What to Expect After a Car Accident in San Bernardino

As a resident or commuter in San Bernardino, your car is probably your main source of transportation. One moment you’re going about your daily routine like you always do when suddenly another driver crashes into you, causing a serious car accident. If you suffered major injuries, you’ll be unable to work and face steep medical bills. Your entire life has been completely upended in a matter of seconds.

If you were injured or lost a loved one in a traffic accident in San Bernardino, you have rights. Call The Dominguez Firm at 800-818-1818 for a FREE consultation today. We can travel to your home or hospital at a moment’s notice.

Below we’ve outlined what to expect physically and emotionally in the aftermath of your San Bernardino car accident. Our experienced lawyers are ready to help you and your family during this trying time. Let us work on getting you the maximum compensation you’re entitled to under the law.

How Long Does it Take to Recover from a Serious Car Accident?

A lot depends on the extent of the victim’s injuries and the severity of the crash. As an example, any crash with a commercial truck is usually serious and will result in major injuries that will take longer to recover from. If there are catastrophic injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) or spinal cord injuries, those can be permanent.

Other injuries, including bruising, broken bones, cuts and whiplash can improve over time. Many victims can return to the lives they led before their car crash.

Another important consideration when answering this question is the victim’s age and what their health was like before their San Bernardino car accident. For example, someone elderly will certainly face a much more difficult path to recovery than a healthy person in their 30s.

Finally, it’s important to factor in the victim’s emotional health too. Car accident victims are known to suffer from PTSD. One noteworthy study showed 25-33% of motor vehicle accident victims had symptoms of PTSD for at least 30 days past the date of their accident.

Doing the following can help with your car accident recovery:

• Seek immediate treatment for your injuries – Don’t delay medical attention. Even if you think you’re fine, you could have dangerous internal injuries and not know it.
• Follow doctor’s orders – Some people will stop following their doctor’s prescribed treatment if they feel better, which can cause complications or a relapse.
• Eat healthy and get enough sleep – These are things all of us can do to lead a healthier life, but if you’re a car accident victim, they’re vital to your recovery.
• Destress – Mental health is also important to overall health. If you’re struggling emotionally after your car accident, don’t hesitate to seek out professional help.

How Long Does it Take for Injuries to Show Up After a Car Accident?

In the immediate aftermath of your car accident, you may think you feel fine. You’re probably in a state of shock or had a rush of adrenaline that masks any injuries. It can take days or weeks for some injuries to manifest themselves.

In the days following your San Bernardino car accident, monitor your health. If you experience any of the symptoms outlined in the section directly below, don’t hesitate to see your doctor.

What are Some Common Delayed Injury Symptoms?

Headaches – Headaches are among the most common signs of a delayed injury. It’s often associated with whiplash. Headaches can also be caused by anxiety, a concussion or a TBI.

Back pain – Being violently jerked forward during a car accident can cause damage to your spine or back muscles. It’s common for this type of back pain to travel through the neck and shoulders too.

Numbness or tingling – This can be another symptom of back or neck pain. The numbness can extend to one or both arms.

Stomach pain or nausea – