Berkeley Car Accident Lawyer

Have you been in a car accident in Berkeley? If so, you should think about getting help from a lawyer who knows what they’re doing.

At Crockett Law Group (d/b/a “Text Kevin Accident Attorneys”), we know how tough it can be after an accident. We want to help you get money for things like doctor bills, lost pay from missing work, and the pain you’re going through. Just give us a call today and we’ll look at your case for free.

Berkeley Car Accident Statistics

Total Injuries & Fatalities

• 2019: 514
• 2020: 290
• 2021: 341
• 2022: 541
• 2023: 501

Statistics on Fatal and Injury Causing Collisions in Berkeley

We conducted an investigation to determine the trend in accidents involving injuries and fatalities in Berkeley over the past five years, focusing on the total number of collisions resulting in injuries or fatalities. Our findings reveal a noteworthy decline of 3% in accidents from 2019 to 2023, with the data indicating varying levels of injuries and fatalities across the years.

Primary Collision Factor

• Right-of-Way: 160
• Unsafe Speed: 109
• Traffic Signals/Signs: 64
• Improper Turning: 53
• DUI: 22
• All Other Factors: 93

Statistics on Common Causes of Collisions in Berkeley

Examining the primary collision factors in Berkeley, it is evident that certain trends show key contributors to vehicular accidents. Recognizing these patterns is crucial for improving our overall road safety. Notably, a significant number of collisions stemmed from drivers’ failure to yield the right-of-way, emphasizing the importance of addressing this issue in Berkeley’s traffic management efforts.

Which Roads and Intersections in Berkeley Are the Most Dangerous?

Car accidents can happen anywhere in Berkeley, but some spots are more likely to have crashes:

University Avenue

University Avenue is a busy street in Berkeley with lots of shops, restaurants, and other businesses. You can find places like Peet’s Coffee, Taco Bell, and CVS here. The street is always busy with people driving by or stopping to shop. Because there’s so much traffic and lots of stoplights and crossroads, accidents can happen, especially when it’s rush hour.

Interstate 80

Interstate 80, or I-80 for short, is a big highway that connects Berkeley to other cities nearby. Tons of cars and trucks use it every day to get to work or move stuff around.

Because people drive fast on I-80 and there are so many cars, accidents can be pretty bad. The areas near on-ramps and off-ramps, like the one by I-580, can get backed up and have more crashes. If you’re on I-80, stay alert, don’t speed, and watch out for traffic slowing down quickly, especially during busy times.

San Pablo Avenue

San Pablo Avenue is another busy road in Berkeley. It has all sorts of businesses along it, like Berkeley Bowl, Walgreens, and McDonald’s. You’ll see cars and people everywhere, whether they’re going to work, school, or running errands. But because there’s so much going on, accidents can happen, especially at the intersections when traffic gets heavy.

What Should I Do After a Car Accident in Berkeley?

What you do after a car accident can make a big difference if you need to go to court later:

Document the Accident

Try to get as much info as you can about the accident. Write down exactly when and where it happened, what the weather was like, and if there were any important road signs or traffic lights nearby.

If it’s safe, take pictures or videos of the scene. Get shots of where the cars ended up, any damage, skid marks, and the condition of the road.

Also, get the names, addresses, phone numbers, and insurance info from everyone who was involved, including anyone who saw what happened. All of this can be used for insurance claims and if you need to go to court.

Keep Record

Keep track of everything related to the accident and any doctor visits afterward. Make sure you have copies of the police report, your medical records that talk about your injuries, and receipts for any money you had to spend because of the accident (like doctor bills, medicine, and rides to appointments).

Also, keep track of any pay you missed out on from not being able to work. These records are important for your insurance claim and if you take legal action.

Follow Medical Advice

Listening to your doctor after a car accident is important, not just so you can get better, but also because it matters for any legal case.

Go to all your appointments, do the treatments they suggest, take your medicine, and go to any therapy sessions they recommend. Following your doctor’s orders shows that your injuries are serious and that you’re trying to get better. This matters to insurance companies and in court. If you ignore your doctor or skip appointments, it could hurt your case and make it harder to get money.

