Disabled motorists drive and ride on California roads every day. Disabled drivers are just as safe as any other driver on the road, but unfortunately, they can still end up the victims of careless motorists.
When collisions occur the disabled need to first see to their immediate safety. Then they need to seek the best medical care available and begin thinking about how they’ll hold an at-fault driver responsible for every recovery cost.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a California Car Accident Lawyer Serving Disabled Drivers
If you or a loved one with disabilities has suffered an injury in an accident don’t trust car insurance companies to automatically provide you with the recovery support you’ll need. A standard car accident settlement may not go far enough to help a disabled car accident victim. Allow a skilled California car accident lawyer to fight for every bit of the support you’ll need to rebuild your life.
Maison Law offers a free case consultation to all car accident victims. It’s a chance to learn what your case may be worth and how to secure everything you’ll need to recover. Our lawyers understand the special concerns those with disabilities injured in car accidents will have. We work to make sure victims get everything they need as they recover physically and financially.
What Should Disabled Drivers Do Immediately After a California Traffic Accident?
The California DMV issues driver’s licenses to the hearing impaired, to those with paraplegia and quadriplegia, and to many other motorists who live their lives with disabilities.
Disabled drivers may rely on hand controls for steering, acceleration, and braking. They may use specially designed doors and lifts for entry. With the help of these amazing devices, disabled drivers can follow every traffic law and show other drivers the care required as they travel.
Unfortunately, disabled motorists are also at the same risk from the careless and reckless drivers on our highways as anyone else. A distracted motorist may veer into the path of a disabled driver without warning and cause a devastating collision.
Drivers may be in shock over what happened, but if possible, they also need to take action to make sure the fault in the accident is assigned to the right driver.
Disabled drivers in California accidents must see to their own safety first, and then, if physically able, they should try to collect evidence on the scene:
- Make sure you are safe. If possible, move your vehicle out of harm’s way if you are left in a spot where you will get hit again.
- Dial 911. Get police officers or the California Highway Patrol on the way to your accident. Give officers a full account of what happened. Tell them everything you can remember. They’ll create a collision report that becomes strong evidence in your favor. Let paramedics check out your injuries and make sure they know about any health condition or disability you have. Go to the emergency room if necessary.
- Disabled drivers and passengers may require assistance getting in and out of vehicles and may rely on a wheelchair lift to exit a damaged car. Stay in your vehicle until emergency responders have secured the scene. It’s best for accident victims to remain in their cars and wait for emergency crews for help unless they are at immediate risk. You may need to do your best to retreat from a vehicle if it is on fire. You should have an exit plan worked out ahead of time that you’ve practiced in case of an emergency.
- Disabled drivers and passengers who utilize oxygen tanks to breathe should secure those tanks after an accident and shut off any valves that were opened in the impact. Keep open flames away from these tanks.
- See to the safety of any service animals. It’s usually best to keep your service animal in the vehicle.
- Check for security video. Try to spot any surveillance cameras on nearby businesses or on homes in the form of doorbell cams. Your California car accident attorney will be securing this footage for you before it gets erased.
- Talk to witnesses and get their contact information.
- Swap information with the other drivers involved if officers don’t provide it to you.
- Take Photos. If you feel strong enough, try to get pictures of the scene including traffic signs, the damage to vehicles, and visible injuries. It may be possible for you to secure this photographic evidence without leaving the vehicle. You could also ask someone with you or a helpful witness to help you gather evidence.
- See your doctor in the days that follow. Document any new pain you didn’t notice at the time of the collision. Make sure the doctor assesses your existing disability to see if it’s been aggravated by your car accident. Follow your physician’s orders by seeing specialists and completing physical therapy.
Do I Need a Lawyer If I’m a Disabled Driver Who Has Been the Victim of a Car Accident?
Every bit of proof helps when filing a claim with an at-fault driver’s car insurance provider. Insurance adjusters will immediately look for ways to point the finger of blame at you. They’ll also try to cast doubt on the severity of your injury or say that you had preexisting injuries and that you received no new injuries.
A skilled California Car Accident Lawyer fully investigates your accident and secures the strongest evidence and testimony to present to an insurance company. A strong case makes it much harder for insurance adjusters to reject your claim. Your lawyer also monitors for “lowball” settlement offers that leave you paying out of pocket for half or more of your recovery costs. Your lawyer rejects these offers and fights to get the most out of your disabled driver injury claim.
Compensation for Disabled Victims After a California Car Accident
Disabled drivers are at as much risk of frightening accidents on hazardous freeways and boulevards as any other drivers. They are often at increased risk of harm in those injuries. The expensive medical devices and driver aids they rely on can be damaged in accidents.
Injuries suffered in collisions can also compound the injuries and disabilities a victim already suffers from. All of these hardships must be included in a claim for damages filed with an insurance company.
These are just a few of the damages a California car accident lawyer will be seeking compensation for on the victim’s behalf:
- Money for current medical bills and for ongoing care. A disabled victim’s injuries can serve to make a disability even worse. Testimony from doctors can show how much a victim will need in care going forward.
- Support for the physical pain disabled victims are put through.
- Support for the emotional stress disabled victims endure in the trauma of a car crash and during a difficult recovery. Victims can suffer anxiety, depression, and a loss of enjoyment of life while dealing with a new injury. They can also suffer PTSD symptoms after a scary crash.
- Reimbursement for the wages and benefits a disabled person loses while trying to heal and being unable to go to work.
- Replacement of special equipment that allows disabled people to operate their vehicles and enter and exit their cars. This can include expensive devices that disabled motorists use in everyday life that get damaged in a crash.
- Car, SUV, or Van repair or replacement for a vehicle with special modifications for disabled drivers.
Contact a California Car Accident Lawyer Representing Injured Disabled Drivers
If you or a loved one are seriously injured in an accident you might wonder if you’ll have to cover the cost of recovery alone. According to California Law, that should never be the case. If you didn’t cause your accident, the at-fault driver and their insurance provider should be front and center to accept those financial burdens.
Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t always want to accept the responsibility for a disabled driver’s injuries after a collision. The California Car Accident Lawyers at Maison Law make sure they can’t escape liability for what happened to you.
After an accident involving a serious injury or the tragic loss of life in California, contact attorney Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, for a free, no-obligation case consultation for your family. Mr. Gasparian wants to see you recover and regain your freedom of mobility to get back on the road again.
If you feel we can help you maximize the amount you receive in an injury claim, you won’t need to pay us anything now. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you.
