Los Angeles Car Crash

Almost four million people live in or near Los Angeles. Combined, they drive well over two-and-a-half million cars, not including visitors’ vehicles or commercial transportation.

Unsurprisingly, Los Angeles is known for having some of the most crowded roads in the country. Combine that with some of the least restrictive U-turn laws in the country, and you have a recipe for accidents.

If you were involved in a Los Angeles car crash, you may be owed compensation for any injuries you suffered. Contact the car accident attorneys at Morgan & Morgan to schedule a free case evaluation to determine whether you are eligible to receive payments.

How to Avoid Los Angeles Car Crashes

There’s a car accident in Los Angeles about every ten minutes. However, accidents don’t happen on a set schedule, and they are more common in some areas and at certain times.

If you understand when and where it’s most dangerous to drive around the city, you can decrease your risk of getting into an accident.

Fridays Are the Most Dangerous Day of the Week

While you might think that Monday would be the most dangerous day because people are grumpy about returning to work after the weekend, that’s the opposite of the truth. Monday is actually the safest weekday to drive in Los Angeles.

As the week progresses and people presumably get more tired, traffic accidents increase. The riskiest day to drive is Friday. If you can arrange to work from home or only work a half day on Friday, you will significantly decrease your risk of getting into a car accident.

Evening Rush Hour Is When the Most Accidents Occur

The most common time for accidents is between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays. This isn’t surprising, since the streets are busy with people driving home after a long day of work. Heavy traffic and tired drivers create a recipe for accidents.

The best way to mitigate this risk is to avoid driving at this time. You could try to adjust your work schedule or use public transportation if either is a reasonable option. This also means that you want to avoid scheduling activities that require you to drive during these hours.

Avoid State Highways 57 and 60

These highways are both heavily used and home to hundreds of accidents every year, and the area where they intersect is the most dangerous. When planning your trips, you should try to avoid using either of these highways whenever possible.

Be Careful With U-Turns

California has some of the most generous U-turn rules of any U.S. state. While this may make it a lot easier to travel around Los Angeles, it also presents a danger when others aren’t familiar with the law.

Anytime you make a U-turn in Los Angeles, you should look for nearby cars that have out-of-state license plates. There’s a good chance those drivers may not be aware that U-turns are legal and common on most streets, which could result in an accident.

What You Need to Know About Car Insurance and Los Angeles Car Crashes

Most people are responsible. They pay for their car insurance on time every year and have good coverage to ensure that they are protected if they get into a car accident.

Unfortunately, just because you are responsible doesn’t mean that you will be treated fairly if you get into a car accident. Car insurance companies typically make it difficult to get money after a Los Angeles car crash.

Like all companies, car insurers exist to make money. And the way they make money is by selling insurance policies and then paying as little as possible to claimants. Thus, even if you have a legitimate claim, the car insurance company is looking for reasons to deny your claim or pay you less than you deserve.

In California, this means that the insurance company will try to pin the fault on you. The more at fault you are for an accident, the less money the insurance company will have to pay you. If you are entirely at fault, the other driver’s insurance policy won’t cover you at all.

That’s where things get tricky because your insurance company is trying to do the same thing with the other driver. And if it can pin some or all of the fault on the other driver, it won’t pay for some or all of your claim.

To avoid getting caught in the middle of dueling insurance companies, you need to be careful about what information you share with them. If you admit, even by accident, that you were violating a traffic law, you will be presumed to be at fault for the crash.

The best way to avoid oversharing is to consult with a Morgan and Morgan attorney before you file a claim. Our lawyers will make sure that you don’t provide any information that makes you appear to be more at fault than you are.

For the same reason, you shouldn’t share details of the accident on any form of social media. It’s even better if you don’t speak about it with anyone, even in person. Anything you say or post can potentially be used against you if the insurance company becomes privy to that information.

This isn’t the only tactic that insurance companies have to limit your compensation. Most insurers will also try to make the claims process take as long as possible. Typically, the longer a claimant has to wait, the more likely they are to drop their claim or accept a pittance of what they are owed.

The claims process tends to be complicated, with several long, and seemingly unnecessary, steps. Furthermore, if you make any mistakes during the process, the insurance company might require you to start over from scratch. These delays add up until you are likely to become too frustrated to continue.

A car accident attorney from Morgan & Morgan knows how to shortcut the process and will handle the majority of the paperwork. This means that you can expect a rapid claims process with minimal frustration.

Compensation After a Los Angeles Car Crash

Determining who will pay you compensation is only half the process. You also need to determine what compensation you will receive.

Many claimants don’t understand the true value of their case. They understand that they can receive money to repair their car and money for their medical bills but often think that’s the only compensation they are eligible for. That isn’t the case.

If you have suffered a serious injury in a Los Angeles car crash that was someone else’s fault, you may be eligible to receive money for:

• Pain and suffering
• Long-term care or therapy
• Repair or replacement of your vehicle
• All medical bills resulting from your injury
• Assistance services, like a full-time nurse
• Lost wages if your injury prevents you from working
• Rental vehicle costs while your car is being repaired
• Reparations for lost financial opportunities due to your injury
• Expenses required due to your injury, like adding a ramp to your home

Many people don’t realize the full extent of the compensation they can get after a car accident. And because they don’t understand what they deserve, they settle for less from the insurance company.

The lawyers at our law firm have handled thousands of similar cases. We know everything that you can get compensation for and have experience determining the value of those expenses. We never settle for less than you deserve and will fight in court, if necessary, to get that compensation.

What to Do After a Los Angeles Car Crash

The first few moments after a car accident are hectic. Typically, people who were in car accidents don’t realize what happened at first. They are often confused and in pain while a Good Samaritan is asking them questions that they might not be able to answer.

If you find yourself in this situation, the first thing you need to do is focus on your health and well-being. That means you shouldn’t move unless it is necessary to get somewhere safe, and you should contact medical services as quickly as possible. 

Everything else can wait until medical personnel have looked at you and given you the green light to move around.

Once you are safe, you should gather information about the crash. Record the contact information of all others involved in the accident and take pictures of the accident scene. You can also collect the contact information of witnesses if you have time.

You should also contact a personal injury attorney immediately. They will guide you through the next steps of the process and ensure that you don’t make any mistakes directly after the accident. Your attorney should also be able to help you start your accident claim with the appropriate insurance company.