A car accident lawyer in Visalia and Tulare is needed if you have been in an accident in this region and need legal representation. Tulare county and neighboring Kings County is a rich agricultural region of the San Joaquin Valley with a population of nearly 500,000. Major agricultural products include orange and other citrus, cotton, olives, pistachio nuts, wineries, cattle and poultry. As a consequence of such a large agricultural base our roads, highways and freeways are stricken from a high ratio of commercial trucks and farming machinery. Because of the large size and weight on these vehicles accidents in our county result in the highest proportion of serious / catastrophic injuries and deaths in the state of California. Our attorneys have the experience, determination and resources required to provide our clients with the legal representation needed to maximize the amount of financial recovery you are owed. Below you will find important information regarding auto accident lawsuits and financial recovery. Our car accident lawyers practice in Visalia, Tulare, Hanford, Tulare county, Kings County, and Porterville. If you have any further questions or if you would like to speak with one of our representatives contact our law offices. All consultations and case reviews are conducted by our attorneys free of charge.

How to Protect Your Right to Recovery

There are several important steps that victims of auto accidents should follow in order to protect their rights to a full and just financial settlement for damages they have suffered.

(1)  Seek medical attention as soon as possible: Timely diagnosis and treatment of your injuries can play a significant role in increasing the potential value of your claim. Furthermore, immediate medical attention can display to a potential jury the serious nature of the bodily harm you have suffered.

(2)  Police Report: Contact your local police department or call 911. Make sure the police at the location of the accident take down a traffic collision report (TCR) which includes your version of how the accident took place.

(3) Witnesses: Make sure you ask for the contact information of any witnesses to the accident.

(4) Gather evidence: Take pictures of the accident including any vehicle involved, the street or intersection where the accident took place, traffic lights, and defects on the road and weather conditions.

(5) Beware of Tow Trucks: Immediately after an accident you may see multiple tow trucks arrive at the location of the accident. Tow trucks will seem like they are assisting you by towing your vehicle to their garage or storage facility. What they may not mention is that the storage facilities they transport your vehicle to will charge you an exorbitant amount of money to keep your vehicle there.

(6) DO NOT speak with Insurance Adjusters: Insurance companies have one thing in mind and it is not to take care of your needs following an auto accident. Their goal is to do whatever they can to reduce or eliminate your chances of recovery. Any comments you make to them may be used against you in the future to reduce or eliminate your recovery.

(7) Speak with an attorney experienced in auto accident claims in order to learn more about your rights in a personal injury claim. One of our car accident lawyers in Tulare City, Visalia, Porterville, and Hanford will be able to give you further assistance.

Winning Your Case in the Court of Law

In order to successfully resolve a personal injury case in the court of law your attorney will have to prove four essential elements.  (1) There was a duty that was (2) breached by the fault party which (3) caused the accident (4) resulting in injuries. A competent auto accident lawyer in Tulare, including in Tulare City, Hanford, Visalia, and Porterville, can go over your case with you to discover whether all of these elements are present.

Getting the Medical Treatment You Need

Unfortunately many individuals who are injured in an auto accident do not have access to the medical care they need to fully recuperate. In order to alleviate this issue our law firm works with various medical doctors and treatment centers that will provide our clients with the highest level of medical care and attention with zero out of pocket costs or fees for our clients. Our doctors work exclusively on a medical lien; this means that they will hold off on asking our clients for payment until there is a successful resolution of their case. There are numerous injuries which can result from auto accidents. A list of the most common injuries and the medical care necessary to treat damages suffered is provided for below.

• Whiplash injury and spinal cord damage resulting in back and neck pain: Spinal cord damage is the most common injury resulting from auto accidents. Victims of spinal cord damage should receive a thorough evaluation from either an orthopedist doctor or a pain management physician specializing in spinal cord damage. Imaging results of the spinal cord will usually be conducted wherein the treating physician will be able to properly diagnose the cause of your pain and provide you with the medical treatment that will be required.
• Brain injury: Common categories of brain injury include mild to moderate concussion, mild traumatic brain injury and blunt force trauma to the skull resulting in severe brain damage. Victims of brain injury often experience bouts of short term memory loss, loss of consciousness, extreme sensitivity to light and hearing impairment. Victims who are experiencing such issues should be evaluated by a neurologist and a neuro-psychologist with an expertise in the files of trauma related brain damage.
• Facial injuries: Common facial injuries include broken nose, jaw injuries including TMJ damage, broken and loose teeth, facial scarring and disfiguration.
• Orthopedic injuries: Common orthopedic injuries include damage to the knees, fractured ankles, hand and wrist damage and broken bones. Individuals who have suffered such injuries should receive evaluation from orthopedists with specialties in areas of the body that were injured.

