San Bernardino Car Accident Attorneys
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Competent San Bernardino Car Accident Attorneys With Focused Determination In Upholding Your Rights
There are many San Bernardino car accident attorneys from which to choose after an accident. It is important to hire a skilled lawyer who has experience handling your type of claim. Remember, this person can help you protect your legal rights, so you want to pick a lawyer who can handle your case with a methodical approach.
Our experienced San Bernardino car accident lawyers have decades of combined experience representing injury victims in California. We are ready to guide you through each stage of your case. Discover details about California accident statistics, steps to take after a collision, typical car crash injuries, and how our experienced attorneys can advocate for your rights and seek compensation on your behalf.
Vehicle Accident
$2,100,000.00
Our client was stopped at a two-way stop sign before proceeding into an intersection where he was struck by a police cruiser traveling 70 mph, resulting in serious injuries.– ARASH KHORSANDI
Motor Vehicle Accident Statistics In San Bernardino, CA
You might not realize just how many lives are impacted by San Bernardino car accidents. San Bernardino County reports that over sixteen thousand people were either injured or killed in collisions in 2019. In addition to these victims, accidents affect their family members, friends, and employers.
Traffic accidents place a burden on the police officers and emergency medical technicians who respond to them, as well as the medical providers who care for accident victims. They can even increase government costs for the prosecutors who must file criminal charges in cases of drunk, impaired, or reckless driving, as well as the DMV workers who must deal with a license suspension.
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, there were 3,606 fatalities on the roads of California in 2019. Thousands more were injured. About half of all drivers who were killed in a fatal accident tested positive for legal or illegal drugs. This shows a strong correlation between impaired driving and road deaths.
Meanwhile, NHTSA estimates that nearly nine thousand people died in traffic accidents across the U.S. in just the first three months of 2021. This was more than ten percent higher than the number of traffic fatalities during the same period of 2020. Even as the number of miles driven decreased, the number of road deaths increased.
This unexpected result is likely related to a driving phenomenon that occurred during the pandemic. Drivers were found to engage in more risky driving behaviors during the lockdown order: speeding, driving without a seatbelt, and impaired driving all increased during the height of COVID. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that even phone motion (an interesting measure of distracted driving) increased between March and April 2020.
Crash victims who were tested in emergency rooms were also found to have drugs in their systems at a higher rate than before the pandemic. It is not known exactly why these risky behaviors began or whether they will continue into 2022 and beyond, but it is clear that drivers must be more cautious than ever while out on the road.
Here’s What To Do After A Car Accident In San Bernardino
It can be difficult to know what to do in the chaotic aftermath of a collision. If you are prepared, you can help keep others safe at the accident scene, prevent your injuries from becoming worse, and protect your legal rights until you are able to hire a San Bernardino car accident lawyer. We recommend the following steps:
1. Call 911.
It is not uncommon for a driver who caused an accident to try to avoid the police. They might say that they have insurance, or that they can just “take care of it,” or that the crash really wasn’t that bad. You do not know that any of this is true. You also do not know if you need immediate medical attention.
It is important to call 911 and let the dispatcher help you determine whether you need the police or medics. If you don’t call 911, you could be without medical help when you seriously need it. You could also use a police report to support your future claim.
2. Get to a safe place.
While you are waiting for the police to respond, you must get out of the path of oncoming traffic. Often, a crash causes a secondary accident due to “rubbernecking.” Drivers tend to pay attention to an accident scene instead of the traffic ahead of them. You do not want to be in the roadway when this happens.
If you are not able to drive your car to the side of the road, leave it where it is and find a safe spot to wait. This should be a place that is far away from traffic. If it is a warm day, try to find some shade, as you will likely be outside for a while. If it is at night, try to find a place that has good lighting.
3. See a doctor as soon as possible.
It is important to get checked out after an accident – even if you do not think that you were hurt. Many injuries are latent. This means that they might not show symptoms for hours or even days after a crash happens. Some of these injuries can be life-threatening. A slow bleed in the brain, for example, might not show symptoms for hours.
If it is not caught in time, it could cause brain death by depriving the brain of the vital oxygen that it is supposed to receive from the blood. It can also cause a patient to die from blood loss if the bleeding is not stopped in time. Both of these fatal outcomes can be prevented if a doctor is able to detect the problem early. Even less serious injuries will have a better prognosis if they are caught early.
Getting medical help promptly not only boosts your health and enhances your chances of healing but also helps safeguard your legal rights. It could enable you to seek fair compensation for pain and suffering.
