Riverside Car Accident Lawyer

Are you ready to hold the person who caused your car accident injuries accountable through a personal injury claim? Reach out to a dedicated car accident lawyer in Riverside for a free consultation, and get legal representation for help recovering the compensation you deserve.

The impact of a car accident in Riverside, California, can be devastating. The physical damage and injuries done could require extensive physical and occupational therapy, and your life could be forever altered by a disabling injury caused by the accident. You’ll also likely need to take some time off work and stay out of the office to focus on recovering from your injuries.

If you don’t have sufficient savings, that time off could place you and your family in a financially stressful situation. That’s where a qualified Riverside car accident lawyer from Kohan & Bablove, Injury Attorneys with extensive professional experience can help. After examining your case to establish the cause and legal liability of the crash, your lawyer can calculate a fair compensation award for your personal injury claim, and work to make sure you get fully compensated for everything you’ve suffered.

Common Causes of Riverside Car Accidents

Three of the most commonly seen causes of car crashes in Riverside point to the fault of the driver: distracted driving, drunk driving, and aggressive driving. It is the driver’s responsibility to make sure he or she is engaging in safe driving practices to avoid putting the lives of others in danger.

Distracted Driving Accidents

One of the most frequent types of car accident causes in Riverside that involve driver negligence is distracted driving. The prevalence of distracted driving has risen to infamy throughout the last decade or so as smartphone ownership and usage grows.

Texting while driving is the most well-known distracted driving practice that can cause an accident. California even implemented a law that bans cell phone use while driving unless you are using a hands-free device. That’s not to say that using a cell phone while driving is the only form of distracted driving. Anything that takes your attention away from the road can be considered a distraction that could lead to a motor vehicle accident. Drivers who have acted in this way are almost certain to hold liability for the cause of the accident.

If the other driver was reaching for a beverage or snack, fiddling with a navigation system, or even having a lively conversation with passengers before your crash, he or she could be found liable due to distracted driving, something that our lawyers can gather the appropriate evidence to prove.

Drunk Driving Accidents

One of the most common causes of car accidents in Riverside is drunk driving. Drunk driving or driving while under the influence of drugs is not only irresponsible and selfish, it’s illegal. It often goes hand-in-hand with speeding drivers, as well.

Drunk drivers cause serious injuries and wrongful deaths every day by choosing to get behind the wheel while impaired. They will likely face criminal charges for how they’ve acted, including driving under the influence, or manslaughter, in the case of a fatal accident, in addition to a hefty personal injury claim brought forward by one of our experienced Riverside car wreck attorneys.

Aggressive Driving Accidents

Another frequent cause of car accidents and injuries is aggressive driving. This is especially true in a motorcycle accident, as the drivers have a great deal less protection. Speeding, making illegal turns, running stop signs or red lights, failing to signal turns, following too closely, and road rage can all contribute heavily to the countless car accidents that injure victims in Riverside on a daily basis.

This doesn’t mean the driver is always to blame for the accident that resulted from how they acted while behind the wheel. Plenty of drivers understand their responsibility to drive safely and still end up in an accident. Road authorities, vehicle parts manufacturers, and technicians who worked on your car could all have played a role in causing your car accident and hold liability.

It will be up to your lawyers to investigate the legal evidence thoroughly so the correct person is found liable in your claim so that you can get compensated.

When a Non-Driver Is Liable for a Car Accident

Although a significant number of motor vehicle collisions in Riverside are caused by the irresponsible or careless decisions of the other involved driver, there are other entities who could have contributed to the cause of the crash and your injuries.

For example, the California Department of Transportation could be liable if debris in the road, potholes, missing street signs, or other roadway hazards contributed to cause of the car accident. You could also bring a claim against the automaker or technician who performed maintenance on the vehicle if a faulty or malfunctioning part caused the wreck.

Your attorney will conduct a complete investigation and obtain evidence that might include witness statements, safety inspection reports, photographs, medical documentation, video footage, and police reports to determine who should be named as the defendant in your motor vehicle accident case and personal injury claim. Our lawyers will also help you locate the defendant, so that they can be named in the lawsuit.

The Statute of Limitations in Riverside Car Accident Claims

When filing a car accident claim in Riverside, California, you will have two years from the date of the accident to seek personal injury compensation and protect your legal rights. Claims against the government must be filed within six months from the time of the accident. These litigation deadlines are referred to as the statute of limitations.

It’s crucial to file your accident claim with the courts before the two years granted by the statute of limitations expire. If the statute of limitations has passed, your case could be dismissed whether you have representation or not, and you could be unable to recover any compensation for the injuries and damage that resulted from your accident.

Auto Insurance in a Fault State for Car Accidents

California is a fault state for auto insurance purposes. This means that you’ll need to go through the at-fault driver’s auto insurance policy to get a portion of your losses recovered. The state has minimum requirements on these policies, which includes the following:

• $15,000 per person/$30,000 per accident coverage for bodily injury
• $5,000 in property damage coverage
• $3,500 in uninsured motorist property damage
• $15,000 per person/$30,000 per accident coverage for uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage

As required by law, many auto insurance policies in California have uninsured or underinsured coverage in the event that the other driver is lacking the coverage needed to pay for your damages, injuries, and medical care related to the accident. When insurance isn’t a viable legal option for recovering damages, you can file a civil lawsuit directly against the at-fault driver with help from our lawyers.

