Irvine is part of one of the countries most highly populated areas, so there is a higher chance of getting injured in a car accident. The area around Irvine recorded a population of more than 3.1 million people and is the 6th most populated county in the US. Due to this huge population, the county recorded 21,969 car accidents in 2017 resulting in injuries. Orange County had 242 deaths resulting from car accidents in 2018
Have you or your loved one been recently involved in a car accident? Well, you might be eligible for compensation. You need to contact an experienced Irvine car accident attorney with the Crockett Law Group. We will assess your claim and advise you on how we can maximize your settlement. Call our Irvine personal injury lawyers at (800) 900-9393 and schedule your free consultation.
What Should You Do Immediately After a Car Accident?
Everyone hopes that they will never be involved in a car accident. However, if it happens you need to be prepared. Here is a checklist of what you need to do immediately after a car accident. Keep it close to you in the event of a car accident.
Don’t Leave the Scene of the Accident
You should stay at the scene of the accident until you have notified every other party involved in the accident and exchanged your insurance and contact information. If you fail to do this, you will be in violation of the California Vehicle Code Section 20002. Leaving the scene of an accident is actually a misdemeanor.
Note that, if someone is injured in the accident and you leave the scene, you will be charged with a hit and run felony. It is in accordance with the California Vehicle Code Section 20001.
Check Yourself and the Passengers for Any Injuries
Do you think you have been injured in the accident? Do you feel like other passengers have been injured in the accident? Well, you should not move because you might make the injury worse. Stay still and call 911 immediately. You should notify the 911 operator that you or the other passengers have been injured in the car accident. Wait until the medical personnel arrive at the scene of the accident.
Move to Safety
If you are safe to move, you should remove your car and park it on the side of the road. Of course, you should only do this if your car is driveable. Moving your car is the best way to avoid being hit again by any traffic on the road. However, if you are too injured to drive or move, you should put the emergency lights and alert other drivers about the accident.
Contact the Police
You should contact the police after a car accident, regardless of how minor it might be. The police will assist in the exchange of information between all the parties involved in the accident. Even better, the police report will play a huge role in the insurance claim process. Note that in some cities, the police will not come to the scene of the accident until an accident has been reported.
Avoid Oversharing Details of the Accident With the Other Party
You might have too much adrenaline running in your body after a car accident. You are scared, confused, and anxious about what happened. If possible, avoid oversharing details of the accident with the other people in the accident.
For instance, you might apologize to the other driver after the accident. It is not because you caused the accident but simply because the situation is very unfortunate. Well, whatever you say will be used against you because it is an alleged admission.
Exchange Information With Everyone Involved in the Car Accident
You need to get identifying information with the other parties in the accident. You should ask for information from the other drivers such as the following.
- Identification Information – Here, you should request the driver’s name, their home address, their phone number, their license number, and their date of birth.
- Insurance Information – Ask for the other driver’s insurance information such as their insurance company and the policy number.
- Vehicle Information – Ask the other driver for their vehicle information such as the model, make, year, and the color of their vehicle. Don’t forget to ask for the VIN number and the license plate number.
Document the Scene of the Accident
If possible, you should take photos of the scene of the accident before everything is disrupted. Photograph all the vehicles involved in the accident. These photos will be used as evidence of property damage after the insurance claim. They will also be used to provide further evidence of the mechanism for injury.
For instance, if your car has minimal rear end damage while the other vehicle has severe intrusion damage into the engine compartment, it’s tough for the insurance company to say that you have not been injured in the car accident. Photos of the vehicle placement will give an idea of how the accident happened.
Get Medical Assistance
Yes, you might feel fine after a car accident but it’s important to get medical assistance. You can use this information to make a claim for bodily injury later on.
Contact the Insurance Company
Every insurance company should be promptly notified about an auto accident. If you fail to do so, you will be denied your coverage. Don’t discuss more about the injuries until you have consulted with a car accident lawyer in Irvine, CA.
Consult an Attorney
You might not know what to do after a car accident in Irvine. Therefore, you should contact the best accident attorney in the area to get the best advice on how to make a claim. You can count on a higher settlement after hiring an attorney.
Auto accident
"Kevin was my attorney for a auto accident I had. Kevin was very professional keep in touch to keep me updated on my case, got me the care I needed to heal and be pain free so I can work and do things I need to do for everyday life. Kevin made sure my medical bills got paid I did not have to worry. I knew I was in good hands and being taken care of, which is a good feeling. Thank you.”
Christina
How Do I Dispute Car Accident Fault?
You can dispute fault after a car accident with the police officer writing the collision report and the insurance carrier. If you do this, the next step is filing a supplemental report. You should do this quickly to avoid further issues. In most cases, the officer might have missed out on a small detail such as the color of the vehicle or the make. In some cases, the officer might make the wrong statement provided by you as the witness resulting in the wrong legal conclusion.
If this happens, you should write up what happened then visit the police station that created the report and ask them to attach the supplemental report to the file. It will not change the legal conclusion made by the officer but your recall of what happened will be memorialized in the final report. Don’t fret about this because a traffic collision report is inadmissible as evidence.
Yes, it’s persuasive since it will affect the insurance adjuster’s decision regarding liability but this can be disputed too. That’s why you need to contact an experienced accident lawyer near Irvine to assist with the negotiations. With an Irvine car crash lawyer by your side, you can rest assured that the adjuster will not change their decision too fast.
Is It Worth Getting a Lawyer for an Irvine Car Accident?
Yes, you can deal with the insurance company on your own if you are capable of doing it. However, all the clients we have worked with are not ready to handle the stress associated with bodily injury or property damage after a car accident. It’s convenient to hire a lawyer for your case and it’s the best decision for your case. Note that you need to hire an attorney after a car accident in case the fault is disputed.
It’s tough to make a compensation claim for a car accident involving a disputed liability. You need the tenacity and expertise of a car accident attorney to help you overcome the challenges associated with your case. Regardless of who is at fault, it’s a good idea to hire a lawyer after a car accident because we will help you stand on your ground. Remember, the insurance company knows that you have no other recourse if they reject the demand for settlement.
As such, they are ready to give you a lowball offer. Insurance adjusters make a higher settlement to people with an attorney than one without. That’s because their insured party could be sued if they don’t find a way to settle the claim. That means you don’t have any leverage if you don’t file the claim using an attorney.
“Insurance carriers will push the envelope to see how much they can get away with. We car accident attorneys are what stands between innocent accident victims and unscrupulous insurance carriers, and I don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
Attorney Kevin Crockett
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Irvine Car Accident Attorney
We are renowned car accident attorneys regularly representing the interests of victims who have been treated unfairly by the insurance company. Our Irvine injury firm is ready to handle your injury claim process and fight to ensure you receive fair compensation. If you have been injured from a car crash, you should contact Crockett Law Group at (800) 900-9393 and talk to a car accident attorney immediately.
