Have You Been Injured in an Auto Accident in the Los Angeles Area?

Los Angeles car accident lawyer, Anthony J. Milano, handles all auto accident case, wrongful death cases, and other personal injury cases.

Being involved in a car accident can be traumatic, and dealing with the aftermath is often overwhelming. You will likely be in pain from the crash as you try to navigate car repairs, doctor appointments, and insurance details. But you don’t have to deal with these details alone. You can hire an experienced car accident attorney to assist with certain tasks, including talking to the insurance company and seeking compensation for any expenses associated with the car crash.

If the idea of having a compassionate legal professional on your side immediately after a devastating car accident sounds helpful to you, come to Milano Legal Group, PLLC, for legal guidance. Our car accident attorneys are caring and eager to assist with your personal injury claim after your crash. We know you may be worried about paying for your medical bills, property damage, lost wages, and other unexpected costs after a serious car accident. Let us guide you on how to recover financial compensation, so you don’t have to pay out of pocket for any expenses related to the car wreck. Schedule a free consultation at our California law firm today to get started on your claim.

What Causes Most Auto Accidents?

One of the first steps of starting your auto accident claim is understanding how the accident happened to begin with. Car accidents can be confusing since so much happens at once. One minute, you’re sitting in your car minding your own business, and the next, you’re in incredible pain and wondering what happened. The following descriptions of common causes of car accidents may clear up why your crash occurred:

Drunk Driving

When drivers choose to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol, they often experience significant impairment affecting their driving skills. For instance, their reaction time on the road is slower than usual, making it hard to stop in time for a red light or stop sign. At the same time, many drunk drivers speed and drive recklessly, ignoring traffic signals entirely. These dangerous actions can result in tragic drunk driving car accidents that seriously injure or kill other drivers and passengers.

Speeding and reckless driving. Some drivers speed and drive recklessly, whether they’re intoxicated or sober, as they simply don’t think speed limit signs and traffic signals apply to them. This can cause them to run red lights and collide with other vehicles that have the green light. They might also fail to use their turn signal or check their blind spot when getting into the next lane, leading to a serious car accident on a California freeway or city street.

Drowsy Driving

Driving while tired often yields the same tragic results as driving drunk, as this can lead to serious auto accidents that injure or kill others. Driving while tired means reaction times are slow, and decision-making abilities are hampered, so they might not notice red lights and stop signs. If those drivers actually fall asleep at the wheel, they lose control of their vehicle, veering into other lanes of traffic and even causing deadly head-on collisions.

Distracted Driving

A major issue on California roads right now is distracted driving since there are so many different distractions available to drivers. In many cases, distracted driving is caused by drivers scrolling through their phones to check email, text messages, and social media. But even drivers who make it a point to put their phones down while driving can still get distracted by food, beverages, the radio, and conversations with passengers. Distracted driving often leads to rear-end collisions because drivers who are not looking at the road don’t notice when traffic has slowed down or stopped.

Motor Vehicle Defects

Sometimes car accidents are caused by the car itself, not necessarily the driver. If a driver’s brakes or steering wheel stops working, this could lead to a car wreck with bodily injury for one or more people involved. The issue could also involve poor car maintenance, such as when an incorrectly inflated tire causes a tire blowout that leads to a car accident.

Hazardous Road Conditions

Another reason for some car accidents is the condition of the roads. For instance, if a road is not well maintained and contains potholes or other issues, accidents can occur. Rain, snow, and ice on the road can also cause serious crashes, as drivers can easily lose control on these dangerous roads and collide with other motor vehicles.

Whether you think your car accident was caused by poor road conditions or driver negligence, you should seek legal representation immediately after it. An experienced car accident attorney in Los Angeles County can examine all the details of the car crash and determine who or what caused it and what to do next to recover compensation. Contact Milano Legal Group, PLLC, to schedule a free consultation where you can talk to a skilled, caring team of car accident lawyers in California.

What Are Examples of Common Car Accident Injuries?

Most car accidents result in injuries for drivers and passengers alike. Of course, the severity of those injuries can vary, but all injuries should be checked out by a doctor as soon as possible to make sure they’re not more serious than they look. After all, some car accident injuries don’t hurt at first but can get much worse overnight or even over the next few weeks. The following are some of the most common physical injuries that car accident victims may suffer from:

• Neck injuries, such as whiplash
• Head and brain injuries, including traumatic brain injury
• Burns
• Broken ribs
• Fractured bones
• Soft tissue injuries
• Damage to internal organs
• Lacerations
• Bruises
• Spinal cord injury
• Complete paralysis

If you suffered injuries like the above or worse, you should seek medical attention immediately after the car accident. Otherwise, you could end up in sudden and intense pain once you get home, so it’s better to err on the side of caution and get an exam from a doctor as soon as you can.

