Car Accident
In 2005, there were 6.42 million auto accidents in the United States. In that one year alone, these accidents imposed a total burden of $230 billion in financial costs to those involved. 2.9 million innocent people were injured and 42,636 were senselessly killed. In the United States, this carnage on the streets and highways unfortunately continues each and every year. 115 people die each day from a car or truck accident – 1 death every 13 minutes.
These statistics are staggering and eye-opening. But beyond the grim numbers lies the brutal reality of what it means to the daily lives of the families involved. Car crashes can be devastating for the person involved and for their loved ones around them. Depending on the severity of the accident, mild to detrimental injuries can occur, including bruises, bone injury, soft tissue injury, spinal cord injury, brain injury, and even death. These injuries can weigh on the victim and their family emotionally, physically, and monetarily.
Badly injured victims spend months and sometimes even years in the hospital, and in the worst cases may require around the clock care even when they get home. Often, the injured and maimed lose the ability to work, support their families, or take care of their children. When a family member dies in a car crash, it inflicts a deep and painful wound on all their loved ones that never heals, robbing them of a husband or wife, a father or mother, a grandparent, or of a precious child.
Leading Causes Of Auto AccidentsWhen looking at car accident fatalities, the leading cause is drunk driving, accounting for 40% of fatal crashes. 33% of such accidents are due to reckless driving and 30% are due to speeding. More often than not, car accidents are due to one driver’s negligence, recklessness, or unlawful conduct.
When drivers abuse alcohol or drugs, ignore reasonable speed limits, or drive while sleepy or distracted from keeping their eyes on the road because they are sending or reading text messages or making cell phone calls, other motorists, passengers, bicycle riders and pedestrians pay a heavy price. Some irresponsible drivers continue to unlawfully drive even after their licenses have been suspended or revoked because of past misconduct and injuries or deaths they have caused, and continue to create havoc.
How To Receive Compensation After An AccidentTo receive compensation after an accident, the victim will need to show the other driver failed to use reasonable care while driving, causing the accident to occur. This is called negligence. Once negligence has been proven, the victim (or plaintiff) or their family can receive compensation for property damage, medical costs, economic damages such as lost income or earning capacity, disabilities, emotional distress, and past and future physical pain and suffering.
If you are involved in a vehicle accident, you will need to seek immediate medical attention and legal advice. It is very important to seek medical attention immediately following the accident to assess your injuries, begin the healing process, and to prevent secondary injuries or infections from occurring. Once you begin receiving the medical care you need, you should contact a knowledgeable and experienced car accident attorney right away who can explain your legal situation in a manner you can understand and feel comfortable with. At the Law Offices of Moseley Collins, we have handled thousands of car accident cases throughout California, the majority being in the Sacramento area.
If you contact us at once, we will be able to take immediate steps to preserve evidence, to gather statements from witnesses, and to explore which defendants may be able to be sued. Sometimes, the proper defendant or defendants to sue may not be immediately apparent. They include the culpable driver, of course, but may also include the owner of a vehicle they were driving, their employer if they were engaged in a work errand at the time, or even a tavern or restaurant that served the driver liquor and facilitated the accident by helping them become intoxicated. In some cases, negligent maintenance or repair of a vehicle may have also contributed to causing an accident.
If you wait, physical evidence may get lost, witnesses may become unavailable, and it may be too late to research, in a timely fashion, all the possible defendants who can be held liable for the accident, in order to include them in the personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. If your get in touch with us soon after the accident, we can begin the process necessary to present your claim in an effective manner. We can preserve your legal rights to be paid for the serious damage done by an irresponsible driver.
Types of Auto AccidentsFrequently Asked Questions- What Do I Do After An Auto Accident?
- How Do I Determine Liability?
- What Is Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist?
In California, the law imposes a statute of limitations, which sets a maximum amount of time that legal proceedings can occur after the date of the accident or other incident. Each year at our Law Office, people call me to ask me for help that have legitimate cases, only to find their statute of limitations has already run out. It is one of the most difficult things for me to tell them I can’t help because they waited too long. If you wait to take action, you may have the best case in the world, and be very deserving of receiving compensation, but your claim is harshly lost forever. Don't let this happen to you!
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, you will need a lawyer with experience. Call Moseley Collins at (916) 444-4444 for a free consultation.
Moseley Collins is a personal injury attorney serving those badly hurt throughout California. There is absolutely NO FEE to discuss your case and there is absolutely no fee unless we win and get you the money you are entitled to. We are on your side and know what to do to get you compensation and justice.
Moseley Collins
980 9th St, 16th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 444-4444
https://www.moseleycollins.com/
Everyone knows what a car accident is and how serious car crashes can be. There is not a day that passes without numerous car accidents all around Sacramento.Until you experience a car accident, however, you probably have not given much thought to what you should do after an accident, whom you should contact, and how and when you should file a car accident claim. Here are the answers to those questions and more.
