Car accidents are the most common incidents resulting in personal injury claims in California. Thousands of California driver victims suffer injuries and die in motor vehicle collisions every year. All car accidents are preventable with due care and attention to the road. If someone else caused your crash and you were injured as a result, you are entitled to compensation. Call our San Diego car accident lawyer for a free consultation.
What Does a Car Accident Claim Cover?
- Medical bills (past and future). This includes the cost of hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation, medications, medical devices, live-in care, any modifications you may need to make because of a permanent disability.
- Pain and suffering (past and future). This includes physical pain, emotional suffering, and mental anguish. There is no predetermined amount of money to compensate for personal injuries – if your lawyer and the insurance company cannot agree on an appropriate amount to compensate you, the amount is determined by a jury, or, in some cases, an arbitrator.
- Lost wages (past and future). Should you miss work and lose wages as a result of your injuries, you are entitled to recover your lost wages as part of your claim. You may also recover future lost wages if your injuries cause you to lose wages in the future.
Obviously, an aggressive, experienced lawyer can get more for your claim than an inexperienced law firm. Numerous studies show you will receive more money to compensate for your injuries (even after paying your lawyer) than if you represent yourself. Trust your case to an experienced personal injury with a track record for getting PROVEN RESULTS.
What Do I Do First?
Do Not Speak With Any Insurance Company, Especially Your Own
Most people have heard they have a duty to report an accident to their insurance company. This is true. What most people DON’T know is it’s perfectly okay – and much smarter- to have your attorney report the accident for you. Why? In many cases (for example, where the at-fault party has no insurance), your claim is made against your own insurance company (an ‘uninsured motorist claim”). In uninsured motorist claims, your own insurance company is now your adversary and is not on your side. Instead, in uninsured motorist cases, your own company does everything to lower the value of your claim so they can pay you little or nothing. Sad but true! And …. You usually do not know at the beginning of the claim if the other party has valid insurance (just because they have a valid insurance card does not mean they have valid coverage (for example, their coverage may have been canceled due to lack of payment, a situation that is all too common during Covid-19).
Call And Hire An Experienced San Diego Car Accident Lawyer
The best, safest thing to do for you and your family after an auto accident is to call and hire an experienced auto accident lawyer and follow his or her advice.
Follow Your Attorney’s Advice
Can’t stress this enough. Car accident law is a highly specialized area. Do not try to do this on your own!
Every Car Accident Is Different
Automobile accidents happen in a variety of ways under many different circumstances. Unique issues of negligence and liability apply to each accident type. And it is important to remember that EVERY CAR ACCIDENT IS DIFFERENT. Different types of car accidents:
- Rear-end collisions – a traffic accident wherein a vehicle crashes into the vehicle in front of it. Common factors that contribute to rear-end collisions are driver inattention or distraction, tailgating, panic stops, and reduced traction due to weather or worn pavement.
- Head-on accidents – where the front ends of two vehicles hit each other in opposite directions.
- Side-impact and T-bones – or broadside crash. These occur when a vehicle is struck in a side panel, typically by another car approaching from a sideways direction. These accidents can be extremely dangerous due to the lack of safety structures in the doors, and the proximity of the occupants’ bodies to the point of impact.
- Pedestrians hit by cars– can occur when pedestrians cross the road, even when they are within crosswalks. Important to note: If you, as a pedestrian, are hit by an uninsured motorist, you can make a claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage in your automobile insurance policy.
- Multiple vehicle accidents – involving many vehicles. Generally occurring on high-capacity and high-speed routes such as freeways, they are one of the deadliest forms of traffic accidents.
- Hit and runs or leaving the scene – the act of causing a traffic accident and failing to stop and identify oneself afterward. Important to note: If the at-fault driver leaves the scene and you don’t know their identity, you can bring a claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage in your automobile insurance policy.
- Parking lot accidents – usually occur in a non-residential or commercial parking lot.
- Minor collisions or fender benders – Important to note: Serious injuries often result from minor collisions.
