We are proactive in handling all of our client’s needs, and our attorneys will address your worries and ensure that every one of your questions is answered. We will do everything we can to ensure you know you are not going through this alone.

Overview of Car-Related Accidents in Orange County

The following data reflects the frequency of motor vehicle accidents in Orange County between January 2021 and December 2021. The statistics were provided by the University of California, Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System.

Orange County Motor Vehicle Accidents

Between January 2021 and December 2021, there were 11,951 motor vehicle accidents in Orange County. According to the Transportation Injury Mapping System, rear-end collisions accounted for 33% of all vehicle collisions. There were 3,559 broadside collisions, which made up 29% of all accidents.

Other forms of collisions, such as wrong-way, rollover, sideswipe, pedestrian, and striking a fixed object comprised 36% of the total.

After being injured in a car accident, you might need clarification as to whether or not you have a legitimate compensation claim. To be able to collect damages, automobile accidents have to satisfy the following two criteria:

• The accident was caused, in part or in whole, by someone else’s negligence.
• The accident caused you or a family member to be seriously injured.

Our California car accident lawyers are prepared to answer any questions you might have about what is considered negligent and what constitutes a severe injury. If we determine that your car accident fulfills these two criteria during your free consultation, we will start working on your claim immediately.

If you were badly injured or lost a family member in an automobile accident, the last thing you need to focus on is battling with an insurance company about fair financial compensation. We know how tempting it can be to accept their initial offer and just be done with it. Unfortunately, it is a certainty that their offer is often much lower than what you will need to pay your medical bills, continue medical treatments, and compensate you for your lost income and other damages.

A skilled Costa Mesa car accident lawyer from Beckerman Anderson can help you recover the financial damages you are entitled to. Regardless of what kind of car accident you were involved in, you can count on our firm to look out for your best interests and take care of your legal needs, so you can concentrate on getting better and providing for your family.

Our law firm handles all motor vehicle accidents, including those involving:

• Commercial trucks
• Motorcycles
• SUV rollovers
• Drunk driving victims
• Skateboarders, pedestrians, or bicycle riders
• Flawed roadway design
• Construction zone negligence

Due to the severity and frequency of Orange County car accidents, our Costa Mesa car accident attorneys have successfully represented hundreds of car accident victims. Car accidents often inflict severe and life-changing injuries on their victims. We have seen first-hand how these injuries affect people and how we can effectively help them fight for fair compensation awards. We have helped clients who have endured various kinds of personal injuries in car accidents, including:

• Head injuries/traumatic brain injuries
• Injuries to the spinal cord
• Neck injuries/back injuries
• Permanent handicaps
• Disfigurement/scarring
• Fractured bones/broken bones
• Serious lacerations
• Soft-tissue damage
• Severe burns

We also have a well-established track record of helping clients receive compensation for their emotional trauma. California personal injury law permits plaintiffs to seek financial compensation for their psychological, mental, and emotional suffering, physical pain, and economic damage. Our law firm can help you pursue damages for your pain, suffering, emotional harm, distress, grief, anguish, and even conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder following a severe motor vehicle accident.

In personal injury law, the theory of negligence refers to the claimant’s legal doctrine. The majority of vehicle accident cases and other forms of personal injury suits derive from this theory. When a person is said to have been negligent, it means they fell short of the prevailing standard of care, an obligation to exercise the same degree of care that a sensible person would have shown under the same or similar circumstances. With a car accident claim, a duty of care usually refers to the responsibility placed on drivers to follow traffic laws, drive cautiously, and avoid any accidents.

Establishing negligence for a car accident requires obvious and compelling evidence that another driver violated their duty of care. A violation of duty refers to a breach of the level of care that should have been shown under the circumstances. Secondly, the claimant will have to prove that the respondent’s violation of duty was the primary or proximate cause of the accident, meaning the crash would never have occurred were it not for their negligence.

To prove these elements, you need evidence of negligence. This evidence could be a police crash report, pictures, dash cam video, witness statements, testimony from expert witnesses, accident reconstruction, your medical records, the respondent’s cell phone records, a commercial driver’s safety records, and much more. A lawyer will be able to help you gather all available evidence and prove the respondent’s negligence in your car accident case.

A hit-and-run accident occurs when the at-fault driver flees the scene and does not fulfill their duty of care, including being financially liable for the incident. In hit-and-run accident cases, knowing the best way to move forward with a claim can be tricky because you don’t know who the at-fault driver is. Unfortunately, California’s fault laws only apply if the at-fault driver’s identity is known. Your own insurance company may, however, have a solution.

The first thing you should do following a hit-and-run car accident is to notify local law enforcement. They will be able to investigate the scene and might successfully locate the at-fault driver. If this is the case, you can proceed with your injury claim by filing a claim with their insurance company. If the police cannot identify the other driver, you will have to pursue compensation through your car insurance company instead. Make sure you report the crash to your insurance agent immediately. They will review your uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance, if you have it, and tell you how it applies to your compensation.

California does not require drivers to carry uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance. To turn this coverage down, however, you have to request its removal from your policy at the time of purchase. If you do have UIM insurance, the insurer should cover your property damage and medical expenses. Collision and comprehensive insurance could also play a role in your hit-and-run damages. A Costa Mesa car accident lawyer from the law firm of Beckerman Anderson will be able to assist you in negotiations with your insurance company for total financial compensation after a hit-and-run accident.

Another means of collecting compensation following a hit-and-run accident is to hold someone other than the driver responsible for your injuries. An experienced attorney will be able to tell you whether or not another person or entity contributed to your accident, such as a car hire service being liable for its driver, a city being liable for a hazardous roadway, or a vehicle manufacturer being liable for a malfunctioning car part. Our lawyers can investigate your hit-and-run accident and identify all potential sources of recovery.

After being injured in a Costa Mesa car accident, there are some actions that you can take at that moment to ensure that both you and your rights are protected. The auto insurance provider governing your initial claim will look for any reason to reduce or completely deny your claim, such as failing to seek immediate medical attention or anything that can be interpreted as an admission of guilt, like an apology. What you do and say directly after a serious car accident will impact your eligibility to collect compensation for your damages. Taking certain steps after a car accident can help reduce this risk.

• Find a safe place near the scene to pull your car off the roadway. You should never ever leave the scene of a car accident.
• Asses yourself and your passengers for any injuries. Then find out if anyone in the other vehicle was injured.
• Call 911 and report the accident promptly. Inform the dispatch operator if anyone is injured and request an ambulance.
• Trade insurance information and contact details with any other drivers.
• Never admit fault for the accident. This includes apologizing.
• Take note of the other vehicles’ make, model, license plate, and color.
• Seek prompt medical care for any injuries. It is a good idea to be evaluated by a doctor regardless of how you feel after an accident, as some injuries are not immediately obvious.
• Notify your auto insurance carrier of the accident as soon as you are able to do so.
• If anyone was hurt or property damage exceeding $750 occurred, you have ten days to notify the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
• Reach out to a car accident attorney before you agree to any settlement offered by the insurance company.

After you report your car accident to your insurer, they will contact the other driver’s insurance company on your behalf to initiate a claim. You will also be contacted by an insurance adjuster soon after your accident. Exercise extreme caution when talking to an adjuster or any insurance company representative. They do not have your best interests at heart. Before you sign anything, speak to a personal injury lawyer from Beckerman Anderson to understand your options for financial compensation.