Maison Law of Salinas stands up for victims hurt in accidents caused by merging drivers on busy area highways. Our lawyers make sure the right motorist takes responsibility for medical bills, lost income, and the pain that’s left behind.
If you have been injured, please contact a Salinas Car Accident Lawyer for a free case review. It’s an informative, no-string-attached way to find out what your injury may be worth and how to hold a car insurance company fully responsible.
When to Contact a Salinas Car Accident Attorney
If your accident involves a serious injury, and a careless driver trying to merge caused the collision, it’s a good idea to speak to a lawyer. A skilled attorney can mean more protection from insurers trying to pin the accident on you. It can also mean more money in your bank account as you try to recover physically and financially.
You always have the right to file your own claim, but a skilled lawyer often gives you a much better chance to win the kind of settlement you need to rebuild your life. When you come away from a crash with something like a broken arm, a neck or back injury, or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), it’s a great idea to talk over your options with a lawyer.
The Support to Demand After Being Hit by a Merging Driver
Victims sideswiped by a driver trying to merge onto Highway 101 can file a personal injury claim and get help with their many recovery bills. This is because merging drivers are generally always going to be found at fault in such an accident.
Through an injury claim, victims would demand support for every economic and non-economic hardship they’ve suffered through.
A skilled lawyer would create a full list of every damage the victim has faced, and then demand compensation for these factors and more:
- All medical bills.
- The lifelong support needed for victims suffering a permanent physical disability.
- The victim’s emotional trauma, such as depression and anxiety, while managing a difficult and painful recovery.
- Loss of enjoyment of life. The difficulties encountered when having to give up favorite hobbies and sit out family activities.
- Support for the physical pain victims must live with temporarily or as a lifelong issue.
- Lost wages and benefits while victims are unable to work.
- Money for car repairs or a new car.
How The Blame in a Merging Accident Is Assigned
Salinas Police or the California Highway Patrol (CHP) would have an easy time assigning blame in most merging vehicle accidents.
That’s because the California Vehicle Code places the responsibility on the merging driver in almost all situations. The driver trying to get on Highway 101 would have to yield the right of way to the motorist already on the highway. The driver already in the lane doesn’t have to move over or slow down for the merging driver.
The responsibility for safely joining traffic falls to the merging driver as laid out in CVC 21804.
What to Do After Getting Hit Along a Merge Lane
Unfortunately, victims don’t automatically receive support for their wounds. Merging drivers and their insurers can confuse what should be an easy process, simply to avoid financial accountability. They may deny that the driver was merging when the accident occurred.
Evidence will be key to making sure the story doesn’t change. Victims can collect some powerful details on the scene of their accidents if it’s safe to do so.
They should gather this evidence if they feel strong enough:
- Get checked out by EMTs and go to the hospital if they think you should.
- Alert officers to everything you saw before the accident, and make sure they know the accident occurred while a motorist was trying to merge.
- Take photos of the damage to vehicles and show the position vehicles were left in.
- Take pictures of the marks left on the pavement and debris left behind.
- Take pictures of your injuries if they are visible and any damage to clothing.
- Get witness contact information.
- Note if any vehicles had a dash cam rolling when the accident occurred.
- Contact your own insurer, even if you weren’t at fault.
- Visit your own doctor and get all injuries documented, even if you’ve already been to the ER at Navidad Medical Center.
This evidence can be added to the full investigation your Maison Law attorney will conduct to form a powerful case. Your lawyer can secure testimony from witnesses and your doctors. Your attorney can also call in accident reconstruction teams to make sure the facts of what happened can’t be changed.
Contact a Salinas Car Accident Attorney
If a merging driver hits you and you suffer a serious injury, it’s a good sign that you could earn more with a lawyer’s help. Contact us to set up a free consultation with a real lawyer to go over your options.
We are ready to answer questions for any injured Monterey County accident victim in a free, no-obligation case review. If you don’t end up needing our help to earn justice, we can still get you started on filing a successful claim on your own.
If you would like our help, we are there, but you don’t have to worry about finding the money to pay a lawyer. We work on a contingency basis. It means we don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then, our fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company must write for you.
