Los Angeles beckons. It’s the City of Angeles, and you’ll find sports, Hollywood, tourist attractions, and anything else you crave. The city boasts lovely weather, museums, high-end restaurants, bars, dance clubs, and more.
If you live or work there, you might drive around the city. The highways see some awful traffic sometimes, but maybe they’re still your best way around.
Perhaps you’re a safe driver, but that doesn’t mean everyone around you follows the rules. You might have someone strike your vehicle by acting aggressively. Maybe it’s a road rage incident, or they’re on their cell phone and not paying enough attention.
Contacting a Los Angeles car accident lawyer becomes a viable option in these instances. Let’s talk about what one can do for you right now.
Meeting the Lawyer
After a car accident, you might feel shaken. Once you’re back home and recovering, you can contact your insurance company. You must check out your overall condition. Maybe the crash injured you, and perhaps you’re not doing so well mentally, either. Some traumatic LA car crashes cause PTSD.
Once you’ve assessed your condition and contacted your insurance provider, you can consider meeting with LA car accident lawyers. You must do so if the other driver claims you caused the accident, but you know you didn’t.
You may also contact a lawyer if the other driver’s insurance company won’t pay your claim. Maybe they dispute what you say happened.
You can look into LA car accident attorneys by Googling a phrase like “best LA car crash lawyer near me” or something along those lines. Maybe you know someone who used a car wreck lawyer in the city before. You might ask them about their experience.
Once you locate a lawyer who seems appropriate, you can contact them via phone or email. Some even have social media accounts, and you can reach out that way. If they’re available, they’ll arrange a meeting.
Discussing the Crash
When you’re in the lawyer’s office, you can tell them all about the car wreck. Omit no details, but don’t embellish, either. You must tell the truth, or your lies can come back and hurt you later.
The lawyer can tell you whether they think you have a case and whether they will represent you. Perhaps the attorney thinks you’ve got a case, but they’re too busy right then. If so, they probably can’t take you on. They might recommend a colleague if that happens.
Assuming the lawyer will take your case, they’ll likely contact the other driver and their insurance company at that point. If you feel you didn’t cause the accident, but the other driver or their insurance company says you did, your lawyer can represent you from this point forward as you sue the other driver.
Meeting with the Other Driver’s Lawyer
Many times, the other driver will hire a lawyer of their own at this juncture. When they do, you’ll know they want a courtroom fight. They feel they didn’t cause the crash, or you can’t prove they did.
Your lawyer will announce that you’re suing the other driver. They will send over all the lawsuit’s details.
You and your lawyer will meet with the other driver and their attorney.
In these moments, there’s a feeling-out process. The other driver’s lawyer might ascertain whether they should continue to a courtroom setting and battle it out there, or they might suggest the other driver offer you some money as a settlement.
Your lawyer might say you should accept that money, or they may recommend you turn it down. You can use their legal expertise at this point. You can trust them if they say you might get more in court if you keep the lawsuit going.
The Initial Courtroom Appearance
If you and the other driver or their insurance company can’t settle out of court, you and your lawyer will go before a judge. Your attorney can lay the lawsuit’s groundwork. Then, they will start uncovering any evidence that proves your event version.
They might have an investigator who can look for car crash footage. They might find smartphone crash footage. Maybe a traffic camera picked up the accident, or nearby store cameras did. The investigator might find any eyewitnesses your lawyer can call to the stand.
The investigator should unearth the police report about the crash. They can use any pictures you took at the scene. Your lawyer might also call any expert witnesses they feel can help prove your case. They can call on crash scene reconstruction experts as well.
Later Courtroom Appearances
The trial will go on till the verdict, or else the other driver’s lawyer or their insurance company might give in at some point and offer you a settlement again or for the first time. If this offer sounds better, you might take it.
Very few car crash lawsuits continue to the jury verdict stage. Usually, you and the other driver find a resolution first.
Whether you get a jury verdict in your favor or you accept a settlement offer, your lawyer will stand by your side during the whole process. You can find LA car crash attorneys with legal skills and determination.
Many times, they’ve gone through these lawsuits before. They know about courtroom tactics, but they can also talk you through this challenging process.
Ultimately, that’s what your LA car crash lawyer can do for you. They can represent you in court. They can use their resources when finding evidence that can help you.
They can tell you whether you should accept a settlement offer or not. They can also help keep your spirits up if you feel low during these complicated and sometimes lengthy legal proceedings.
The right lawyer can help you in many ways. Following a traumatic LA car wreck, that’s what you need. In time, the case should play out, and you’ll get your life back on track with your attorney’s help.
