Bakersfield Hit-and-Run Accident Attorneys
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Bakersfield Hit-and-Run Accident Attorneys Turning Injured Victims Into Victors
Situated near the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley of California, the city of Bakersfield is home to approximately 400,000 residents. Bakersfield is in Kern County, California. The Bakersfield Metro Area is home to approximately 905,000 individuals with a significant portion living in the city of Bakersfield, as well as Rosedale, Oildale, and East Bakersfield. The region surrounding Bakersfield is a rich agricultural and energy center in California.
Agricultural production and energy production have long been two important aspects of the economy in Bakersfield. The entire Kern County area is one of the national leaders in these two economic sectors. The following are some of the most prominent industrial activities in Bakersfield and Kern County:
- Food processing
- Distribution
- Petroleum refining
- Mining
- Natural gas extraction
Although Bakersfield has a diverse economy and a rich cultural heritage, it is still a populous area. Automobile accidents are quite common in Bakersfield. Under California law, drivers who find themselves in car accidents must stop their vehicles and pull over to the side of the road or highway.
Drivers who do not adhere to this law will face criminal charges. Individuals who suffer injuries during hit-and-run accidents are abandoned at the accident scene. These victims often cannot seek medical assistance or contact others to help them. Due to these circumstances, the injured victims often suffer more severe personal injuries and overwhelming pain and suffering.
Suffering injuries during a hit-and-run accident can cause psychological distress. Victims often experience anxiety as they attempt to discover who caused their injuries. Seeking financial compensation from the individual who harmed you can create additional stress in your life. By seeking out our hit-and-run accident attorneys, you can leave the legal issues to a skilled professional while you recover from your injuries. If you are looking for a hit-and-run accident lawyer in Bakersfield, contact Arash Law, founded by Arash Khorsandi, Esq.
Seeking out a hit-and-run accident lawyer sooner rather than later will enable you to avoid filing legal claims outside the statute of limitations period. In California, injured victims must file their legal claims within two years of the date of injury. If you miss the statute of limitations period window, you will be barred from bringing legal claims against the responsible driver.
The Basics of a Hit-and-Run Accident
Hit-and-run accidents can leave accident victims disoriented and confused. A hit-and-run accident occurs when one individual driver strikes a pedestrian or an automobile but does not stop their vehicle at the accident scene to assist those who suffered an injury. Drivers who flee accident scenes do not exchange contact information with others involved in the accident.xxx
- A party was involved in an accident while driving a motor vehicle.
- Serious bodily injury or property damage resulted from the accident.
- A party had actual knowledge that they were in an accident, but they did not remain at the accident scene.
- A party did not make sure the other party involved in the accident was physically safe.
- A party did not remain at the accident scene to give their contact information to the other party.
Car Accident
$4,100,000.00
A farm worker, suffered multiple broken bones and other orthopedic injuries resulting from an auto accident where the defendant driver attempted to make a left turn in front of our client in heavy fog.– ARASH KHORSANDI
The Steps to Take If You Are Involved in a Hit-and-Run Accident
It is important for any individual affected by a hit-and-run accident to do the following:
- Seek immediate medical treatment for all of your injuries,
- Obtain facts, such as vehicle descriptions, license plate numbers, and times, from any witnesses who may have observed the accident.
- Contact 911 and report the hit-and-run accident to a law enforcement agency.
- Seek out a hit-and-run accident lawyer.
Each of these factors can influence the outcome of any civil lawsuit associated with a hit-and-run accident. Take all necessary steps to protect your health. Being in a hit-and-run accident can be a frightening and isolating experience. Completing the tasks listed above will make it more likely that you can substantiate your claims. If you retain a Bakersfield hit-and-run accident attorney, you will also want to make sure they have as much information as possible regarding the accident.
California Law
California Vehicle Code 20001 governs hit-and-run accidents in California. If a driver is a party to an automobile accident, and a person suffers serious bodily injury or death, the individual driver who is not injured has to stop at the accident scene. Those who violate California Vehicle Code 20001 are subject to criminal sanctions, fines, and a term of imprisonment. If an individual driver causes a fatality, the criminal charges and sanctions will be more severe.
A second important statutory provision in California is California Vehicle Code 20002. Drivers who are party to an automobile accident that only causes property damage must pull over at a location that will not interfere with traffic or place other drivers and passengers in danger. The driver can provide the other driver with their personal contact information or leave this information on a note that is left on the other driver’s automobile. The driver who caused the property damage must also state how the accident occurred and alert a law enforcement agency about the accident.
Every hit-and-run accident in California is unique. You may need to speak to our hit-and-run accident attorneys in Bakersfield to discuss the details of a hit-and-run accident.
Facts and Figures
It is important for you to remember that you are not the only victim of a hit-and-run accident in Bakersfield. Hit-and-run accidents are common throughout California. Drivers strike other automobiles, pedestrians, and cyclists, but they abandon the injured party at the scene of the accident.
Hit-and-run drivers often leave the accident scene to avoid legal or financial consequences. Some drivers may be intoxicated and leave the scene to avoid being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Others may be driving while their driver’s license is suspended.
Under California law, drivers must purchase automobile liability insurance. Hit-and-run drivers may not have automobile insurance and flee the scene to avoid facing the consequences of not having automobile liability insurance.
However, hit-and-run drivers violate California law by leaving the scene of the accident. The following facts and figures can provide insight into the prevalence of hit-and-run accidents in the United States.
- Approximately 330 hit-and-run fatalities occurred in California in 2016. California ranked seventh for per capita hit-and-run deaths in the United States. Only Florida and Texas had over one hundred hit-and-run fatalities in 2016.
