Anyone who lives in or ever visited Los Angeles knows that traffic is a way of life here. The overwhelming number of cars on our roads inevitably leads to not only traffic jams but accidents. Recovering from motor vehicle crashes often requires more than brief medical attention and car repairs. In many instances, the wrongs sustained are long-term and affect us emotionally and financially.
Miracle Mile car accident lawyers may help crash survivors reclaim all aspects of their lives. To learn more, be sure to get in touch with a dedicated injury attorney today.
Auto collisions can cause a range of injuries from bruises and minor lacerations to permanent conditions and infirmities, but even harm that seems minor may warrant restitution. Common injuries include:
Some injuries are not apparent at the time of the accident, so drivers and passengers should seek medical evaluations soon after the crash. Those who wait to see a doctor could jeopardize their health and undermine their claims for damages. If time passes between the accident and identifying an injury, defendants may argue that some intervening event, not the accident, caused the harm. Consulting with an experienced car wreck attorney may help injured individuals defend against such assertions and assess their claims’ full value.
Although any single or combination of factors can cause a motor vehicle crash, data shows that the following reasons frequently cause such situations:
In addition to incurring civil liability (being responsible for damages), some of these behaviors will bring criminal charges. For example, California Vehicle Code § 23103 imposes possible jail time and hefty fines on motorists charged with reckless driving. Similarly, drivers who focus on their phones rather than the road may owe fines under Cal. Veh. Code § 23123(b). Lawyers who regularly represent those wounded in auto accidents may use these behaviors and violations of the law to demonstrate the defendant’s part in causing the incident.
Determining who is responsible for the accident and to what degree significantly impact an injured party’s recovery because California applies pure comparative negligence. Under this theory, every participant in a wreck is responsible for their actions, and the court will allocate damages awards according to each party’s percentage of the blame. In other words, if the defendant is 45 percent at fault for the accident because he was texting, but the plaintiff is 55 percent responsible because she ran a stop sign, the plaintiff may recoup only 45 percent of the total damages awarded.
Injured drivers may find their damages awards further reduced by California Civil Code § 3333.4. This statute bars recovery for non-economic harm, such as pain and suffering, if the driver does not carry adequate auto insurance or was convicted under Cal. Veh. Code §§ 21152 and 23153 for driving while intoxicated.
Attorneys familiar with auto accident cases may assist an injured person in presenting their case in a way that minimizes their role in the wreck and maximizes their recovery.
You may think that recovering damages for your recent car accident will be straightforward, but the defendants in your case will likely have other ideas. They may have well-trained attorneys representing them, and so can you. Although our Miracle Mile car accident lawyers see these kinds of cases every day, they treat each injury victim with the respect and attention they deserve. Call us today to put a plan in place and achieve the best results for you.
Benji Personal Injury – Accident Attorneys, A.P.C.