Notify Your Insurance

You need to let your insurance company know after a car accident. But be careful about what you say. Just stick to the facts about what happened. Don’t try to guess who was at fault and don’t give them a big speech about how badly you’re hurt.

Sometimes, the insurance people will try to use what you say against you to pay you less. It’s usually a good idea to talk to a lawyer before you give your insurance company a lot of details. A lawyer can help you figure out what to say to keep yourself safe.

Preserve Evidence

“Evidence” means things that help prove what happened in the accident. For example, don’t fix your car until the insurance person has looked at the damage. The damage can show how bad the crash was. Keep any of your personal items that got messed up in the accident, like your clothes. Take pictures of any injuries you have.

All of this “evidence” can be powerful in showing what happened and how it’s connected to your injuries. That’s a big deal for insurance claims and if you go to court.

Call a Lawyer

The next step is to talk to a car accident lawyer who knows their stuff. A Berkeley car accident lawyer can help guide you through dealing with insurance and the legal process.

At Crockett Law Group, we’ll stand up for your rights, help you work with the insurance companies, and make sure you get paid fairly for your injuries and losses. We can also give you an idea of how strong your case is, your chances of winning, and what you should do next, whether that’s reaching a settlement or going to court. You’ll definitely want a lawyer if there are any arguments about who was at fault or if the insurance company is giving you a hard time.

Pro Tip
You can usually get the accident report from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) within about 10 days. You can pick it up from any CHP office, not just the one closest to where the accident happened.

We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Car Accident Injuries

Car accidents in Berkeley can cause all sorts of injuries, from mild to life-changing:

Whiplash and Neck Injuries

Whiplash and neck injuries happen a lot in rear-end crashes. They happen when the force of the crash makes your head snap back and forth really fast, hurting the muscles and ligaments in your neck.

Whiplash can make your neck feel sore and stiff. You might get headaches, feel dizzy, and sometimes have blurry vision or feel tired.

Some people get better in a few weeks, but others can have neck pain and other problems for a long time. It’s always a good idea to see a doctor after an accident, even if you don’t think you’re hurt that badly.

Concussions and Brain Injuries

Concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can happen in car accidents, even if you don’t hit your head on anything. They happen when your brain gets shaken around inside your skull.

Symptoms can be all over the place, from headaches and feeling confused to more serious stuff like passing out, having seizures, or having trouble thinking straight for a long time.

The effects of a concussion or TBI might go away, or they could cause problems with your memory, focus, and even your personality for a while. See a doctor as soon as you can, because these injuries aren’t always obvious right away. Treatment might include rest, medicine, and rehab. In really bad cases, you might need surgery to relieve pressure or stop bleeding in your brain.

Broken Bones and Fractures

Car accidents can easily cause broken bones because of how hard the impact is. Arms, legs, and ribs are the most likely to break. Breaks can be simple, where the bone cracks but doesn’t poke through the skin, or more severe, where the bone shatters or sticks out.

If you break a bone, you’ll probably feel pain right away, see swelling, and have trouble moving that body part. Treatment depends on how bad the break is and where it is. You might need a cast, a splint, or even surgery to line the bones back up and keep them in place. Recovery time varies – some breaks heal in a few weeks, but others can take months and might need physical therapy to get back to normal.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries are some of the worst things that can happen in a car accident. They can leave you disabled for life. These injuries happen when your spine gets damaged, which can make you lose feeling or movement below where you got hurt.

The force of a crash can break or shift your vertebrae (the bones in your spine), which can bruise, squeeze, or tear your spinal cord.

Symptoms range from pain and weakness to losing coordination or even paralysis (not being able to move at all). How bad it is depends on where on your spine you got hurt and how badly.

Treatment usually involves keeping your spine still, taking medicine to bring down swelling, and a lot of rehabilitation. You might get some function back, but a lot of spinal cord injuries cause permanent disability. That means you’ll need to make changes to your life and get long-term care.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?