- Bicyclists and pedestrians are highly likely to die due to injuries inflicted during a hit-and-run accident. Hit-and-run accidents caused twenty percent of all pedestrian fatalities during one decade.
- Approximately 680,000 hit-and-run accidents take place annually in the United States.
- 2,000 people across the country died during hit-and-run accidents in 2016.
- The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that a hit-and-run accident occurs somewhere in the United States every sixty seconds.
All drivers should be attentive, focused, and alert so they can do their best to avoid hit-and-run accidents. Distracted driving is extremely dangerous. Drivers who use their mobile phones while driving are more likely to be involved in an automobile accident. Motorists should also make sure to remain on the lookout for pedestrians, cyclists, and others who are traveling along roads and highways.
Pedestrians and cyclists can also take steps to make themselves safer while traveling along roads and highways in California and other parts of the United States. Reflective gear and brightly colored clothes can help pedestrians and cyclists stand out more to other drivers. Above all, drivers who cause automobile accidents should not flee the accident scene. Other parties may suffer serious bodily injuries and need someone to contact law enforcement and medical personnel.
The Different Types of Charges Related to Hit-and-Run Accidents in California
The following categories of hit-and-run accidents are relevant to California law:
- Hit-and-run accidents that result in serious bodily injuries or fatalities
- Hit-and-run accidents that result in physical injuries
- Hit-and-run accidents that result in property damage
If a driver causes a hit-and-run accident that results in only property damage, they will likely be charged with a misdemeanor. Individuals convicted under California law may have their driver’s license suspended, be fined a maximum of $1,000, and face a six-month term of imprisonment.
Bakersfield Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyers Can Help You Find the Driver Responsible for Your Injuries
Most people who flee accident scenes attempt to evade law enforcement officers and others who search for them. The driver who abandoned you at the accident scene likely has no interest in being held accountable for the physical injuries and property damage you suffered. The fleeing individual also likely knows that they will face criminal charges if they are apprehended.
As the injured party, you may not know where to begin looking for the individual who caused your injuries. The likelihood of recovering financial compensation for your injuries will be lower if you cannot discover the person who caused your injuries.
Navigating Hit-and-Run Accident Investigations
Knowledgeable and skilled hit-and-run accident lawyers can help you conduct a broad and detailed inquiry into who caused the accident in which you suffered injuries. Investigators and hit-and-run attorneys can provide you with the best tools for collecting evidence to substantiate your legal claims. Some examples of an effective investigation include:
- Hire accident reconstruction experts to collect important data.
- Scrutinize the details in the traffic collision report.
- Interview witnesses who observed the hit-and-run accident.
- Analyze documentary evidence, such as video recordings and photographs.
- Collect recorded data from surveillance cameras near the accident scene.
- Walk through the scene of the accident to collect any evidence that may benefit your case.
Dealing With Insurance Companies
Personal injury lawyers work hard while representing plaintiffs and seeking financial compensation on their behalf. Most experienced Bakersfield personal injury lawyers will determine a plaintiff’s damages and memorialize them in a demand letter. The letter will contain the costs of medical treatment, lost earnings, and property damage. Other damages will also be included in the demand letter. Personal injury lawyers will then dispatch the demand letter to the responsible party’s automobile insurance company. Personal injury attorneys will have to find the driver who caused the hit-and-run accident and then begin collecting data to include in the demand letter.
However, you do not need to panic if the driver responsible for the injuries you suffered during a hit-and-run accident cannot be discovered. Personal injury lawyers will work toward seeking monetary compensation for your injuries. Your automobile insurance policy may feature uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage. These provisions will be relevant to a claim submitted to your insurance company.
You must substantiate your claims with evidence related to the conditions that led to the hit-and-run accident and the nature of your damages. Most insurance companies will attempt to delay or deny your claim as a matter of course. You can present substantial evidence of the hit-and-run accident and your injuries but still be denied your claim.
Knowledgeable hit-and-run accident attorney can work with the insurance company to seek the best settlement offer. The insurance company may be unwilling to negotiate. If there is an unwillingness, hit-and-run accident lawyers will file a civil lawsuit and prepare to take your case to trial.
The Types of Damages You May Recover in a Hit-and-Run Accident Case
No two hit-and-run accident cases are exactly alike. The facts and circumstances of your hit-and-run accident case will be unique from all other cases. The nature of your bodily injuries, the extent of any property damage, and how the accident has affected your life will determine the amount of damages you can claim for your injuries.
The following are some of the most common types of damages injured victims seek in hit-and-run accident cases:
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Mental suffering
- Emotional distress
- The costs of wheelchairs and other devices
- Domestic modifications due to disabilities
- Lost future earnings
- Lost wages
- The costs of past, present, and future medical treatment
The death of a family member due to a hit-and-run accident can be completely devastating. Surviving family members are entitled to file a wrongful death case to seek monetary compensation on behalf of the decedent. Our Bakersfield hit-and-run accident attorneys can help you with learning more about the details related to wrongful death cases.
Contact Arash Law, Under the Direction of Arash Khorsandi, Esq., Today to Schedule a Free Consultation
If you suffered injuries during a hit-and-run accident in Bakersfield, contact Arash Law, headed by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., today at (888) 488-1391 to schedule a free consultation. We have decades of experience representing clients in hit-and-run accident cases. We have recovered over $750 Million for clients across California.
We represent clients in the following cities near Bakersfield: Fillmore, Farmersville, Exeter, Tulane, Corcoran, Lindsay, Porterville, Tehachapi, Delano, Taft, Wasco, Shafter, Arvin, Lamont, and Oildale. Contact Arash Law, injury attorneys managed by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., today to learn how we can help you pursue financial compensation for your injuries.
