Unfortunately, injuries from a motor vehicle accident can be catastrophic. Serious and disabling injuries affect not only the injured person but also their family members. If you have been in a car accident and were injured, you likely have questions or concerns about making sure you do the right things to preserve the value of your injury claim. The legal team at Nadrich & Cohen can assist you by providing a free consultation, assessing the strength of your case and advising you of your legal options.
Our California car accident attorneys handle all types of motor vehicle accident claims, including diffuse axonal injury, hit-and-run accidents, backovers, rollovers, trucking accidents, golf cart accidents and more.
What should you do after a car accident?
If you are injured in a car accident or truck accident, you can easily be overwhelmed by everything that you will have to deal with. The California law firm of Nadrich & Cohen have successfully represented thousands of auto accident victims throughout the state.
Keep in mind a few basic steps as you move forward through the aftermath of the auto accident. Always take care of yourself first. Make sure and take the following steps, listed below:
- Get medical attention
- Take pictures of your injuries
- Make sure pictures are taken of the vehicle damage
- Contact an experienced car accident lawyer
You need to keep these points in mind. There are very good reasons for each one of them. The reasons for these steps lie in the fact that the consequences of accidents can lead to adversarial proceedings: matters become divided between “your side” and “their side“. Anyone from “their side” is not your friend, whether it is the other driver, his or her lawyers, or the insurance company representing the other driver.
Medical attention
When you have been the victim of an accident involving a car or truck, the most important thing to do is to take care of your physical injuries. It is also important that you always follow the directions of your doctor from that point. Do not try to “rush” your recovery. If the doctor tells you to refrain from certain types of activity, do not attempt them. In addition to making your injury worse, this may harm the car accident lawyer’s ability to assist you.
Document your injuries
If you have the opportunity, take photographs of your injuries resulting from your auto accident or truck accident. Use the camera on your cell phone or tablet or any other means, if you can. Equally important for you is that you keep track of all documents for your treatment. The reports of emergency personnel and doctors will be an important component of your case. Be sure to have all continuing instructions from your doctor at hand. If there are any changes in your treatment, add those documents to your file and also be sure to inform your car accident attorney of these facts.
Document vehicle damage
If possible, take photographs of your auto or truck at the site of the accident. Take multiple photos, from several different angles, so the full nature of the vehicle damage can be seen. If it is not possible to do this at the scene of the accident, do it as soon as possible afterward, and before any work is done on the vehicle. Keep all the documents for the repairs together: estimates, invoices, service orders, any paperwork connected with the incident. These also are documents that you should copy and give to your personal injury attorney.
Contact A Car Accident Attorney
After you’ve completed the above items, now it’s time to contact an injury attorney. An experienced injury lawyer can advise you of next steps, and will be able to handle all communication with the opposing insurance companies and attorneys
Do I need to hire a lawyer to handle my auto accident claim?
In the case of any serious auto accident or truck accident that involves personal injury, your wisest course of action is to seek the help of personal injury lawyers. These professionals will keep a clear head in dealing with all aspects of the aftermath of the accident. The service the lawyers provide protects you from mistakes that can be made because you are dealing with the stresses of the event. Your car accident attorney will advise you of the specific steps you will need to take in dealing with an accident and insurance claim.
Let an auto accident attorney deal with the case
The most important thing for you to remember when pursuing a personal injury claim is that anything you say in public can become a “matter of record.” Comments you make on social media sites (such as Facebook) can be used against you. Talking to your friends about matters can be used against you. Even though it is part of human nature to want to talk about things that happen to you, remember that discussing such matters can negatively impact your injury claim. If any insurance company attempts to speak with you about the accident, tell them to speak to your lawyer. If the insurance company representing the other party contacts you with an offer, do not comment on it one way or another, but rather tell them to approach your attorney.
When injured in an auto accident or truck accident, securing the services of a good California accident attorney will provide you with peace of mind in a time of trouble. Your car accident lawyer will work to get the best results for you. Don’t hesitate to get an advocate who will fight for you, as any delay can also compromise the value of your injury case.
Should I get an attorney for a car accident?
It depends. If you have not been injured in an accident, you should be able to settle the property damage claim on your own. However, if you are injured in an accident it’s a good idea to speak with a personal injury lawyer to learn more about your legal options. Studies have shown that injury victims receive on average a car accident settlement amount that is 3x – 5x larger if they are represented by a lawyer.
