When another party’s negligence or recklessness injures you, you may receive compensation. California’s personal injury laws allow accident victims to file a Sacramento injury claim for a variety of losses and damages. Damages that are compensable in a Sacramento injury claim include:
- Cost of medical care
- Loss of income
- Permanent disability or impairment
- Physical pain and suffering
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Emotional and mental suffering
- Other financial losses and expenses
Calculating the Value of a Sacramento Injury Claim
The value of your Sacramento injury claim depends on several factors. Four of the top factors that impact the value of your personal injury claim are:
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Whether you are partially at fault for the cause of the accident.
Under California’s pure comparative fault laws, your compensation decreases by the percentage of fault assigned to you for the accident. For example, if you are 30 percent at fault for the accident, the maximum compensation for your claim is 70 percent of your damages.
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The available insurance coverage.
If the other driver carries minimum insurance coverage, the insurance provider is only obligated to pay compensation up to the policy limits. You can try to collect compensation from the driver. However, if the driver carries minimum insurance coverage, he may not have assets that could be seized to satisfy a judgment.
Therefore, it is wise to carry maximum uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to protect against drivers who carry the minimum insurance coverage or drive without insurance coverage.
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Type and Severity of Injuries
In most cases, the value of a Sacramento injury claim increases when the victim suffers a permanent disability. Ongoing medical costs, future lost wages, and a loss of earning capacity can substantially increase the value of an accident claim. In addition, the value of pain and suffering damages increases for traumatic injuries and permanent impairments.
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Out-of-Pocket Expenses
Accident victims are typically entitled to receive compensation for financial losses related to the accident, their injuries, and their recovery. Other out-of-pocket expenses that are generally compensable in a Sacramento injury claim include travel expenses, help with household chores, personal care, medications, medical equipment, and personal care services. In many cases, the length of your recovery impacts the value of your accident claim. You continue to incur expenses during your recovery.
Do You Need a Sacramento Car Accident Attorney?
If another driver injured you, it is important to understand your legal options for recovering compensation. However, it can be difficult to calculate the value of a Sacramento injury claim if you have never filed an accident claim. Therefore, hiring an experienced attorney who understands the various factors that impact the value of a claim can increase your chance of recovering a fair and just amount for your accident claim.
For a free legal consultation, you can contact The Tiemann Law Firm by calling (916) 999-9000 or by visiting our website. In most cases, our Sacramento personal injury attorneys accept cases on a contingency fee basis. Therefore, you do not need to worry about paying our attorney fees unless we recover money for your claim.
Many people file injury claims each day for accidents involving motor vehicles, falls, defective products, wrongful deaths, bicycle accidents, or dog attacks. However, should accident victims hire a Sacramento personal injury attorney to handle their injury claims? If you ask an insurance adjuster, the adjuster will likely tell you that you do not need an attorney and hiring an attorney will only mean less money for you. However, if you ask a personal injury lawyer, the lawyer is likely to tell you that you should always hire an attorney to file an injury claim.
The Sacramento personal injury attorneys of The Tiemann Law Firm have a different answer for you. We believe you should always seek the advice of a qualified, experienced personal injury attorney and then decide if you need to hire a lawyer. Our personal injury lawyers offer free consultations so that you can discuss your case with an attorney before hiring the attorney. There is nothing to lose by taking advantage of a free case review because you are under no obligation to hire our firm.
Advantages of Hiring a Sacramento Personal Injury Attorney
We encourage you to contact our office to discuss your injury. It is our goal to help you recover the compensation you deserve after a negligent individual or company caused your injury. As you consider contacting our office for your free consultation, also consider some of the advantages of hiring a personal injury attorney to file injury claims.
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Most cases are handled on a contingency fee basis.
Therefore, you do not pay any attorney fees if we do not recover compensation for your injury claims.
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An attorney understands the law involved in your case.
Some injury claims involve a set of complex laws. Your attorney understands these laws and the elements required by personal injury laws to prove fault and liability.
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Your attorney handles the accident investigation.
If the other party denies liability, the accident investigation becomes a crucial step in the process of filing an accident claim. The attorney investigates to identify the parties responsible for the accident and to uncover evidence required to prove fault.
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Hiring an attorney early in your case helps you avoid making costly mistakes and errors.
For example, your attorney will advise you not to provide a written or recorded statement to the insurance company for the other party. These statements can be used against you during your case to deny liability or undervalue your claim. Dealing directly with an insurance adjuster can be risky because the adjuster will use tactics such as obtaining a statement to protect the insurance company.
