Car Accidents

Talk To a Lawyer After Your Crash As Soon As Possible

A wreck can leave you in unthinkable pain and put you under a crushing pile of debt. You may be unable to work. You may be unable to provide for your family. If another driver was to blame for the collision, you shouldn’t be the one paying for the fallout.

California allows you to file a personal injury lawsuit when another person or company caused you injury. But there is a strict deadline for filing these claims. Let The Law Firm of Joseph H. Low IV be your counsel and support. Since 2002, Joseph Low has helped hundreds of Southern California residents recover the money they needed after a traumatic event. He has a reputation as a patient counselor and fierce litigator - someone who will give your case, as well as your family, the attention they deserve.

Don't let those responsible for your injuries walk away scot-free. Contact us today.

What Are Common Causes of Crashes?

• Distracted driving: Even newer cars can be a source of distraction, with their dashboards and integrated features like back-up cameras. If a driver is distracted by a smartphone, a passenger, or even another accident on the freeway, he or she can crash into you. Many rear-end collisions these days are caused by distracted drivers, and since these drivers rarely brake in time, you can expect whiplash and other injuries to follow.
• DUI drivers: Drunk driving has decreased in the past years, but with the legalization of cannabis, we can expect to see more impaired drivers on California roads. If you suspect the driver who hit you is under the influence, call the police right away. They can test the driver at the scene and provide valuable information if you decide to pursue a claim.
• Hit-and-run drivers: Los Angeles is the hit-and-run capital of the United States. While many of these drivers cause only property damage, some hit pedestrians or flee the scene of a multi-car crash. It’s the police’s job to track down hit-and-run drivers, but they don’t always succeed. Having uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on your auto insurance policy is the best defense for a hit-and-run.
• Dangerous intersections: Sometimes, the road itself is dangerous. If a city’s public works department doesn’t take the time to trim trees covering road signs, or fill in potholes, an unnecessary accident can occur. The government entity can be held liable, but there is a short window of time to file a claim – call a lawyer immediately.
• Uber or Lyft drivers: As transportation network companies gobble up more of the market share, they send millions of untrained “independent contractors” into the streets, relying on an app to find customers and get them where they need to go in crowded Downtown and beyond. These drivers are often distracted and fatigued from driving all the time to make ends meet. Uber and Lyft both have million-dollar insurance policies to protect passengers and other vehicles hit by their drivers, but coverage is very specific to the “stage” of the ride. An attorney can help you figure out whether you’re eligible and go after the policy on your behalf.

The injuries you can suffer in a wreck can be catastrophic – especially if you were a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcyclist. Broken bones, spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injury, internal organ rupture, traumatic amputation, burns, and severe road rash can also be astronomically expensive to treat.

How Your Lawyer Can Establish the Other Party's Fault After a Crash

At some point during what may be just another normal day for you, an unexpected car accident caused by another party’s negligence can disrupt and disorganize your life in an instant. On top of getting any needed medical care in the immediate aftermath of your collision, you’re left to pick up the pieces of damage from what you’ve suffered.

However, doing this alone can be overwhelming and next to impossible if you’re receiving treatment for serious injuries, including dealing with additional trauma and stress associated with your collision. That’s why it’s important to have the right legal expertise at your side during this trying time.

A personal injury lawyer comes to your aid with in-depth situational knowledge and relevant industry experience to secure what’s needed to build a solid case on your behalf, so that you can pursue all forms of rightful compensation after your accident. What they will do can include:

• Connecting with experts and investigators who can play a role in building a solid case for you.
• Obtaining additional evidence beyond photographs and video from the scene of the collision, like accident accounts and police reports.
• Acquiring and ensuring that medical records contain complete and relevant information related to the accident and your claim.
• Communicating with all insurance adjusters involved in the procedures following an accident.
• Negotiating with insurers of defendants as well as insurance lien holders with the goal of obtaining the most in-pocket compensation possible.
• Organizing and analyzing all data related to your crash for the purpose of strengthening your claim.

It is important for you, or an available family member, to provide your attorney with as much information as you can concerning your accident.

What Should I Do After a Car Accident?

If you or someone you care about has recently been involved in a car wreck, know you are not alone and there are options. By taking the following steps immediately, you can ensure your safety as well as protect your option to exercise legal action:

1. Make sure you’re out of danger of oncoming traffic and other hazards. Your safety after an accident is a priority. Get yourself and your vehicle (if possible) to a distance that won’t endanger yourself and others.
2. Contact local law enforcement. This is just one step in the process of utilizing unbiased evidence in your personal injury claim. Important documentation from the scene of an accident caused by another’s negligence can work in your favor when seeking compensation.
3. Get medical attention. If you feel immediate pain or see a visible wound after a collision, call for emergency medical services. Allow them to examine you, and if they offer you an ambulance ride to the hospital, consider taking it. On the flipside, in a "minor" collision, you may not need paramedics at the scene, but speaking with a medical professional right after the accident is a prudent step to take. Hidden injuries can appear long after a wreck, and any documentation supplied by your doctor can become powerful evidence in a personal injury lawsuit at a later time.
4. Record what you can. Whether you are currently standing along the highway waiting for the police or recovering in a hospital, collecting evidence of the wreck is of the utmost importance. You'll want to gather photographic and video evidence of the scene, your injuries, contact and insurance information of other vehicles and their occupants, and any eyewitness contact information. If you cannot do so at the scene, ask a bystander to help. Obviously, it is important not to impede any police investigation, but securing these bits of proof can go a long way in proving your case to an insurance company, a jury, or both.
5. Hold onto your damaged vehicle. It can be inconvenient to have your car in the shop, but specialists will need to assess the damage first to make their recommendations.
6. Speak to a car accident attorney. Anything said between you and the at-fault party may be held against you later. Before you speak to that person or an insurance company, either yours or theirs, it is a good idea to contact a law firm who can put your interests first.

Insurance companies are out to keep their bottom line as low as possible, meaning they intend to deny any costly fault on their end, or offer you an immediate settlement for less than what you actually need to recover. There are many tactics the insurance adjuster can try on you, but they won’t try those same tactics on an experienced car accident attorney who knows how the insurance industry operates.

Don’t Wait -- Call The Law Firm of Joseph H. Low Law

You should know up front that how much your car accident case is worth will not be immediately available at the very beginning of the personal injury claim process. However, as new information regarding your accident is uncovered and with a solid attorney in your corner who understands what goes into calculating your compensation, you’ll begin getting a more complete picture of how much you might be entitled to in a Long Beach car accident claim. Whether you settle your case or it reaches trial will also be a factor.

If someone else is at a fault for your injuries in a car crash, rest assured The Law Firm of Joseph H. Low IV is prepared to hold them accountable in a court of law. You could be entitled to current and future medical expenses, lost earnings due to missed work, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and more.

Know that we will pursue your claim tirelessly and will not stop until you've received the optimal outcome from the insurance agencies and guilty party. Call us today for a free consultation.

Car Accident Case Result

• $11,000,000: Car Accident Case - T-Bone Accident

Disclaimer: The case results mentioned on this page are not intended to be representative of usual results and not every result is typical or expected of every case. Each case is different and a prospective client's individual facts and circumstances may differ from the matter in which the results and the testimonials are provided. To discuss your case and the range of reasonable case values please contact The Law Firm of Joseph H. Low IV.