Alhambra Car Accident Lawyer

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, your health and safety should always come first. Get medical help as soon as you can, even if you don’t feel hurt. Sometimes injuries don’t show up right away. It’s important to diagnose and treat these problems as early as you can. It leads to better health outcomes, and helps you link your injuries to the crash in your medical records. Otherwise, it’s much easier for the insurance company to argue that you aren’t really hurt as bad as you say.

Take pictures of any damage, your injuries, and the accident scene. Get the names and contact info of the other drivers and any eyewitnesses. Call the police to report the accident, and be sure to get a copy of the police report.

If you hire us, our attorney can help you gather this information, too.

It’s a good idea to talk to an attorney after an accident. We can guide you through the legal process and work for your best interests. Unlike insurance company adjusters, who are usually looking to save their company as much money as possible, our firm will fight for your best interests every step of the way.

Additionally, some injuries feel worse days after an accident. If you settle too soon, you might not get enough to cover all your medical costs.

Finally, understand that by taking action against the people responsible for your crash, you’re helping your community—not just yourself. When drivers are careless and hurt others, society pays the price. Families, communities, and businesses are all negatively affected. The best way to promote a more careful society, and protect the freedom and prosperity we enjoy, is by holding careless people accountable for their actions.

If you’ve been hurt in an auto accident that wasn’t your fault, you can ask for damages.

In theory, damages are meant to “balance the scales” after a crash. The amount of money you can recover should “equal out” to what’s been taken from you.

This includes compensation for your actual expenses (like medical bills and lost wages), but also for non-economic damage to your quality of life.

Examples of car accident damages include:

• Property damage, including the cost of car replacements and repairs.
• Past and future medical bills resulting from your car accident injuries, such as medications, physical therapy, surgery, medical equipment, etc.
• Cost of household services, such as childcare or housekeeping, if you can no longer perform these tasks yourself.
• Past and future lost wages from missing work, as well as lost future earning potential if you can only work part time, have to change jobs, or miss out on expected career advancement.
• Physical pain and suffering.
• Mental and emotional trauma.
• Disfigurement.

However, getting full compensation for all your damages can be challenging. There are many obstacles that can get in the way. For example:

• Amount of insurance coverage. California only requires drivers to carry a minimum of $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident in liability coverage for personal injury. These are some of the smallest minimums in the United States. If your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses are greater than amount of liability coverage the at-fault driver has, you probably won’t be able to get more from them. This is why we recommend drivers purchase as much uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage from their own auto insurance company as they can realistically afford.
• You share part of the fault (or fault is unclear). California is a pure comparative negligence state. That means if you are partly to blame for your car accident, your damages would be reduced by your share of fault. For example, if you are found to be 10% at fault for the accident, your damages will also be reduced by 10%.

Estimating how much a case is worth can be complicated and time-consuming. It is best handled by an experienced Alhambra personal injury attorney.

Crashes happen for many reasons. Sometimes faulty car parts contribute to the crash, and the manufacturer can be held responsible. Or, if poorly maintained roads are to blame, you might have a claim against a government entity.

However, the vast majority of crashes are the result of preventable driver mistakes. Common causes of car accidents include:

• Distracted driving: Distractions include anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind out of focus. Cell phone use is one of the most dangerous examples of distracted driving, since it does all three.
• Speeding: Speeding reduces a driver’s response time. They have less time to brake for a road hazard or slowed traffic. They are also more likely to lose control of their vehicles, particularly while making turns.
• Drunk driving: Alcohol impairs a driver’s judgment and coordination. Intoxicated drivers are more likely to indulge in risky behaviors such as speeding, running red lights or stop signs, and making sudden lane changes without signaling.

In the State of California, you usually have up to two years after the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. This is known as the statute of limitations. If someone dies because of the accident, families have two years from the date of death, rather than the date of the incident.

However, we always recommend that you talk to a lawyer as soon as possible. Don’t wait until you get close to the deadline.

After a car accident, evidence can disappear quickly if you don’t preserve it. It will also take time to investigate the crash and prepare your case. And it may take weeks or months before your doctors have a clear idea of how much medical treatment you will need in the future.

Your lawyer can make sure you get the medical care you need. They can investigate the crash, talk to witnesses, and collect your medical records for you. They can handle negotiations with the insurance company so you don’t have to, and protect you from making preventable mistakes that could hurt your case.

The sooner you contact a personal injury lawyer, the more likely they can help you.

It costs nothing to work with the Lara Law Firm. Everyone can afford our services. The only thing that matters is whether you have a good case.

We start with a free initial case review. Our attorney will hear your side of the story and learn as much as they can about your case. We’ll review the information you provide, and help you determine if you have a valid case.

If you hire us, you won’t owe anything while we’re working on your case. We cover the court and case fees, too. If we win your case, our attorney fee will be a percentage of what we win. If we don’t win, you owe us nothing.

Even if we aren’t the right fit for your case, we’re still happy to give you our free, unbiased legal advice and recommendations during your consultation appointment. There’s no risk, and that knowledge can be extremely valuable.

Not necessarily. Most of our car accident claims settle before trial. Sometimes we don’t even have to file a lawsuit to negotiate a fair settlement.

However, it still can help you to hire an experienced lawyer who is prepared to take cases to trial. In some cases, that may be the only way to get fair compensation. And sometimes, just having a lawyer ready to go to court can encourage better settlement offers from insurance companies.

But ultimately, you are the one in control of your case. We will be your guide. We’ll explain your options, the risks, and whether we think an offer is fair. But you make the final decision. Our duty is to represent your interests to the best of our ability—not to do what’s best for us.