Car Accident Lawyer in Pasadena, CA

What to Do If You’ve Been Hurt in a Motor Vehicle Accident

The steps you take immediately after a car accident can help or hurt your case. Some motorists make simple errors that end up costing them time and money. To warn you against making the same errors, we offer the following steps to take after a car crash.

• First, prioritize everyone’s health, including your own. Some people can walk away from a car accident, but others are seriously injured and cannot even get out of their vehicles. Ask someone to call an ambulance for you if you are in serious pain or otherwise need emergency medical care. If you can get out of your car, ask everyone involved in the accident if they need an ambulance and call one if necessary.
• Second, you should call the police to the scene. California law requires that you report a car accident if anyone was injured – no matter how slightly – or if there was $1,000 or more of property damage. The responding officer can create a police report, which could provide helpful information.
• Third, you should never admit fault or say anything that could be interpreted as admitting fault. Under California law, a victim who is partially to blame for their injuries will have their compensation cut by their percentage of fault. So if you were 25% to blame, you would receive only three-quarters of what you otherwise would. “I’m sorry” and “I couldn’t even see you” or “I’m fine” might sound like innocent statements, but an insurance adjuster could use them against you.
• Fourth, exchange insurance information for everyone involved in the accident. Also get the driver’s name and address, driver’s license information, and license plate number.
• Fifth, document the accident as best you can, given your injuries. For example, you can write down a list of witnesses to the accident along with their contact information. If you can move around, take pictures of the vehicles involved in the crash, including where they ended up immediately following the accident. These pictures could be helpful for determining fault later in the process. Ask someone you trust to do this for you if you are unable.
• Sixth, remember to go to the doctor as soon as possible if you were not transported by ambulance. A doctor can identify any symptoms you are having and carefully document your injuries. Follow your doctor’s advice and take all prescription drugs as ordered. If you think you are not improving, obtain a second opinion but try to avoid self-diagnosing your injuries.

What You Need to Know About Dealing with Insurance Companies

The first thing any accident victim needs to know is that an insurance adjuster is not your friend. It doesn’t matter how nice and concerned the person on the other end of the line sounds. The fact is that this person works for a very powerful, very profitable insurance company and that company has one goal: to increase profits. The way insurance companies make more money is to deny as many claims as they can and pay as little as possible on the claims they can’t reject.

You must be suspicious and assume that the adjuster is trying to gather information to use against you.

Here are some of the tricks of the insurance trade to be on the lookout for:

• The adjuster asks you to give a recorded statement. Be careful! Anything you say in this statement could come back to haunt you.
• The adjuster might try to get you to claim partial responsibility for the accident. If you do, then you will reduce the amount of compensation you receive.
• The adjuster might minimize your injuries by saying things like, “But you weren’t in a lot of pain, right?” or “Your injuries weren’t as bad as you feared, I imagine.” It is very easy to just agree with what the adjuster is saying. Always listen to their statements closely.
• The adjuster might tell you that you don’t need a lawyer. But only our experienced Pasadena car accident lawyer will look out for your best interests – not the insurance company, not the police, and not the courts.
• The adjuster might claim they are only authorized to offer up to a certain amount. This doesn’t really mean anything. A supervisor could authorize more if you hold out.

The best way to handle an insurance company is to hire an attorney who can act as a guard, standing between you and the insurance adjuster. Your lawyer can convey information to the insurance adjuster and try to prevent you from saying anything that undermines your claim.