Financial Recovery Available for Victims – Value of a Car Accident Case

Victims who are involved in auto accidents have the right to seek financial recovery for all damages and losses incurred from the responsible parties. The potential value of an auto accident case however is dependent on several factors other than the victim’s injuries. Below you will find a list and brief description of factors in a case which typically play a significant role in determining its settlement value. For more information, talk to a car accident lawyer in Visalia, Porterville, Hanford, or Tulare City.

1. The medical bills – Higher medical bills usually mean the person was more severely injured. More severe injuries usually lead to a higher settlement amount.
2. The property damage – If your car did not sustain much damage, chances are you were not severely injured. If your car was badly damaged, then it is more likely that you were injured. The higher the property damage, the higher the settlement amount.
3. Psychological trauma – What many attorneys don’t investigate is the psychological trauma that the victim suffered because of the accident. Many victims will have nightmares or undergo a lot of distress after being in an accident. Such psychological distress can add to the value of your case.
4. Your lost income – If you have lost income because of an accident (for example: You missed work) or if you are expected to lose income in the future (for example: because of an injury) then you can add those to your damages.

California Statute of Limitations for Auto Accidents

Victims who sustain injuries in an auto accident typically have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit in the state of California. Barring some exceptions, once the statute has passed without a lawsuit a victim will be forever excluded from pursuing a claim for financial recovery in the court of law. Some of the exceptions to the two year statute of limitations include physical or mental incapacitation, time of war and military service rendering the plaintiff unable to file a lawsuit in the state. Claims against government agencies must first be filed under an administrative agency review within six month from the date of the accident. Once the government administrative claim has been denied a victim will have 6 months from the date of the denial to file a lawsuit in the court of law. For further information regarding the timing deadline for filing a lawsuit for your car accident claim contact our law offices in Tulare, including in Visalia. All consultations are free of charge.

How Insurance Companies Attempt Eradicate Your Right to Recovery

The primary role of an adjuster in an insurance company is to drastically reduce or eliminate altogether any rights you may have to rightful compensation under the law. Insurance companies are privately owned billion dollar corporations whose essential goal is to earn a profit by not paying on your rightful claim, regardless of whether they are your insurance company or the other driver’s carrier. Below is a list of some tricks which insurance companies use against victim of auto accidents, and why you need an auto accident lawyer  in Visalia to help you.

• Delaying the claim process: You are injured and would like to seek medical care. As such you contact the insurance company and ask them to provide you with the medical care you need. Your insurance adjuster will tell you that you cannot seek the medical attention you need until the claim has been processed. So you wait for days and call back the adjuster who then tells you that she had not been able to get in touch with the other driver of the vehicle and you are not able to get the medical care payment until she gets in touch with the other party. So you wait for another week. Insurance adjusters know that the longer you wait to seek medical attention the less potential value your case will have.
• Greatly reducing your property damage estimate: After the accident you get a call from an insurance adjuster who insists that you take your car to a body repair shop “certified” by the insurance company. These body shops are only certified in greatly reducing the damage estimate of your vehicle. The injuries suffered by a victim of an auto accident is in part predicated upon the severity of the impact on the vehicle. Thus insurance companies will attempt to greatly reduce any evidence that your vehicle suffered severe damage by having you go to their own body shop for a property damage estimate.
• Getting you in a recorded line immediately following an auto accident: Following a traumatic even your body releases certain pain reducing chemicals. This results in many individuals not feeling the pain from their injuries until some time after the accident. Insurance companies and adjusters are well aware of this and will take advantage of this fact by contacting you just a short time after the accident. They will get you on a recorded line and ask if you are in pain or injured. For many the response will be no because of the rush due to the pain reducing chemicals that are in your body.
• Lying about your coverage and your right to recovery: In many cases insurance companies will lie to you about the coverage available for the damage you have suffered. For example they will tell you that this insurance only covers bodily injury and not pain and suffering, or that they won’t cover lost wages. In the state of California victims of person injury are entitled to recovery for all damage suffered including your injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering and future medical care.

Attorney Consultation and Second Opinion Available Free of Charge

Our law firm is pleased to provide any individual who contacts our law offices with a free no cost case evaluation. If you already have retained an attorney and would like a second opinion feel free to reach out to us as well by calling our offices toll free or filling out our free case evaluation form on our website. We operate in the entire state of California, with a special focus in the Tulare and Visalia regions. Call our car accident lawyers today to find out what we can do for you to get you the money that you deserve.