Auto Accident
What Should You Do if You Were Hurt in a Crash Caused by Someone You Know?
| April 23rd, 2019
Filing injury claims against negligent drivers is common for people who are hurt in crashes that weren’t their fault. But when those negligent drivers are their friends or family members, they’re often much less likely to pursue compensation.
If you were recently hurt in a crash that was caused by a friend or loved one, it’s important to speak to a California auto accident lawyer about your options. You’re likely facing significant accident-related expenses, including medical bills and lost wages, but you may be hesitant to move forward.
Our lawyers want to help you make the right decisions during this difficult time. It’s our goal to help you review your options and decide on the best course of action to make sure you’re fairly compensated. Contact Berg Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation.
3 Steps to Take After a Crash
It’s important to act fast after a crash, even if it was caused by a friend or family member. Three vital steps to your recovery and your rights to compensation include:
- Call 911—Calling 911 dispatches police officers and emergency responders to your location. The responding officers will create an official report of the crash, while the paramedics will provide aid to anyone who is injured.
- Get medical attention—Regardless of whether you get treated at the scene or you don’t think you are seriously injured, it’s still important to see a doctor soon after the crash. In addition to creating a medical report, it will also help rule out internal injuries.
- Call a lawyer—Evidence quickly disappears after crashes, making it more difficult for victims to get the compensation they need. The sooner you contact us after your accident, the better.
We know that filing a compensation claim against a friend or loved one can be an uncomfortable and stressful experience. Our legal team is ready to handle your case with the sensitivity it deserves, and we’ll make sure you know all your options when it comes to getting the money you deserve. Call us today for a free consultation.
3 Reasons Auto Accident Claims Get Denied
| April 17th, 2019
Car crashes result in serious injuries and big medical bills. Many victims are unable to go back to work for long periods of time, and when they’re not working, they’re not earning the paychecks they need for their day-to-day living expenses.
Auto insurance providers are supposed to step in and provide compensation for victims after accidents that weren’t their fault, but that doesn’t always happen. In fact, insurance companies are often more concerned with their own profits than giving fair settlements to innocent victims. That means valid claims frequently get reduced or even denied.
At Berg Injury Lawyers, we believe that victims should get the money they deserve when they get injured by negligent drivers. If you were hurt in a crash that wasn’t your fault, don’t leave your financial recovery up to the insurance company’s whims. Contact our California auto accident attorneys today for a free consultation.
Insurance Companies Often Look for These Mistakes and Oversights
Insurance companies and the adjusters who work for them are always on the lookout for reasons to deny claims, including:
- Discrepancies or changes in injury reports—Victims should always be honest about their injuries. Exaggerating the severity of their injuries or changing their stories later can result in their claims being denied by insurance companies.
- Waiting too long to get medical treatment—Insurance companies assume that injured victims will seek immediate medical attention. When victims wait too long to get treated, adjusters may believe that their injuries aren’t serious or are pre-existing.
- Lack of evidence—Evidence can help prove that victims are innocent and that other drivers were negligent in the moments leading up to crashes. When evidence is lacking or non-existent, insurance companies are less likely to give victims compensation.
Having an experienced law firm on your side can help you avoid those missteps. Don’t risk your claim getting reduced or denied. Contact Berg Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation, and let us fight for your rights to maximum compensation.
Get the Facts on Distracted Driving
| April 10th, 2019
Not Sure If You Should Hire a Lawyer? Take It From Those Who Did.
| March 27th, 2019
If you were hurt in an accident that wasn’t your fault, getting compensation is one of your biggest priorities. That’s because your medical bills are piling up, and your injuries may prevent you from working and earning the paychecks you need to keep up with your family’s day-to-day expenses.
Hiring a lawyer can help you maximize your chances of getting full compensation for your accident-related expenses, but you may be hesitant to make the call. Getting a lawyer after an accident can be an intimidating process for some people, especially if they’ve never needed to use the legal system in the past. At Berg Injury Lawyers, we do everything we can to help clients feel comfortable and confident in us and our track record of success.
How Can a Lawyer Help After an Accident?
A 2014 study by the Insurance Research Council found that 93 percent of people who hired lawyers after their accidents said they would do it again. Here are a couple reasons why so many people may have been glad that they contacted law firms:
- A lawyer deals with the insurance company on your behalf—Insurance adjusters have one job—reducing or denying payments to victims like you. They accomplish that by trying to get victims to make incriminating statements or by getting them to accept lowball settlements. You shouldn’t have to deal with that when you’re recovering, and when you get a lawyer, you won’t have to. All phone calls, letters, and emails will go through your attorney.
- A lawyer negotiates to get you maximum compensation—The expenses associated with injuries can continue adding up as months or years go by. With a lawyer on your side, you’ll know that your settlement won’t just cover your current expenses—it will also cover expenses you may incur down the road.
At Berg Injury Lawyers, our California auto accident attorneys know what you’re going through after a crash, and it’s our goal to help you get maximum compensation. Call today for a free consultation.
Don’t Let Social Media Hurt Your Injury Claim
| March 20th, 2019
Nearly 70 percent of Americans use social media. While those websites and apps make it easy and convenient to stay in touch with family and friends, they can be detrimental to compensation claims after accidents.
Insurance companies will do almost anything to avoid paying victims the money they deserve after injuries. That includes using victims’ words against them.
At Berg Injury Lawyers, our California personal injury lawyers protect injury victims from insurance companies’ tactics by handling all communication on their behalf. But we can’t always be there when victims post on social media—and posting the wrong things can and often does jeopardize claims.
How Do Insurance Companies Use Social Media Against Victims?
