Car Accident Lawyers in Los Angeles

Generally, if you did not have rental car insurance before your accident, you cannot purchase rental car coverage for your car accident claim. However, if you were not at fault for your accident and you choose to hire a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, your attorney may be able to cover the costs of your rental as part of your verdict or settlement. Read more about what you can recover with a car accident lawyer.

If anyone is injured or hurt in a car accident in Los Angeles, you are required to report your accident within 24 hours. You can do this by calling 911 at the scene, or by calling the LAPD’s non-emergency line at 1-877-275-5273.

For minor crashes, you may also file a police report online with the LAPD.

For accidents occurring outside of the city of Los Angeles, you can call the CHP or the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

Read more about reporting your car accident in Los Angeles.

In the aftermath of a collision that was not your fault, you may be eligible for compensation from the at-fault driver (or, in most cases, their insurance company). This compensation is meant to cover the costs of your physical and mental recovery, which might include medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and any pain and suffering you experienced due to your injuries.

Anyone faced with a severe injury after an accident would understandably want to resolve their case as soon as possible, especially when that injury prevents you from working. So of course, you may be tempted to accept the first settlement offer the at-fault driver’s insurance company provides, hoping to put the whole ordeal behind you.

However, accepting the first settlement offer may not be the best path for your recovery. See, an insurance company, like any company, is in business to turn a profit. Insurance companies do this by collecting premiums from policyholders and paying out as few claims as possible. Therefore, your insurance adjuster is incentivized to pay out as little as possible on your claim and may lead with a lowball settlement offer as a bargaining tactic to reduce your overall settlement amount.

A lawyer will recognize these tactics right away—and will fight for your interests alone. PARRIS Law Firm has been in the business for decades, fighting for a fair recovery for each and every client. We’ve even hired former insurance adjusters to ensure we know every tactic they might try to reduce or invalidate your claim.

Laws Concerning Car Accidents in Los Angeles

As a personal injury law firm, our car accident attorneys take cases that involve negligence on the part of another party. Legally speaking, negligence occurs when a person or corporation fails to uphold a duty of care to another person. A “breach of duty,” as it is called when a person acts negligently, can take place due to a party’s action (such as running a stoplight) or inaction (e.g., failing to properly maintain one’s tire pressure, leading to a tire blowout and subsequent accident).

Every driver has a duty to drive safely. When a driver breaches that duty and hurts another person, California law allows the victim to collect compensation in a personal injury claim. This compensation is meant to help the victim recover from their physical, mental, emotional, and financial injuries after an accident.

Insurance companies use police reports, witness accounts, photos from the scene, traffic cam footage, and driver admissions to determine fault. However, the final LEGAL determination of fault can only be decided by an arbitrator, judge, or jury. Read more about how fault is determined after an accident.

In California, the statute of limitations for most car accident cases is two years from the accident date. However, it’s best to speak with a Los Angeles car accident attorney as soon as possible following your crash. If you choose to wait, the at-fault driver could use this as evidence that your injuries were not that severe, thus reducing the value of your claim.

PARRIS car accident lawyers take cases on contingency, meaning that we don’t accept payment until we’ve secured a favorable verdict or settlement for you. We front the cost of your personal injury case, and we do not accept fees out of your pocket. Our fee is a portion of your settlement or verdict. If we are unsuccessful, you will owe us nothing.

We believe this fee model allows us to serve our clients best.

Some of the damages a person suffers after an accident are apparent, such as damaged property or immediate images. However, other damages, such as the emotional ramifications of your accident or any long-term medical conditions triggered by the collision, don’t show up until later.

Types of damages that are recoverable in a car accident lawsuit include:

• Medical bills, including those for hospital visits, prescriptions, and visiting specialists;
• Damage to your car or the items in your vehicle;
• Lost wages, including any future income lost due to your injuries;
• Emotional and physical pain and suffering due to your accident; and
• Loss of consortium damages for your family (the damage incurred by a loss of companionship)

Pursuing recovery for some of these damages may be tricky. That’s precisely why you need an experienced team of litigators on your side. PARRIS is here to help.

Though many Los Angeles car accidents are the consequence of heavy traffic throughout the city, the recent increase in accidents and deaths reflects increased speeding and reckless driving, both of which increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, cars with heavier frames and distracting features have become more common on LA’s streets and highways, making car accidents deadlier.

Unfortunately, drivers and pedestrians are not the only victims of negligent drivers. In 2021, Los Angeles experienced a 24% jump in severe bicycle accidents. Fatal bike accidents resulted in 18 deaths, up 20% from 2020.

In 2018, 30,070 Los Angeles car accidents were reported to the state’s Traffic Injury Mapping System. Of these crashes:

• 27% were caused by speeding
• 23% were caused by right-of-way violations
• 10% were caused by improper turning
• 9% were caused by someone running a stop sign or red light
• 5% were caused by failing to yield to a pedestrian
• 4% were caused by unsafe lane changes
• 4% were caused by following too closely or tailgating
• 4% were related to DUIs
• 3% were caused by a driver on the wrong side of the road
• 3% were caused by a pedestrian in the wrong
• 1% were caused by another types of violation

Car accidents occurred in Los Angeles most commonly on Fridays between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Afternoon rush hour on other weekdays also saw an increase in accidents, though about 5% to 10% less than Friday.

Victims of many different types of vehicular accidents have come to PARRIS for trustworthy legal representation. The types of accidents have included:

• Auto accidents, including
  • Drunk driving accidents
  • Distracted driving crashes
  • Collisions related to dangerous road conditions
  • Crashes caused by vehicular malfunctions
• Pedestrian accidents
• Truck crashes
• Motorcycle crashes
• Bike accidents
• Wrongful death cases caused by any of the above accidents

In addition, PARRIS car accident lawyers represent victims of other types of accidents, including dog bites, slip and fall incidents, and large-scale product liability cases.

If you or someone you love has been involved in any of the above accidents, discuss your case with our Los Angeles car accident lawyers today for free.

California law requires you to report an accident, regardless of fault, under the following circumstances:

• If property damage was greater than $1,000
• If any of the drivers are injured or killed
• If any of the drivers are under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• If any of the drivers flee the scene
• If any of the drivers don’t have a license

Following an accident, you should always get the medical treatment you need as soon as you need it. If you wait, an insurance company could use your reluctance to claim your injuries were not severe. A Los Angeles car accident lawyer can help you negotiate with your medical providers to make sure you get the care you need at a rate most favorable to you.

When you hire a law firm after a crash, your Los Angeles car accident lawyer will fight for the greatest recovery possible for you—one that covers all of your medical bills, property damage, pain and suffering, and more.

However, while you wait for your verdict or settlement, your medical providers will require compensation for the care they provide to you. Until you receive your result, you’ll have three ways to pay your medical bills:

• With your health insurance, which is subject to deductibles and/or copays
• With your medical payments coverage (med pay) with your car insurance
• With a medical lien

Your attorney may negotiate with doctors to obtain a lien, meaning that the provider will treat your injuries and accept payment when you receive your verdict or settlement.

Read more about how medical bills get paid after an accident.

Only debt-related incidents, such as unpaid bills or opening a new line of credit, are reported to credit agencies. Since a car accident is not a debt-related incident, it will not directly affect your credit score, regardless of fault.

However, debts related to your car accident could affect your credit score down the line. Read more about how a car accident may impact your credit score.