Moreno Valley Car Accident Law Firm
Moreno Valley is perfectly situated – whether you prefer rural or urban scenery, if you live in Moreno Valley, you’re only a short drive away from both “peace and quiet,” and “hustle and bustle.” For better and for worse, traveling to any of the dynamic places surrounding Moreno Valley generally requires spending time in the car. This is an inherently risky reality, as Southern California’s winding rural roadways and overcrowded freeways experience a higher-than-average rate of motor vehicle accidents. A significant fraction of the three million individuals who suffer non-fatal injuries in motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. annually sustain this harm on roads in and around Moreno Valley and San Bernardino.
If you are currently navigating the aftermath of an injurious car accident, know that you don’t have to make decisions about your situation or handle the financial and legal stresses inspired by your crash on your own. Our knowledgeable and experienced legal team is here to help. Our firm has extensive experience assisting car accident injury victims with their insurance claims, workers’ compensation claims, and personal injury claims. Our time-tested, efficient, and effective approach to representation has earned our firm a reputation for providing quality legal services for Moreno Valley residents and residents of surrounding communities.
Seeking Maximum Compensation for All Accident Victims
If the injuries you sustained in your crash were not catastrophic, you may be unsure of whether working with an attorney is “worth the trouble.” Our firm chooses to offer free consultations to all crash injury victims because – all too often – those who have suffered accident-related harm are unaware of just how much compensation they’re entitled to under the law. As a result of this lack of information, injury victims often find themselves saddled with medical bills and the consequences of lost wages simply because they aren’t aware that someone else is legally liable for covering these costs.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, connect with our respected, client-focused team today to learn more about the compensation and/or benefits to which you may be entitled. During your free, no-risk consultation, you’ll be invited to ask any questions that you may have. We’ll also provide you with an objective case analysis with no strings attached to this opportunity. Once you have access to all the information that you’ll need to make informed decisions about your situation, we’ll support you and advocate for your rights to the absolute best of our ability. Our team doesn’t “rest” on our respected reputation – we earn it over and over again by providing each of our clients with the respect, quality services, and commitment to securing maximum compensation that they deserve.
Why Acting Quickly Is Important
It can be tempting to wait until you’re relatively recovered from your injuries before seeking legal guidance regarding insurance claims, workers’ compensation benefits, and filing personal injury action in the wake of a car accident. However, it is critical to connect with our firm as quickly as you possibly can. The strength of your case may depend upon the preservation of evidence that could become compromised or destroyed as time passes. Additionally, all legal options that are potentially relevant to your situation are subject to a so-called statute of limitations. This means that if you wait too long to file a claim, you may be barred from seeking compensation for the harm you’ve suffered. Navigating the legal aftermath of your crash can be stressful. However, the financial consequences that may result from waiting to explore your options can be much more stressful in the long run. In order to better ensure that you aren’t “stuck” with the financial burdens caused by another’s negligence, recklessness, or intentionally dangerous behavior, schedule a free consultation with our experienced legal team now.
First Things First – Causation
Before our team can file insurance claims, a personal injury lawsuit, or other kinds of legal action on your behalf, we must evaluate which force(s) led to your crash in the first place. Only after identifying “why” your collision occurred can we objectively determine “who” may be held legally liable for the harm resulting from your accident. Numerous factors – both preventable and not – lead to the occurrence of auto collisions. Some of these factors are legally actionable and some are not. Once we have a clear picture of all of the influences that contributed to the cause of your crash, we’ll be able to determine fault related to your accident and advise you of your legal options accordingly. Chances are high that one or more of the following common causes of auto accidents played a role in your injurious accident:
- Weather: No one can be held legally liable for poor road conditions caused by weather. However, it may be possible to hold those responsible for the safe maintenance of roadways accountable if harm caused by weather (like flooding) could have been prevented through proper upkeep.
- The Four Ds: “Drowsy, Drunk, Drugged, and Distracted” driving behaviors are known as the four Ds. A staggering number of car accidents are caused by these largely preventable motorist conditions. Note that the presence of some of these factors may not be immediately apparent and must ultimately be unveiled through a legal investigation.
- Speeding: Others may be held accountable for exceeding the mile per hour restrictions posted on roadways. However, they may also be held accountable under California law for driving too fast to maintain safe vehicle operation given conditions. Thus, another driver doesn’t necessarily have to be exceeding a posted speed limit to be deemed “speeding unlawfully.”
