Car accidents, unfortunately, are now a regular part of life in the United States. California and Riverside are certainly no exception. Almost daily, the media present us with reports of auto accidents resulting in injuries or fatalities. However, serious car accidents are relatively uncommon, considering all the time drivers spend on the road. The California FY2020 Highway Safety Plan Annual Report notes that national traffic fatalities decreased by 2.4 percent from 2018 to 2019, and California’s decrease was over twice as great at 5.1 percent. The report points out that the national trend over the past 40 years has been toward lower death rates.

To anyone unlucky enough to have been injured in an accident, though, encouraging data about car crashes is cold comfort. Injuries can be painful, expensive, and inconvenient, and even if no injuries occur, any car accident will disrupt daily life. Any amount of vehicle damage will likely be costly and time-consuming. And for accident victims who suffer serious injury, especially when someone else causes the crash, regular life can suddenly turn into a long, painful, and expensive nightmare.

If you’ve been injured by another person’s negligence, you should not have to choose between recovering your health and pursuing justice. You’ll need the Riverside personal injury attorneys of OnderLaw to take on the responsibilities of getting you the compensation you deserve.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer? Why Choose OnderLaw ?

In California, pursuing a car accident injury claim can quickly become complex. Sorting out the wide range of factors that contributed to the accident—plus dealing with law enforcement, witnesses, and multiple insurance providers—requires the services of an expert lawyer with a track record of success in car accident cases. A good attorney can clearly establish fault and often negotiate a fair settlement relatively early on. And if the case must go to court, it’s best to have an established relationship with a skilled lawyer who already knows you and the nuances of your case.

The legal team at OnderLaw will support you with their extensive experience and take a lot of the necessary detail work off your plate. More importantly, we’ll craft a case that will bring about the best possible outcome for you. You should make sure to hire an attorney before discussing the accident with another party’s insurer. OnderLaw will take point on all communications regarding the crash to ensure that you don’t accidentally compromise your position.

Your OnderLaw attorney will advise you with our knowledgeable guidance every step of the way and remain focused on keeping your stress levels at a minimum. Your job is to heal from your injuries and get back to normal life. Our job—besides securing the maximum compensation you’re entitled to—is to relieve you of the responsibilities and worries that come with the claims process.

Types of Car Accidents

There are obviously many kinds of automobile accidents, and the range of injuries and damage they can inflict is broad and varied. Here are the types of car accidents that we most commonly handle at OnderLaw .

  • Single-vehicle crashes
  • Rear-end collisions
  • T-bone collisions
  • Sideswipe accidents
  • Head-on collisions
  • Rollover accidents
  • Multiple-vehicle collisions
  • Wrong-way accidents

Causes of Car Accidents

While car accidents can have many causes, if your accident was someone else’s fault, you will likely be eligible to receive compensation. Below are some of the most common causes of accidents involving negligence.

  • Excessive speed
  • Driving while intoxicated (DWI)
  • Driving under the influence of legal or illegal drugs (DUI)
  • Drowsy driving
  • Distracted driving
  • Aggressive driving
  • Unsafe passing or lane changes
  • Failure to yield right-of-way
  • Ignoring traffic laws, signs, or signals
  • Wrong-way driving
  • Unsafe backing
  • Obstruction in the roadway
  • Improperly maintained roadway
  • Mechanical failure

Common Injuries in Car Accidents

Injuries from car accidents are unpredictable. While a major crash often results in major injuries, seemingly minor collisions can sometimes require hospitalization or other expensive medical treatment. Listing all of the possible injuries in car accidents is close to impossible, but here are some that are more typical than others.

  • Whiplash and other neck injuries
  • Broken arms, broken legs
  • Other fractures
  • Traumatic brain injuries (TMIs)
  • Other head injuries
  • Burns
  • Cuts, bruises, lacerations, and scrapes
  • Injuries to limbs, hands, or feet
  • Knee injuries
  • Shoulder injuries
  • Back injuries
  • Paralysis
  • Amputation
  • Brain damage
  • Death

Who Is Responsible?

