Car Accident Attorneys

The Definition | The Numbers | The Causes | Types of Car Accidents | Car Accidents and the Law | The Steps to Take After Your Car Accident | When Should You Contact a Car Accident Attorney | Why You Need a Car Accident Attorney | Why Should You Engage Hogan Injury for Your Car Accident Case | The Damages We Could Help You Recover | Reclaim Your Life with Hogan Injury

The Definition

Car Accidents (or Motor Vehicle Traffic Collisions) are unintended events that result in:

• Death
• Injury or,
• Property Damage

They involve:

• Motor vehicles – whether in motion or in readiness for motion, on
• A roadway used by the public for vehicular travel

The Numbers

According to the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) from the California Highway Patrol:

• In 2017, car accidents claimed 2,835 lives
• In 2017, car accidents injured 225,602 people
• The number of fatal accidents and the number of injury accidents in 2011 was 2,628 and 159,115 respectively

The Causes

Hundreds of auto accidents take place each year for several reasons. The most common of these include:

• Drivers not exercising due caution during rainy weather
• Severe weather conditions
• Driver fatigue especially for drivers suffering from disrupted sleep or those who drive commercially for their livelihood such as taxi and airport shuttle drivers
• Distractions e.g. cell phones, satellite radio etc.
• Drunk and reckless driving as well as driving too fast
• Defective equipment
• Drivers disregarding traffic signs and signals

Types of Car Accidents

The most common types of car accidents include:

• Head-on Collisions
• Distracted Driving Car Accidents
• Back Over Car Accidents
• Roll Over Car Accidents
• Chain Reaction Car Accidents
• Teen or Elderly Driver Car Accidents
• Fatal Car Accidents

Car Accidents and the Law

The Law of Negligence applies to claims arising from car accidents. According to the law, people driving cars must exercise reasonable care. Negligence denotes the failure of a person to exercise reasonable care while driving. Thus, negligent drivers would need to pay for damages occurring because of their negligence. The injured victims (or plaintiffs) must prove that the:

• Negligent party (or the defendant) is guilty
• Car accident occurred because of the defendant’s negligence and,
• The accident resulted in the injuries sustained by the plaintiff

The Steps to Take After Your Car Accident

Your initial steps following the accident could play a major role in determining the whether you receive fair compensation for your injuries. According to California law, you must check whether anyone has suffered any injuries in the collision. In case someone has sustained an injury, you need to contact the authorities and stay at the accident site.

Other steps you must take include:

• Collect contact details from other drivers involved as well as from any witnesses
• Take photos of the vehicles, the site of the collision and your injuries
• Draw a diagram of the accident site, in case you cannot take photos
• Note down everything you remember about the crash as soon as possible to avoid missing or forgetting significant details later
• Ensure that the police report carries your account of the incident
• Refrain from admitting fault for the crash either to the driver of the other car or to the authorities
• Seek medical attention at the earliest and document all your reports and injuries
• Consult a Car Accident Attorney in California

Note:

– Some symptoms could appear much later, therefore receiving immediate medical attention is crucial for a complete recovery within the shortest possible time frame.

– Maintain a detailed account of all the expenses you incur for treating injuries sustained from the accident. This would include:

• Medical bills
• Rental car expenses
• Time away from work and,
• Other miscellaneous expenses

When Should You Contact a Car Accident Attorney

In the immediate aftermath of a car accident, everything else moves to the backseat. However, if you – or someone you know – has been involved in a car accident, you need to act promptly. Delays in contacting a car accident attorney could turn favorable conditions into ambiguous ones, or worse, into hostile ones.

Delays in contacting your car accident attorney could result in:

• The loss of certain evidence, which would be difficult to obtain later
• The loss of witnesses, who could go out of reach and,
• Insurance companies taking advantage of your delay in contacting a car accident attorney

Why You Need a Car Accident Attorney

The foremost instinct that many victims of car accidents have is to handle their injury claim resolutions on their own. Thus, they decide against taking the help of any car accident attorney. And so, they end up negotiating directly with the representatives of the insurance companies. This is where things start going off the track.

When dealing with insurance company representatives, you might feel that it is a one-on-one negotiation. But is it, really? Actually, the reverse is true. An insurance company’s representative is only the tip of the iceberg – the part that you see. What you don’t see is the teams of lawyers, medical experts, accountants, therapists etc. working in the background. The representative merely speaks what they decide. In comparison, you – the victim, have no such backing. Thus, you’re already at a disadvantage from the outset.

