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Initially, when you're involved in a collision, it can be overwhelming because you're dealing with medical bills. You'll do it; you're dealing with insurance companies, and you just don't feel good. When you hire an attorney, the attorney can take all of those things off your plate and then help you get the appropriate treatment so you can start feeling better. Getting in an accident is a terribly stressful situation, and you deserve help. You're entitled to help; you can get help. The first thing you should do after a car crash is to call the police and have them respond to the scene. You want it documented as to who is at fault and what happened. It's important for the scene to get information from any witnesses, even if it's just contact information. It is always the best course to go see a doctor. We see people really hurt the value of their case by waiting, and then over time, the adrenaline dissipates, and you start feeling that pain and you really start seeing the effects of the accident. The problem is the insurance company's gonna see any break in your treatment, any delay in treatment to mean that you've not really hurt; there's not much value in your case, and they're gonna use that against you. You have a duty to notify your insurance company and tell them about any accidents that you've been in, but you don't want to talk to the other adjuster because they are trained to take advantage of you. The other insurance companies have big, huge buildings in big cities, and their names are on big football stadiums and baseball stadiums all over this country because their adjusters and their people are trained to minimize the value of your case. It's important to journal right after an accident because you might not be giving a deposition for one and a half or two years after the accident, and it's really hard to remember back with clarity about what you're suffering through. You know, it's one thing to say, "Well, my back hurt," it's something else to say, you know, for six years, I had gone to my son's opening-day baseball game, and then because of this accident, I wasn't able to go to a game. You forget things like that. Finally, an insurance claim sounds like a bigger deal than it is. All you really do is contact your insurance company, tell them you're in an accident, and someone from the insurance company is gonna reach out to you to find out what happened, but you really don't lose much, if anything, and hire an attorney quickly because plaintiff's personal injury attorneys for the most part work on contingency so it doesn't cost you anything. What a personal injury attorney is gonna do after the crash is they're gonna send letters of designation to all the insurance companies and all the parties so the insurance companies and the other parties stop contacting the injured party. When a person can get compensated after an auto accident is largely determined by how serious their injuries are because he can't properly evaluate a case until you know how bad the accident has affected the client, so it could be anywhere from four months to four years, really. If you're hit by an uninsured driver, don't panic. We take a look at your insurance policy, and when you look at your insurance policy, most policies carry a section that says uninsured or underinsured coverage. The first place you look is there to make sure that you have underinsured or uninsured coverage and to see what the amount is to see if it's something that's actually gonna help you or something that's just barely gonna get you by. We wrote the seven biggest mistakes that can ruin your personal injury claim because too many of our clients were getting too far along in their process in their response to a personal injury matter before they really started taking the right steps to protect themselves. There are too many insurance companies out there that work like vultures, and they come in, and they suck all the value out of a person's case by taking advantage of unsuspecting victims, and we want to protect those victims and protect their claims. This book can help people who have been injured in an accident by giving them the tools to push back the insurance companies and protect their claims so they get full value when their claim is finally resolved. Our book covers topics all the way from initially what happens at the beginning of an accident and the first steps an individual should take to protect themselves all the way through the end of the process and make sure that an individual's claim gets properly processed. This book is a free download. Just go to our website, fill out the forms, and the book will be immediately available. If you've been injured and you need an attorney, call Case Barnett Law at 949-861-2990 or visit our website at casebarnettlaw.com.

Costa Mesa Car Accident Lawyers

When accidents happen, they can leave victims seriously injured and unsure of how they'll afford to pay their medical bills, repair or replace their damaged vehicle, or generally make ends meet. Car accident victims who were injured due to another person's negligence may be entitled to compensation for injuries and other damages. Car accident in Costa Mesa

If you were injured in a car accident you didn't cause, our Costa Mesa car accident attorney can help you.

Although you will likely be reading this for days, if not weeks, after you have been in an accident, you should know that it is critical that you document the following to the greatest extent possible:

  1. Exactly where the accident took place.
  2. The position of the vehicles before and after the accident.
  3. What the accident scene itself looked like immediately following the accident (If you live in California and do not have one of our free cameras and accident toolkits that you can keep in your car, please call us at (949) 536-9593).
  4. Photographs of signs, buildings, or other obstructions that may have been involved in the cause of the accident.
  5. The names and addresses of anyone who was actively involved in the accident (passengers and drivers).
  6. The names and addresses of anyone who witnessed the accident.

Generally speaking, if the police investigate the accident, then there will be a police report available to you.

Common Types of Car Accidents

  • Single-vehicle accidents. This category includes collisions with rocks or debris, run-off-road accidents, and rollover wrecks.
  • Multi-Vehicle Accidents
  • Head-On Accidents
  • Left Turn Accidents
  • Rear-End Collisions. Each year, there are approximately 1.7 million rear-end collisions in the United States. Roughly 80 percent of those could be prevented by collision avoidance systems, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
  • T-bone or Side-Impact Wrecks. These accidents usually occur when motorists run a stop sign or red light and then collide with another vehicle going through an intersection.
  • Pedestrian Accidents
  • Uber or Lyft Accidents: If there are any injuries associated with your accident you should always contact an attorney.

Common Car Accident Injuries

  • Lacerations
  • Whiplash
  • Severe bruises
  • Head injuries, including concussions and traumatic brain injuries
  • Broken or crushed bones
  • Amputations
  • Back injuries, such as herniated discs or slipped discs
  • Spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
  • Eye injuries, including blindness or eye loss
  • Torn muscles
  • Internal injuries
  • Death

What is the Statute of Limitations in California?

The Statute of Limitations is a timeframe stating the maximum number of years in which you have to file your lawsuit. In California, an adult generally has two years from the date of the accident within which to either have settled a claim or filed a lawsuit against the proper person in the proper court. Children generally have longer than that. Note: This information will vary by state. The following is for California residents only. If your case is not in California, you need to go find out what the rules are in your state.

In some cases, however, if you are hit by an employee of a governmental agency, there will be certain other mandatory notice requirements, and the time for bringing a claim may be shorter, even for children. If your case involves being hit by an employee of a governmental agency, then your case is not the type of case that should be settled without an attorney.

Contact an Experienced Costa Mesa Personal Injury Lawyer Today 

At Case Barnett Law, our experienced car accident legal team understands just how difficult it can be after suffering an injury from an auto accident, and we know how to help you find a legal strategy that can see you through this mess and land you the compensation you deserve.

You can find out whether you have a valid case at no cost to you. That’s because we offer free consultations. To request a free consultation with our personal injury attorney team, reach out by calling 949-409-0055 or filling out the online contact form below. We have been proudly servicing clients throughout Costa Mesa, California, and the surrounding areas.