One of the most important responsibilities any driver has when operating their vehicle is to drive safely. Not only to keep themselves safe but to do their part to keep those who share the roads with them safe as well.
With that being said, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety, as much as fifty percent of car accident fatalities involve drug impairment. And that doesn’t account for the other types of reckless driving such as speeding, failure to stop, or distracted driving.
If negligent driving caused your car accident, you can take action to make the at-fault driver pay for your damages. Here’s how.
There are obvious instances in which driver negligence causes car accidents in LA. But there are others that are grossly negligent. Take the three men who were arrested at the end of August 2021 for staging fifteen car accidents to collect fraudulent insurance payouts. These men caused multiple car accidents that caused serious bodily injury to multiple innocent individuals.
They are now each facing multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon and insurance fraud charges. These criminal charges are only the tip of the iceberg. In addition to facing jail time and fines, these men could also be held accountable civilly.
The individuals injured in these accidents will almost certainly be awarded compensation for their injuries. Whether a negligent driver intentionally or unintentionally caused your accident is almost irrelevant. You deserve to be repaid when someone else is at fault for your injuries, regardless of the driver’s intent.
If you want to make the at-fault driver pay for their negligence, there are a couple of different ways you can maximize your injury settlement.
First, you will need to file a claim with their insurance company. California is a fault state for car accidents, so the liable party’s insurer will be responsible for covering certain economic damages such as your property damage and medical expenses. But the insurance company will only cover up to the limits of the liable party’s insurance policy.
To recover the remaining economic damages, and each of your non-economic damages, you will need to file a claim against the at-fault driver in civil court. Here, you may even be awarded punitive damages, which are awarded in cases of gross negligence, like in the car accident insurance fraud scheme described above.
If a negligent or irresponsible driver caused your car accident in Los Angeles, you can seek full compensation for your suffering. Get help pursuing your insurance and civil claims when you contact an experienced Los Angeles car accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Howard Craig Kornberg.
Our firm is proud to offer free, no-obligation consultations to car accident survivors across Los Angeles. Claim yours when you fill out our convenient contact form or call our office at 310-997-0904 to get started on your claim as soon as today.