Irvine Car Accident Lawyers

Very few events will change your life as quickly and dramatically as an auto accident. Even if your injuries appear to be minor, you could be facing a legal battle that will negatively impact your family for years to come.

The legal team here at El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers is ready to invest time and energy into your case so that you receive the compensation you deserve. From minor fender benders to multi-vehicle pileups, an auto collision is one legal situation that Irvine residents should never leave up to chance.

The Long-Term Consequences of an Auto Accident

One of the biggest mistakes a driver or passenger can make is taking their accident lightly. What appears to be a minor accident with a clear victim might not be as straightforward as you think. After all of the expenses have been accounted for, a single collision can cost a driver thousands of dollars.

More severe accidents with multiple injured parties can easily move into the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The average Californian driver only has the minimum amount of coverage that is required by law, and it is rarely enough to pay for:

• medical bills
• ongoing physical therapy
• medication
• emergency services
• damaged property

In addition to the physical toll of an auto accident, these events could drastically alter your quality of life for years to come. Victims often find themselves unable to work or struggling with ongoing injuries that require them to change jobs altogether. Accidents happen in the blink of an eye, but the results could haunt you for the rest of your life.

Common Injuries in Irvine Car Accidents

After sustaining a serious injury, you will have to fight the insurance companies for the full and fair compensation you deserve for your accident. Your injuries may be serious enough to require surgery in the future, and you may require extensive physical therapy in the years to come. Accident victims can sustain many different injuries in a car accident, but some of the most common include:

•     Head and brain injuries: Skull fractures, severe concussions, scalp wounds, and brain bleeding are just a few of the serious head and brain injuries that can impact accident victims for years to come after a crash.
•     Neck, back, and spine injuries: Whiplash is a very common injury that results from the neck moving back and forth in rapid succession. While many people think this is a minor injury, it can leave victims with extremely limited mobility for weeks and months to come. Fractured vertebrae in the spine and other serious back injuries can leave accident victims with a temporary or permanent disability.
•     Broken bones: Broken bones are extremely painful and can require several surgeries to correct. The clavicle is the most fragile bone in the body, so it is one of the most common to break during a crash. The femur in the upper leg and the fibula in the lower leg also commonly become fractured during a crash.
•     Soft tissue injuries: Damages to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments may sound like minor injuries, but they are not. When these soft tissues bruise and tear, they can no longer function properly, which requires connecting and holding different organs and other body parts in place.

If you have sustained the above injuries or any other, you must speak to an Irvine car accident lawyer who can help you recover monetary compensation for your losses.

Your Options After an Auto Accident

The steps you take immediately after an accident could mean the difference between a quick settlement and a lengthy legal battle. Drivers who can do so should immediately begin collecting as much information about the situation as possible. That includes pictures of the street, pictures of the damage, and the contact information of everyone involved including witnesses.

If a law enforcement officer shows up at the scene, then you must ask for their badge number and contact information as well. Once you have received medical care, you should make a list of any treatments and medications you receive. This information will be invaluable to our team as we help you reach a fair settlement.

What Happens if You Were Injured in Someone Else’s Car?

Passengers are at the same risk of sustaining serious injuries as drivers when they are involved in a crash. They also have the same right to file a claim against the negligent party but sometimes, this becomes much more complicated.  Passengers, like drivers, can file a claim against the negligent party to recover damages for their losses.

Sometimes though, the negligent party is the driver of the vehicle the passenger was in, and often, that is a friend or family member. People are sometimes reluctant to pursue a claim against someone they know because they do not want to place them in a tenuous financial position. Fortunately, this is not usually the case. When filing a claim against an at-fault driver, you are essentially holding their insurance company liable for paying compensation, and not the driver personally.

There are also times when being injured as a passenger can become much more complex. For example, ridesharing programs such as Uber and Lyft are becoming very popular in Irvine. Ridesharing drivers are no more immune to becoming involved in a crash than any other driver on the road.

Passengers can file a claim against a negligent ridesharing driver or another motorist at fault for the crash, but these claims are extremely complex. An Irvine car accident lawyer can help victims navigate these claims so they receive the full settlement they are entitled to.

Do I Need an Attorney For My Auto Accident Claim

You will most likely benefit from having an attorney by your side unless the accident was nothing more than a minor fender bender with absolutely no injuries. Insurance companies are for-profit organizations, and they save money by paying victims as little as possible. Many offer a quick settlement to the victims as long as they sign paperwork that states they will not take them to court, but accepting that money could be a major mistake.

As a general rule, drivers and passengers should speak with a law firm if the accident involved multiple cars, injuries, or any deaths. You should also consider speaking with an attorney if you feel as if you are being treated unfairly.

We Offer Professional Legal Help

An Irvine car accident lawyer from El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers can guide you through every step of this complex process. Many drivers do not realize just how complicated an accident can be until they have been thrown into the legal system. You could find yourself dealing with teams of experienced lawyers and claims adjusters who want to pay out as little as possible.

With one of our legal representatives by your side, you can begin the process of creating an airtight case. We will fight by your side to ensure that you receive a fair settlement so you can move on with your life.

Let Our Irvine Car Accident Attorneys Help Protect Your Future

No one deserves to struggle with hospital bills and missing wages after an auto collision. Our team is only a phone call away, and we are ready to help you deal with insurance providers, claims adjusters, and the other party’s legal team. We are committed to providing world-class legal services so that our clients can focus on recovering.

Contact us at (213) 985-1120 for a free initial case consultation.