Making an Auto Accident Claim in Los Angeles

Here is some general advise that will help you make your Car Accident Claim. Making and automobile accident claim is a complicated process and has been bungled by many intelligent and capable people.

Things to Understand before you proceed

Make sure you understand how insurance companies operate

Understand the importance of Deadlines

Make sure you preserve the evidence

Hire the right lawyer for your case – Research different lawyers and Law Firms

Insurance Company's

Insurance company's hire trained professional called claims adjusters that are trained in intimidation and psychological manipulation. Its there job to try to get you to negotiate directly with the insurance company. They know that a professional Car Accident Lawyer will win a much higher claim and its in the insurance company's interest to convince you to deal directly with them.

This saves them considerable amounts of money and you should avoid any discussion with a claims adjuster.

If someone from the insurance company calls you do not discuss anything with them, listen to what they say and tell them “ I will consider it and get back to you”.

Deadlines

In California a claims for wrongful injury or death need to be filed within two years of death or injury. In rare cases the state of Californian will allow a claim to to be filed after this time if the injuries caused from an accident become evident after two years.

There is an exception t this rule if the injury or death was caused by an government entity. In this case the claim must be filed with in six months. You can find out more about this rule from your Car Accident Lawyer.

Preserve the Evidence

Make sure your camera has a large memory stick or if you have a film camera take a few rolls of film to the site of the accident and take as many photos as possible. Everything you take a picture of should be photographed from every possible angle. Take pictures of every skid mark. Place a yard stick on the ground along side the skid mark. You cannot take enough pictures!

All evidence must be secure immediately. Try to buy the wreak from the wreckers. It's worth it, having the wreak will make it easier for you to win your case. Don't assume that it's safe in the wreckers yard. Many vehicles that contained the proof that the manufacture was at fault have mysteriously disappeared from the wreckers or have been bought. Major manufacturers carefully read newspapers and whenever possible secure evidence to deny plaintiffs the ability to pursue claims.

Finding the right lawyer

Make sure you have the right lawyer. Just because you like a lawyers personality does not mean that there the lawyer for the job. They might sound like they understand but this is not grounds to hire a Car Accident Lawyer.

There is available on line a national listing of attorneys published by Martindale-Hubbell, one of the best all-around sources of information. The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory lists lawyers in practice by state and city. You'll be able to learn about attorneys' particular backgrounds, areas of practice, bar activities, honors, articles, and other aspects of their practices. But, more importantly, Martindale-Hubbell rates lawyers for their legal skills, ethics, and professionalism. While the rating system is not perfect, Martindale-Hubbell conducts confidential surveys of local judges and lawyers. Few very good lawyers are unrated.

Martindale-Hubbell also publishes the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers in the United States, which categorizes only those lawyers with the highest ratings, and organizes them into 34 specialized fields of practice. Here you may find some of the best informed attorneys in your community or state.