Why You Should Hire a Car Accident Lawyer

Beginning the Civil Process

Being involved in an automobile accident could result in significant property damage, as well as debilitating or permanent injuries. Fortunately, civil law enables those who sustained such maladies the possibility to sue for compensation from those responsible for causing the act.

Therefore, when a claimant in a car accident lawsuit sets out on their quest, retaining the services of the very best car accident attorney they can find could prove critical to the case's outcome. At Gutierrez Law, a team of personal injury attorneys in LA have compiled information regarding this topic for our potential clients to read.

Prior to contacting a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles, there are several steps an accident victim can take.

The first action taken should be to call local law enforcement. Someone is likely to have suffered from minor to severe injuries. While waiting, exchange information with all parties involved in the accident. This includes the names, contact information and insurance representation of the other motorists involved in the incident.

After obtaining this information, the victim is encouraged to collect as much evidence as possible. If the injured person is physically able, they should take photos of all the vehicles involved in the mishap and take notes of what occurred before the accident. Responding police officers can write an accurate police report that could better serve as legal testimony than "he said, she said" accounts of those privy to the event in question.

The next but certainly not least action an auto accident victim should take is to receive a thorough medical evaluation. This is especially true if involved in a relatively minor event. Specific internal injuries might not become symptomatic immediately and would only be seen through appropriate medical testing. Moreover, connecting physical injuries to the accident may prove critical to winning a civil action.

The final initial step should be to contact a car accident lawyer in Los Angeles. The prospective claimant should present all necessary documentation to their attorney who can review the information at hand and offer advice regarding what the next logical steps should be.
Proving the Case
Merely being injured in an automobile accident does not guarantee that a civil claimant will automatically receive compensation. The victim and his or her attorney must clearly and satisfactorily demonstrate that the following issues occurred:
The Other Motorists Displayed Negligent Actions
The law mandates that the claimant prove that the drivers of the other vehicles involved in the mishap displayed some form of negligent actions that contributed to the event in question.
Said Negligence Precipitated the Accident
The claimant and their legal team must not only demonstrate that the other motorists were negligent but that this irresponsible action was a direct cause of the mishap.
The Damages Are Related to the Accident
The plaintiff must show that the damages they seek were caused by the events surrounding the accident.
The Damages and Injuries Are Directly Correlated
This claimant needs to demonstrate that the injuries they sustained are directly related to the incident in question and cannot be tied to any other illness or prior event.
California's Pure Comparative Negligence Law
The State of California subscribes to the pure comparative negligence principle. This legal provision mandates that parties of automobile accidents can bear a specific percentage of responsibility for a mishap. After hearing the testimony provided in a civil proceeding, the adjudicating body can assign a certain amount of blame to each involved motorist.

The amount of responsibility each party is assigned is important because that will determine how much compensation the claimant can recover, or a defendant will be required to pay. For example, a claimant might initiate a lawsuit totaling $100,000 in damages. After reviewing the case, the adjudicating body finds that the claimant was 25 percent responsible and the defendant was 75 percent to blame. If so, the plaintiff's take would be reduced by one-quarter or $25,000.

The Benefits of Retaining a Car Accident Lawyer

Personal injury attorneys have plenty of experience in arguing these types of cases. Additionally, they understand the nuances of such proceedings and can perform other pertinent tasks such as interviewing witnesses, consulting with medical experts and investigating accident scenes. All these activities are designed to reach the ultimate goal of demonstrating the incident in question was the fault of the defendant(s) and not the claimant.

Contact Us Today

Individuals who have been injured in automobile accidents that they believe were the fault of another party's negligence are encouraged to contact Gutierrez Law. Our team of LA car accident lawyers can review your case and might be able to initiate a car accident lawsuit that could recover the compensation needed to properly recover