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After a moving vehicle accident involving a serious injury, you may need help recovering from your financial and emotional losses. Hiring the right attorney can make or break your case.
Whether you have a few general questions about your accident or require legal representation, you need a lawyer specializing in car accident cases. An experienced Bakersfield car accident attorney can help you understand your legal options after an accident and work hard to protect your rights.
Getting into an accident may leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure about what steps to take next. If another driver’s negligence caused your accident, you have the legal right to compensation for your losses. You can take several actions to receive a payout after your car accident in Bakersfield.
Your first option is to file an insurance claim with your own insurance company and the other driver’s insurance company if they are at fault for the crash. If your damages from the accident are completely covered through payments from these insurance claims, you don’t have to take further steps. But often, filing initial insurance claims isn’t enough.
Between policy limitations and insurance companies’ unwillingness to pay for claims, you may have trouble receiving the compensation you deserve. You’ll need to file a lawsuit against the other driver and their insurance company when this happens.
While you can do this independently, having a car accident attorney can make the process easier. They understand how to prove fault and argue for your case, so you’re fairly compensated for your injuries.
Call The Shirvanian Law Firm today at (877) 809-4223.
Car accidents can cause various injuries, but some types are more common than others. The most common injuries from car accidents today in Bakersfield County include soft tissue injuries, broken bones, brain or head injuries, and back, neck, or spinal injuries.
If you are ready to discuss your case, we invite you to call our firm at 877-809-4223
Even low-impact car crashes can cause injuries to your muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Your muscles or connective tissues can get sprained, bruised, or torn following an accident. Soft tissue injuries may require surgery to correct tears or prolonged care through physical therapy for you to heal.
Rear-end collisions, t-bone accidents, and rollover crashes can result in drivers or passengers breaking bones. Fractures are possible in any part of your body but are likely to occur where the impact from the collision was most significant.
A broken clavicle, also known as your collar bone, is common after an auto accident. Its location above your rib cage and thinner, more fragile structure make it easy to fracture.
Broken bones in your face, hands, and wrists are common from impacts with your steering wheel or airbag. Bones in your arms or legs that receive a direct hit on impact are also likely to break.
Following side and front corner vehicle collisions, breaks in your femur or fibula bones of your legs are common and caused by the car crushing inwards.
Auto accidents can also injure your head or brain. Impacts can lead to fractured skulls, wounds on your scalp, minor to severe concussions, and brain bleeds. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can also result from accidents when your brain is bruised after colliding with your skull on impact.
These injuries can cause serious long-term effects and take a long time to recover from.
Symptoms of brain and head injuries from a car accident include:
Car accidents can cause severe injuries to your neck, back, or spine. Whiplash and spinal cord injuries are two examples of challenging injuries you may face. Whiplash involves injuries to your neck and upper shoulders. It’s caused when your head and neck are snapped back and forth forcefully during your accident and most commonly happens after rear-end collisions.
The symptoms of whiplash may not develop immediately after your accident. It can take days for you to notice signs of your injury, but it’s essential to seek treatment as soon as possible to lower your risk of long-term complications. Seek treatment for whiplash if you’re experiencing:
More serious spinal cord injuries are also possible in car accidents. You may experience herniated discs or fractured vertebrae from the impact of the collision or your airbag.
Herniated discs occur after spinal trauma and can cause muscle weakness near the affected spinal nerves. They also cause tingling and numbness in the legs and arms and sharp pain that can radiate from your back to your extremities.
Fractures to the bones of your spine, called vertebrae, can be mild or cause major spinal trauma that results in temporary or permanent paralysis. Spinal injuries like these require intense and expensive medical treatments following an accident. They can leave you with permanent disabilities and impact your life greatly.
Located north of Los Angeles and near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, Bakersfield is the 9th most populous city in California, with 403,455 residents. The growth of its manufacturing and distribution sectors and its size and proximity to Los Angeles make it a highly traveled area. With its growth come more cars and a higher risk of getting into a serious car accident.
Experiencing an auto accident is unexpected and stressful. Accidents are emotionally and financially challenging to handle, even if your injuries are minor. It takes time to recover from the physical pain and emotional suffering you endured.
You may be facing expensive medical bills, car repairs or replacements, or lost wages from taking time off work to recover. If someone else’s negligence caused your accident, you deserve compensation.
Depending on the severity of your injuries and the type of accident that occurred, hiring an experienced Bakersfield car accident lawyer can make a big difference in your case.
If you’ve been involved in a moving vehicle accident, consider calling us for a free case review. Our Bakersfield car accident attorneys focus on our clients, not just our cases. We understand the traumatic events you’ve been through and always approach our clients with compassion and dedication.
