A car accident can pose a major interruption to your life and routine. Along with any bodily injuries you might have suffered, you may also be dealing with the repair or replacement of your vehicle, communicating with insurance companies, and negotiating with your employer over missed work, which is why hiring a car accident lawyer is crucial. The person liable for the wreck should, with the help of their insurance company, compensate those who were injured or killed due to the accident, but you might be at risk of accepting a bad deal.
At Perliss Law, we make sure no shortcuts are taken when it comes to paying you the damages you deserve. Insurance companies will likely make settlement offers insufficient to cover the costs of lost wages, medical debts, vehicle repair, and more, hoping that car accident victims will opt to deal with the matter quickly and accept the first offer made. Without representation, you could be losing out on thousands of dollars of earned compensation. Contact our office today for a chance to discuss your case with our attorneys and take the first step to getting the money you deserve. The first consultation is free!
A car accident case is a legal claim filed by a victim of a car accident to seek compensation for damages and injuries sustained in the accident. Typically, this involves filing a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company or, in some cases, directly against the driver themselves.
The primary goal of a car accident case is to hold the responsible party accountable for their actions and to ensure that the victim receives fair compensation for their losses. This can include covering medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs associated with the accident.
Car accidents can occur due to a variety of factors, each contributing to the likelihood of a collision. Some of the most common causes include:
Understanding these causes can help in identifying the factors that led to an accident and establishing fault.
When an accident has occurred, it’s important to gather as much information as possible and to contact the relevant parties. Some of the steps you should take if you are involved in an accident are:
Getting the name, contact information, and insurance details of the other driver(s) involved
Taking photos or videos of the crash, making sure to include valuable information like license plates and the positioning of the vehicles involved
Seeing a doctor or physical therapist to treat any injuries
Contacting your insurance company and the DMV if necessary (required for accidents involving injury or property damage exceeding $750)
For accidents involving fatalities, communication and cooperation with the police will also be required. Once a car accident claim has been filed, claims adjusters from the insurance companies of each driver will quickly work to reach a settlement.
Proving fault in a car accident case is crucial for securing compensation. The victim must demonstrate that the other driver was negligent or reckless in their actions. This process involves gathering substantial evidence, such as:
Official documentation of the accident can provide critical details and an unbiased account of the incident.
Testimonies from individuals who saw the accident can corroborate the victim’s account.
Visual evidence of vehicle positions, road conditions, and damages can be compelling.
Surveillance or dashcam videos can capture the moments leading up to and during the accident.
Documentation of injuries sustained in the accident can link them directly to the incident.
Professionals such as accident reconstruction experts can provide insights into how the accident occurred.
By presenting this evidence, the victim must show that the other driver’s actions directly caused the accident and resulted in their injuries and damages.
"I personally was recommended to Sanford Perliss. My situation was dire. After our first meeting I Immediately felt relieved, I knew I was in good hands. He handled the case diligently and with the utmost professionalism. I don't know where I would be without the help of this man. Thank you Sandy, I will recommend you to anybody I know."
"I can’t thank Perliss Law Firm enough for their outstanding representation. I felt confident I was in good hands from the moment I walked into their office. They explained every step of the process regarding my case and made sure I was fully informed about my options. Perliss Law Firm is professional and cares greatly about their clients. Highly recommend!"
"Perliss Law Firm’s attorneys are extremely experienced and skilled。 They treated me with respect and were always available to answer any questions I had. I am extremely grateful and would recommend their firm if you’re looking for a dedicated and trustworthy defense team."
As with most legal matters, there is a statute of limitations for filing your claim. In California, injury claims must be filed within two years of the date of the crash, or three years if you are pursuing compensation for property damage. Once you’ve completed the steps mentioned above, your smartest move is to find a trustworthy attorney to begin the process of gathering evidence and defending your right to damages from the at-fault driver(s).
This process requires a large amount of establishing evidence, financial accounting, and communicating with insurance companies over settlement offers. The lawyers at Perliss Law are experienced in determining the full cost of medical expenses, lost wages, and vehicle costs, as well as taking into consideration the pain, suffering, and distress that so often play a role in recovering from an auto accident.
In cases of negligence, you may be entitled to even more compensation. In California, being at fault for a crash isn’t black and white; you can recover damages from the other party even when you are partly to blame for an accident. The lawyers at Perliss Law have experience with conducting the analyses needed to argue your case and defend your right to recover both economic and non-economic damages.
These damages can act as reimbursements for a variety of expenses that follow a crash, including:
(in regards to both your vehicle and items damaged in the crash)
In addition to immediate costs, you may also be entitled to compensation for future medical expenses related to your injuries.
Non-economic damages play a significant role in the post-accident recovery process as well. Though these effects are harder to prove, the lawyers at Perliss Law are skilled in obtaining damages for clients experiencing:
If negligence can be proven, your attorney can even argue for punitive damages, which penalizes drivers who caused an accident due to reckless driving, speeding, drunk driving, and more.
A wrongful death case is a type of car accident case that involves the death of a loved one due to the negligence or recklessness of another driver. In these tragic situations, the victim’s family members may be entitled to seek compensation for their losses.
As with any personal injury case, it’s important for your lawyer to get a full picture of the circumstances in order to argue your case to the best of their ability. Therefore, it’s necessary for your attorney to know all the details of the incident leading up to and following the crash, especially if you’re filing a lawsuit for an accident that happened weeks or months ago. Let them know if:
(traumatic brain injury, broken bones, psychological trauma, etc.)
These and other considerations may prove to be very compelling pieces of evidence or reasons to increase the desired settlement amount. Insurance companies, including your own, will try to establish guilt and may try to receive it through a number of different means.
Your attorney will be an invaluable asset when it comes to navigating communications with companies who are working in their own best interests instead of yours.
With so many fees and expenses following a car accident, the last thing you want is to be burdened with the cost of legal counsel. For clients dealing with such a physically and emotionally difficult situation, we are proud to work on a contingency. When you win, we win.
To benefit from over 30 years of legal experience and a dedicated team of car accident attorneys, contact our office today to schedule your free consultation with our attorneys. Get the information and confidence you need to move forward with your case, and we’ll take care of the rest.
We proudly serve residents in San Gabriel, CA, and the surrounding areas.