- Semi-truck or 18 wheeler accidents– large commercial trucks that usually cause accidents occurring on the freeways or highways.
- DUI accidents – driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Drunk driving accidents often cause death or serious injury to the driver, passengers, or other motorists.
- Inclement weather car accidents – these are common in San Diego and throughout Southern California when it is raining and or foggy. California residents do not deal with rain very often so when it does rain there is usually an increase in traffic accidents.
- Inexperienced driver accidents – teenagers, and their lack of driving experience are commonly the cause of auto accidents in San Diego. Other causes can be intoxication (alcohol and or drugs) as well as distracted driving such as texting while driving.
Tragic Results Of Car Accidents
Car accident claims are the leading source of personal injury cases in the United States. Roughly half of all car accidents result in injury claims and a considerable number of those become lawsuits.
Colliding with the vehicle interior, frame, or being tossed out of the vehicle can result in severe head, neck, spine, and internal damages or death. Victims can be pinned inside the wreckage and bleed out while awaiting rescue. Damages can be severe and require extensive medical care, surgery, and rehabilitation – if a recovery is possible. All this creates a tremendous financial burden for the victim and their family. Typical damage claims for car accidents include:
- Physical injury repair
- Loss of limbs or paralysis
- Work loss or disability
- Medical and hospital bills
- Psychological trauma
- Rehabilitation therapy or surgery
- Pain and suffering
Unfortunately, many car accidents also end in death. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2016 California was the second-highest state in the country for car accident fatalities with 3,623.
Checklist: What To Do If You Are Involved In A Car Accident?
- Seek medical treatment. It is critical that you visit a doctor as soon as possible after your car accident. Even if you believe your injuries are minor, it is a good idea to seek treatment in the event that you begin to experience new or worsening symptoms over the days following your accident. Many people don’t realize they can get first-rate medical treatment immediately after an accident, even if they have no health insurance. We will arrange for the doctor to get paid after your case is resolved.
- Contact the police, even if the accident is minor. A police report may help you with your case. The police report will provide a summary of the way the accident occurred and will identify the parties and the witnesses.
- Obtain witnesses. Retain the contact information of anyone who witnessed the accident.
- Take photos of the accident scene. If you happen to have a camera in your vehicle, or a cell phone equipped with a camera, you should take pictures of the vehicles if there is visible damage. If you have visible injuries, you should photograph them as well. If you cannot take pictures at the scene of the accident, take them as soon as possible after the accident.
- Contact The Law Offices of Howard Kitay for a FREE CONSULTATION at (619) 442-0542.
- Do not speak with any insurance companies, even your own! Insurance companies will ask you for a recorded statement immediately after the accident. DON’T TALK TO THEM! Be smart, and call a lawyer first. Then, your lawyer can talk with the insurance companies for you. Your attorney will advise you regarding all issues affecting your claim. We can arrange a rental vehicle for you, often the same day. We will make sure your car is repaired or replaced, that you get the best medical treatment available, and make sure you are fully compensated for all your damages.
Do I Really Need A San Diego Car Accident Lawyer?
Yes. Insurance companies are in business to make money, not pay claims. Their interest is in their bottom lines, not in helping you. That is why you need someone protecting you and making sure you don’t get taken advantage of. We handle all the paperwork and legal issues and work to get your case settled quickly so you can get back to your normal life.
Our experienced San Diego car accident lawyer has helped car accident victims with injuries ranging from minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises to more severe, catastrophic injuries. We investigate cases and consult with highly qualified medical, engineering and accident reconstruction specialists.
You may be able to recover compensation if you have suffered any of these damages:
- Impairment
- Disfigurement
- Lost wages (past and future income)
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
- Medical expenses
- Vehicle repair costs
Can I Afford A San Diego Car Accident Lawyer?
YES. At the Law Offices of Howard Kitay, there is never a fee until we win your case. We advance all costs of litigation. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing. We have represented thousands of clients throughout San Diego County for over thirty-five years.
Call today for a FREE CASE EVALUATION. (619) 442-0542