focus on getting better.
- Insurance companies always try to intimidate vulnerable, injured accident victims into accepting low-ball offers, if anything at all. But personal injury attorneys know how to fight back against Big Insurance and demand the full amount allowed under the policy. In practice, victims represented by counsel tend to recover more money than they would if they did not have an attorney advocating for them.
- No reputable accident attorney charges a dime unless the case is won. That way, the lawsuit is risk-free to the victim. And by operating on a contingency fee basis, personal injury attorneys are motivated to go after as much money as possible. After all, they do not get paid unless their client gets paid.