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Discover the correct value of your accident claim.
The insurance adjuster is not going to tell you if you are not asking for enough money to settle your claim. He will also not tell you if his offer of settlement is fair or far below the actual value of your claim. A Sacramento personal injury attorney knows how to value a claim to maximize the amount of compensation you may receive for your injuries and damages.
Contact a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer Now for a Free Case Review
Do not try to navigate the claims process alone. Contact a Sacramento personal injury attorney to discuss your case for free. Call The Tiemann Law Firm at (916) 999-9000 for your free consultation.
When you are injured through no fault of your own, California’s personal injury laws provide a way for you to recover compensation from the at-fault party. Examples of incidents that often give rise to a personal injury claim in California include:
- Car Accidents
- Motorcycle Crashes
- Commercial Vehicle Accidents
- Bus and Truck Accidents
- Slips and Falls
- Accidents Involving Defective Products
- DUI Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Dog Attacks
- Elder Abuse and Nursing Home Abuse
The Sacramento personal injury lawyers of The Tiemann Law Firm handle a variety of cases involving personal injuries. We help you seek compensation for your injuries and losses in the fastest and least costly manner possible.
Should I Accept A Settlement Offer from the Insurance Company?
If the insurance company for the at-fault party offers to settle your claim, you need to consider all your options carefully before accepting a settlement offer. Once you accept an offer to settle your claim, you cannot seek further compensation even if you discover additional injuries or damages after the settlement is finalized.
Some insurance companies recognize that they can save money by offering a quick, low settlement to an accident victim before that victim consults with a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento or understands the full extent of the injuries sustained in the accident. Therefore, it is in your best interest to consult with a lawyer before you accept a settlement offer to ensure you are receiving all compensation you are entitled to receive by law.
Hiring an Attorney Does Not Mean Going to Court
Many people assume that they only need to hire a California personal injury lawyer if they need to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, hiring an attorney to negotiate a settlement can increase your chance of receiving more money for your claim. When you consider it is free to talk with one of our attorneys, there is no reason why you should not obtain legal advice before settling a claim.
Our attorneys attempt to settle claims without the necessity of a lawsuit for several reasons. Some of the reasons we seek to settle your claim without a trial include:
- Filing a lawsuit increases the attorney fees and costs of a personal injury claim. In most cases, the costs and fees are less when a claim is settled without filing a lawsuit.
- Going to trial is more time-consuming than settling a claim out of court. Settling a claim without a trial usually results in faster
- When you go to trial, a jury decides your fate. You have no guarantee that the jury will rule in your favor. Settling outside of court gives you a say in the result.
- Trials can be incredibly stressful, especially if the victim is required to testify at the trial.
There are many benefits of settling your claim without filing a lawsuit. However, even if you file a lawsuit, you can still settle the claim before a trial is held. Our Sacramento personal injury lawyers are skilled and talented negotiators, but they are also seasoned trial litigators. Therefore, whether your claim is settled outside of court or you must file a lawsuit, our office is prepared and equipped to handle your claim.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento
If another person or party has injured you, do not let your right to recover compensation be taken away from you. For a free consultation with an experienced California personal injury lawyer, call The Tiemann Law Firm at (916) 999-9000 or visit our website.
California requires all motorcyclists and riders to wear a motorcycle helmet when riding pursuant to CVC §27803. The motorcycle helmet must comply with U.S. DOT Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218. Motorcycle helmets are effective in reducing deaths and brain injuries in a motorcycle accident.
According to the IIHS, the use of a motorcycle helmet reduces the risk of death from a motorcycle crash by about 37 percent. Helmets also reduce the risk of a brain injury from a motorcycle accident by about 67 percent. However, motorcycle helmets do not prevent all brain injuries or deaths.
Brain Injuries and Head Injuries in Motorcycle Crashes
The lack of protection offered by an enclosed vehicle increases a rider’s risk of being seriously injured during a motorcycle crash. The rider’s only protection is safety gear, such as a motorcycle helmet, gloves, boots, gloves, and specialized clothing for motorcyclists. However, helmets and clothing cannot protect a motorcyclist fully from injuries in a crash. These safety measures can reduce the risk of injuries, but they do not prevent all injuries.
