Personal Injury Lawyer Bakersfield: What Should You Do if You Get In An Accident?
Safety should be your top priority after a motor vehicle accident. After an accident, you must first assess the situation at hand. Conduct a self-check for any physical injuries. The most common type of injury sustained in auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents is brain injury.
Do slight movements hurt? Assess your body slowly. Head and neck injuries are the most grave. If you feel no physical pain when moving your head, neck, and back, you may begin checking different body parts. Check on your arms and legs for any blood or discomfort. Use your rearview mirror to examine your face for scratches, bruising, or blood.
If your self-check has not demonstrated any serious accident injuries, then inspect other passengers for injuries. Call out names and inquire how passengers are doing. Conduct the same assessment you performed on yourself and examine their head, neck, and back carefully. Check for broken bones, bleeding, and bruising as well.
Overall, regardless of whether the pain is visible, palpable, felt, or seemingly non-existent, you should still go to the nearest emergency room to get checked by a medical professional. You might have internal bleeding or traumatic brain injuries that require immediate intervention.
Steps in Filing a Car Accident Claim
As the injured party, you may wish to file a claim for damages following your car accident. In doing so, your Bakersfield personal injury lawyer may be able to recover financial compensation for the injuries and damages the accident has caused you.
In order to recover the maximum compensation possible, there are some steps one can take in order to preserve the integrity of the case. The following steps may aid you in filing a car accident claim:
- Contact the police – It is crucial that a police officer is at the accident scene to file a Bakersfield car accident report on the incident. You must remember to obtain the number of the police report. This report may be important to the integrity of your case.
- Seek medical attention – Even if you feel you may have only sustained minor injuries, it is still crucial to seek medical care from a professional. Some internal injuries may not present themselves outwardly and may cause health complications. Remember to keep a copy of your medical records.
- Document the accident and your injuries – Take as many photographs as you can of the accident scene from different angles, ensuring to include details you feel may be important to your case, particularly establishing the at fault party’s liability. Take photographs of your immediate injuries as well.
- Collect information – You must collect the information of the at-fault driver, such as their name, license, contact information, plate number, and if possible, their insurance carrier information. If there were any witnesses present at the time of the accident, collect their pertinent information as well.
- Contact a personal injury lawyer Bakersfield – It is in your best interest to have a personal injury lawyer by your side during this process. Remember, do not speak to an insurance company without your lawyer present. An insurance adjuster may take advantage of your vulnerability and lower the value of your claim.
If you have been injured in a car accident due to the reckless actions of another party, do not hesitate to contact Ayuda California as soon as possible. We can help you get the justice you deserve.
How Much Time Do I Have to File a Claim?
The statute of limitations in most states is between two and three years. As stated in section 335.1 of the California Code of Civil Procedure, personal injury victims must file a claim against the at-fault party within two years from the time of the accident.
However, if you wish to file a claim against a government entity you must file a special claim first. This special claim is referred to as an “administrative claim”. This claim must be filed within six months from the time of the accident.
A Bakersfield personal injury attorney can assist you to discern between these deadlines and help you navigate through them more easily.
Therefore, following an automobile accident, you must seek the legal counsel of a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Doing so will ensure that your accident lawyer has enough time to go through the process of your insurance claim.
Obtaining the Maximum Compensation in Your Accident Claim
Never undervalue the financial impact and emotional distress that an accident may have. Medical costs may accumulate rapidly and deplete financial resources. Even relatively minor injuries might result in significant monetary damages due to medical bills and other financial costs.
If your injury is very serious, you may even be left with a handicap as a result. Dealing with these injuries or hindrances may make it nearly impossible to return to work or earn a livable wage.
Injured people may be able to recover the monetary compensation they need to get through this challenging period by filing a personal injury claim. Depending on certain factors that may affect your case, you may be eligible for economic and non-economic damages.
California employs the comparative negligence law, which means that even if the personal injury victim (plaintiff) is found to be partially at fault for the accident, they may still be eligible for fair compensation based on the percentage of fault.
The compensation you recover from the responsible party may cover certain expenses such as:
- Medical expenses
- Hospital visits
- Property damage
- Long-term care
- Loss of income
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of consortium (loss of companionship)
- Wrongful death
- Other monetary losses
Why Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Personal injury accidents have the potential to put accident victims in very unpleasant financial situations. Accident victims will be spending not only on their daily living expenses but their other expenses that resulted from the accident.
During this difficult time, filing a personal injury claim is your best course of action in obtaining the financial resources that you need and deserve. Hiring a personal injury lawyer in Bakersfield will help determine the compensatory damages you may recover through your claim.
Having an accident attorney by your side will significantly increase your chances of recovering a favorable settlement amount.
Some victims of negligence may be hesitant to hire an accident lawyer due to the fear of an added expense. But you should not let this hinder you from obtaining the assistance and legal action you deserve.
At Ayuda California, we work on a contingency fee basis. This means you won’t have to pay us anything unless we win your case. We do not get paid unless you do. There are no hidden prices or fees that you need to be concerned about paying right now. A personal injury attorney can guide you through the legal process and help you get back on top.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer in Bakersfield Today!
At Ayuda California, our Bakersfield personal injury attorneys will aggressively represent you in your claim for compensation. With our years of legal experience, not only will we preserve your rights and handle the complexities of your claim, but we will also ensure that you receive the medical care you need by connecting you with the right medical professionals.
As a personal injury law firm, we understand the difficulty that comes with recovering and dealing with traumatic injuries. Do not go through this mental distress alone. You must hold the negligent party responsible for the damages their actions have caused you.
With all this in mind, it is in your best interest to hire a personal injury lawyer to help guide you through the legal matters of your recovery and accident claim. Do not hesitate to call us at (844) 865-0721 for a free initial consultation. Our experienced lawyers have a solid track record of winning multimillion-dollar verdicts and are ready to help you recover what you need and deserve.
Call us for a free, no-obligation consultation.