Insurance companies are business entities. Their aim is to make a profit. Hence, direct negotiations with them could leave you shortchanged. Insurance companies usually:

• Promise to pay fair compensations
• Take recorded statements from claimants
• Get their medical representatives to examine the claimant’s injuries and circumstances of the accident

You might feel that this is a formality that they have to carry out before they pay you any compensation. However, what they’re actually doing is building their case against you.

Thus, they could offer you low settlements. Alternatively, they might give you a settlement that you feel is sufficient. However, it could really be inadequate based on the circumstances of your specific case.

Many car accident victims who have sustained injuries to the head often experience a wide range of symptoms which may not appear until some time has passed. The leading cause of head injuries in this country are car accidents. When a person sustains a head injury be it a concussion, skull fracture or traumatic brain injury (TBI) he or she may experience a wide range of symptoms including: persistent headaches, dizziness, loss of memory, vomiting, changes in personality, sleep problems, nausea, concentration problems, attention problems, irritability and depression. Head injured individuals can also be sensitive to light and sound, lack motivation, suffer from a loss of coordination, vision problems as well as emotional instability.

Some car accident victims suffer from seizure disorders due to brain damage they’ve sustained. A person diagnosed with a serious seizure disorder may face never working again or not being able to drive. He or she can spend the rest of their life undergoing a variety of costly treatments including surgeries in an attempt to lessen the frequency of the seizures or to limit their seriousness.

Anxiety after a car accident is also common. While many people only think military members who’ve seen combat suffer from anxiety disorders, the fact is that anyone can develop anxiety due to a traumatic event they’ve experienced such as a auto accident.

Because it is common for symptoms to make themselves known some time after an accident takes place, it’s essential that you seek legal assistance right away as doing so will help ensure you obtain the monetary compensation owed to you. If it is found that you have sustained a serious injury that is permanent, you may be facing years of medical treatment and rehabilitation which can cost a considerable amount of money.

Why Should You Engage Hogan Injury for Your Car Accident Case

At Hogan Injury, we specialize in dealing with cases involving car accidents and other injuries. These include:

• Auto Accidents including car accidents, truck accidents, taxi cab accidents, bus accidents, motorcycle accidents etc.
• Cases involving Premises Liability
• Slips and Falls
• Wrongful Death
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Brain Injuries and other injury cases

The advantages of having us handle your case include having an experienced attorney to:

• Evaluate your legal rights to compensation
• Protect your legal rights
• Guide you through the process of bringing a case to the insurance company and/or to court
• Provide the requisite expertise to back you in all matters concerning the law and vehicle accident liability
• Use all available resources to identify the cause of the accident and to establish the party at-fault

With us handling your Car Accident Case, you benefit from years of experience in dealing with such claims. We use our expertise and experience to obtain a fair settlement for you. We deliver results to our clients. Unsurprisingly therefore, most of our clients come via direct referrals.

We also offer a “No Fee Representation” service. Under this, we do not charge you anything if you do not win the case. Thus, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain when you select us to represent you in your car accident case.

The Damages We Could Help You Recover

At Hogan Injury, we help our clients get the compensation they rightly deserve. Car accidents can be quite traumatic. They could leave you physically injured as well as, emotionally scarred. This does not include the disruption of your normal life either.

In cases of negligent driving resulting in a car accident, you could claim a variety of damages including:

• Medical Expenses: Including expenses for current medical treatment, anticipated medical expenses and even the cost of medical devices
• Mental, Emotional and Physical Distress: Including physical pain, disability, disfigurement, mental trauma, PTSD, loss of dignity etc.
• Loss of Earnings: Includes the amount of money you could have earned from the time of the injury to the final settlement. It also includes loss of earnings in case the accident affects your ability to earn.
• Miscellaneous: Includes property damage expenses, loss of consortium and other out of pocket expenses

Reclaim Your Life with Hogan Injury

Hogan Injury believes in serving clients through exceptional case results. We understand the trauma you have gone through because of the car accident. We also know that you need help in rebuilding your life, with the resources you have in hand. After all, high medical expenses after a car accident could result in financial hardships.

Therefore, if you – or a loved one – have suffered injuries from a car accident, delay no further. Do not succumb to the temptation of negotiating with the insurance company yourself either. Instead, call us at 866 205 4971. Available 24/7, our team of specialists are at hand to give you a free confidential consultation. Alternatively, you could click here to list the details of your case online.

When you need to reclaim your life after a car accident, you need all the support you can get. This is even more so when you’re facing big insurance companies in a legal battle. By selecting Hogan Injury as your partner, you level the playing field.