Sacramento Car Accident Lawyer (FAQ)Knowing why car accidents happen may help you to avoid an accident while driving in Sacramento. According to the most recent City of Sacramento police reports of car accidents, the five most common types of car accidents are:
- Following the car in front too closely (tailgating);
- Failing to stop at red lights;
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
- Speeding;
- Making left turns in front of oncoming vehicles.
Unfortunately, just because you drive carefully and obey the traffic laws does not mean that all other drivers do the same.
If you are involved in a car accident in the City of Sacramento and are not seriously injured, City policy on reporting car accidents dictates that you should notify the police immediately, especially if any of the following situations occur:
- Someone is injured or complaining of pain;
- Someone has died;
- You suspect that another driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
- A driver involved in the accident flees the scene without checking on the condition of others involved who may be injured or exchanging proper information with other drivers. Try to record the license plate number of anyone committing a “hit and run.”
- If the accident involved a City vehicle or caused damage to any other City property, such as a light post or traffic sign.
The attorneys at Moseley Collins Law applaud the City’s policy on reporting car accidents, but we encourage you to call the police after any type of car accident under any conditions. If you are injured, the police report may be an important piece of evidence in a claim for damages.
The next thing you should do is notify the Sacramento office of Moseley Collins Law. It is critical to gather relevant evidence from the time your accident happened. Our lawyers will be on the scene to help you. We will know exactly what evidence at the scene will be relevant to your claim for damages.
Depending on the nature of your accident, you also may be required to notify the California Department of Motor Vehicles and file specific paperwork. The attorneys at Moseley Collins Law can help you follow all the right procedures for notifying the appropriate agencies and preparing your car accident claim.
No. Do not wait until your injuries heal before contacting Moseley Collins Law to file your car accident claim. In fact, if you are able, you should take pictures of your injuries at the scene of the accident. You also should seek immediate medical attention from a hospital or licensed personal physician to diagnose your injuries and condition. Evidence of your injuries will be critical to establishing fair compensation for your claim.
If you have serious, long-term injuries, you cannot wait to file your claim for damages because of the statute of limitations. This is a time limit by when you must file your case or be completely barred from ever asserting your claim. The time limit in California is two years. The lawyers at Moseley Collins Law will be certain to file your claim within the required time limit.
If the insurance company wants to settle your case, that is the time that you need a car accident lawyer the most. Insurance adjusters will not look out for your best interests. Their job is to save the insurance company money by convincing you to agree to a settlement that is significantly lower than what you are entitled to. The adjusters are trained to negotiate with you so that you make their job easy.
Having a Sacramento car accident lawyer deal with the insurance adjusters is the best way to protect your rights and interests. At Moseley Collins Law, we know how insurance adjusters work, and we are trained to make their job difficult. Our job is to fight for you so that you can be sure you receive the compensation you deserve. Call Moseley Collins Law today at 916-444-4444. We are here to answer all your questions and assist you through your car accident claim.
- What to Do After a Car Accident
- Liability in a Car Accident - How Do I Determine Liability?
- Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer, Sacramento, CA - Sacramento County
- Hit by a Drunk Driver
- Rear-End Collision
- Side-Impact Collision
- Multi-Vehicle Accident
- Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist
- Wet Weather Accidents
- Head-On Collisions
- Rollover Accidents
- Old Age Related Accidents
- Animal Collisions
- Teen Related Auto Accidents
- Brake Failure in Car Accidents
- Sideswipe Accidents
- Back-Over Car Accidents
- SUV Rollover Accidents
- Tires as Accident Causation
- Construction Site Car Accidents
- Failure to Yield Accidents
- Distracted Driving
- Fatal Car Accidents
- Road Hazards
- Road Rage as Accident Causation
- Taxicab Accidents
- Alcohol Related Car Accidents
- Car Accidents Caused by Bad Maintenance
- Car Accidents Caused by Center of Gravity Issues
- Car Accidents Caused by Manufacturer Defect
- Auto Accidents Caused by Mechanical Failure
- Car Accidents and the Youth
- Collisions Involving Pedestrians
- Drugs and Its Effects on Driving
- Elderly Driving
- Freeway Accidents
- How a Combination of Impairment Factors Can Cause Car Accidents
- Mechanical Failures and Car Accidents
- Motor Vehicle Speed
- Car Accidents and Negligence
- Physical Impairment as a Cause of Car Accidents
- Pot Hole Accidents
- Seat Belt Malfunction
- Shoulder of Road Accidents
- Single-Vehicle Collisions
- Delivery Truck Accidents
- Government Vehicle Accidents
- Uber Car Accidents
- Car Accident Amputation
- Lyft Car Accidents
- Three-Car and Multi-Vehicle Crashes