Fresno Car Accident Lawyer

Q: What Should I do After a Car Accident in Fresno?

Getting into a car accident can be overwhelming. There are several things that you should do after getting into a crash. Pull Over You should always pull over as soon as safely possible after a car accident in Fresno. This may be on the shoulder or in a nearby parking lot. If your car is totaled, you may not be able to move it at all. Failure to stop at the scene of an accident may be considered a hit-and-run and is a crime.

Fresno personal injury lawyers | Fresno Car Accident Lawyer

Did you get hurt in a car accident in Fresno, CA, because of a negligent driver? If so, you may have legal rights to compensation. Carter Law Group has 25 years of combined experience. Contact our office or call (559) 485-1212 today to schedule a free consultation with a Fresno car accident lawyer.

An experienced Fresno personal injury lawyer can clarify your legal rights and advocate on your behalf to secure the compensation you deserve. Our work includes representing people with injuries ranging from minor to severe. At Carter Law Group, we also help families that have lost loved ones in fatal crashes. Reach out now to our Fresno, California office to get started!

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How Carter Law Group Can Help You After a Car Accident in Fresno

Carter Law Group can help you navigate insurance claims and file a personal injury lawsuit after a car accident in Fresno, CA. We will use our extensive experience to fight for your right to compensation from negligent drivers.

Our team has recovered tens of millions of dollars for our clients. This includes those injured in car accidents. The Fresno personal injury lawyers at Carter Law Group are responsible for one of the Top 100 verdicts in California in 2021.

If you hire our Fresno car accident attorneys to represent you, we will:

Calculate your damages
Investigate the accident
Identify all negligent parties
Protect you from unfair blame
Negotiate with the insurance company
Collect and review all evidence
Consult with experts
File a personal injury claim
Handle your insurance claim
Keep track of deadlines
Represent you in court

We always provide candid legal advice. Our experienced Fresno personal injury lawyers are honest with our clients about the most likely outcome and the best way to win the case. You can rely on us to be straightforward and forthcoming.

Reach out to our office to schedule a free consultation and learn more about your legal options today.

Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?

A car accident lawyer can increase your chances of recovering full compensation after an accident. Attorneys help their clients file insurance claims and negotiate with insurance companies. If that doesn’t work, they will file a personal injury lawsuit and take the case to trial.

While many people can file insurance claims on their own, most aren’t prepared to negotiate with insurance adjusters. If they don’t know their legal rights or what they are entitled to, they are more likely to accept less than they deserve.

Even worse, sometimes people admit partial fault even when they shouldn’t. This can significantly affect the outcome of their case.

Furthermore, the legal process can be complicated. If you need to take the car accident case to court, it will be very difficult without a lawyer. There are deadlines, filing procedures, and formalities that you must follow. Imagine juggling all of this while also healing from your injuries.

A car accident attorney can take these burdens off of your shoulders. They will help you get paid more money quickly while you focus on recovery.

How Much Money Can I Get From a Car Accident Case?

Every car accident case is different. Many factors may affect how much money you get from a car accident case.

Some factors that are taken into consideration include:

The type and severity of your injury
Your injury’s impact on your daily life
The nature of your medical care and expected future treatment
The cost of property damage
The type of insurance policy at play
If you have missed work because of your injury or doctor’s visits
If you are unable to work or your progress in your chosen career
If the accident caused emotional trauma

It is helpful to think about the physical, emotional, and financial impact of an accident and injury. Your meeting will be more productive if you reflect before talking with your lawyer. Then, your attorney can fight for compensation that truly addresses the total impact of the collision.

How Long Do I Have to File a Car Collision Case?

You only have two years to file a car accident case. This also applies to wrongful death cases. If you miss this deadline, the court will dismiss your case. You will lose your right to recover compensation, even if you would have otherwise gotten it.

You should speak with a lawyer immediately after an auto accident. The clock starts ticking on the date of the crash. Your car accident attorney will want to file insurance claims and try to settle your case outside of court before filing a lawsuit. It is usually best to ensure you have enough time for that process before resorting to a trial.

What Types of Damages Are Available After a Car Crash?

Under California law, car accident victims can recover economic damages and non-economic damages. These damages are crucial resources for many car accident victims. It can mean the difference between getting treatment and moving forward in life and financially struggling.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are financial losses that happen because of an accident or injury. This is what most people think about when they hire a lawyer.

Some examples of economic damages are:

Emergency medical bills
Follow up treatment
Surgery costs
Cost of medicine
Cost of therapeutic medical devices
Rehabilitation and physical therapy
In-home nursing care
Property damage
Alternative transportation costs
Lost wage
Lost future earning capacity
Mental health treatment
Out-of-pocket expenses

Economic damages can also include future financial losses. This normally applies when someone needs ongoing or lifelong medical treatment because of a disabling injury. It can also apply when someone is out of work because of their injury.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are intangible and emotional losses. These are harder to calculate and are just as significant as economic damages.