- Aggressive driving behavior: Southern California drivers, eager to get wherever they are going, are notorious for driving too aggressively. All too often, imprecise maneuvering, inconsistent speeds, and failure to use signals while “weaving,” lead to aggressive driving accidents.
- Auto defects: Defective auto parts – especially tires – serve as a substantial contributor to car accidents far more often than one might think. Such defects may not be discovered until an investigation has been initiated.
Next Step – Determining Fault
Once the causes of your accident have been identified, our experienced team can then objectively assess who may be held legally liable for directly causing your harm. It is important to avoid making any assumptions about both causation and fault before you’ve spoken with an attorney. Too often, car accident injury victims make the assumption that speaking with a lawyer isn’t worth their effort, given that they are either to blame for the collision in question or are partially to blame for its occurrence. As noted above, there are many reasons why cars crash; some of these causes are easily and immediately identifiable, while others are not. Making assumptions about causation and fault before you’ve attended a free consultation could keep you from pursuing significant compensation to which you may be entitled.
California employs a legal theory known as “comparative negligence.” This theory allows injury victims to pursue compensation against others whose negligent, reckless, or intentionally dangerous conduct served as a substantial factor in causing their injuries. Unlike a “contributory” theory of negligence employed by some states, comparative negligence theory protects an injury victim’s right to pursue compensation against others who are partially responsible for their harm even when the injury victims themselves also contributed to the harm in question. This means that even if you were partially to blame for your crash and even if you think you might be solely to blame for your collision, you may still be empowered to hold others financially responsible for your harm.
If it is determined that your actions contributed to the cause of your injuries, your compensation award may be affected proportionately by the percentage of fault you’ve been assigned. For example, if the monetary value of your harm is calculated at $500,000 and you are deemed to have been 20 percent at fault for that harm, you may still be able to pursue as much as $400,000 from others whose negligent, reckless, or intentionally injurious conduct substantially contributed to your harm. In short, don’t make assumptions about causation or fault before speaking with our team, as doing so could short-change you out of significant compensation to which you may be entitled.
Negotiating with Insurance Representatives
Even if you’re not interested in pursuing legal action against others involved in your accident, you’ll want to schedule a free consultation with our firm before you speak with any insurance providers – your own and/or providers with which others involved in the accident hold policies. All too often, car accident victims are unaware of the subtle tactics that insurance providers use as excuses to devalue or reject viable claims. As a result, many accident victims either accept insurance settlement amounts that are far less than what those victims are entitled to or they feel that there is nothing to be done about a rejected claim. Working with our experienced legal team “from go” will help to ensure that any insurance settlements you’re entitled to are negotiated successfully, fairly valued, and paid as soon as possible.
Work-Related Car Accident Considerations
If you were traveling for work when your car crashed, even if you were simply picking up supplies for your employer at a local retail outlet, you may be entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits as a result of the harm you’ve suffered. Essentially, as long as you’re eligible for workers’ compensation benefits coverage and you were engaged in work-related travel at the time of your crash, our firm should be able to file a benefits claim on your behalf successfully. Note however that you’ll need to act with even more urgency in re: exploring your legal options than you otherwise might if your accident was work-related. While California law generally gives accident victims up to two years to file a personal injury claim, if you plan to file for workers’ compensation benefits, you’ll need to formally report your injuries to your employer within 30 days of your crash.
It’s important to understand that unlike the personal injury claims process, the workers’ compensation process is not fault-based. Even if you were completely responsible for the cause of your accident, as long as you didn’t initiate a road rage incident, you didn’t crash your car on purpose, and you were neither drunk nor high when your accident occurred, you’ll remain eligible to receive benefits. If you are unsure of whether you’re covered by workers’ compensation insurance, that’s okay. Our firm can clarify that for you. In general, however, full-time and part-time employees are eligible for this coverage while independent contractors are not.
Contact Our Firm Today for a Free Case Evaluation
If you have not yet scheduled a risk-free, no-cost case evaluation with our personal injury legal team, please do so now. Exploring your legal options as quickly as you can may significantly impact your ability to obtain all the compensation to which you’re owed. We look forward to meeting with you and to assisting you with your legal needs at this time.