If you’re worried about paying for your medical bills, be sure to talk to a California car accident attorney after you get medical treatment. The right law firm can initiate a car accident claim for you to get reimbursed by the at-fault driver’s insurance company. If you’re ready to learn more about your legal options after a car accident has left you with serious or even permanent injuries, contact our California law firm for a free consultation today.

What Is the Maximum Compensation I Can Pursue?

Hiring a Los Angeles County car accident lawyer for your claim will put you on the path to recovering the funds you deserve after a motor vehicle accident. If this is your first car accident claim, it might not be clear what kind of compensation you can recover. If you’re wondering how to determine how much money you should seek and what it should cover, here are the most common types of economic and non-economic damages your car accident lawyer can help you pursue.

Medical Expenses

One of the costliest aspects of a car accident is the medical treatment you need afterward. This is especially the case if you have severe injuries that may require years of ongoing treatment or if you don’t have health insurance to pay for your medical needs. This is why any experienced car accident lawyer will pursue compensation for medical bills for injured victims.

More specifically, your car accident lawyer will look at the treatment you’ve already had as a result of the car accident, as well as the medical care you will need in the near future. These medical bills may be from the following types of care:

• Ambulance ride to the emergency room
• Hospital stays
• Doctor visits
• Medications
• Surgical procedures
• Physical therapy
• Wheelchair or other medical equipment

Whether you now have traumatic brain injuries as a result of the car accident or are dealing with other serious injuries, you will have lots of medical bills to pay. Even if you have good health insurance coverage or personal injury protection (PIP) insurance through your auto insurance company, you will likely owe some copays, coinsurance, and deductibles. You should not have to pay for these accident-related expenses, especially if you’re still healing from painful head injuries and other wounds. A skilled car accident lawyer can help you seek the maximum compensation, so all your medical expenses are paid for.

Property Damage

Car accidents can cause serious injuries for drivers and passengers, but they can also destroy vehicles within seconds. The last issue you will want to deal with as you heal from physical injuries is figuring out how to pay for car repairs after vehicle damage from the accident. This is why your car accident lawyer will help you recover funds for property damage to your car and other belongings.

If your motor vehicle suffered minor physical damage, you will need to take it to a mechanic for repairs. However, after a serious accident, it’s possible your vehicle won’t ever look or drive the same again, and the insurance company could declare it totaled. In this case, you will need to buy a new car. If this isn’t in your budget, you can rely on the compensation you will likely get for property damage once your car accident attorney brings a claim against the insurance company.

Your vehicle is not the only piece of property that may have been destroyed in the car accident. Anything that was in the car with you was likely damaged, too, as items tend to go flying through the air and even out of the car during a collision. If your smartphone, purse, laptop, child booster seat, or any other items were also damaged, your car accident claim can request enough compensation to pay for repairs and replacements as needed.

Lost Wages

It can take months to recover from severe injuries fully, so you shouldn’t be expected to work your normal hours during this time. Even if your wounds were minor, you probably took several days off work to get medical treatment and car repairs. This means you lost wages that you would have on your paycheck if someone else hadn’t caused an auto accident. That’s why your personal injury case should request damages for lost wages.

For many car accident victims, compensation for lost income will include more than wages alone. They could incorporate tips, commissions, bonuses, and other benefits that the victim was unable to earn while recovering from injuries. If you want to include lost wages in your damages, let your California car accident lawyer know what kind of money and benefits you have missed out on while healing.

Non-Economic Damages

When a car accident occurs, you’re left with numerous consequences to handle, with bodily injury being just one. You might also have emotional and mental damages that will take time to heal. Serious motor vehicle accidents can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), humiliation, discomfort, depression, and more.

While money alone won’t automatically heal these problems, it can allow you to take extra time off work and pay for therapy or medication to help improve your state of mind. This is why car accident lawyers often add non-economic damages to personal injury claims. These damages might be called pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, or other terms. Experienced car accident attorneys in Los Angeles County know how to determine which damages to pursue and what amount to request, depending on the circumstances.

Can I File a Wrongful Death Claim After a Deadly Car Accident?

If you lost a family member in a fatal car accident caused by someone else, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim. This can help you get financial compensation to help pay for any bills related to your loved one’s tragic, unexpected death. While the damages you recover won’t begin to make up for your loss, they can allow you to take time off work to grieve as long as you need to, as you won’t have to quickly get back to work so you can afford to pay your bills.

It’s a good idea to talk to California personal injury attorneys to determine if you have a strong case for the wrongful death of your loved one. If you do, your legal team will go over all the expenses you have that are connected to the car accident that took the life of your family member. These costs usually include funeral and burial expenses, as well as any hospital bills from when doctors tried to save their lives after the car crash. If you already paid these bills, you’ll be reimbursed when you get your settlement for the wrongful death claim.

Just as with a personal injury lawsuit, a wrongful death lawsuit can request non-economic damages. Your lawyer will let you know what you qualify for and can add up these costs, but you should know that they often include pain and suffering and loss of companionship, at the very least. If your loved one was the main income earner in your household, and you relied on them to pay bills, you may get compensation to make up for the loss of their income.