4. Research San Bernardino car accident attorneys.
Once your immediate medical needs have been addressed, it is time to start looking for a San Bernardino car accident attorney near you. A quick online search will give you many results – how do you know which attorney is right for your case? Here are some things to consider:
- Does this attorney have experience practicing personal injury law? Many attorneys practice family law, criminal defense, and other areas while also handling personal injury cases. An attorney who focuses exclusively on representing injury victims will have the most experience in this area.
- Does this attorney have experience handling your particular type of car accident? Pedestrian and bicycle accidents present different legal issues than accidents involving large commercial trucks. There are also complicated legal issues when there is an Uber or work vehicle involved. Choose an attorney for your case who has experience with your particular type of car accident.
- Has this attorney handled cases involving your specific injuries? An injury lawyer must be able to explain injuries (and the pain and suffering they cause) to a jury. If your lawyer has experience with cases that involve your type of injury, they likely know how to present a case for compensation for your pain and suffering.
- Do I only like this attorney because their office is nearby? Our experienced car accident lawyers are nearby wherever you are in San Bernardino, and we can also virtually meet when clients prefer it.
5. Hire a car accident attorney from San Bernardino to represent you.
Your accident attorney can take steps to protect your legal rights immediately. This starts by communicating with the insurance company. Once they are notified that you have an attorney, they may no longer contact you about your case. All communications must go through your lawyer’s office.
This protects you from accidentally saying anything that could hurt your case. It also protects you from lowball settlement offers, high-pressure tactics, and other strategies that insurance companies use to get out of paying fair settlement amounts.
Another important thing attorneys do at the start of a case is to preserve evidence. A lot of evidence can be destroyed or lost if it is not saved at the start of a case. For example, security footage is routinely deleted to make space for new footage.
A San Bernardino personal injury attorney can take measures to procure any video footage from a security camera and preserve it in case it is required as evidence. Physical evidence, especially damage to the vehicles, can also be lost. Because car owners are in a hurry to get their vehicles repaired after an accident, an attorney must quickly act if they need damaged parts or photographs of the damaged cars.
6. Follow through on all treatment recommendations from your medical providers.
Your doctors will advise you on the appropriate treatment for your injuries. They might recommend that you see a specialist, have physical therapy, or visit a chiropractor. It is important to follow through on these recommendations.
If you don’t, the insurance company could claim that you made your own pain and suffering worse because you didn’t get the treatment you needed. Following medical advice is crucial for supporting your body’s healing process. If you aren’t sure about a certain recommendation, talk to your doctor about it, or get a second opinion. What you should not do is ignore the advice without any explanation.
7. Document all the ways that your injuries have affected your life.
In many cases, pain and suffering are the largest components of a personal injury award. It is also the most difficult to prove. (After all, there is no medical test that shows exactly how much pain you are in.) This means that the other party might claim that your injuries weren’t really “that bad,” or that other claimants received less, or that your case won’t be compelling to a jury. In these cases, consulting an accident attorney can provide clarity so that you can make informed decisions.
In order to prove the value of pain and suffering, it is helpful to show exactly how you have been affected by your injuries. Maybe you couldn’t go to the gym while you were healing. Perhaps you couldn’t sleep because you were in pain. This is not only uncomfortable, but it can also cause friction in your personal relationships and affect your productivity at work.
All of these are very real losses, and you can pursue compensation from the guilty parties responsible for your injuries and losses. You may not remember all of the details later, so it can be helpful to document these things in a journal. Make a note of the activities you could not participate in, events you missed, physical pain, and all the ways you were affected by your injuries. These details help support your case in front of a jury.
8. Be careful not to aggravate your injuries.
Skipping medical treatment is not the only way you can make your pain and other medical issues worse. Your body will be vulnerable as it is healing, and your doctor will likely advise you to be careful with your activities. You might be advised to forego sports, work part-time, or take other steps to avoid making your injuries worse.
Follow this advice. If you cause your injuries by taking unnecessary risks, the cause of your pain and suffering might be questioned. (Legally, the negligent driver is only liable for the pain and suffering they caused – not any additional pain and suffering you caused through your own actions.) Being careful can help protect your legal rights and give your body the time to heal.
Frequently Asked Questions About San Bernardino Car Accidents
You will have a lot of questions after a car accident, and that’s okay! We are here to help. Our San Bernardino car accident attorneys have answered some of the most common questions we get. Of course, we cannot answer all your questions here, and we cannot give you any advice that is specific to your case. This is why it is important to schedule your free initial consultation as soon as possible.
In the meantime, here are answers to commonly asked questions about car accidents:
How Do I Prove The Other Driver Was At Fault For The Accident?
