If you were injured in a car crash that wasn’t your fault, you may be eligible for compensation. The last thing you want to do while getting treatment for your injuries is to worry about filing an insurance claim or a lawsuit. At the same time, though, the medical bills are piling up and causing extra stress just when you don’t need it.
The Fontana personal injury attorneys of OnderLaw are standing by to guide you through this challenging time as you navigate the claims process. Our experienced car accident attorneys can fight for you to make sure that you obtain the full and fair compensation you deserve for your injuries. Call us now for a free consultation, and let us get to work for you.
Although it’s entirely possible to file a claim for compensation with the at-fault party’s insurance company on your own, it may cost you dearly if you do so. First, the insurance company will call you to take a statement about your accident. The adjuster will sound friendly and concerned about your state of affairs, but what they’re really doing is trying to get you to say something they can use to reduce the value of your claim. They know exactly how to make the claims process work in their favor to reduce their liability and to ultimately minimize the compensation that you rightfully deserve.
Next, they will see that you’re unrepresented, and they will be all too happy to rush in with a speedy settlement offer before you can hire a lawyer to stand up for your rights. You might be tempted to accept it, what with all the bills coming steadily in the door, thinking it’s an appropriate settlement amount.
If you had engaged an attorney, the attorney would handle all communications with the insurance company for you, so you could avoid any accidental self-incrimination. They would advise you that the first offer is never sufficient and that the insurance company is looking after their bottom line and hoping they can get away with a skimpy settlement because you don’t know any better.
When you have an attorney on your side, the insurance company knows you mean business. They realize they can’t use any of their tactics to reduce your settlement, and that if they don’t negotiate in good faith, they could end up in court. Yes, they have loads of attorneys on their side and experts they can call as witnesses, but all that costs money. If you have a lawyer and take them to court, their costs could end up being more than what the settlement was worth.
OnderLaw will lift the burden of handling your claim from your shoulders so you can focus on healing. We know the claims process for obtaining compensation for car accident victims intimately from our many prior successful cases. We will gather all the details and pieces of evidence that are critical. Our goal is to negotiate the settlement that you are entitled to, as we have for many prior clients. If negotiations break down and the case goes to court, OnderLaw will build a compelling case to get you the compensation you deserve.
Car accidents happen all the time. The types of accidents we see most frequently are:
Car accidents are caused by many different events and circumstances. Typical causes include:
Car accidents can cause many types of injuries, ranging from minor to traumatic. These may require lengthy medical care and rehabilitation, including surgery and physical therapy. They may also cause permanent disability and the need for continual care by a doctor or assisted living. Common injuries suffered in car accidents include:
Besides the initial injury itself, the accident may also cause permanent disability or chronic pain. These can affect a person for the rest of their life, including impacting their ability to keep a job. OnderLaw will be there to help you navigate these challenges as you recover from the accident and work to obtain the money you need to get back to living your life.
The responsible party is the person who acts negligently and causes the car accident. Negligence means failing to act safely or to cause harm to another person. In California, everyone is responsible not to harm others by their actions. To obtain compensation from the at-fault driver in court, you’ll need to be able to prove, with evidence, that the driver did something that caused the accident. You’ll have to prove that you were injured in that accident and that you actually suffered losses as a result of the crash.
Proving negligence is often complex and involves obtaining critical evidence such as police reports, photographs, medical records, eyewitness reports, any available video, and evidence from the scene of the crash. Your attorney will use these to clearly lay out who is at fault and responsible for your losses.
Your car accident attorney will be your advocate to make sure you receive the full amount of compensation to which you are entitled. This may include economic and noneconomic compensation, also called damages. You may be eligible for damages to cover expenses incurred, financial losses, and pain and suffering. Damages that may be available in your case may include:
An additional type of compensation is exemplary damages. An award of this type can only be made by a judge or jury and is intended as punishment for the at-fault driver, one that will prevent them from engaging in the same behavior again. Ask your lawyer whether exemplary damages may be available in your case.
In July 2021, there were 196 traffic accidents in Fontana, of which 34 involved injury. This total count is down three percent from July 2020, when there were 202 traffic accidents in Fontana. Of those 202 accidents, 44 involved injuries.
In the State of California, from the beginning of the pandemic until the first week of September 2021, there were about 80,000 total crashes on state highways. Of these, just over 10,000 caused fatality or severe injury. This was a decrease from the time prior to the pandemic, which may be accounted for by considering the decrease in vehicle miles traveled after California’s ”stay home” order began in March 2020.
If you have been injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, now is the time to call. We will answer your questions and put your mind at ease as we walk you through the process and let you know what to expect. You don’t have to worry or suffer through this time alone. OnderLaw will guide you through this difficult process and make sure you are taken care of each step of the way. Don’t wait. Call today.
