Car Accident Lawyer in Riverside, CA

Car accidents can set your life reeling. From car repair bills to hospital and medical expenses, costs stack up quickly. If someone else is to blame for your accident and injuries, you need a car accident lawyer in Riverside, CA, that you can trust to help you recover compensation.

At the Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, our Riverside personal injury lawyers have recovered over $100 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients. We are dedicated to our clients’ success and will work diligently, crafting a strategy to recover money to cover your losses. If you were in a crash in Riverside or the surrounding areas, count on our team to help you.

Car Crashes in Riverside County

The California Office of Traffic Safety shows that in the last year of reporting data, there were 1,764 crash-related fatalities and injuries in the city of Riverside alone. OTS data from Riverside County reported a total of 15,151 victims injured or killed in crashes. Of those victims, 1,000 were motorcyclists, more than 500 pedestrians, and 320 bicyclists who were injured or killed. Alcohol was involved in 1,940 of these crashes, with speed-related crashes causing the most injuries and deaths at 3,145.

How to Pursue Compensation After an Accident

If you recently became a part of these tracked statistics by getting in a car accident or causing a severe injury, you deserve compensation. You can file for an insurance claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance, or, if their insurance is unable or unwilling to cover your losses, you may wish to consider filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Immediately after an accident, go to the doctor and seek medical evaluation right away. Even if you do not feel too severely injured, the adrenaline and trauma of the accident could be masking your symptoms. Getting evaluated helps tie any injuries directly to your accident, showing the other driver’s liability. Especially if you are severely injured, it is recommended that you work with a car accident attorney to file your claim. They can help you by starting to collect evidence and compiling the details surrounding your accident, such as obtaining a copy of your traffic collision report from the Riverside Police Department.

How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Claim?

In most cases, the deadline for personal injury lawsuits in California is generally two years from the date of the accident or the discovery of your injuries. Some crashes may have a stricter statute of limitations or deadline to file a claim, such as in cases involving government entities.

It is best to get started as soon as you are able on filing your personal injury claim, since this provides you with a longer time window to file a lawsuit if necessary. Do not miss out on your opportunity to be repaid for your injuries and losses by missing this time window.

Getting started as soon as you can also allows you and your Riverside car accident lawyers further time to compile fresh evidence for your claim, such as photos of the accident scene. Eyewitness testimony is always more detailed when not relying on a person’s long-term memory to recall the events properly. Extra time allows us to build a strategic case supporting your demand for compensation and negotiate with insurance for a higher amount without feeling the threat of a looming deadline.

Am I Able to Seek Compensation If I Was Partially at Fault for the Car Accident?

The State of California allows injury victims to seek damages after a car crash, no matter what percentage of fault they were assigned. This system of deeming fault in personal injury lawsuits is called pure comparative negligence. Unlike some states that do not allow a person to file if they were at all responsible, California will allow someone to file a claim even if their actions represented 99% of the fault of the crash.

The percentage that you are at fault will directly lessen the awarded damages that you receive. An example would be if you were deemed by the court to be 80% responsible for your actions, but were rewarded $100,000 for your losses. You would then only be given $20,000 for your losses, potentially not even covering your initial medical expenses.

When filing for compensation for a car accident where you shared in some of the fault, working with a Riverside car accident attorney can be essential. Since the percentage of fault that falls on you will directly relate to the amount of compensation you receive, you need an experienced and strategic team behind you to ensure the fault is properly determined. Our team will work to maximize the amount you are able to receive by collecting a body of evidence against the other party, crafting a calculated way to support your case, and emphasizing your losses to show that you truly do deserve compensation from the other party.

Calculating a Comprehensive Value for Your Car Accident in Riverside County

When seeking compensation for your injuries and losses, you only get one chance to settle your financial matters through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. Your car accident lawyer will work with you to calculate the comprehensive value of your past, present, and future losses that relate to your crash. These losses will be broken into two types: economic and non-economic damages.

Economic Damages Your Car Accident Lawyer Will Calculate

Economic damages relate directly to a financial expense that you incurred due to your accident. These include medical bills, hospitalization costs, surgeries, and specialist visits, as well as future health expenses, such as continuing physical rehabilitation, occupational therapy, medication, medical assistance devices, and long-term care.

Economic damages also include compensation for damage to property. This includes your vehicle and personal items that were damaged in the crash, such as a phone, tablet, or laptop. Other calculated expenses can include lost paychecks from the time you may have missed work while recovering from your injuries, lost potential earnings due to a permanent disability, and out-of-pocket expenses such as travel costs while your car was being repaired or replaced.

