Car Accidents

Car Accident Claims in California

A car accident can upend your life in seconds, leaving you with injuries, medical bills, lost income, and an insurance company focused on paying as little as possible. If another driver’s carelessness caused your crash, California law gives you the right to pursue compensation, and Abramson Labor Group is here to help you do it.

What to Do After a Car Accident

What you do in the hours and days after a crash affects both your health and your claim. If you are able:

  • Get medical attention right away, even if you feel fine. Some serious injuries, including head and internal injuries, are not obvious at first, and your medical records become key evidence.
  • Call the police so an official report is created. In California, you must notify law enforcement of a crash involving injury or death, and file an SR-1 report with the DMV within 10 days if anyone was injured or killed or property damage exceeds $1,000.
  • Document the scene with photos of the vehicles, the road, and any visible injuries.
  • Exchange names, insurance, and contact information, and get the names of any witnesses.
  • Avoid admitting fault or speculating about it at the scene, and do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer before speaking with an attorney.

How Fault Works in California

California is an at-fault state, which means the driver who caused the crash, through their insurance, is responsible for the resulting harm. Fault is judged under a pure comparative negligence rule: you can recover compensation even if you were partly at fault, with your recovery reduced by your percentage of fault rather than eliminated. Even a driver found mostly at fault can recover the remaining share.

Because every percentage point of fault assigned to you reduces what an insurer pays, insurers work hard to shift blame onto injured people. Establishing what actually happened, through the police report, photos, witness accounts, and sometimes accident reconstruction, is central to protecting your recovery.

Deadlines That Can End Your Claim

California law puts strict time limits on car accident claims:

  • For personal injuries, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit.
  • For vehicle or property damage, the deadline is generally three years.
  • If a government entity may be responsible, for example a crash caused by a dangerous road condition or a government vehicle, a formal claim must usually be filed with that agency within six months. This is a mandatory step before any lawsuit, and courts enforce it strictly.
  • Certain situations, such as an injured minor or an injury that could not reasonably have been discovered right away, can pause or shift these deadlines.

Missing a deadline can permanently end an otherwise strong case, so it is safest to speak with an attorney promptly.

Insurance and the Coverage That Protects You

As of January 1, 2025, California raised its minimum liability limits to $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident, and $15,000 for property damage. Even these higher minimums are often not enough to cover a serious injury, which is why what happens with insurance matters so much.

If the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may step in to cover your injuries. California insurers are required to offer this coverage, and it is one of the most valuable protections a driver can have, so it is worth checking your policy early. One important caution: under California’s Proposition 213, a driver who was uninsured at the time of the crash generally cannot recover for pain and suffering, even if the other driver was entirely at fault, though economic losses like medical bills and lost wages may still be recoverable.

Common Car Accident Injuries

The forces in a collision can cause a wide range of injuries, some of which are not immediately apparent:

  • Whiplash and other neck and back injuries
  • Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries
  • Broken bones
  • Internal injuries and internal bleeding
  • Cuts and lacerations
  • Emotional harm, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress

Because some injuries surface only days later, prompt medical evaluation protects both your health and the connection between the crash and your injuries.

Why Insurance Companies Fight These Claims

After a crash, the other driver’s insurer is not on your side. Insurers often reach out quickly, sometimes with a fast, low settlement offer or questions designed to get you on record saying something that shifts blame onto you. A quick offer frequently arrives before the full extent of your injuries is known, and once you accept a settlement and sign a release, you generally cannot go back for more. There is no law requiring you to accept an insurer’s offer, and it is worth understanding the full picture of your losses before agreeing to anything.

How Abramson Labor Group Helps

We investigate the crash, work to establish what actually happened, identify all available insurance coverage, deal with the insurers so you can focus on recovering, and pursue the full value of your claim, including medical costs, lost income, vehicle damage, and pain and suffering. We work on a contingency basis. There are no fees unless we win your case.

Injured in a Car Accident?

Talk to Abramson Labor Group about your case. There are no fees unless we win. Get a free case evaluation.

 

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