First off, do not worry about trying to prove your case. That is why you have hired a car crash lawyer! Our experienced attorneys know what kinds of evidence are needed to prove the other driver’s liability. Witness statements, police reports, and photographs of the accident scene can all be used to establish what happened. We also use physical evidence from the damaged vehicles: this can be analyzed by an accident reconstructionist, who can then give an expert opinion about what caused the accident.
In some cases, the evidence does not even come from the accident scene. For example, if a car with defective brakes were involved in an accident, the manufacturer who sold it could be liable for the entire accident. In this case, your attorney can present evidence that the brakes were defective before the car was ever involved in a crash. Whatever the situation, our attorneys are prepared to find evidence to identify who was at fault and to back your case.
What If The Other Driver Does Not Have Insurance?
If the other driver does not have insurance, don’t panic! There could still be other sources of compensation that are available to you. For example, if the vehicle were borrowed, the owner would be responsible for paying for your injuries, and their insurance could cover the accident.
If you were on the clock or running a work errand when you were hit, your employer’s workers’ compensation policy should cover your medical bills. Your health insurance policy is also required to pay for medical bills under your usual coverage, even if the injuries were caused by someone else.
And if all else fails, you might have coverage on your own auto insurance policy that can pay for your injuries. Many drivers pay for uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM and UIM) coverage. You might also have medical payments coverage to pay for medical expenses. Your injury lawyer can assist you in identifying potential sources of compensation and in seeking damages on your behalf.
What Compensation Can I Pursue For My Injuries?
There are many different types of compensation that could be available to those injured. These include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
Car crash lawyers work with their clients to identify the losses that can be compensated and to prove the value of these losses to a claims adjuster or jury.
What If I Cannot Go Back To Work?
If you are unable to go back to work for a time, you might be eligible to seek compensation for the wages you could have earned during that time. If you can go back to work but only part-time, you are still missing out on wages that can be compensated. But if you have severe, permanent injuries, they can permanently impact your future earning capacity. You might never be able to return to work.
In this case, you might be eligible to seek compensation for wages you would have earned from the date of the accident up to your expected retirement. In other cases, the victim can return to work, but only with a lighter workload or shorter hours. This, too, can decrease your future earning capacity.
In that case, you may be eligible to claim compensation for the difference between your earnings before the accident and after the injury. You might also be able to claim compensation for lost employment benefits, like contributions to health insurance or retirement plans.
What If I Am Permanently Injured? How Will I Get Paid For My Future Medical Bills?
Permanent injuries not only cost you lost wages, but they can also accrue ongoing medical bills. Often, these bills will continue for the rest of the victim’s life. You may be eligible for compensation to cover ongoing medical expenses related to your accident injuries. Because the exact value of these bills cannot be determined, injury lawyers work with industry experts to make accurate projections of these expenses.
A life care planner can estimate what types of care you will require and what this will cost. An economist can then extend these totals over your expected lifetime and adjust them for inflation. These expert reports serve as evidence to support your claim for future medical expenses.
Why Shouldn’t I Take The First Settlement Offer?
It is very common for an insurance company to make a settlement offer shortly after the accident. They might try to get you to settle your case quickly. However, accepting these quick settlements can prevent you from fully investigating your case.
It can be a good idea to get legal guidance from an injury lawyer to understand the potential value of your claim and to help you make well-informed decisions.
What If I Cannot Afford A San Bernardino Car Accident Attorney?
Like many injury lawyers, attorneys at Arash Law require no upfront payment. We work on a contingency basis. This means that you agree to pay us a portion of whatever settlement or award we get for you. If we are unable to reclaim money for you, we do not charge legal fees. You may still be responsible for case-related costs, but our lawyers explain these before you agree to representation.
We explain all the details of a contingent fee agreement for the understanding of all our clients. This includes other expenses that might be deducted from your total settlement, as well as the circumstances that can change the percentage paid in attorneys’ fees.
Your fee agreement will be clearly stated in writing, and we will answer all your questions for us to be on the same page regarding all financial arrangements. The important thing is to be sure that you are not missing out on legal representation due to economic concerns.
Experienced San Bernardino Car Accident Attorneys Handling Injury Cases
A quick internet search for “San Bernardino car accident attorneys” will show you many options for injury lawyers near you, but skilled attorneys in California are right here at Arash Law, headed by Arash Khorsandi, Esq. Our qualified motor vehicle accident attorneys have decades of experience.
Our skilled legal team has managed various personal injury cases across the Golden State. We serve San Bernardino and all surrounding areas, so we are close by, wherever you are. Call (888) 488-1391 to schedule your free initial consultation.
Numerous clients from California have turned to our experienced legal team to help protect their legal rights. We are ready to assist you, too. Discuss your case with us and explore your legal options.
