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If you were in a car accident, seeking the help of an accident attorney in San Bernardino can help you navigate the situation. Both San Bernardino County and California state have unique characteristics to be aware of when handling a car accident, and an Accident.com San Bernardino auto wreck lawyer can work to protect your rights. You don't have to face this situation alone.
To help you understand your case better, it is important to know how to approach San Bernardino accident compensation after a car crash.
San Bernardino Auto Accident Statistics
Starting on the eastern side of the Los Angeles metropolitan region and extending through the Mojave Desert all the way to the Nevada and Arizona borders, San Bernardino County is the largest county in the nation. Its area of over 20,000 square miles is nearly the size of the entire state of West Virginia.
Because of the rugged and unforgiving terrain in much of the county, the majority of its 2.2 million residents occupy just 2.4% of the total area. The spaces with the highest population density are centered around the cities of San Bernardino, Ontario and Fontana.
The county has a higher-than-average accident rate compared to the entire nation, averaging 15 deaths per 100,000 people. In fact, the most recent data lists 334 total fatalities due to vehicular accidents in San Bernardino County.
Several major interstates, state highways, and 2,500 miles of urban, suburban and rural roads connect this diverse county. Some of these thoroughfares are statistically some of the most dangerous in the nation.
I-15
Annually, Interstate 15 sees 25 million people travel the length from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. A significant portion of this segment passes through San Bernardino County.
Distracted driving causes many accidents. In fact, in a recent study, 8.2% of San Bernardino drivers were using a digital device, the highest percentage in over 200 locations. Since parts of I-15 are so isolated, getting rapid medical care can also be a challenge.
SH-138
State Highway 138 traverses beautiful scenery but can be hard to navigate. At one point, it was averaging 10 fatalities per year, extremely high for such a desolate two-lane highway. Although lanes are wider and there are fewer twists and turns, SH-138 remains a hazardous road.
A San Bernardino Car Accident Attorney Can Help With Impaired Driver Cases
Car accident lawyers in San Bernardino County have noted a major problem with uninsured, underinsured and impaired drivers. These drivers can cause accidents that leave innocent victims with crippling bills and injuries.
One accident attorney in San Bernardino referenced a recent incident where a person suspected of driving under the influence went the wrong way down Valley Boulevard in Fontana, causing a head-on collision with a vehicle going the correct direction. The force of the impact ejected a passenger from the offending vehicle and injured the two occupants of the other car.
In another tragic example, a 25-year-old San Bernardino man legally stopped on Del Rosa Avenue in the northbound lane. A southbound vehicle crossed over into the oncoming lane and struck the stopped vehicle. The California Highway Patrol reported that the young man in the stopped vehicle suffered major injuries and later died in a nearby hospital.
In both of these situations, people who were obeying traffic laws still suffered traumatic accidents. There are thousands of other accidents each year with varying levels of damage and injuries to people who have done nothing wrong.
If you were in an auto accident, an accident attorney in San Bernardino can help. However, there are still several tasks you can do at the scene to protect your rights and prevent further injury.
What to Do if You Get Into a Car Accident in San Bernardino
1. Move to a Safe Location
If you can do so, move away from the immediate accident scene to a safer location. Accidents often create other accidents, since drivers often don't pay attention to the road as they try to see what happened. If you can move your car, try to push it to a safe location to keep traffic flowing.
However, this doesn't mean that you should place yourself in harm's way to move a vehicle. Remember that the car is already damaged. You want to keep yourself safe at all costs.
2. Do Not Admit Fault
You may want to apologize to other people involved in an accident. As rude as it sounds, don’t do it. That statement can be taken as an admission of guilt, robbing you of your rights. Legally, you don't have to admit fault to anybody, including law enforcement. (This doesn't mean that you can refuse to cooperate though.)
In California, the average insurance increase after an at-fault accident is 92%. Since California is a tort state where the at-fault driver is financially responsible for the damages suffered by all parties, admitting fault can cost you in more ways than one.
If you're worried you may be pinned as at fault, an accident attorney in San Bernardino County can help you through your case and consider your options for the best way forward.
3. Do Not Self-Diagnose. Go See a Doctor
You aren't a doctor, so don't diagnose yourself in the middle of an accident scene. You may have suffered an injury and not feel any discomfort due to the adrenaline of the event. Indeed, you may not feel any pain until days later, so it's always a good idea to see a doctor as soon as possible. They can make sure you get the medical treatment you need to heal, even if you don't think anything is wrong.
From an accident claims perspective, if you tell people that you're uninjured (when you actually have injuries), you may not be able to file an injury on the accident report or get emergency treatment from paramedics.
In the long-term, if you do suffer injuries and declare that you're fine at the scene, insurance can use that as a reason not to cover the cost of treatment. This is especially true if the accident report mentions your self-declared physical condition.
4. Take Photos for Your Accident Attorney in San Bernardino
A picture is worth a thousand rights. Taking photos of the accident scene and its smaller details gives you concrete evidence of what happened. Indeed, photos cannot be tainted by fading memories or uncertainty. Your Accident.com auto wreck attorney can use these photos to bolster your case with insurance companies and if necessary, in court.
5. Get Witness Statements
People who saw what happened can help your case. Getting statements from witnesses gives you different perspectives on the event. These witnesses can corroborate your story about the accident, which in turn will give your San Bernardino CA motor vehicle accident lawyer even more data to defend your rights with.
6. Get the Facts to Help With San Bernardino Accident Compensation
You shouldn't say much after an accident, but make sure to get the contact information of the other drivers. Get their name, phone number and policy number. Make sure they have a driver's license as well. If you don't have the correct contact information, it'll be harder for your accident attorney in San Bernardino to get in touch with the other driver's insurance company.
7. Cooperate With Law Enforcement
As mentioned above, you shouldn't admit fault, not even to law enforcement. Don't go out of your way to offer your ideas about what happened during the accident. You can answer straightforward questions about the accident and the conditions leading up to it. You can also give them your personal contact information. Try to avoid anything beyond these actions to help preserve your case.
An Accident Attorney in San Bernardino Works for You
Insurance and the legal system are complicated, so it's easy to get overwhelmed with the situation. Fortunately, a San Bernardino auto wreck lawyer can give you a little peace of mind. Car accident lawyers in San Bernardino County deal with the California legal system daily. They are ready to help you.
Many people worry about the cost of an auto attorney and may hesitate to seek counsel. The good news is that many San Bernardino truck accident attorneys don't charge a dime unless they win the case. In fact, most don't even charge an hourly rate, ensuring that everyone has access to quality legal support.
If you are not sure how to find a San Bernardino car accident lawyer, all you have to do is go to Accident.com. Rather than searching high and low for an attorney during the extremely stressful time after an accident, let us do the work for you.
Our website algorithm takes the information you provide in a quick online form and automatically connects you with a local accident attorney in San Bernardino. That attorney will contact you and provide a complimentary consultation about your options and rights. They'll let you know what your case is worth and the best course of action based on your unique situation.
We know that accidents are confusing, and if you've been in one, you've been through enough. However, an informed and prepared driver is a protected driver. When an accident occurs, you need to know what to do and who to call to protect your rights. Accident.com can help you find a qualified San Bernardino auto accident lawyer to act on your behalf and fight for your case.
Don't hesitate to contact Accident.com. In California, you may have as little as 10 days to report the accident to the DMV and start the claims process.
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