As careful as people try to be while driving, accidents continue to happen every day. Even the most cautious drivers may find themselves suffering a painful injury due to someone else’s negligent or reckless behavior. If you are facing a lengthy and difficult physical recovery after sustaining an auto accident injury in Riverside County, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed and isolated. However, you do not have to go through this challenging time alone. Enlisting the guidance and support of a knowledgeable and experienced auto accident attorney is the best way to ensure you obtain the maximum amount of compensation you need to cover the costs associated with the accident, including medical bills, lost wages, and other unanticipated expenses. This post will explore the benefits of working with a trusted Southern California auto accident lawyer who can help you determine and obtain the total worth of your claim.
Types of Personal Injury Damages in California
As you sort through the aftermath of the car accident, you may wonder how much compensation you can seek to support your recovery. Essentially, an auto accident claim may pursue two main types of damages: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages include objectively quantifiable monetary losses, including medical expenses, lost earnings, loss of use of property, costs of repair or replacements, and loss of employment or business. You and your attorney can use medical bills, pay stubs, receipts, and other tangible documents to support your claim. Non-economic damages refer to subjective losses, like the ways in which the accident has impacted your quality of life. Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of companionship, and other subjective losses are various types of non-economic damages, and your attorney will help you seek compensation to help you recover from the hardship you’ve suffered.
Factors That Impact Your Auto Accident Settlement
No two auto accident claims are identical, so you should work with your attorney to explore your options for pursuing and recovering the maximum amount of compensation you need to rebuild your life. Car accidents can affect a victim’s life in several ways, so it’s essential to understand how to recover the compensation you need to support your recovery. Below are just a few of the factors that may influence how much your auto accident claim is worth.
The Severity of Your Injuries
Many auto accident victims suffer injuries that require medical treatment, physical therapy, or medication. Even if you do not experience obvious symptoms right away, you should still visit your doctor for an evaluation. Some injuries, like concussions, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), or internal bleeding, may not present apparent symptoms, but they can lead to severe complications when left untreated. Additionally, having concrete documentation from a medical professional that details the nature and prognosis of your injuries will help to strengthen your auto accident claim. Your attorney will work with you to calculate how much compensation you need to cover these unanticipated expenses caused by the accident.
Your Recovery Timeline
While some injuries heal pretty quickly, others require long recovery periods, ongoing physical therapy, and other long-term interventions. Some car accident injuries cause permanent damage, impacting your ability to perform your job or move around as you used to before the accident. The longer it takes you to recover from your injuries, the greater the financial burden you must face. Your attorney will help you calculate your current and future economic losses stemming from the auto accident injury and take steps to help you obtain a fair and favorable settlement.
Determination of Fault
California is a comparative negligence state, meaning that auto accident victims are only entitled to recover compensation that’s proportional to their degree of responsibility in causing the accident. For instance, if the other driver is entirely at fault for causing the accident (i.e., they collided with you while running a red light), you may recover the total amount of compensation you are requesting. However, if investigators determine that you are 20 percent to blame for the accident, you may recover 80 percent of the total settlement amount. Working with an experienced Murrieta car accident lawyer is the best way to ensure you maximize your settlement offer.
Negotiating a Favorable Car Accident Settlement in California
Although it’s natural to want to obtain compensation as quickly as possible after your accident, many insurance companies use your desperation to make you an initial lowball settlement offer. This initial offer usually denies you the total amount of compensation you need to support your recovery, so it’s worth pushing for further negotiations if possible. Your attorney understands how to advocate for your best interests, and insurance companies are typically willing to negotiate with you to avoid litigation. Working with a skilled Temecula auto accident attorney is the best way to maximize your settlement offer and ensure you receive the compensation you need to move forward with confidence.
If you need help collecting compensation following an injury in Temecula or Murrieta, call Hales & Associates, A Professional Law Corporation, today at (951) 489-3320 to discuss your options with a skilled auto accident attorney.