Our trusted and local Bakersfield car accident lawyers cover a variety of motor vehicle accidents, including:
We operate on a contingency basis, meaning you won’t have to pay us a dime until we win your case. Our legal team guides you through your legal options, provides support as you file claims, gather the evidence needed to support your case, and legally represent you through the entire process. We’ll fight to ensure you receive fair compensation for your accident.
Hiring a car accident attorney in Bakersfield, CA, also shows the defendant’s lawyers and insurance company that you mean business. Having a local attorney on your side can make a difference in the amount of compensation you’re offered and may help your case settle faster.
Our Bakersfield car accident lawyers work hard so you get the most out of your case and receive the compensation you deserve. Contact our law offices for a free case evaluation.
An auto accident can potentially change your life. It’s important that you and any passengers seek medical care immediately following the incident. You also need to contact the local or state police to report your car accident and exchange insurance information with any other drivers involved in the crash.
Contacting a lawyer who specializes in car accidents is the first step you should take after receiving treatment for your injuries after an accident.
Depending on the seriousness of your injuries, you may need time before you’re able to contact a lawyer. During this period, you’ll want to avoid making statements to any insurance company or other drivers that could place blame on you. Any admissions of fault or negligence can reduce the compensation you’re eligible to receive. This is why seeking legal advice immediately after an accident is so important.
You should contact a car accident lawyer in Bakersfield, CA, if:
Consulting with a local attorney after your Bakersfield car accident can help you get the most out of your claim. Your consultation won’t cost you anything and can prevent you from making mistakes that lower your chances of receiving compensation.
Your chances of receiving compensation after an accident depends on who is at fault for the crash. Injuries from car crashes are covered under civil law, also known as tort law. People who caused your injuries can be held legally liable in these cases. Lawyers use strict liability, negligence, and intentional torts to determine fault in auto accident cases.
It’s possible for someone to be at fault for a car accident, even if they take precautions and act responsibly. Through strict liability, drivers can be held liable for car accident injuries through strict liability even if they didn’t intentionally cause the injury.
In legal terms, negligence happens when a person acts in a way that violates their duty of care to others. For example, drivers have a responsibility to obey traffic laws. A driver who fails to follow traffic laws has breached this duty and is negligent. Negligence also happens when a driver does something a reasonable driver would not do or fails to do something a reasonable driver would do.
Negligent drivers are held legally liable for accidents. Under California’s comparative negligence law, you may be able to receive compensation even if your negligence contributed to the accident.
Drivers can be held liable if they cause an accident or injure someone on purpose. Acting with intent to harass, harm, or kill someone is illegal, and Califonia law allows victims to seek compensation when this happens.
To receive compensation after your accident, you’ll have to file legal claims against the other driver and their insurance company. Car accidents are considered personal injury claims, and California’s Statute of Limitations requires that you file your claims within two years of your injury occurring.
A lawyer can help determine who you should file your lawsuit against and calculate fair compensation based on the facts of your accident. You may be worried about going to trial, but most car accident cases resolve through settlements out of court.
Private negotiations between the parties lead to settlement agreements before your case goes to trial. Your legal representation negotiates with the other side’s lawyers and insurance company on your behalf. They present evidence and arguments to prove fault and negotiate favorable payout and settlement terms. Once both parties have signed the settlement agreement, you’ll receive compensation.
You must prove these four elements to be awarded compensation in California:
While a car accident can happen anywhere, some areas are more prone to crashes than others. Recent car accident news in Bakersfield County shows a fatal accident occurred on Wheeler Ridge Road. Busy intersections and highways are prone to collisions, including accidents with big-rig trucks on Taft Highway.
The many two and four lane roads around Bakersfield make it more susceptible to accidents. Intersections, where drivers enter high-speed traffic from a stop, are also prone to crashes. This includes intersections such as McKee Road and South Union Ave. Crashes also commonly happen on Highway 58, Highway 99, and Highway 65.
Congested roads and freeways lead to more serious and fatal accidents. Bakersfield saw a rise in fatalities despite a decrease in statewide fatal accidents during the COVID-19 lockdowns. From March 19 to May 19, 2020, there were 12 fatal car accident reports in Bakersfield County.
Latest reports from the California Office of Traffic Safety show there were 2002 accidents involving injuries or fatalities in the city of Bakersfield and the surrounding areas in 2019. Alcohol was involved in 212 accidents in the area, and high rates of speed factored into 253 accidents.
Car accidents can leave victims with devastating injuries and you should not have to deal with the pain and suffering on your own. We genuinely care about our clients and want to work with you to help you recover fair damages for your injuries. Our expert car accident lawyers serve clients throughout the Los Angeles and Kern Counties and is here to give you the legal advocacy you need.
Call Us today for a FREE Consultation… (877) 809-4223
To get the best car accident lawyers working for you, contact The Shirvanian Law Firm at (877) 809-4223