Maison Law of Salinas represents car accident victims hurt on Highway 101 and other busy routes along the city. Our Car Accident Lawyers hold careless drivers completely liable for the damage and injuries they cause.
Contact Maison Law to talk with a real lawyer about your options in a free, no-obligation consultation. You’ll learn what your injury is worth and how to secure the compensation you need to recover.
Salinas Highway 101 Accident Dangers
Highway 101 carries a lot of locals to school and work each day. It also brings a lot of visitors from across the state through the Salinas area. It’s one of the most famous highways in the world, but Highway 101 carries a lot of hazards.
Drivers often get careless while traveling the highway. They can speed, or race along while looking away at a text or a radio dial. Motorists can miss spotting a construction slow down up ahead and ram into the back of stopped cars. They can switch lanes without a single glance at a mirror or a blind spot.
Big trucks from wineries, farms, and local manufacturers are another hazard on the sometimes narrow lanes of the 101. Accident victims can wind up under a big rig or a delivery van and be waiting to be freed before they can get the medical care they need.
Sometimes it’s clear to the California Highway Patrol who caused a collision, but car insurance companies can still cast doubt on who was to blame simply as an attempt to get out of taking blame for the accident. Your Salinas car accident lawyer is your defense against this sort of insurance tactic.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Crash on Highway 101?
Your accident may involve a crumpled bumper or smashed-in door. As long as your injuries are very minor and there’s just property damage, you can probably handle your car accident claim yourself and receive fair treatment.
But if your accident involves a serious injury like a broken leg or head trauma, the medical bills can run high and this makes car insurance adjusters try even harder to avoid taking the blame for your hardships. If you feel another driver caused the crash and your injuries are serious, you should speak to a Salinas attorney about how to protect your case. Your lawyer would demand the most compensation possible and provide evidence that would make it hard for an insurer to wiggle out of taking compensation.
Compensation Available After a Crash on Highway 101
Your lawyer will fully investigate your accident and the other driver. That evidence will be key to making sure your injury claim can’t be denied by unfair insurance adjusters.
Your case will also be strengthened by any evidence you manage to collect on the scene. If you are strong enough, and the scene is secure, it’s critical to document some of what happened in the moments afterward.
Try to capture these If you are able, or if someone with you is physically able, try to gather these details in the moments after your interstate accident:
- Alert 911. The California Highway Patrol will respond to the scene and will be writing up a collision report. Tell them everything you remember.
- Move your vehicle. According to the California DMV, you should move your vehicle off the road and out of the lanes if you are in a highway or interstate accident that doesn’t involve an injury or death.
- Allow paramedics to check you out no matter how minor you think your injuries are. Go to the hospital if necessary. See your own doctor in the following days to have all injuries documented.
- Exchange information. Get driver’s license and insurance information from other drivers if it isn’t provided to you by officers.
- Use your cellphone to take photos. Show the damage to all cars involved. Show lane markings and skid marks involved. Take photos of any visible injuries. If you must leave the scene
- Talk with witnesses. Note what they saw and find out how your California personal injury lawyer can contact them.
What Is My Monterey County Highway 101 Injury Claim Worth?
Putting a dollar value on your medical bills and lost paychecks at work will be easy to do once you go over your case with a skilled car accident lawyer. But working out how much you should receive for the physical pain you are left with and the emotional trauma you might suffer for years down the road will be harder.
Each case is different. Your lawyer can’t really give you an accurate estimate of what you might earn until looking into your case for you. Your lawyer will be examining medical records to see how bad your injury is and how long it may take to heal. Every hardship you face must be listed in an injury claim so your family isn’t left to pay any bill left over after your settlement agreement has already been signed.
These are just a few of the factors that must factor into the amount written on a settlement check:
- Hospital and rehabilitation expenses now and those expected in the future.
- Estimated costs associated with a long-term injury or permanent physical disability.
- Emotional anguish, such as depression and anxiety. The loss of enjoyment of life due to an injury.
- The hardship of dealing with chronic, physical pain.
- Past and future lost wages at work during recovery.
- Property damage.
- Wrongful death benefits. A family who has lost a loved one to a careless driver’s mistake is encouraged to file a wrongful death claim. This claim asks an insurance company for help with funeral costs. It also seeks to replace the income the deceased would have provided the family in the future.
Contact a Salinas Car Accident Lawyer
After a serious accident on Highway 101, you should speak with a Salinas Car Accident Lawyer to find out what your injury is worth and how to hold a car insurance company fully accountable.
Schedule a free case consultation with Maison Law. This evaluation comes with no obligation to you or your family. If you do feel we can help you earn more, you won’t need any money to hire quality legal representation. We don’t get paid unless your case is won, and then our fee comes out of the settlement money you receive.