Car Accident Injury Lawyer Petaluma CA

How does the insurance process work for a car collision claim?

Once you contact the insurance company and inform them of your collision, a representative of the company should get in touch within a few days. The agent, also known as a claims adjuster, will get in touch with you so he or she can obtain more facts about the accident.

The adjuster may come to your home and take photos of your car and inspect it for damages, then ask you to take it to one of the company's authorized auto shops for an evaluation. To get information about your medical bills, the insurance representative will probably ask who your physician is. Be prepared to give them this type of information.

You can also count on the adjuster to get a copy of the official police report, and talk to the other driver and other witnesses in their research. All of these components will help the representative get an estimate of how much you are entitled to and if your policy covers all the damages.

The claims adjuster should then make a settlement offering, which will indicate how much the insurance company will pay. If the settlement is not enough to pay your damages then you and your attorney can pursue the case even more. You do not need to agree to a settlement offer from the insurance firm on the first try because you have some other options.

You could notify the adjuster's manager, who may then look into your claim and send a better settlement. If this doesn't work, then you can also take your case to the courtroom. An attorney at our firm is more than qualified to file a suit against an insurance company. Our legal team is dedicated to making sure that you are treated fairly.

Benefits of Hiring the Best Car Accident Lawyer in Los Angeles

If you were wounded in a car accident, then you must obtain legal counsel for a attorney. You need the top personal injury attorney for your case in Los Angeles if you want the optimum chance of achieving success. Insurance companies are notorious for trying to settle for less than their clients deserve.

Our legal team can not only assist you in making a solid claim but can protect you against insurance companies that don't want to give you the reimbursement you deserve. We take care of all negotiations, so you don't have to be weighed down by any legal matters.

For over a decade, the Ghozland Law Firm has been helping clients get the compensation they deserve for their injuries! If you've been hurt by another person in any way, it is only just that the individual reimburses you. Our legal team has been able to acquire tens of thousands of dollars for clients who were in car accidents caused by another.

Even if you believe you may have been in part at fault, contact our firm. We are dedicated to returning client calls within 24 hours, so call us or fill out a free case evaluation to get started!

Types of Car Accidents

Auto crashes are a common fact of life, especially when you live in Southern California where everything is so spread out that you practically have to own a vehicle to survive. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2011, there were an estimated 2.22 million people injured in motor vehicle crashes and 32,367 deaths in that same year.

Generally speaking, types of car accidents fall into one of the following four categories:

• Lane Departure Collisions
• Accidents That Take Place at Junctions
• Collisions Where a Pedestrian or Bicyclist is hit
• Collisions With Animals Such as Dogs, Cats, and Deer

Although other types of collisions can and do occur, the above four examples are the most prevalent. A motor vehicle can be struck from the backside as in a rear-end collision, or from the side in a side-impact collision, otherwise known as a T-bone accident, or the front ends of two vehicles can collide in perhaps the most hazardous collision of all, the head-on collision.

Sufferers of these types of car accidents should obtain a lawyer from a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer at the Ghozland Law Firm. Our legal team has a decade of experience in dealing with car collisions.

Examining types of collisions

Head-on Collision

Much more likely to have a poor outcome because of the speeds involved when the collision occurs. Often the typical head-on collision will occur when one vehicle strays into the direction of an oncoming vehicle. This can happen when someone swerves to escape an object on the road when the motorist is engaged in distracted driving behaviors such as texting while driving when the driver falls asleep at the wheel or driving under the impact of alcohol or another substance which triggers the driver impairment. With head-on collisions, the chance of property damage and extreme injuries and death are relative, the greater the speeds, the greater the risks of catastrophic injury and death.

Side-impact Collision

Otherwise known as a T-bone accident typically occurs at intersections (road junctions), and these are a very common type of accident. A side-impact crash or intersection collision occurs at lights and on roadways with two or more stop signs.

An intersection collision can occur when the at-fault driver fails to stop at a red light when the at-fault driver fails to stop at a stop sign and yield the right of way to oncoming commuter traffic, or it can occur when an individual turns left in front of oncoming traffic. Side-impact crashes have a elevated incidence in downtown areas because there is a higher occurrence of junctions in the city.

Unfortunately, side-impact crashes can be especially dangerous and sometimes lethal because the passengers are placed so close to the door, which provides practically zero security as compared to when another automobile strikes the rear of the vehicle as in a rear-end collision. At least with rear-end collisions, individuals in the rear of the vehicle are separated by the vehicle's trunk.

Rear-end Collision

A traffic collision where the front of a car or truck collides with the rear of the car in the front. Rear-end collisions commonly occur because the driver in the rear vehicle wasn't maintaining a safe following distance. After all, they were tailgating, or because of panic stops, or because of driver inattention or distraction.

