California Auto and Car Accident Lawyers | Sacramento Injury Attorneys | Demas & Rosenthal

 

Sacramento Car Accident Injury Attorneys

Being injured in a car accident is never a pleasant experience, but it is even worse when the responsible party is reluctant to pay for damages and medical expenses for an accident they caused. In many instances, the offending driver or their insurance company may be looking to make a quick settlement to help reduce their liability.  However, if you're injured in an accident in California, allowing experienced Sacramento car accident injury attorneys to handle any settlement negotiations and possible subsequent court actions can insure that all current and future expenses are adequately covered.

To begin with, three elements must first be addressed before responsibility for an accident can be determined. The duty of the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident to operate their vehicle in a manner amenable to state laws; the breach of duty by not following any state laws that resulted in an accident; and the direct result of that breach of duty that caused the accident and the loss or injury. Once these elements have been determined, your Sacramento car accident injury attorneys can begin to determine the cost of injuries, including property damage.

Injury charges may seem complicated but most of them will be easy enough to establish. First is the cost of any doctors, the hospital or ambulance services required to offer medical assistance at the time of the accident. In cases involving severe injuries, there may also be included charges for rehabilitation services to restore a person's health back to the condition in which it was in prior to the accident. If the accident has resulted in injuries that prevent the person from working in their previous field, damages could also include the cost of retraining in another field in which they can earn a comparable wage.

Lost wages are also recoverable in an accident claim in an amount equal to any wages or other income the victim would have been eligible to receive had they not been involved in the accident. Additionally, if the person is unable to perform any kind of work, they would be entitled to an amount equal to their annual earnings in their previous occupation for the remainder of their expected life.

Sacramento car accident injury attorneys may also file claims for pain and suffering for the pain they had to suffer as a result of the accident. In most cases, it is difficult to determine an amount of money that compensates the injured victim for the pain they endured as a result of the negligence of another. As a general rule of thumb, most negotiations begin with three times the amount of the cost of medical expenses, including rehabilitation from the injuries.

If it can be proven the offending driver was acting in a reckless manner or operating their vehicle in an irresponsible way, the Sacramento car accident injury attorneys may also ask for punitive damages as a way to deter the offender as well as others from operating their vehicle in a similar fashion in the future. In many cases for personal injuries, expert witness are often called to testify as to the extent of the injuries and pain the victim suffered as a result of the accident.