Sun Valley Car Accident Lawyers

In California, more than 150,000 auto accidents cause injuries or death — affecting more than 225,000 people — each year. Even a low-speed accident can cause an injury — and the full severity of an auto accident injury may not become apparent until days or weeks later. Don’t go it alone. Get the help you need with experienced attorneys that can help fight for you.

What Are the Types of Auto Accidents?

• Rear-End Collision: In a rear-end collision, your vehicle is hit from behind by another driver. Whiplash — an injury involving hyperextension of the neck — is the most common injury from a rear-end collision. Since a rear-end collision generally happens because one vehicle follows another too closely, a court will usually find the driver of the rear vehicle liable for the accident.
• Side-Impact Collision: In a side-impact collision, a vehicle hits the side of another vehicle oriented in a perpendicular direction. The occupants on the impacted side of the vehicle can potentially experience severe injuries.
• Sideswipe Collision: In a sideswipe collision, vehicles impact one another on the side while traveling in the same direction or in parallel directions. In some cases, a sideswipe collision may not injure the occupants of either vehicle. However, sideswipe collisions can become far more severe if a driver loses control of a vehicle and swerves.
• Head-on Collision: In a head-on collision, the fronts of two vehicles collide when the vehicles are moving in opposite directions. Airbags exist to minimize injury, but head-on collisions still typically result in severe injury or death.

What You Should I Do After a Car Accident

The things that you do in the first minutes after a car accident can greatly impact the safety and health of everyone involved. Your actions can also affect your ability to receive compensation if you are injured. Follow these steps closely:

• Move your car off of the road if you can. Stop the car in a safe area away from traffic. Park the car. Use the hand brake, and turn on the emergency flashers. Do not exit your vehicle unless it is safe to do so.
• Check your vehicle’s occupants, the other vehicle’s occupants and bystanders for injuries. If anyone is hurt — even if the injury appears minor — call 911 immediately. Even if you are absolutely certain that no one is hurt, you should still call the police.
• Light a road flare, or place markers around your vehicle if you can.
• Document the accident thoroughly. Write down everything that you can remember. Write down the other vehicle’s details along with the name, address, phone number and insurance information of the other driver. Interview and collect the contact information of witnesses if you can. If you have a smartphone, take pictures of the accident scene.
• Cooperate with the police when they arrive. You should not admit that you are at fault for the accident. Even if you believe that you may be at fault, you aren’t legally qualified to make that determination. You shouldn’t blame the other driver, either. Simply state the facts as you understand them.
• Report the accident to your insurance company. If your insurance policy includes collision and personal injury coverage, you’ll want to get the ball rolling on your claim right away. You still need to report the accident even if your policy only includes liability coverage.
  Contact the experienced car accident lawyers at Sylmar Valley Accident Attorneys.

What Compensation May I Receive After a Car Accident?

If you are injured in an auto accident, you may have a long recovery ahead. During that time, you may incur significant medical expenses such as:

• Hospital fees
• Fees for ambulance transportation
• Fees for surgeons, specialists and anesthesiologists
• Costs of medications, crutches, neck braces and other medical equipment
• Fees for nursing and other in-home services

In addition to medical fees, an auto accident may cause you to miss work and lose income. If a court elects to award damages to you as a result of your auto accident lawsuit, the damages will compensate for the monetary losses that you incurred as a result of the accident.

A court may also elect to award general damages to you to compensate for the pain and suffering that the accident caused. The other reasons why you may receive general damages include:

• Loss of companionship because a loved one died or withdrew from family life
• Permanent disfigurement or disability
• Reduced employability or missed job opportunities
• Stress or depression

How Auto Accident Claims Work

If you experience an auto accident, calling an attorney right away can help to ensure that your case has the best possible outcome. Your insurance agency should cover your medical expenses up to the coverage limit of your policy, but that may not be enough to fully compensate for your losses. The other driver should have an insurance policy that covers his or her liabilities in the event of an accident, but that may also not be enough to cover your expenses — and in accepting a settlement from the other drivers insurance company, you waive your right to sue. An experienced attorney can help you navigate through the process by telling you whether settling is in your best interests. Although a settlement offer may seem attractive, settlements from insurance companies generally don’t account for non-monetary losses such as pain and suffering.

If filing a lawsuit is the best way to recover your losses, then having an attorney on your side is a requirement. An experienced auto accident lawyer, like the ones at Sun Valley Accident Lawyers, can protect your rights and ensure that the amount of compensation you are entitled to is recovered. It is your attorney’s job to make sure that you receive the maximum compensation to which the law entitles you.

We Help Victims of Car Accidents in these Areas

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