In the vast majority of rear-end collisions, the driver in the rear vehicle is considered to be at fault in the accident, but not 100% of the time. An exception to the rule is when the motorist in the front vehicle goes into reverse gear and plows the rear of their vehicle into the front end of the vehicle in the rear, but this is a unusual occurrence.

A typical medical consequence of a rear-end collision is whiplash injuries, in more serious cases herniation may even happen. Perhaps the most hazardous type of rear-end collisions involve minivans, which benefit little from the inadequate rear crumple zone. This is frightening because those sitting in the rear of the minivan are the most likely to be significantly injured or killed in a rear-end collision and these passengers are often child passengers.

Determining Accountability in a Car Accident

In dangerous car accidents, one or several of the parties could be culpable. Reasons could include driver distraction, negligence, reckless driving, aggressive driving, and vehicle or safety system failures. It is not always just one person who is at fault. What may seem like a simple accident, such as one driver running a red light and colliding with a different vehicle, may have other facets involved.

If you have been harmed in a car accident and feel that the other motorist was at fault, contact a car accident attorney in Los Angeles. A knowledgeable attorney from our firm is experienced and knows how to take action to investigate an accident to determine liability in a car accident. This is the first crucial step in being able to receive the compensation you deserve.

Investigating who is at fault

Determining liability in a car crash is based on the facts, not opinion. This requires an analysis, and in some cases, this can be quite elaborate.

Surveying the accident site, examining the cars, and finding and interviewing witnesses are just some of the actions that may be required. In some cases, an accident reconstruction consultant may need to be called in. The documented facts will show who and what caused the accident.

Since California is a no-fault state, litigation occurs to determine who and to what degree each driver was responsible. A driver might be 100%, 50%, 10%, etc. at fault. That percentage is the proportionate amount he or his insurance carrier must pay the other injured party.

Need a Lawyer for Your Car Accident Case in Los Angeles?

Do not be dependent on only your word, witness reports, or even a police report in your favor. You may not be at fault, but it could require additional action to fully establish this fact. You need a lawyer to determine liability in a Los Angeles car accident.

At our firm, we are well-connected with respected experts that can analyze the accident reports and other data when this is needed. At Ghozland Law Firm in Los Angeles, we have the experience you want on your side if you were seriously injured in a car accident. You can be assured your case is in expert hands. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.

Causes of Car Accidents

As of 2011, the California Department of Motor Vehicles reported that there was a total of 31,802,483 registered vehicles in the state, thereby making the possibility of being involved in a collision a very real one for Californians. Those who live in Southern California are acquainted to a fast pace, we are a class of busy people who are trying to balance our work and our families and in the pursuit of finding balance, we often employ risky multitasking techniques.

Between sending emails, paying bills online, sending text messages, and making a massive transformation towards more efficient and effective communication, we want everything done quickly. However, when it comes to driving a vehicle safely, especially in a big town such as Los Angeles, it's important to slow down and for the sake of your safety, to make the right choices when getting behind the wheel.

Top 3 Causes of Car Accidents

Automobile accidents are a life-threatening epidemic in the United States, and regrettably, the easier cars get to drive, the easier it is for drivers to take part in unsafe driving practices.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2011 alone there was an estimated 5,338,000 police-reported motor vehicle crashes in which 2,217,000 people were hurt. According to the Centers for Disease Control, motor vehicle crashes are one of the top causes of death in the United States with an economic impact costing $70 billion in 2005.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving involves any action that can divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. While all distractions can imperil the driver, passenger, or pedestrians, the most alarming form of driver distraction is texting while driving. In 2011, 3,331 people were killed by a distracted driver and in 2010, 387,000 people were wounded in distracted driving crashes.

Drunk Driving

Drivers are considered to be alcohol-impaired when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) registers at .08% or higher. In 2011, there were 9,878 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities representing an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 53 minutes and accounting for 31% of the total traffic fatalities.

Speeding

The NHTSA considers a collision to be speed-related whenever a driver is charged with a speed-related offense or when an officer shows that racing, driving too fast for conditions, or exceeding the listed speed limit was a contributing factor to an accident. Speeding remains one of the prevalent factors in traffic accidents. In 2011, speeding was a contributing factor in 30% of all fatal crashes and 9,944 (31% lives were lost in speeding-related collisions.

Contact a Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer Today

Are you looking for a lawyer for personal injury in Los Angeles? If you or someone you love was injured in a car accident, you are urged to contact a Los Angeles car accident attorney from the Ghozland Law Firm right away.

To better assist our clients, our firm offers free case evaluations and we take cases on a contingency fee basis. This means there is no cost unless we win your case! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by contacting our firm, so give us a call!