After an accident, you might be wondering how much it will cost to hire a Berkeley car accident lawyer. That’s a fair question, since car accidents often leave people with a lot of expenses. You might be looking at big repair bills, lost income from missing work, and medical bills.

The good news is, at Crockett Law Group, we take all of our cases on a “contingency fee” basis. That means you don’t have to pay anything upfront to hire a lawyer. We only get paid if we win your case. If we don’t get you a settlement or a court award, you don’t owe us a dime.

Local Results

Former Client Received $180,000 Settlement for Injuries from Accident with Another Vehicle on the Freeway

Can I Recover Compensation if I Share Some of the Blame for a Car Accident in Berkeley?

A lot of people wonder if they can still get money if they were partly to blame for the accident. This happens more often than you might think. For example, let’s say another driver hit you while driving on the wrong side of the road, but you didn’t have your headlights on at night. In that case, you might share some of the blame for the crash.

Under California law, even if you were partly at fault, you can still get compensation. But the amount you get will be reduced by the percentage of fault that was yours. So, if you were found to be 20% responsible for the accident, you could recover 80% of your total damages.

Further Reading:

• Surgeries After Car Accident

What Causes Car Accidents in Berkeley, CA?

In California, if you get hurt in a car accident because someone else was careless or not paying attention, you can ask them to pay for your damages. This is called “negligence.” Negligence is when someone doesn’t take as much care as they should, like if they’re distracted while driving, speeding, or not yielding when they’re supposed to.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is a big problem in California and a common reason for car accidents. Distracted driving is anything that takes your attention away from the road. This could be talking or texting on your phone, eating or drinking, chatting with passengers, or messing with the radio, GPS, or other gadgets in your car.

California has laws specifically about this. For example, California Vehicle Code Section 23123 says drivers can’t use handheld cell phones while driving. Texting is also not allowed under California Vehicle Code Section 23123.5.

These laws exist because we know it’s dangerous to not pay full attention while driving. If an accident happens because a driver broke these laws, they could be considered negligent and have to pay for any damage they caused.

Speeding

Speeding is another major cause of car accidents in California and a clear example of negligent driving. California Vehicle Code Section 22350 says that nobody should drive faster than is safe, even if they’re going the speed limit. This means that even if you’re not going over the posted limit, you could still be going too fast for the situation, like if there’s a lot of traffic, bad weather, or construction.

If a driver is speeding and causes an accident, they can be held responsible for any damages. That’s because they weren’t being as careful as the law says they should be, and they put others in danger.

Failure to Yield

Not yielding the right of way when you’re supposed to is another common type of negligent driving in California. California Vehicle Code Section 21801 says that drivers have to let other cars go first if they’re already in the intersection or if they’re so close that it would be dangerous not to. This is true for cars coming from the opposite direction when you’re turning left, and for pedestrians in crosswalks.

Accidents often happen when drivers ignore these rules and go anyway, especially at intersections. This leads to crashes with other cars or people walking. When this happens, the driver who didn’t yield is usually found to be at fault and may have to pay for any injuries or losses. That’s because they didn’t follow the traffic laws that are there to prevent accidents and keep everyone on the road safe.

As a Law Clerk handling intake, I take pride in assisting individuals in Berkeley, California, with their car accident cases. It’s fulfilling to offer support during tough times and guide them through the legal process with care and compassion. Helping our Berkeley community navigate their claims is truly gratifying, and I’m honored to be part of their journey to justice.

Ryan Gloudeman
Law Clerk at Text Kevin

Berkeley Accident FAQs

Contact Our Berkeley Car Accident Attorneys Today for Legal Help

If you’ve been in a car accident in Berkeley, don’t wait to reach out to Crockett Law Group. We’ve helped accident victims get millions of dollars in compensation, and we’re ready to look at your case for free. Plus, you don’t pay a thing unless we win. To set up a free case review with a Berkeley car accident lawyer, call our office or contact us online today.

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