Non-Economic Damages Your Car Accident Attorney Can Calculate

Non-economic damages are more difficult to determine because they are not tied directly to a financial sum. These losses are still felt, and you deserve to be repaid for them, so working closely with one of our car accident attorneys can help. They will use methods to calculate a way to repay you for your pain and suffering, mental anguish, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and ongoing trauma.

Calculations are not based on a fixed formula and can differ based on the specifics of each case. The Multiplier method is used to multiply your economic damages by a number between 1 and 5, based on the severity of your injuries and estimated time for recovery. Another method, called the Per Diem Method, assigns a dollar amount for each day the victim has suffered or will suffer if still recovering. One of our car accident lawyers can help you determine an estimated value for your suffering and injuries.

Punitive Damages in Car Accident Cases

Under California Civil Code Section 3294, civil lawsuits may use a non-compensatory damage type referred to as punitive damages or exemplary damages to punish a defendant for particularly egregious negligence. These damages do not compensate the plaintiff for specific losses, but rather make an example out of the at-fault party. Punitive damages are not awarded very often because the plaintiff must show clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with knowing and willful disregard for the safety of others.

Punitive damages are more often awarded in severe cases, including fatal car crashes and those where drunk drivers were involved. Speaking with one of our car accident attorneys can help you determine whether or not your case may be eligible for punitive damages in California.

Common Causes of Car Accidents

Our car accident lawyers have assisted hundreds of clients in Riverside County and the surrounding areas in determining the cause and liability of their accident and in pursuing the maximum amount of compensation available to them under the law. Sometimes these cases are easily correlated, such as a car accident caused by a driver speeding and missing a stop sign. The driver’s negligence is obvious. However, some specific situations are more complicated, including:

Collisions with Trucks: If you were in a crash with a big rig or another type of commercial delivery truck, you may be able to hold the driver, their company, their cargo loaders, their repair workers, or the truck manufacturer itself responsible for your injuries, depending on what caused the crash.
Drunk Drivers: While drunk drivers themselves should be held responsible for their actions, you may also be able to hold an establishment responsible if you can prove that they negligently oversold them alcohol. This is done under California’s limited dram shop liability laws.
Crashes Caused by Poorly Designed or Maintained Roads: You may be able to hold a local government entity responsible for designing a road with poorly planned traffic signs, blind spots, or other issues.
Vehicle Defects: Manufacturers of cars and vehicle parts may be held liable if their parts cause or contribute to an accident, particularly in cases involving self-driving vehicles.
Uber and Lyft Rideshare Vehicles: Whether as a passenger in a rideshare vehicle or if you were another driver hit by one of these cars, you may be able to hold the driver or their company responsible, depending on whether they were working at the time.
Train Accidents: Collisions with Amtrak and Metrolink trains are exceedingly rare, but if train operators are negligent, people can get seriously hurt.
Pedestrians, Bicyclists, and Motorcyclists: These groups of people are often involved in the most serious injury accidents, leading to long-term recovery, life-long disability, and even fatalities. Let us help you pursue justice against negligent drivers.

No matter what caused your accident, our Riverside County car accident lawyers can help you determine the best way to pursue compensation. Contact our team today if you need experienced legal counsel.

Possible Injuries in a Serious Car Crash

When crashes occur with larger vehicles or at high speeds, which is often the case in Riverside County accidents, serious injuries can occur, causing your life to be put on hold while you try to recover. These catastrophic injuries often cause permanent disabilities and fatalities. These types of injuries include:

Neck and Back Injuries: From whiplash to spinal cord injuries, collisions can lead to severe mobility issues, including partial or complete paralysis.
Loss of Limbs: Immediate amputations from accidents or injuries requiring emergency amputations can occur in severe car accidents.
Traumatic Brain Injuries: From concussions to brain bleeds, any hits to the head can lead to long-lasting damage, often impacting the quality of a person’s life and ability to work.
Broken and Fractured Bones: Compound fractures, severely broken bones, and crushing injuries can lead to extended recovery times and limited mobility.
Internal Bleeding and Organ Damage: Sometimes not caught right away, internal bleeding and organ damage can cause lifelong issues, requiring lengthy hospital stays and surgeries.
Electrical Burns and Electrocution: Damage in a crash to vehicle wiring or EV batteries can lead to severe burns, nerve damage, and disfigurement.

You and your family deserve financial compensation for all that you have gone through, and to help you recover with the best possible care. The Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas can help in pursuing your rightful compensation so you can focus on recovering from your injuries.

Contact an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer in Riverside, CA

Speak with a Riverside, CA, car accident lawyer today to discuss your best options in pursuing compensation for your losses after sustaining an injury in a crash. We know you are going through a lot and trying to recover while still pursuing compensation. We offer free case evaluations to help make your decision easier. Contact our lawyers today to get started towards receiving the compensation you rightfully deserve.