Driving to work in busy places like Los Angeles or the Bay Area already leaves motorists with plenty to worry about. A reckless driver on the freeway can switch lanes without checking a mirror and sideswipe your car. A distracted driver on a boulevard can miss a light changing to red and rear-end your vehicle.
Adding a dangerous police chase to the mix only multiplies the hazards in the lanes along roads like Interstate 5, Highway 99, and Interstate 280. The California Highway Patrol or police officers may be chasing a car theft, carjacking, or DUI suspect, and you may have little chance to get out of a suspect’s way.
After an accident caused by a fleeing suspect, victims should know that they can seek support for injury recovery costs and car repair bills. A California Police Chase Accident Lawyer fights to get innocent victims the compensation they need to recover physically and financially after a scary crash.
Free Case Evaluation For California Victims of Crashes Involving Police Chase Suspects
After a car crash caused by someone involved in a police pursuit, you’ll have questions about how to seek justice and how to get help with hospital bills. What if a suspect doesn’t have insurance or can escape capture? If you’re injured in a crash, you may worry you’ll have to pay your expensive medical bills yourself.
There is compensation available in these situations. There’s a simple way to get your questions answered by a real California Police Chase Accident Lawyer. Schedule a free case consultation that comes with no obligation. It’s a no-risk opportunity to learn about the support that’s possible through a car accident injury claim.
And there’s no need to worry about having the money to hire a skilled car accident lawyer if you need representation to get fair treatment from car insurance companies. If you feel Maison Law can help you earn more, you don’t need any upfront money. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement you are awarded.
California Police Chase Car Accident Dangers
Suspects who choose to flee from a police stop or perhaps have stolen a car can’t be counted on to show care and caution to other motorists. They often engage in extremely reckless behavior to escape capture. These poor decisions put other drivers, motorcyclists, and their passengers in harm’s way. A pedestrian in a crosswalk or on a sidewalk or a cyclist might also be put at risk.
Drivers could hear the wail of sirens in the distance, and suddenly find they’ve got a speeding suspect coming up fast behind them. A suspect could strike a vehicle and be stopped by the wreck, or could speed away, never to be seen again.
KTLA-TV reports that there are on average about two police chases a day in Los Angeles. About a thousand people have been injured in these chases over the past five years. Half of those injuries were suffered by innocent parties.
Innocent bystanders can suffer broken bones, brain trauma, and even life-threatening injuries. Victims and their family members should speak to a California Car Accident Lawyer to find out who can be held responsible and how much they should be demanding for their hardships.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for an Accident in a Police Chase?
After suddenly being involved in a police chase you had nothing to do with, you will wonder who can be held liable for your car damage and for your hospital bills if you suffer an injury.
A car chase suspect will be facing criminal charges if captured, but they’ll also face a civil injury claim if they end up injuring you or a loved one. If the suspect has car insurance, a claim can be filed against the suspect’s auto insurance provider. You would be asking for help in repairing or replacing your vehicle and for medical bills and other hardships.
It may turn out that a captured suspect is an uninsured driver. In this case, you would have to seek help from your uninsured motorist coverage. You would be filing a claim with your own car insurance company. Your own car insurance representative may not be as helpful as you’d like, though. Your insurer can question your claim and try to get out of taking responsibility. A California police chase accident lawyer is your safeguard from this type of unfair treatment.
Your uninsured motorist coverage would also be called upon if the suspect also commits a hit-and-run and is never identified.
In a bit of good news, ABC7-TV confirms that California car insurance companies aren’t allowed to raise your premiums after getting struck by a fleeing suspect. They can’t raise your rates for an accident you didn’t cause.
Law Enforcement Officers are partially protected from liability when they cause accidents during chases, but that doesn’t mean they are never found at fault for crashes. A police officer who shows extreme disregard for the safety of innocent bystanders could face responsibility for your injuries and recovery costs. A skilled California attorney would help you hold the city or the state accountable for your damages. Action must be taken quickly though, because the deadlines to file lawsuits against a city or California department can be much shorter than in normal cases.
What Can I Earn Compensation for After an Accident Caused by a Police Chase Suspect?
Whether you must seek injury compensation from another driver’s car insurance company or your own, you’ll want to get started preparing your case as soon as possible. Speak with a skilled California car accident attorney when you are able to.
This allows your lawyer to begin investigating what happened and to secure fresh evidence, like surveillance video, that may disappear in the weeks that follow. It’s also helpful to act quickly so that your lawyer has an easier time tracking down witnesses to get testimony.
Your attorney prepares all evidence to build a strong case for you. Included in your claim will be a full list of the hardships you and your family have been put through.
All of these factors and more should help increase the amount of your police chase injury settlement check:
- Hospital and medical expenses and those expected in the future.
- Costs associated with a permanent physical disability such as brain damage, vision impairment, paralysis, or the loss of a limb.
- Physical pain and suffering.
- Emotional Anguish.
- Loss of enjoyment of life. Loss of consortium (Intimate Relationships).
- Earnings you’ve lost while missing work.
- Damage or destruction of property.
- Wrongful death support. Families who have a loved one claimed in an accident caused by a police chase suspect must seek to protect themselves. They should use a wrongful death claim to secure help with funeral costs and in paying leftover medical bills. Families must also seek support in replacing the income a loved one can no longer provide in the future.
Contact a California Police Chase Accident Lawyer
Police chase accident victims will usually have up to two years to file an injury claim over a crash caused by a police chase suspect. Filing beyond this statute of limitations will usually mean your case will be rejected.
To make sure you and your family earn the most possible from an accident claim, schedule a free case consultation with Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law. This case evaluation is a time set aside to go over every option you and your family have. Make sure you are treated fairly and receive the support you need to rebuild your lives.
