Car accidents are an extremely common occurrence here in California. Every year, hundreds of thousands car crashes occur around the state. And when a city is notorious for its heavy traffic, like Los Angeles is, numerous car accidents happen every single day.
Nobody ever leaves home planning to get into a car accident, so when they do, they often feel extremely startled and unsure of what they need to do next. Even accidents that only involve property damage can be extremely upsetting and can involve plenty of paperwork. One of the most common questions people have after an accident is about whether or not they need to contact a lawyer.
Having a car accident lawyer on your side can make a big difference on the outcome of your case. But not all types of car accidents need a lawyer to resolve. So if you’ve been in a car accident, when is it important to contact a lawyer?
The Accident Caused Injuries or Death
Injuries and fatalities make any car accident case more complicated to deal with and a lawyer will help you through the process. Not only are there initial expenses to deal with, like medical bills and lost income, it’s also important to make sure all long-term needs are met. For example, a particularly severe injury might require ongoing medical treatment or alterations might need to be made to a home to accommodate a wheelchair. Injured accident victims may also be entitled to non-economic damages like pain and suffering. The family of someone killed in a fatal car accident might be able to make a wrongful death claim. Regardless of which types of damages you would be entitled to for your injuries, a lawyer will be able to make sure your case is handled appropriately.
Fault is Disputed
In some car accident cases, there are arguments over who was responsible for the crash. If this happens to you, it’s very important to get help from a lawyer. California has comparative negligence laws, which means that liability can be split between two parties depending on who was most at fault. For instance, if a court finds that two parties were equally responsible for a car crash, each party would only be entitled to collect half of their total damages. In a situation like this, a lawyer will be able to help protect you from unjustly being blamed for things that you shouldn’t be.
The Police Report Isn’t Accurate
Police reports play an important role in many different types of accident cases. But if a police report doesn’t accurately represent the facts of an incident, it can cause a lot of complications for your case. Insurance companies rely on police reports when evaluating claims for damages, so an inaccurate police report can lead to accident victims having their claims denied.
The Insurance Company is Uncooperative
One important thing to remember about insurance companies is that they have a vested interest in paying out as little as possible. If you talk to an insurance adjuster after an accident, they might seem sympathetic and concerned. But ultimately, they will look for any reason, no matter how small, to try getting out of paying claims. A lawyer can deal with insurance adjusters on your behalf and work to help get your claim paid if they’re reluctant to pay out.
The Crash Occurred in a Protected Zone
Drivers always have a responsibility to exercise care while they drive, but certain road zones require drivers to show extra caution. In places like school zones and construction zones, extra rules of the road are in place to help better protect children and construction workers.
If you think you need a car accident lawyer to help with your case, don’t hesitate to contact The Wallace Firm.
The sooner you can get in touch, the sooner our car accident lawyers can get to work on your case. Contact us today to get started.