Highway 101 is a well-known north/south route for California motorists, but in Los Angeles, this popular roadway can go by many names. No matter what freeways and highways it merges with, “The 101” through the city can be depended on for offering crazy traffic and reckless drivers.
A careless driver failing to check blind spots or a motorist looking at texts instead of the highway can leave you and your family at risk of a major collision. Once bumps and bruises and any traumatic injuries have been stabilized, you’ll have to consider how you will hold at-fault drivers liable and avoid paying massive recovery bills yourself.
A Free Highway 101 Accident Case Consultation in Los Angeles
The biggest obstacle for injured victims to getting fair support after a Los Angeles car crash will be their dealings with the insurance company of the at-fault driver. Insurance adjusters will work harder to limit the compensation they’ll have to pay you, rather than provide fair compensation for your recovery.
To find out everything you should be demanding from car insurance companies, contact Maison Law of Los Angeles for a free and confidential consultation. It’s a no-risk way to speak with a real Los Angeles Highway 101 Car Accident Attorney. You’ll learn what your injury is really worth before insurance companies try to convince you otherwise.
Highway 101 Car Accident Dangers in Los Angeles
Highway 101 merges and takes on the names of several different freeways. The 101 begins in the East Los Angeles Interchange, just east of downtown, where Freeway 5 and Freeway 10 converge. For distinct stretches, 101 is also known as the Hollywood Freeway, the Santa Ana Freeway, and the Ventura Freeway.
The route through Hollywood and the Valley can stretch across eight lanes or more and leave motorists a bit dazed by the traffic jams and reckless driving that occur daily. A big rig could strike your SUV from behind when a truck driver focuses on eating breakfast instead of the slowed traffic ahead. A car could smash into the side of your vehicle only to send you into a chain-reaction crash with several other cars.
California traffic accident analysts found that in 2021 Highway 101 was the scene of over a thousand accidents involving injury in Los Angeles. Those accidents claimed a tragic 10 lives and left over 1,500 people suffering injuries.
What to Do After a Highway 101 Traffic Accident in Los Angeles
If you or a loved one are a victim of a careless driver on Highway 101, you’ll have no choice but to try to get the most out of a Los Angeles car accident injury claim. You can’t be sure when your injury will fully heal or if it might flare up years down the road. Any car collision settlement you sign must take into account these possibilities, so you aren’t stuck with additional medical bills in the future.
After an accident, there will be things you should try to accomplish to strengthen your case against an insurance company. There are also things you’ll need to avoid in order to give yourself the best chance of earning everything you need in a settlement check.
DO’S
- Call 911: Have paramedics respond to the scene, no matter how minor you think your injuries are. Assist LAPD officers and the CHP as much as possible. Tell them everything you observed before your crash so they can create an accurate collision report.
- Collect Evidence from the Scene: If you are left strong enough, collect proof of what happened once the accident scene is secure. Take photos of vehicle damage and any visible injuries. Talk with witnesses and get contact information. If the driver works for a delivery, rideshare, or trucking company, try to get an employee number and take pictures of company signage.
- Schedule a Doctor’s Appointment: Get every injury examined in the days following an accident. The shock of what happened may mask the pain of the injury until the following day or several days after. Doctors may find a hairline fracture or another injury you didn’t know you had. Follow every recommendation from your doctor, including visits to specialists and physical therapists. Keep all medical invoices.
- Contact a Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney: Don’t talk to insurance representatives until you’ve discussed the benefits available to you with a skilled local attorney. An experienced Highway 101 Car Accident Attorney will also go over the tactics that insurance adjusters use to discredit your injuries so they can pay you less.
DON’TS
- Avoid Recorded Statements: An insurance representative will call you after an accident asking for a recorded statement. You aren’t legally required to offer this statement. Only offer basic information, because any statement about your injuries or the fault in the accident can be twisted to hurt your case later. Refer any insurance representative to your car accident attorney.
- Stay Off of Social Media: Don’t post pictures from the scene of your accident and make comments on Facebook or Twitter. Insurance adjusters will seek out these posts to use the pictures and comments against you later.
- Don’t accept a quick settlement: Don’t sign off on any documents or accept any hastily offered insurance deals without a Los Angles Personal Injury Attorney at your side. Your injury is probably worth a lot more than insurance adjusters are letting on. Once you sign, you won’t be able to return to ask for more money when you find you’re still left with bills that weren’t covered in your car accident settlement check.
How Long Do I Have to File My Highway 101 Car Accident Claim?
California statutes extend the deadline to file a car accident injury claim to two years. Once the two years from the date of your accident are reached, any claim you file will likely be rejected.
Your Los Angeles Car Accident lawyer makes sure your claim is filed as soon as it’s ready and backed with every piece of strong evidence available. Your claim will include full documentation of every damage you’ve suffered since the accident.
This will include every medical bill traffic collision victims receive and estimates on bills they may see in the future. Paystubs from a victim’s place of employment help show how much income the victim has forfeited while having to miss days on the job. The emotional and physical pain the victim endures should also factor into any insurance settlement offer.
Can My Family Receive Insurance Benefits After a Highway 101 Fatal Accident?
There are also benefits available to families who have lost a loved one in a tragic Highway 101 collision. Close relatives may file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
This civil claim asks for help in paying for a memorial service and burial. It seeks money to cover the leftover medical costs and ambulance fees from a fatal accident. Families can also demand fair compensation for the lost income the deceased will no longer be able to provide a spouse and children in the future.
Contact a Highway 101 Car Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one suffer a serious injury due to the careless actions of another driver, don’t allow an insurance company to determine what you’ll receive in compensation. A crash along Highway 101 might leave you off your feet, unable to work, and with no way to pay your growing medical bills.
Take advantage of a free case consultation from Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law. This evaluation comes with no obligation to you or your family. Make sure you are treated fairly and receive the support you need to fully recover and get back to your normal life.