Therefore, you can suffer a brain injury in a motorcycle accident even though you are wearing a U.S. DOT-compliant helmet. The helmet may decrease the severity of the injury; however, that is not always the case either. Motorcyclists can suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in motorcycle crash even while wearing a helmet. Every crash is different. You cannot state with absolute certainty that if you wear a helmet, you will not suffer a TBI or other head injury in a crash.
Do Not Allow an Insurance Company to Deny Your Motorcycle Accident Claim Unjustly
Unfortunately, insurance companies will seize on any reason to deny or undervalue a motorcycle accident claim. Therefore, if an insurance adjuster tries to convince you that you do not have a valid injury claim because you were wearing a motorcycle helmet, contact our Sacramento motorcycle accident attorney immediately.
You are entitled to compensation for your motorcycle injuries. Our attorneys fight aggressively on behalf of motorcyclists and passengers to ensure insurance companies do not deny or undervalue claims unjustly or unfairly. Motorcycle accident claims can be complex and difficult, especially if the insurance company believes it can blame the motorcyclist for any of the liability for the accident or the severity of the injuries.
To help avoid issues in your case, we advise that you:
- See a doctor immediately and follow your doctor’s instructions.
- Consult a Sacramento motorcycle accident lawyer before discussing your claim with the insurance provider for the other driver.
- Never sign a medical release authorization before consulting with an attorney.
- Never provide a recorded or written statement until after you speak with our attorneys.
- Avoid discussing your accident or injuries on social media. The safest option is to stop using social media and posting information online until your claim is settled.
- Keep detailed records of all losses and expenses.
- Make notes about your daily pain level, activities you cannot perform, and other ways your injuries impact your daily life.
Contact a Sacramento Motorcycle Accident Attorney Now
For a free consultation with a California motorcycle accident lawyer, you can contact The Tiemann Law Firm by calling (916) 999-9000 or by visiting our website.
If you believe that the roads in Sacramento are some of the worst roads in the state, you would be correct. However, it is also safe to say that we have some of the worst roads in the nation. According to a recent report by TRIP, a nonprofit research group, Sacramento ranked 12th out of the Top 20 Large Urban Areas for roads rated in “poor condition.”
Sadly, Sacramento did not have the worst roads in the state. In fact, California had over fifteen cities in the Top 20 list. The state held the top three positions on the list. The top three positions were held by:
- Ranking in at the number one position was San Francisco and Oakland
- In the number two position was San Jose
- Ranking in the third position were Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim
The Condition of Roads in Sacramento
The report goes beyond simply ranking the large urban areas that have roads in poor condition. Roads in Sacramento fell into one of four categories (good, fair, mediocre, and poor). Eighteen percent of Sacramento roads fell within the “good” category. Only 12 percent of the roads fell into the “fair” category. That means that 70 percent of the roads in Sacramento fell into the bottom two categories (41 percent poor and 29 percent mediocre).
What Does this Report Mean for Drivers?
Damage to vehicle and injuries sustained from accidents are the two most serious consequences poor road conditions can have on drivers. For instance, two lanes of Interstate 5 in Sacramento had to be closed over the Labor Day holiday. Crews had to perform emergency repairs on the road. Potholes on I-5 had previously caused major traffic jams when large potholes damaged more than 25 vehicles during one morning commute.
In addition to causing vehicle damage, poor road conditions can lead to or contribute to the cause of an accident. A driver may hit a pothole or encounter other road hazard causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Depending on the other circumstances at that moment, a small pothole could lead to a multi-car accident that results in fatalities and serious injuries.
Who is Responsible for an Accident Involving Road Conditions?
It can be exceedingly difficult to determine liability in a car accident involving a road hazard. Did the pothole cause the accident or did the driver cause the accident? In some cases, both the pothole and the driver’s behaviors contributed to the cause of the crash. Therefore, it is important to consult an experienced accident attorney.
A Sacramento car accident attorney investigates the crash to determine how the crash occurred and the factors involved in the crash. By isolating the cause and the factors, the attorney can identify the various parties who might be liable for damages. This is a crucial step in a car accident case because a victim can only recover damages from parties who are directly responsible for causing the crash.
When road conditions contributed to a crash, a government agency may be involved in the claim. Because the deadline to file a claim against a government entity may be much shorter than the deadline in a normal case, it is best to contact a Sacramento car accident attorney as quickly as possible to discuss your options for filing an injury claim.
Contact The Tiemann Law Firm for a Free Case Review
Call The Tiemann Law Firm at (916) 999-9000 for your free consultation with one of our Sacramento car accident attorneys.