After an accident caused by a careless driver, car accident victims can seek support to cover their medical bills, their emotional trauma, and their lost income at work. Maison Law of McKinleyville stands up for local victims and holds reckless drivers fully responsible.
We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to all Humboldt County collision victims. It’s a no-risk way for victims to determine the level of support they may need and how to hold an at-fault driver accountable.
Should I Call a Lawyer After a Car Accident?
A frightening impact on a local road might leave you with some rear-end damage and perhaps a few bruises. If your injuries aren’t too serious, you may not need the help of a lawyer. But if a reckless driver leaves you with serious injuries like a Traumatic Brain Injury or a broken arm, a McKinleyville Car Accident Lawyer becomes a much more important safeguard.
The higher your medical bills go, the more an insurance company will fight to avoid being forced to pay. They can also choose to question how badly you are hurt instead of providing help as soon as possible.
Your Maison Law lawyer is your defense against these unfair strategies. Your lawyer fully investigates what happened and uses the evidence to build a strong case. Your lawyer can often secure much more for your case than you could by taking on an insurance company yourself.
What to Do After a McKinleyville Car Accident
Your actions right after a collision may determine if you can hold a car insurance company fully responsible or if an insurer will be able to get away with providing less than what you’ll need to recover.
If you left strong enough, and it’s safe to do so. You’ll want to grab as much valuable evidence as possible at the scene. Some of this evidence will be cleaned up and cleared away within an hour, so it’s critical to act quickly.
First, call 911 and get an ambulance on the way if you or someone else is injured. Be ready to give the responding officer a full account of what happened.
Then, if you feel up to it, try to collect these details:
- Get pictures of the damage to vehicles, road markings, and any visible injuries.
- Get driver’s license and insurance information from everyone involved unless the officer provides it to you.
- Don’t offer your opinion on who caused the crash or how bad your injuries are to other drivers. These statements can be used against you later.
- Get witness contact information.
- Alert your own car insurance company about what happened as soon as possible, even if you weren’t to blame.
- Get checked out by your doctor. Have your own doctor check out your injuries and document them. Follow your doctor’s orders to see specialists and complete physical therapy if you are instructed to do so.
- Contact Maison Law as soon as possible. Your lawyer will also fully investigate the accident and combine the evidence with your own. Your lawyer will secure any surveillance footage, interview witnesses, and employ accident reconstruction teams if necessary. Then these factors are collected into a powerful case that car insurance adjusters will have a hard time rejecting.
Car Accident Dangers in McKinleyville
Taking rides in cars, SUVs, or trucks may be the most dangerous thing we do in McKinleyville and out in the county each day. We can be as safe as possible, but that is only half of the equation. Unfortunately, the other drivers on the road can make the difference in a safe journey or one that ends in a frightening collision.
A driver staring at a video on a cellphone may miss a light turning red on Central Avenue, causing a rear-end collision. A local family may be on Highway 101 on the way to Arcata when a speeding driver slides out of control and into the side of their SUV.
These are common hazards in the busy sections of Humboldt County and also on the curvy ocean routes.
According to data from California transportation authorities, Humboldt County saw 560 traffic accidents involving injuries in 2024. Those accidents led to 26 tragic fatalities. Sadly, those figures are a shocking increase over the incidents recorded the year before. Humboldt County documented 524 serious collisions in 2023 and 7 deaths.
Victims and their families should hold bad drivers fully responsible for every hardship they encounter during recovery. Victims in pain and facing massive bills should be made aware of every benefit available, because a car insurance company isn’t required to inform them and probably won’t.
How Much Can I Get for a Car Accident Injury?
That’s a difficult question until your lawyer has heard from you about what happened and has been able to investigate. All cases are different, and an accurate estimate may take some time to figure out.
However, a few factors usually decide how much a car accident victim receives. The length of time it takes for an injury to heal will have a big effect on how much patients should get. All injuries are different, and they affect everyone in different ways. Some people recover sooner, while others can have life-threatening complications that prolong the medical care needed and the costs required.
These are just a few of the factors that will go into determining the amount you see on a car accident settlement check:
- All hospital and doctor expenses.
- Estimates on future costs associated with a long-term injury or permanent physical disability.
- The physical pain and suffering you endure.
- The emotional trauma you face in the accident and in a difficult recovery.
- Money for car repairs or car replacement.
- Income you’ve lost from missing work and income you might have to forfeit in the future.
Your Maison Law attorney will help you arrive at a fair amount that helps you cover every damage. Then your attorney gets aggressive and tries to earn this amount for you. If an unhelpful insurance company doesn’t want to cover everything you’ve been through, your lawyer can reject their claims and demand more.
What’s more, if an insurer rejects your claim, your attorney represents the threat of a lawsuit. This makes insurance companies nervous and more likely to provide everything you need in a settlement. Insurers want to avoid going before a judge and jury because it’s expensive. The things that come out in court testimony can also damage their company’s reputation.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does my family get support if we lose a loved one in a fatal accident?
Yes, families can file a wrongful death claim. The spouse and children of the victim, and others, could seek help in paying burial costs and remaining medical bills. They should also expect help in the future when they’ll be without the guidance and income support a loved one can no longer provide. A McKinleyville Wrongful Death Lawyer can file a claim on behalf of the entire family and seek justice for the victim.
How long can I wait to file a personal injury claim?
After a car accident on a busy route like Highway 101, you’ll have up to two years to file an insurance claim. It’s the statute of limitations in California for injury claims. It’s important to allow your McKinleyville personal injury lawyer to examine your case as soon as possible, though. You don’t want evidence to disappear or witnesses to become hard to locate after waiting months or a year.
What if I can’t afford to pay a Personal Injury Accident Lawyer for my case?
If you feel we can help you earn more for your claim, you won’t need any upfront money to hire Maison Law. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement money you receive.
Support for McKinleyville and Humboldt County Car Accident Victims
If you or a loved one is seriously injured due to the carelessness of another driver, discuss your options with a real McKinleyville car accident lawyer. We want to help you demand what’s fair from insurers before they get away with sending you a “lowball” offer.
Contact Maison Law to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. We want to hear what happened to you. We’re going to answer your questions and make sure you are fully aware of the insurance tactics you’ll face. These shady practices are meant to limit the money you receive. Avoiding these pitfalls will be key to earning what you’ll need to get back to your normal life.
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