Victims forced into local car accidents can ask for help with their medical bills and in replacing the income they lose while they can’t work.
Maison Law of Fort Bragg CA, represents the victims of Mendocino County car accidents. We fight to make sure victims get the care they need and have the money to pay for it.
If you or a loved one has been in a serious car accident, please contact Maison Law to discuss your options in a free case consultation. It’s a no-risk opportunity to determine what your injury is worth and how to hold an insurer fully liable.
Fort Bragg Car Accident Injury Claims Process
Step 1
Call Us For A Free Consultation
Call us 24/7 with No Obligations.
Step 2
Describe Your Accident Details
We will then discuss your legal options and decide whether to move your case forward.
Step 3
Retain Maison Law w/ No Upfront Fees
We work on contingency. No attorney fees unless you win your case.
Step 4
Receive Your Compensation
We will fight for you to earn the highest possible payout for your damages.
How Can I Tell If I Need a Lawyer for My Car Accident Case?
If another driver causes your accident and you suffer a serious injury, you may come out much better with the help of a Fort Bragg car accident lawyer.
A serious injury, like a bone fracture, will mean a longer, more expensive recovery. Insurance companies will fight harder to avoid accepting blame, and in the end, you can end up with much less in compensation than you need to rebuild your life.
Your lawyer safeguards your case and fights to get you more than you could likely earn by handling a case yourself.
These are just a few of the important advantages a Maison Law attorney provides:
- Your lawyer fully investigates your accident and secures all evidence
- Fights back if an insurer tries to blame your collision on you
- Gathers your medical charts and works with your doctors to prevent insurers from downplaying your injuries
- Files your claim and handles the frustrating negotiation process, allowing you to focus on getting better
- Makes sure any settlement covers the benefits and income you’ve had to forfeit while being out of work
- Makes sure a settlement offer leaves you with money to get medical care in the future in case an injury becomes long-term
- If a settlement offer is too small, your lawyer knows when it’s best to reject it and demand more
- If an insurance company won’t accept full blame for what happened, your lawyer represents the threat of a lawsuit, forcing a car insurer to treat you fairly
What Should I Do After a Car Crash in Fort Bragg?
To build a strong case that insurance adjusters can’t pick apart, you may need to take action right on the scene of your accident to capture the best evidence available. Some of this evidence will disappear once the accident’s been cleared. Having it in your possession can win your case for you.
See to your family’s safety first. Dial 911. If anyone is hurt, request an ambulance.
Then, once the scene is secure and you feel up to it, try to accomplish these tasks before the evidence is cleared away:
- Give responding officers (likely from the Fort Bragg Police Department or the CHP) a full account of what happened.
- Have paramedics check out every pain you have. Go to the emergency room if necessary. If you must leave, ask someone with you or a helpful witness to collect a few pieces of evidence for you.
- Take photos of the scene. Show damage to cars and any visible injuries victims may have. Get any identifying marks on the car that hit you, such as any work signage, the make and model, and the license plate. Take pictures of the street signs, lane markings, and traffic lights that show what the other driver may have ignored. Make sure some photos show the weather conditions.
- Exchange information with other drivers if an officer doesn’t provide it to you. Get driver’s license and insurance information. Don’t discuss who was at fault and how badly you are hurt. You may not have a clear answer for either question until much later. These statements can be used against you when you file a claim.
- Talk to all witnesses. Get their contact information.
- Notice any security cameras on businesses or homes nearby. Doorbell cameras and parking lot monitors may have recorded what happened.
- Alert your own car insurance company about what happened in case you must file a claim on your own uninsured/underinsured driver coverage.
- Get checked out by your personal physician in the days that follow, even if you’ve been to the emergency room at Adventist Health Mendocino Coast. Pay special attention to any injuries that appeared in the days after an accident. Injuries are often masked while you are still in shock over what happened, but the pain can make itself known the next morning when you wake up.
The fault in a collision may appear to be cut-and-dry. The other motorist made a clear mistake and should help you with your recovery costs. But when car insurance companies get involved, things get more complicated, and facts get twisted.
Talking over your case in a free consultation with a skilled lawyer can save you from signing off on a settlement offer that doesn’t cover all of your needs or runs out before you’re fully healed.