California Negligence Laws and Your Car Accident Claim

Because California is a fault state that practices comparative negligence, the more blame that is placed on you, the less compensation you stand to receive for the collision. For example, if it has been established that you were 25 percent at fault for the cause of the accident, and you were awarded $250,000, you could be paid only 75 percent of your compensation winnings, or $187,500.

As you can imagine, partial fault can impact your accident case dramatically, particularly when negotiating for a fair and reasonable settlement with the insurance company.

The Car Insurance Company’s Shady Goals

We’re willing to bet that when you received an initial denial letter from your insurance company, you were in shock. How could you be denied when someone else hit you and caused the motor vehicle accident? Insurance companies are notorious for denying policyholders’ collision claims, seemingly without even reviewing the facts surrounding the car accident case or considering the rights and needs of the victims.

It’s important for you to know that the insurance adjuster isn’t your friend and doesn’t care about your condition. They probably haven’t helped a long list of previous accident victims, either. Insurers do not always have your best interests in mind, and they might engage in questionable business practices to secure their companies’ profit margins are as large as possible.

We often hear of insurers asking for a statement after an accident. When you make this statement, it almost always comes back to bite you in several costly ways, because the insurer twists the words you stated to make you seem more at fault for the accident than you were. This allows them to dodge their responsibilities and refuse to see you compensated.

Don’t let the insurance company take advantage of you when you’re already down. Our lawyers have the practical experience and legal knowledge to make sure this does not happen. We will display the truth about the insurers: The only concern of insurance companies is making money, not the circumstances of your accident case, what actually happened in your accident, or all the suffering you’ve already experienced from your trauma and injuries.

Recovering Damages in Your Riverside Car Accident Claim

Injuries you suffered due to the negligence of other people are already impacting your life and condition. Now, you’re expected to cover climbing medical expenses, household bills, groceries, lost wages and income, and general living expenses before even being cleared by your doctor to return to work? Why should these burdens from the accident be on you?

It shouldn’t. Your Riverside car accident claim will protect your rights and name the person responsible for your crash, so he or she will be responsible for covering your damages. Some of the things our lawyers will consider when determining your accident claim’s value will be the severity of your injuries and how they impact your life.

After the investigation that follows your consultation, our lawyers will calculate a reasonable compensation request by examining your damage and losses, which could include both economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.

Economic Damages and Car Accidents

Your economic losses refer to the financial impact the car accident and your injuries have had on you. They often include the following possible losses:

• Your Lost Wages – This area refers to the money that you would have earned if you hadn’t needed to take time off to focus on recuperating from your injuries.
• Property Damage – This might include items that were destroyed during the crash and, of course, the damage done to your vehicle.
• Damage to Your Earning Potential – When your earning capacity has been reduced, whether that be a loss of contributions to your 401k, salary increases, bonuses, or promotions, you are entitled to compensation for these damages.
• Your Medical Expenses – Your medical care costs, in particular, should be included in your claim, as medical care can be quite costly in the U.S. Medical bills and related expenses could include copays, medical equipment, prescription medications, ambulance fees, diagnostic imaging, and rehabilitative services you’ve been billed for, to name a few.

You might think it would be easy enough to calculate these collision damages on your own if you kept receipts and can simply total up the costs, but working with an attorney is the best way to ensure that every figure found in your medical bills is accurate and accounted for so that you can get compensated in full for the medical care your injuries require.

Non-Economic Damages and Car Accidents

Here, the impact the accident and your injuries have had on your lifestyle and emotional state will be taken into consideration. Such damages you can get compensated for might consist of the following areas that may have impacted you:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of companionship and love
• The effects of disfigurement or scarring
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Inconvenience
• Loss of household services
• Mental anguish

Non-economic damages related to a motor vehicle accident are much more difficult to determine. This is because it’s difficult to put a monetary value on something like pain and suffering, or mental anguish. Fortunately, your car accident lawyer will be experienced in these types of calculations and can ensure you obtain compensation that is both fair and reasonable.

Punitive Damages and Car Accidents

Being awarded punitive damages is great for your case because it means that your compensation could be increased exponentially. However, despite the fact that punitive damages help your case, it’s important to remember that these are only awarded in cases of extreme egregiousness that infringed on your rights or when the defendant was considered to be intentionally harmful, such as by deliberately causing the car accident.

The hope is that by issuing punitive damages, the at-fault people will be punished, made an example of, and prevent similar accident cases from occurring in the future.

Get the Car Accident Compensation You Deserve

Ensuring that every single loss you endured is considered when calculating the value of your Riverside car accident claim is a critical component to our job as your attorney. We’ll even make sure to delay or cover those pesky medical costs until your claim is resolved, which allows you to focus on recuperation without additional financial stress.

The aid of a car accident lawyer in Riverside could be the only way to make sure that you are awarded compensation that’s comparable to the severity of your injuries.

Reach Out to a Car Accident Attorney

When you’re ready to file a personal injury claim against those responsible for your car crash injuries, contact the qualified and experienced team of lawyers at Kohan & Bablove, Injury Attorneys. The experienced accident lawyers in our office have helped clients and accident victims from all of the areas within Riverside County get compensated, and our lawyers can provide the the same legal service to you.

Our team of dedicated attorneys will use everything in their power to obtain the compensation accident victims need to recover. To schedule your free, no-obligation legal consultation with a Riverside car accident lawyer today, fill out our contact form below or give our office a call at 1-844-404-2400.