Some examples of non-economic damages are:

Physical pain and suffering
Emotional anguish
Loss of enjoyment of life
Loss of companionship
Mental illness
Inconvenience
Permanent disfigurement or scarring

There are several ways to calculate non-economic damages.

One of the most common ways is to use the multiplier method. With the multiplier method, your suffering is scored on a scale of 1-5. Your economic damages are multiplied by that number. The total is your non-economic loss.

Another method is the per diem method. In this method, you assign an amount of suffering per day and calculate it by the number of days of suffering. This is more common in cases where someone fully heals from their injury.

A car accident lawyer can help you calculate and prove your non-economic damages.

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

Many people worry about how much a car accident lawyer will cost. Fortunately, car accident lawyers are a subset of personal injury lawyers. Personal injury lawyers are different from other types of attorneys.

Instead of charging a flat fee or by the hour, you will pay the car accident lawyer at the end of the case. You only pay the lawyer if they win your case. This is called a contingency fee.

When your car accident attorney wins the case, they take a percentage of what you win. If they lose the case, you won’t need to pay them anything. You will discuss the exact percentage with the attorney at the beginning of the representation. Usually, it hovers around 33%, but it may be higher.

Make sure you understand how much your attorney charges before hiring them. While contingency fees tend to be more affordable since they come directly from the damages, you do not want to be caught off guard at the end of the case.

Can I Get Money If I Was Partly at Fault For My Car Crash?

You can get money as long as you are not 100% responsible for the car accident.

California applies pure comparative negligence law. This rule says that you can recover compensation proportionate to the defendant’s share of responsibility. This applies even if you are 99% responsible.

Many people are confused about how this works. If you are 30% at fault for a car accident, you can recover 70% of your damages. Similarly, if you are 70% at fault for a car accident, you can recover 30% of your damages.

Even though you can still get some money, you should avoid getting blamed after an auto accident. Don’t make any statements accepting responsibility until speaking with a lawyer. Insurance companies and defendants typically try to shift blame so that they don’t have to pay as much.

Will My Car Accident Case Go to Trial?

It’s hard to say if your car accident case will go to trial. In reality, most cases do not go to trial; most likely, the plaintiff will either settle with the insurance company or the defendant before reaching this point.

In many cases, this is advantageous. It is usually faster and lower risk for a plaintiff to settle outside of court. They can guarantee that they get paid some money and don’t have to go through a drawn-out trial.

However, in some cases, a trial is the best option. This usually happens when there is a dispute about who is liable for the accident or how much responsibility they have. It also tends to happen in cases where there are catastrophic injuries and a lot of money is on the line.

It is always up to a plaintiff to decide whether or not they want to accept a settlement offer. You should never feel pressured to accept a settlement that is less than you deserve.

Furthermore, you should hire a lawyer who isn’t afraid to go to trial because it may be the best choice in your case. Plus, if the defendant or the insurance company knows that a lawyer isn’t afraid to take the case to court, they may be more likely to make a full settlement offer.

What Should I Do After a Car Accident in Fresno?

Getting into an auto accident can be overwhelming. There are several things that you should do after getting into a collision.

Pull Over

You should always pull over as soon as safely possible after an auto accident in Fresno. This may be on the shoulder or in a nearby parking lot. If your car is totaled, you may not be able to move it at all. Failure to stop at the scene of an accident may be considered a hit-and-run and is a crime.

Check On Passengers

After getting to safety, you should check on any passengers in your car to make sure that everyone is okay. If you are safe and able, you should also check on the other driver and their passengers. If they need medical help, you should call an ambulance even if they caused the collision.

Call the Police and Collect the Evidence

You may need to call the police or an ambulance to the scene. Once the police arrive, they will file a report and collect evidence. They may take your statement and any other witnesses to the accident.

If the police do not come to the scene, you should get contact information for any witnesses and collect evidence. This could include taking pictures of the cars and their positioning, your injuries, and any other relevant evidence (such as improper signage, for example).

Collect Insurance Information

The police will get insurance information from the drivers. However, if the police don’t come to the scene, you should exchange insurance information and get contact information for the other driver yourself.

Go To the Doctor

If you aren’t transported immediately to the hospital, you should still go to the doctor for a check-up. A doctor will evaluate your injuries and create a medical record. You may have an injury that you didn’t notice or that could become more significant without treatment. This record will become valuable in court later.

