How Do I Protect My Legal Rights After A Car Crash?
- If possible, take photos of the scene of the collision, your injuries, and the damage to your car.
- Keep copies of any medical records or bills, repair receipts, wage loss, and make records of any related expenses.
- Obtain a copy of the Traffic Collision Report from the relevant law enforcement agency as soon as you can, even if the report’s conclusions are not favorable to you.
- It is important that you do not admit any fault or sign anything (i.e. any forms from an insurer) in order to preserve your rights. Insurance companies are eager to take advantage of accident victims who don’t know their rights. Their objective is to limit or deny claims payouts.
- Contact an experienced car accident lawyer to learn the full value of your case and avoid making any mistakes on your own that the other driver’s car insurance company will seek to use against you.
How Does California Car Accident Law Work?
California law allows injured drivers and passengers, and the families of the loved ones who have died or were injured in car accidents, to file a lawsuit against those responsible for the accident.
Legal responsibility, called “liability,” for a car accident often depends upon proof that another driver was at fault. The other driver, however, does not have to intentionally cause the crash. Proving the other driver operated the vehicle in an unsafe and unreasonable manner under the circumstances, known as negligence, is sufficient evidence to demonstrate liability.
In certain cases, non-driver factors lead to a car accident. These factors can include roadway hazards, poorly-marked construction sites, construction site debris, sand, or gravel on roadways, and other dangerous road conditions. Keep in mind, the deadline under California to bring a lawsuit, known as the statute of limitations, can be as short as six months for claims against governmental agencies.
What Compensation Can I Obtain If I File A Car Accident Lawsuit?
The types of damages available to injured persons in car accident lawsuits include:
- Past and future physical pain and suffering, mental anguish and physical impairment;
- Past and future medical, incidental and hospital expenses;
- Past and future loss of earnings and earning capacity;
- Property damages;
- Punitive damages in cases of egregious wrongdoing.; and
- Wrongful death damages when the victim was killed.
Even if you partly caused the accident, in California you can obtain some compensation if the other driver was negligent and primarily responsible for the accident. The amount of the other person’s liability for the accident is determined by comparing his or her carelessness with your own, called comparative fault or negligence.
Why We Are The Best Lawyers For Car Accident Cases
Repeated, outstanding success settlement negotiations and in court — that’s the number one reason clients select our law firm firm and refer family and friends to our firm if they have been in car crash. Since our founding in 1995, the Dolan Law Firm has assisted thousands of people in the San Francisco Bay Area and across California injured in serious injuries in car crashes.
We are known for taking challenging and complicated cases to trial and prevailing. As a result, we often obtain recoveries far above industry averages. In one case, attorney Chris Dolan obtained an $867,500 jury verdict on behalf of a woman who had previously been offered only $13,000.
We offer each client individual superior legal representation backed by substantial financial and technological resources that no individual attorney or small law firm can provide. We specifically provide our clients:
- Individual, attentive legal representation by highly experienced car accident attorneys with an outstanding record of success;
- Substantial investigative, financial and technological resources that no individual attorney or small law firm can provide;
- Access to accident reconstruction experts to identify the cause of the accident and who — or what — was at fault, including driver negligence, defective auto parts and dangerous roadway conditions; and
- Access to biomechanics and economic experts to determine the full extent of your injuries and calculate the cost of your future medical needs, along with any lost of wages or diminished earning capacity due to the crash.
Our attorneys work under the direction of Chris Dolan, our founder and lead trial attorney. He personally supervises all serious injury cases our firm prosecutes. Chris has been repeatedly selected by multiple publications as one of top injury lawyers in California.
We are proud that US News and Best Lawyers have rated our firm a Best Law Firm and we have received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our in injury lawsuits.
No Car Accident Case Is Too Difficult Or Complex For Our Law Firm
We handle cases all types of serious injury car accident lawsuits, including ones involving speeding, distracted, or drunk drivers. While some law firms shy away from complicated cases, we have the experience and the resources to handle any type of claim. We tackle:
- Uninsured motorist and hit-and-run accident claims
- Claims against local government for public transit accidents and defective roadways
- Cases involving defective auto parts, including tires and brakes
Contact A San Francisco Car Accident Attorney At The Dolan Law Firm Today
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car crash, contact our attorneys today by completing our form or call us toll free at 1-888-452-4752. Our attorneys will review your case for free, promptly and with no obligation on your part.
We will come to your home or the hospital if you are unable to come to our offices in San Francisco or Oakland. Our work is contingency-based, and we collect no fees unless we recover damages for you.
