Getting into a car accident in Los Angeles can be incredibly stressful. Between navigating any resulting injuries to figuring out how to fix a damaged or totaled car, you’ll want the experience of a Los Angeles car accident lawyer on your side to walk you through the process. One of the questions attorneys are asked most frequently is who is responsible for covering the medical expenses and recovery costs after a car accident. In California, car insurance companies have certain obligations and are generally held accountable for covering drivers’ personal injury claims. Ensuring you have taken all the appropriate steps to document your accident and injury, leaning on your attorney to handle the insurance companies, and following their lead on making important decisions regarding any resulting personal injury claims will be essential to your physical and financial recovery after an accident.
Reporting Your Car Accident in California
Reporting your car accident to law enforcement and the California Division of Motor Vehicles is an essential step toward recovering your losses. Law enforcement will respond to the accident scene and document the key factors that led to the crash, establishing evidence that will be crucial when you eventually file a claim with the insurance company. Also, California law requires drivers to alert the California DMV when anyone involved in the accident was either injured or killed; or the crash resulted in property damage totaling more than $1,000.
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Who is Responsible for Paying My Medical Expenses and Damages?
California law requires drivers to have liability insurance and a minimum of $5,000 worth of property damage liability insurance. This will generally mean that the other driver will be carrying some form of insurance that will cover your damages. However, whether or not all of your expenses will be covered will rest squarely on your level of fault within the accident. This is why you must work with a skilled and knowledgeable Los Angeles car accident lawyer who excels at persuasion and evidence interpretation.
California law abides by the comparative negligence rule, which essentially states that drivers can recover losses from any other at-fault party. Still, those damages will be reduced by your level of fault in the accident. For example, let’s say that the police report shows that the at-fault driver illegally cut you off, but you were also speeding at the time, which added to the accident’s severity. If your case goes to trial and you are deemed to be 25 percent at fault for the accident, your award for damages will be reduced by 25 percent.
Contact a Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer to Ensure You Are Fully Compensated
A savvy personal injury attorney will know how to interpret and position the evidence attached to your car accident claim to ensure that you are compensated for the full extent of damages available to you. Rather than trying to negotiate with an insurance company yourself, your attorney will position the facts of your case and deal directly with the at-fault driver’s insurance to ensure your case doesn’t have to go to trial to get a favorable result.
Contact our offices today to schedule your appointment.
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