Injury victims receive more if they’re represented by a lawyer because insurance companies don’t have a reason to pay them what they deserve if they don’t have a lawyer. An injury victim’s only recourse when an insurance company refuses to pay them what they deserve is to file a lawsuit over it. Insurance companies know you can’t win a lawsuit against them if you don’t have a lawyer, so they won’t offer you what you deserve for your injuries if you don’t have a lawyer.
It is common for insurance companies to suddenly offer fair compensation to injury victims as soon as they hire experienced lawyers with a track record of success like Nadrich & Cohen. This is because the insurance companies know that if they don’t, they’ll be forced to pay out that money in court anyways, in addition to expensive legal fees.
What are the fees for a car accident lawyer?
First, there is no upfront fee for our injury lawyers to represent you. Our attorneys don’t collect a fee until and unless a recovery is made. If a recovery is made, our fee is a percentage of the personal injury settlement amount.
What is included in a free legal consultation?
During a free legal consultation, one of our personal injury attorneys will ask you questions about your car accident and your injuries. They will evaluate your case to determine if we can assist you and to advise you of your legal options.
How much is my car accident case worth?
What type of compensation am I entitled to receive?
An individual injured in an automobile accident may bring a car accident claim or lawsuit to recover the actual expenses associated with property damage and medical costs, economic damages, and emotional and physical pain and suffering. Litigation involving motor vehicle accidents can sometimes be extremely complicated. Retaining a car accident injury lawyer at Nadrich & Cohen will ensure that you receive the best possible recovery for your car accident injuries and damages.
Don’t settle for less than you deserve, contact us first for a free consultation by using the live chat feature or calling us today.
Damages
In cases involving car accidents, as in all negligence cases, the injured party may recover damages for physical pain and suffering, mental pain and suffering, medical and rehabilitative expenses, past and future lost income, permanent impairment, and permanent disfigurement. Typical damages include future medical bills that are reasonably certain, loss of enjoyment of life, and physical property damage. A previous injury does not necessarily affect the right to recover compensation. The injured party may still recover damages for re-injuring or aggravating the earlier injury. In order to document the damages, a person injured in an accident should keep a daily diary describing how the injury affects him or her and if appropriate, his or her immediate family.
Family members’ damages
The spouse of the accident victim may also be able to recover compensation for damage to or loss of the marital relationship. Both the husband and wife usually bring the claim, which is known as “loss of consortium.” Loss of consortium refers to any negative effect on the marital relationship caused by an accident, and includes loss of the spouse’s love, companionship, comfort, affection, solace, moral support, sexual relations, ability to have children, and physical assistance in the operating and maintaining a home. Loss of consortium can be either temporary or permanent.
Dealing with the insurance company after an accident
Typically, the insurance company will compensate the victim for their damages. If the other driver has insufficient insurance or is not insured at all, the victim may be entitled to compensation from their own insurance company under an uninsured or underinsured motorist provision. Also, other insurance policies, such as the policies of other family members or employers, may provide benefits to the injured person. We have obtained insurance coverage for many clients in these circumstances. Even if the injured person was partially at fault, the law might permit recovery.
Different insurance coverage is frequently required and available for rideshare drivers for Uber or Lyft. Nadrich & Cohen also handles Uber & Lyft accident claims on behalf of drivers and passengers.
Contact our team of experienced California car accident lawyers today by calling us today.
Additional Factors Affecting Accident Claim Value
- Who is at fault
- How easily the other party’s fault can be established
- Type and seriousness of the injuries
- Amount of insurance coverage available
- How the accident happened
- Extent of vehicle damage
- Whether the injuries are permanent or involve significant scarring
- Amount of your past and expected future medical bills
- Effect of the accident on your income
Remember, every personal injury case is different.
How long do I have to file a claim?
A personal injury claim filed with an insurance company is toothless unless the threat of filing a personal injury lawsuit over a lowball offer from the insurance company still exists.
Personal injury victims have two years to file a lawsuit from the date of their injury in California. This time limit is known as a statute of limitations.
Failure to file a lawsuit within this time frame bars injury victims from filing a lawsuit in order to recover compensation for their injuries. Insurance companies won’t offer injury victims who are unable to file a lawsuit what they deserve for their injuries.
Personal injury claims can be very complex and it can take quite a while to gather the evidence necessary to build a convincing case. Thus, it’s important that you contact Nadrich & Cohen today if you’ve been injured in an accident so we have as much as possible to build a convincing case and, if necessary, file a lawsuit on your behalf before the statute of limitations expires.
California car accident attorney
The legal team at Nadrich & Cohen has seen it all. Contact us today for a free consultation to see if you have a case. Let an auto accident lawyer at Nadrich & Cohen deal with the insurance adjusters so that you can focus on recovering from your injuries.
