Compass Law Group, PC

 

One thing that can ruin your day, week or a month is a car accident. It happens when you least expect it, and the consequences can be devastating. But let us assume that you got out of it alive; your have injuries all over your body, your car is totaled and you don’t know what to do. 

You are not alone. There are thousands of individuals just like you, who have been through the same and who experienced the same stress and exhaustion. Luckily, the solution is closer than you would think. Our professional legal experts are just one phone call away. Contact our Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyers and schedule your initial consultation in order to learn how you can receive the compensation you deserve.

Here is how you can file a car accident claim in California.

Contact The Police

While still on the scene of the accident, if you are able to, contact the police and let them file a report. You will use it later as a supporting evidence, and base your case on it. Once the officers finish their job, your next step is contacting an attorney (in case you haven’t done it already). Only with a skilled attorney by your side will you be able to receive the maximum compensation possible in a timely manner. 

Keep in mind that visiting the doctor’s office (or calling the ambulance) is mandatory, as your health comes first. Don’t worry about the medical bills; even if you pay them now, you will get compensated for it (in most cases, you are not responsible for covering your medical costs).

Speak With The Insurance Adjusters

Soon after, you will get contacted by insurance adjusters. These are professionals whose one purpose is to negotiate a settlement with you. But, they don’t simply give you what you want. As their name states, their job is to “adjust” the deal, so that it benefits the insurance company. 

In 95 percent of situations, the initial offer is not good enough. No matter how great it may seem, don’t rush and accept it without consulting with your attorney first. If you don’t have one, contact one of our Personal Injury Attorneys in Los Angeles as quickly as possible. After you give them a call, they will do everything they can to help you understand your case’s full worth and know what to look for in the offers made by the insurance company.

What To Expect

Once you filed a claim, you should know what and when to expect it. A case can be closed within 12 to 18 months, and that is when you will start receiving payments. These payments will involve:

• Medical coverage
• Pain and suffering
• Property damages (compensation)

Use these tips to maximize the outcome of your car accident claim, and receive the highest compensation possible. Getting a good attorney ahead of time is the only method that increases your chances of success by up to 50 percent. Don’t hesitate, or risk losing it all and getting trapped under a pile of medical bills.

Every now and then, a car accident happens and someone ends up filing a car accident claim. While more and more people are filing for claims in Los Angeles, the amount of money that the victims receive is nearly as enough as it should be. 

There are many reasons behind it: ignorance, bad information, no attorney present, bad investigation. 

If you ever find yourself in a car accident, you should immediately contact one of our Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyers and schedule your free initial consultation. Here is how they will help you maximize your car accident compensation.

Detailed Investigation

Once you hire an attorney, things become a lot easier for you. You receive more time to focus on your recovery while someone else is managing your case. Our attorneys will do everything they can to carefully recreate and investigate the place of the accident; they will take statements from any witnesses that were present at the scene, take photos of the accident, contact the insurance carriers and start working on your case. As a victim of the accident, your job is to speak with your attorney and be as accurate and transparent when mentioning the details.

But before you speak with your attorney, there are a few things you can do to increase the chances of winning your case and receiving a higher compensation.

Wait for The Police To Arrive

Even if your guts tell you to leave or if you are late for your job, you should stay and wait for the police to arrive at the scene. Once they do, they will write a report and take information from you and the other party or parties involved. Even if you are guilty, never admit guilt or say that you are sorry in front of an officer or anyone else at the scene. 

In case you are a victim, you should take personal information from the party involved, from all the witnesses at the scene, and if possible, take photos or record videos of the location and the sight of the accident. This will greatly boost your chances of winning the claim. 

Collect a copy of a police report before you leave the scene, and use it along with your medical records and medical expenses to ask for a higher compensation.

Negotiate The Deal

The final step is negotiating the deal with the insurance carrier. They will approach you as quickly as possible, and offer you an initial deal. Every experienced Personal Injury Attorney in Los Angeles will tell you not to take the first deal, as it is nowhere near to the true value of your case. Instead, negotiate the compensation and let your attorney present the evidence both of you have collected. Once the insurance adjusters see that they have no way out of the situation, they will be forced to offer you a better deal, or proceed to court where the judge will make a final decision. 

Either way, if you try and deal with the situation without a highly skilled and experienced attorney, you will most likely get less money than you deserve, or even lose the case. Keep that in mind the next time you find yourself in a car accident. 

Car Accidents happen every day and are a result of reckless driving or driving under the influence. Getting to the bottom of a car accident is difficult enough, and it takes time and a lot of combined effort for the case to be closed and the fault determined.

However, what happens with multi-car accidents? How do you determine fault and decide who is responsible for causing the accident? In a situation like this one, it is important to have a skilled attorney representing your interests.

 

Gathering the Evidence

For you, it looks like a complete chaos. Many cars are damaged, and you have no idea where the source of the accident is or why it happened. All you can think about is how you deal with it. Luckily, Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyers are prepared for such situations. They have dealt with many multiple-car accidents in the past, and know exactly what to do. They will gather all the evidence on your behalf, and recreate the case to try and determine why the accident occurred and who is responsible for causing it. Learn how an attorney can help you with your case, and use these benefit to receive your compensation in a timely manner.

 

Presenting Your Case

After working with the experts in order to recreate the accident, your attorney will have enough evidence to support and build your case on it. Most of the time, multi-car accidents proceed to trial, and things get complicated as there are many attorneys and parties present. It is a huge mess, one that you cannot maneuver through without a skilled attorney guiding you. For this and many other reasons, you require an attorney that has experience in dealing with these situations. Someone who will present your case and help to prove that you are a victim. After that is done, you are one step closer to negotiating a settlement with the insurance company.

 

A One-Year Process

After the fault has been determined, the case is not over yet. If you thought that the complicated part was over, think again. Your attorney has defended your case, and it was decided that you are a victim, one that should receive compensation for all the damages done to you. Now the second part begins – settling for the right amount. Initially, the insurance company may offer you a deal what is nowhere close to the full value of your case. Once you take everything into consideration and after consulting with Car Accident Attorneys in Los Angeles, you will understand the true worth of your case. From this point on, you have to set expectations and negotiate the deal with the insurance company, trying to receive the sum that is close to the full value. This is where attorneys hop in, as they are skilled in the arts of negotiation. Let them take care of it for you while you rest and take care of your injuries.