Visalia Car Accident Lawyer

Visalia Car Accident Attorney

Car accidents account for a tremendous number of accidental injuries and deaths in California each year, and these incidents are capable of inflicting devastating physical and economic harm on those involved. If you or a loved one recently suffered injuries in a car accident caused by another driver, it’s vital to know your options for legal recourse. A Visalia car accident lawyer can help you understand your recovery options and approach your case with confidence.

Helping Car Accident Victims Recover in Visalia, CA

The Law Offices of David Davidi, APLC, has the professional experience and resources needed to provide comprehensive legal support for all types of car accident cases in Visalia. Liability for your accident may be initially unclear, and you may not realize the full scope of the damages you can seek from the driver who caused your accident. You have a limited time to pursue your recovery, so it is vital that you connect with a Visalia car accident lawyer you can trust as soon as possible.

When you choose our firm as your legal counsel, you can have access to a legal advocate who can address your concerns, answer your legal questions, and help you develop an effective strategy aimed at maximum recovery from your damages. Your recovery process after a car accident is likely to begin with an auto insurance claim, but a personal injury claim will be necessary if insurance alone cannot compensate your losses.

Our firm can help you prove fault for your accident, uncover all forms of compensation you can seek from the at-fault driver, and help you streamline your case proceedings to reduce the time you must contend with the economic impact of your accident. The sooner you contact our firm, the more time we have to work on your case, and the more likely you are to maximize your total recovery.

Establishing Liability for a Car Accident in Visalia

If you intend to seek compensation for your damages from another driver, you must prove that the driver directly caused the accident in question. California enforces the fault rule for motor vehicle accidents, meaning that the driver at fault for causing an accident is liable for the damages they inflicted on others. You must identify the driver who hit you and prove exactly how they caused your accident before you can recover any compensation.

Some of the most common examples of driver negligence that can cause accidents in Visalia include:

• Distracted driving, such as cell phone use while driving. Anything that distracts a driver’s attention away from operating their vehicle can potentially cause an accident. Your car accident lawyer in Visalia, CA can help you gather the evidence needed to prove that a driver was not paying attention to operating their vehicle when your accident happened, such as cell phone records showing that they were texting while driving.
• Speeding. While it is relatively common to see drivers exceeding posted speed limits in California, the reality is that any level of speeding is potentially dangerous. Accidents are not only more likely to occur when a driver speeds, but they are also more likely to result in catastrophic or fatal injuries. Traffic camera footage and vehicle computer data are often vital for proving an at-fault driver’s speed of travel in the moments before a collision.
• Traffic violations. Failure to yield the right-of-way, performing an illegal turn, or running through a red light or stop sign are just a few examples of moving violations that can easily lead to damaging accidents in Visalia. Eyewitness statements, traffic camera footage, and other forms of evidence may be necessary to prove that an at-fault driver broke the traffic laws in causing your recent accident.

Proving negligence in any civil claim for damages will require proof that the at-fault driver breached a duty of care to the plaintiff and, in doing so, directly caused their claimed damages. It is also possible for an accident to happen because of illegal misconduct, such as intoxicated or reckless driving. In these cases, at-fault drivers face civil liabilities for the damages they caused, along with criminal prosecution.

While you may have some idea of how your recent car accident happened, the formal legal process of establishing liability is likely to be more challenging than you are prepared to face alone. When you have an experienced Visalia car accident lawyer representing you, they can make gathering proof of liability much easier, and you are more likely to succeed with all your recovery efforts with their assistance.

Recovering With an Auto Insurance Claim in Visalia

Every driver in Visalia, California is legally required to have personal auto insurance that includes bodily injury liability coverage and property damage liability coverage. At a minimum, a policy must include at least $15,000 in bodily injury coverage per person injured in an accident, with a minimum requirement of $30,000 in total accident liability coverage for bodily injuries to multiple victims. They must also have at least $5,000 in property damage liability coverage.

These insurance requirements may seem generous, but the reality is that any car accident can easily result in damages that quickly eclipse the scope of an at-fault driver’s insurance policy coverage. Additionally, there is no guarantee that dealing with an insurance carrier will be easy or that they will handle your claim appropriately. It’s always possible for an insurance company representative to interfere with your claim in some way that you cannot resolve on your own.

Do not discuss a settlement with an insurance carrier before consulting an attorney, and do not believe that you are not entitled to fair compensation from the at-fault driver’s policy. You have a limited window of time after your accident in which you must report the incident to the insurance company, but you should not actually discuss a settlement until you have secured legal counsel you can trust.