Depending on accident type and the number of drivers involved, assigning fault in a car crash can range from fairly simple to very complicated. When you’re involved in a two-car accident, identifying who is legally responsible can often be straightforward since there are only two drivers. In multi-car accidents, though, the process becomes more complex as the number of drivers involved in the crash increases. There are more witness and driver statements to consider, more insurance representatives to deal with. But no matter the number of drivers and vehicles, having a good attorney who knows what needs to be done will save you time, effort, and worry.

Once they know which driver is at fault, your legal team will first seek to recover damages from that person’s insurance company. If the driver does not have insurance coverage, or if their coverage is insufficient, your own insurance company may pay damages if you’ve purchased uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage. UM/UIM insurance covers you when the at-fault party has no car insurance or not enough to pay for the damages you’ve suffered.

Sometimes an accident is not caused by another driver but by other conditions for which another party may be liable. Examples include improperly maintained roads, an obstruction or debris in the roadway, and mechanical malfunctions due to inadequate car repairs or faulty parts. In such cases, any of several parties may be liable for damages, including delivery or trucking firms, auto mechanics, auto parts manufacturers, and sometimes government entities.

Determining fault and knowing who to seek damages from can be challenging, even in apparently simple cases. Experienced, qualified car accident lawyers know how to go about determining fault and beginning the process of obtaining the highest possible compensation for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.

Compensation for a Car Accident Claim

The amount of compensation you may receive depends on how well you can demonstrate how much money your injuries and losses, called damages, cost you. Some damages are easy to express in dollars while others are not. So there are two basic classes of damages—economic and non-economic.

Economic damages are those that can be expressed in a documented dollar amount. Gathering bills, work documents, and other records to calculate such damages can be a painstaking process, but an experienced lawyer knows where to find them and how to use them to arrive at an accurate and fair figure to present for compensation. There are generally four kinds of economic damages, as follows.

  • Medical expenses (such as doctor and hospital bills, medications, medical equipment, physical therapy)
  • Lost wages due to missed work
  • Diminished earning capacity
  • Property damage

 

Non-economic damages, such as those listed below, reflect non-monetary losses that are more difficult to quantify. The following list gives some examples of non-economic damages as expressed in California law.

  • Pain
  • Suffering
  • Mental suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Inconvenience
  • Injury to reputation
  • Loss of society and companionship
  • Loss of consortium

 

California courts will occasionally decide to award exemplary damages, more commonly known as punitive damages. Added on top of the initial award amount, exemplary damages exact additional payment in cases where the defendant has acted with malicious, oppressive, reckless, or fraudulent intent when they inflicted damages on the plaintiff. While your case won’t always end up in court, and while exemplary damage awards are rare, they remain a possibility when the defendant’s intentions were clearly heinous.

Your OnderLaw lawyer will explain in detail the complexities of compensation, explore your options with you, and work to secure the highest amount of compensation possible for you.

Riverside and California Accident Statistics

According to the California Highway Patrol’s 2017 Annual Report, there were 193,564 injury crashes and 3,582 fatal crashes statewide, resulting in 277,160 injuries and 3,904 deaths.

In 2018, the city of Riverside recorded a total of 1,989 injuries and deaths in car crashes, while Riverside County recorded 15,359.

The Mileage Death Rate (MDR) indicates the number of fatalities per 100 million miles driven. In 2019, California’s MDR was 1.06.

In 2017, a Californian was injured in a car crash every 1 minute and 53 seconds.

Also in 2017, speed was the primary cause of 32 percent of all fatal and injury accidents in California. 

Call OnderLaw Today

Nearly two decades ago, we began helping personal injury victims in Riverside, throughout California, and beyond. Countless successful cases and $3 billion in settlements and awards later, we’ve established our reputation as an extremely effective, deeply experienced, and compassionate legal team. Our success has always been built on our firm belief in putting people first. We understand not only the law but also what it’s like to suffer injury or losses due to someone else’s negligence. Call us now for a free consultation. Our Riverside attorneys are ready to go to work for you today.