Hire a Car Accident Lawyer

You should also hire a lawyer as soon as possible after the collision. A lawyer will help you file your insurance claim and advise you on speaking with insurance adjusters. This will protect you from making statements that may hurt your case later. You shouldn’t accept any blame without speaking to a lawyer.

Furthermore, a lawyer will help you keep track of the statute of limitations. This deadline starts the day that the collision happens or that you discover your injuries.

Types of Car Accident Claims We Handle

We handle all types of car accident claims. However, the most common types of car accident cases that we litigate are listed below.

Speeding Crashes

Speeding crashes are very common in Fresno. Speeding can make an already serious crash even worse. We can help you prove that a driver was speeding and that their speed caused or worsened your injuries.

Drunk Driving Accidents

Drunk driving is a crime in Fresno. However, just because someone is criminally prosecuted doesn’t mean that you will get paid. We can also help you file a civil lawsuit to collect monetary damages.

Left-Turn Accidents

Left turns are one of the most dangerous maneuvers on the road. Many drivers fail to yield to oncoming traffic or misjudge the speed of oncoming cars. Whether you were hit by a speeding oncoming car or a driver who wasn’t paying attention while turning left, we can help you with a legal claim.

Rear End Crashes

Rear-end crashes are a regular occurrence. Usually, the driver that rear-ends is liable. However, that is not always the case, especially when there’s heavy traffic. We will investigate the rear-end accident and help you hold the right person accountable.

T-Bone Accidents

T-bone crashes can be fatal for a driver or the passengers. They usually happen when someone runs a stop sign or a red light. Usually, the color of the light becomes an issue in these cases. We can help prove that the person at fault is held accountable so that you get paid.

Who Could be Liable For My Injuries Resulting From a Car Accident?

Any negligent party can be liable for your injuries after an auto accident. These parties may include:

Other drivers
Pedestrians
Truck drivers
Motorcyclists
Transportation companies
The city or government
Automobile manufacturers
Bicyclists or e-scooter riders
Construction companies

In some cases, multiple people may be held accountable for your injuries. A car accident lawyer will investigate the crash to find out who is liable. If there is more than one party at fault the lawyer can give you advice on the best way to get paid.

Common Types of Car Accident Injuries

Some people walk away from a car accident without a scratch. Others are not as fortunate. Car crashes can cause catastrophic injuries and even death.

Some of the most common types of auto accident injuries include:

Head injuries
Traumatic brain injuries
Concussions
Spinal cord injuries
Paralysis
Nerve damage
Whiplash
Neck pain
Back injuries
Broken bones
Amputations
Bruises and lacerations
Loss of eyesight
Loss of hearing
Internal organ damage
Crush injuries
Severe burns

Carter Law Group can help you regardless of your injuries. Our car accident lawyers will work with your medical team so that we understand the extent of your injuries. This teamwork will help us accurately calculate your damages so that we demand full payment.

Most Common Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents

Some of the most common causes of auto accidents in Fresno include:

Drunk driving
Distracted driving
Fatigued driving
Speeding
Running stop signs and red lights
Failure to yield to the right of way
Unsafe lane changes
Unsafe turns
Failure to check blind spots
Obstructions in the road
Poor lighting
Improper signage
Vehicle malfunction
Improper vehicle maintenance
Aggressive driving and tailgating

If you suffered a serious injury, you may not remember the crash. Furthermore, if another person hits you, you probably aren’t entirely sure what happened.

A car accident lawyer can help you find out what caused the accident. This investigation will produce evidence vital to prove you are entitled to damages. It may include consulting expert witnesses to reconstruct the accident. It’s best to start the investigation immediately after the crash so that ample evidence is still available.

Fresno Car Accident Statistics

In 2023, there were 2,212 people injured or killed in car accidents in Fresno, CA. Fresno ranked #14 for the most injuries and fatalities in car accidents in the state.

Many of these crashes were caused by speeding drivers. In fact, Fresno was ranked #4 in the nation for speed-related fatal collisions from 2017 to 2021. This is alarming, considering the city has just over 500,000 people.

Call our Fresno Car Accident Lawyers Today for Help

You deserve the time and space to heal after getting hurt in a car crash in Fresno, CA. Reach out to our Fresno car accident lawyers at Carter Law Group for help. We will take charge of any insurance claims and lawsuits that result from your case.

The sooner that you schedule a free consultation, the sooner we can get started on your case. That also means the sooner that you get paid. Don’t hesitate to call us on the phone at (559) 485-1212 to schedule a time to talk today.

Visit Our Personal Injury Law Firm in Fresno, CA

Carter Law Group
2445 Capitol St #105, Fresno, CA 93721, United States
(559) 485-1212