Car Accident Dangers in Fort Bragg CA
California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) tracks accidents across Northern California each year. Over the past 5 years (2020-2024), Fort Bragg and Mendocino County have seen an average of 357 serious accidents a year. Basically, an accident involving injury for every day of the year.
In 2024, TIMS recorded 341 accidents in the county, resulting in a tragic 15 deaths. This is a look at the consistent level of collisions in Mendocino County in recent years.
- There were 86 serious accidents (involving injury) along Hwy 101 through Mendocino County in 2024. Those accidents led to at least 3 deaths
- There were 38 serious accidents documented along Hwy 1 in 2024. Those accidents resulted in at least 2 fatalities.
The Types of Damages Car Insurance Companies Don’t Want to Compensate You For
Car insurance companies for at-fault drivers may not hassle you over certain compensation requests after you’ve filed a claim. They may agree to pay your emergency room/hospital bills without trouble (as long as they aren’t enormous). An insurer may not make much of a deal about covering the repairs for your car, or even handing you a check to “total” your car.
However, there are other costs, both economic and non-economic, that an insurance adjuster may fight you on, or simply hope you don’t bring up.
Your Maison Law attorney would definitely include these damages in a claim and demand full support on your behalf:
- Lost benefits and paychecks at work — You should definitely receive reimbursement for the time missed at work while you heal. But what about any time off the job expected in the future? Your injury may leave you unable to fulfill your job duties, perhaps for the rest of your life. An insurer should be liable for supporting you and your family for as long as necessary if you have a permanent disability. They may be required to pay for job training so you can find a more suitable profession that your injury allows you to follow.
- Support for Pain – Insurers must help victims with the pain they are left with and may have to cope with for years or decades. The pain may become chronic and result in debilitating arthritis in the future. The money for medication and physical therapy should factor into a settlement check. These potential outcomes must be provided for now.
- Mental Trauma — After a major accident, victims with traumatic injuries can understandably experience bouts of depression, anxiety. They may have to give up certain hobbies and be unable to participate in family activities. Accident victims can also suffer PTSD symptoms that force them to relive the moment of impact over and over again. Victims may need therapy to give hope that they can return to the driver’s seat again.
- Travel to See Doctors and Specialists – Patients in Fort Bragg may have to travel to larger cities to get the best care available. They may need the opinions of specialized surgeons. Travel can be expensive, especially when car accident victims are in wheelchairs or in casts and unable to drive. These expenses should be itemized on a claim for damages. The victim should never have to pay for them.
What Our Clients Say
Frequently Asked Questions
Car accidents can be physically and financially devastating, but you can still afford the protection of a Maison Law attorney. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the insurance settlement check you receive.
Two Years. California allows accident victims to wait up to 24 months to file an injury claim against an at-fault driver’s car insurance provider. Waiting beyond this deadline usually means the case will be thrown out.
Yes. Victims struck by a careless driver can always seek compensation. Drivers may try to blame the weather, such as thick fog or heavy storms, but in reality, investigators can still find a driver at fault. In general, motorists are responsible for traveling at a speed safe for conditions. This applies to low-visibility conditions and rain-slicked roads. The posted speed limit may not be the true speed limit in these weather events. Drivers are expected to slow down enough to be able to avoid any collision. When they don’t,
Yes. Grieving families can file wrongful death claims against at-fault drivers and their car insurance providers. Close relatives should get full assistance with paying burial costs and any leftover ambulance fees and hospital bills. Families should also secure money to protect their futures. They must get help in replacing the income that the deceased may have provided to the family each week. The emotional trauma of losing a beloved family member and the love and guidance a loved one would have provided should earn support.
Contact a Fort Bragg CA Car Accident Lawyer
We’re pleased to offer free case reviews to all victims and their families in Mendocino County. Tell us what happened and how your injury has affected your life. We can answer all of your questions. Keep in mind that there’s no obligation to you or your family for this case consultation.
We’ll help you determine the best path to getting the most out of your car accident injury claim. If we can’t help you earn more, we’ll tell you that. We’ll also point you in the right direction for getting the most by filing yourself.
If we can help you, the investigation into what happened to you will start immediately. Our Fort Bragg Car Accident Lawyers also make sure car insurance companies are acting as quickly as possible to respond to your claim and turn over the support you’ll need to rebuild your life.
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