A good attorney can ensure that you are treated fairly by the insurance company and that you receive a reasonable settlement offer. Should any disputes arise regarding your claim, your attorney can resolve these issues on your behalf. After you recover as much as you can through auto insurance, your next recovery option is to file a personal injury claim against the driver who caused your accident

Recovering With a Personal Injury Claim in Visalia

A personal injury claim is a civil claim that seeks compensation for the damages that a defendant caused. The plaintiff must be ready to prove the full range of damages they suffered from the accident in question, and they must also establish causation between their claimed damages and the defendant’s negligence. In other words, their claimable damages must be the results of the defendant’s actions and not any other cause.

Once fault is established and a plaintiff has recovered as much as they can through auto insurance, all remaining damages can be cited in their personal injury claim. The average personal injury plaintiff will likely have grounds to claim compensation for economic and noneconomic damages, and they may receive punitive damages at the discretion of the court if the defendant was egregiously negligent or if they broke the law in causing the accident.

Economic damages are the direct financial effects of the accident. The defendant is liable for all economic losses they inflicted on the plaintiff, both immediate and future. This means the plaintiff can seek compensation for immediate and future medical expenses if they suffered a serious injury, and they can also seek compensation for lost income and lost earning power. If you were permanently disabled, the defendant is liable for the future income that you can no longer earn.

Noneconomic damages can include physical pain, psychological distress, and diminished quality of life resulting from an accident. If it sounds difficult to assign a monetary value to intangible losses like these, your attorney can help you determine a suitable figure based on the severity of your accident. There is no limit on pain and suffering compensation in most California personal injury cases, so it is possible for this to account for the bulk of your case award.

Punitive damages are awarded at a judge’s discretion when they believe that the defendant’s actions have exceeded the scope of typical negligence. The amount the defendant must pay in punitive damages hinges on their financial status and the severity of their actions. Your attorney can explain the potential implications of the defendant’s illegal misconduct on your final case award.

Find Legal Counsel You Can Trust

The Law Offices of David Davidi, APLC, can provide compassionate legal representation for all aspects of your recovery efforts following a serious accident in Visalia. We know you are likely to have many important questions that you cannot answer on your own, and we want to help you feel more confident about your recovery process. Our goal is to help you recover the maximum compensation allowed under California state law in an efficient manner.

You have a limited time in which to file a personal injury claim in California and an even shorter time limit for an auto insurance claim after an accident. Our firm is ready to provide the support and guidance you need to recover as fully as possible from your car accident in Visalia. Reach out to us as soon as possible so you can start working toward your recovery.

FAQs

Q: What Happens If an At-Fault Driver Does Not Have Auto Insurance?

A: California law requires drivers to have auto insurance that meets basic coverage requirements, but California also has one of the highest rates of uninsured drivers in the country. If the driver who hit you did not have auto insurance, you can claim against your own policy if you have uninsured motorist coverage. If not, you will need to recover your losses by filing a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.

Q: How Are Car Accidents Most Likely to Happen?

A: Car accidents happen in various ways, and the primary contributing factor to the number of accidents in Visalia each year is driver negligence. This can take many forms, including speeding, distracted driving, and moving violations, like running red lights or stop signs. It’s also possible for accidents to happen because of driving under the influence (DUI) and other intentional misconduct.

Q: How Much Compensation Can I Claim for a Car Accident in Visalia?

A: The driver who caused your recent accident is liable for all resulting property damage, medical expenses, and lost wages. Additionally, they can also face liability for projected future damages they inflict on a victim, such as lost earning capacity if the victim is seriously injured and won’t be able to work in the future. The victim can also seek as much pain and suffering compensation as they believe to be reasonable.

Q: Why Do I Need to Hire a Visalia Car Accident Lawyer?

A: You can attempt to handle your impending car accident case on your own, but you would be unlikely to achieve the same level of results that you could expect if you hired an experienced Visalia car accident lawyer to represent you. Your legal team can streamline your case and reduce the time it takes for you to recover compensation, and they may also reveal types of compensation you did not realize you could claim, enhancing your recovery.

Q: What Does It Cost to Hire a Visalia Car Accident Lawyer?

A: The Law Offices of David Davidi, APLC, can provide the legal representation you need on a contingency fee basis. This means that you will not pay any upfront legal fees for our representation, nor will you pay any ongoing attorneys’ fees. Instead, we take a percentage of your final case award as our contingency fee if we win your case. There is no fee at all if we are unable to recover compensation on your behalf.

Contact the Law Offices of David Davidi, APLC

The team at the Law Offices of David Davidi, APLC, is ready to answer your questions and address your concerns in the aftermath of a vehicle accident someone else caused. Our goal is to leverage our skills and experience to help you recover as fully as possible as quickly as possible, so contact us today and schedule a consultation with a Visalia car accident lawyer to learn how we can empower your recovery efforts.