You can find out more about the damages that you’re entitled to when you contact a California law firm about your specific case. So, if your spouse, parent, or child died in a devastating car accident, contact Milano Legal Group, PLLC, to set up a free case evaluation with our caring, trusted car accident lawyers.

How Can I Afford a Car Accident Lawyer?

It’s common to be on a tight budget after a car accident occurs, so it’s understandable if you’re unsure how you can afford to pay personal injury attorneys for their legal assistance. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about paying any legal fees upfront because most car accident attorneys use contingency fee arrangements for clients.

This means you will get legal help with your car accident case without spending any money upfront. You will only owe money for the legal fees once you get your car accident settlement when your case is over. If for some reason, your car accident case does not result in a settlement for you, you won’t owe any legal fees to your car accident lawyers. This way, there is no downside to hiring a law firm to handle car accident cases like yours. You only stand to gain money, not lose it, which can be extremely helpful if you’re struggling to pay bills after a collision.

At Milano Legal Group, PLLC, we’re happy to help car accident victims on a contingency fee basis. We also offer free consultations for all clients, which gives us a chance to meet them and go over all the details of the motor vehicle accidents that have affected their lives. We can then decide the right way to approach these car accident cases in a manner that will get our clients the best chance of recovering full and fair compensation. If you’re ready to find out how we can help you after a car accident in California, contact our Los Angeles personal injury attorneys to schedule a free consultation.

How Can a Lawyer Help Me?

If you have collision coverage and a good relationship with your own insurance company, you might assume they can assist you in getting the compensation you need after a car wreck. Even if you decide to go through the at-fault driver’s insurance company from the start, you may be expecting a seamless process in which you add up your costs, and the company sends you compensation. For the amount you pay in insurance premiums, it should work like this, but it just doesn’t.

In fact, we’ve found that insurance companies often make the process more difficult than necessary for our clients, leaving them unable to pay their bills after a crash. This can cause them to hesitate to get the medical care they need after a serious collision because they’re worried about paying for it. We don’t want this kind of experience for our clients, especially when they’re still healing from severe injuries. This is why we’re always prepared to provide legal guidance for victims of vehicle collisions in California.

Settling Out of Court

It’s the unfortunate truth that car insurance companies do not exist to help their customers but to stay profitable. This means they’re hesitant to pay out on auto accident cases unless an experienced car accident lawyer shows up to threaten further legal action. That’s usually when car insurance companies are willing to agree to a fair settlement.

In most cases, it makes financial sense for car insurance companies to stay out of the courtroom and avoid going to trial. This is usually the best case for you, too, since being involved in a trial when you’re injured in a car accident isn’t ideal. This is why lawyers typically spend hours negotiating with auto insurance companies so they can get a check for their clients as soon as possible. That’s just one way a car accident lawyer can help with your bodily injury liability claim after a crash.

Communicating with the Insurance Company

Another reason to hire a lawyer for your claim is that you don’t have to spend time talking to the insurance company. Filing a claim with the insurance provider of the at-fault driver would require you to spend hours on the phone describing the accident, explaining your expenses after the crash, and scheduling an adjuster to look at the damage to your vehicle.

This can feel like an impossible task as you work on healing from your injuries and try to determine how you will pay your bills this month after taking time off work. This is why you should turn all this work over to a legal representative who is knowledgeable about personal injury law and willing to communicate with insurance providers for as long as it takes to get a settlement.

Gathering Evidence to Strengthen Your Car Accident Lawsuit

When you initiate a car accident claim, you’re expected to prove that someone else caused the accident and that you are suffering as a result of decisions made by the at-fault driver. Most people don’t know how to get started on proving any of these facts. Even if you’re confident that you’re not at fault, the other driver can tell their insurance company anything they want, including an accusation that you caused the crash.

When this occurs, you’ll need experienced car accident attorneys on your side who know exactly how to prove liability for your personal injury suit. First, the attorney you hire will ask you for any evidence you might have, such as photos and videos of the accident scene, injuries, and damage to your vehicle. If you don’t have this evidence to share, your attorney can work on finding it. This step will involve requesting and examining the police report and your medical records, which are tasks that you might not have the time or knowledge to do on your own.

From understanding the details of the accident report to proving negligence on the part of the at-fault driver, your lawyer can take care of the most critical tasks for you if you decide to pursue damages after a crash. This can greatly improve your chances of getting the compensation you need to pay for your expenses after a car accident.

Contact an Experienced Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer Today

Now that you know the benefits of hiring a law firm for your Los Angeles County car accident claim, you should set up a day and time to meet with our legal team. Our attorneys are dedicated to helping clients get back on their feet after suffering injuries caused by someone else’s negligence behind the wheel. No matter what you believe caused the accident or what kind of compensation you plan to seek, our personal injury attorneys are here to help. Contact us today at 855-545-1777 to set up a free consultation with our Los Angeles attorneys.