The adjusters who work for insurance companies are skeptical of most victims’ claims by default. It’s their job to prove that victims are responsible for their own accidents, that their injuries are pre-existing, or that their injuries aren’t as severe as they claim they are.
They do that by digging up any and all evidence related to victims and their accidents, including police reports, medical records, and even social media accounts. When adjusters view victims’ social media accounts, they look for anything that can help them reduce or deny compensation payments.
That includes things like:
- Contradictory statements—Whether it’s a differing account of how the accident occurred or a description of injuries that doesn’t match medical records, insurance adjusters will use status updates that don’t fit the facts contained in compensation claims to reduce or deny victims’ settlements.
- “Incriminating” photos—Insurance adjusters also may comb through victims’ social media profiles for pictures that might indicate their injuries are pre-existing or that their injuries aren’t as severe as they say they are.
It’s important to remember that insurance adjusters are trained to find holes in victims’ claims, regardless of how small or insignificant they seem. Don’t give them the chance to reduce or deny your claim on a technicality or small oversight. Limit your usage of social media and get a California auto accident lawyer on your side. At Berg Injury Lawyers, we do everything in our power to protect victims from the insurance company’s tactics, and we’re ready to help you, too. Contact us today for a free case review.
3 Types of Distracted Driving
| March 14th, 2019
Car Accidents Aren’t Always a Driver’s Fault
| March 13th, 2019
Although most auto accidents are caused by driver error, some have other causes. Auto accident victims may feel helpless and out of luck if they were injured in crashes that weren’t caused by other drivers, but anytime another person’s or party’s negligence plays a role in a crash, the responsible party should be held liable for the victims’ accident-related expenses.
Who Else Can Be Held Responsible for Crashes?
At Berg Injury Lawyers, our California auto accident attorneys have pursued compensation claims on behalf of victims like you against a variety of parties, including:
- State and local governments—Roadways are supposed to be safe and free from major defects that can potentially contribute to crashes. That means the governmental bodies that oversee roadways, whether they’re local streets or state highways, are supposed to fix issues like potholes and remove potentially dangerous debris in a timely fashion.
- Vehicle manufacturers—Auto manufacturers and the manufacturers of individual parts used in vehicles can also be held liable for crashes and injuries. When tires, brakes, airbags, seat belts, gas and brake pedals, or other components fail, drivers may lose control of their vehicles or suffer severe injuries during accidents.
Why Call Berg Injury Lawyers After Your Crash?
Negligence is negligence, whether it’s on the part of a single driver, a governmental body, or a billion-dollar automotive corporation. Our legal team isn’t afraid to stand up for the rights of Californians who were injured in auto accidents, regardless of who is liable for their crashes.
When you choose Berg Injury Lawyers, you’ll get a legal team that will do everything in its power to maximize your chances of getting full compensation. You shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket for medical bills and lost wages after a crash that wasn’t your fault. Let us help you get the money you deserve—call today for a free consultation.
Post-Auto Accident Checklist
| March 11th, 2019
Steps to Take After an Auto Accident
| February 27th, 2019
The aftermath of a car accident can be scary, disorienting, and painful, and your main concern after a crash should be making sure you and your loved ones get the medical attention you need.
At Berg Injury Lawyers, we’re here for you after an auto accident in California. We know how devastating car accidents can be, but we also know that there are steps you can take to start protecting your rights right away:
- Document the crash scene if you’re able to do so—Taking pictures of your vehicle and its location on the road, getting contact information from the other driver(s) and witnesses, and writing down what happened are all steps that can create valuable evidence for your claim.
- Go to your doctor or a hospital—Even if you were evaluated by emergency responders at the crash scene, it’s still important to get a more thorough examination. A full check-up will reveal internal injuries, begin the recovery process, and create an official record of your accident-related injuries.
- Report the accident to your insurance provider—If you decide to file an auto accident claim, you’ll likely be pursuing damages from the other driver’s insurance company. But your own insurance company still requires notification of the crash—often within a day or two of it occurring.
- Call a California car accident lawyer—Personal injury claims are subject to short statutes of limitations in California. In addition, evidence can quickly disappear, and the other driver’s insurance company may begin building its defense against you. We’re ready to investigate the crash, calculate your current and future medical expenses, and help you get maximum compensation.
Let Us Fight for You
After a car accident, our California auto accident attorneys want to help you get compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. You don’t have to go it alone. Call Berg Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation, and get the experienced legal representation you deserve.
Settlement Offer From the Insurance Company? Let a Lawyer Review It.
| December 24th, 2018
If you were recently hurt in an auto accident that wasn’t your fault, you may have received or will soon receive a settlement offer from the insurance company. And while the money it’s offering you may seem substantial, there’s a good chance the offer is for significantly less money than what you truly deserve.
Insurance companies know that victims are often in shock after crashes and need compensation for their medical bills, especially if they’re too hurt to go to work. That’s why they take advantage of victims when they’re at their most desperate. Unfortunately, victims who accept settlement offers in the days or weeks after their crashes rarely get enough money to cover their long-term expenses, and they’re often unable to pursue additional compensation.
At Berg Injury Lawyers, our California auto accident lawyers know that insurance companies rarely treat victims fairly, and their priority is to find ways to protect their profits—not pay fair settlements. If you accept the insurance company’s initial offer, you may lose out on a significant amount of money that could have covered your medical bills and lost wages for months or even years to come.
Our legal team knows what fair settlements look like, and we know how to calculate your expenses to determine how much money you’re owed. If the insurance company’s offer isn’t fair, we’re ready to negotiate to get you the compensation you deserve. Call us today for a free consultation.
