California is a place that is known for having plenty of traffic and car accidents. Los Angeles is especially famous for its freeway congestion and multi-car collisions. If you are injured in a car accident that involves multiple vehicles, there are a few things you should know about getting medical treatment and filing insurance claims.
California is a Fault State
There are two kinds of insurance rules in the United States, fault and no-fault. In a no-fault state, a driver’s own insurance company is responsible for their accident-related bills no matter who caused the crash. In a fault state, the driver or drivers who caused the accident will be responsible for the bills.
To further confuse matters, California is a “pure comparative fault state.” This means that each driver is responsible for the portion of an accident they caused. If you were in a two-car accident and you caused 90% of a crash, you should be able to get compensation for 10% of your bills from the other driver’s insurance company.
Things get more complicated when there are more than two cars involved in the accident. Unless one driver is 100% responsible for an accident, you will not only have to determine how responsible each party was, but whose insurance will pay for what injuries and vehicle repairs. Gathering evidence will be critical, and time will be of the essence.
Why California has so Many Multiple Car Accidents
California has so many accidents because it has so many drivers and a notoriously bad public transportation system. Los Angeles once had an admirable streetcar system, and it was quite easy to get around without a private vehicle.
In the 1940s, General Motors took over the streetcars and attempted to dismantle the system so they would be able to sell more vehicles. Although the company was eventually convicted of conspiracy, public transportation was never the same again. Everyone drives now, and it makes conditions more dangerous. California is the site of a couple of the biggest multi-car accidents in modern history.
What to do at the Scene
When you have an accident, you should call the police and wait for an officer to arrive. You should then get the contact and insurance information of all the drivers involved in the accident. Take pictures if you can. Most lawyers will advise people not to admit to guilt at the scene.
Go to the doctor right away and save all of the medical bills that you have. Save the receipts from medications that you take, both prescription and non-prescription. You should also ask your employer for a letter stating how many hours you have missed from work.
Calling Your Insurance Company
You will want to call your insurance company and notify them right away. Be sure to give them the names and the insurance information of everyone involved in the accident. They should contact the insurers of the other drivers.
After you send them all the documentation you have, your insurance company will accept or deny your claim. If they deny the claim or try to lowball you, you will want to visit a personal injury attorney. A professional attorney will have years of experience in negotiating with insurance adjusters. They will also know how fault should be determined and how much each insurance company should owe to each driver.
Image by Michael Gaida from Pixabay
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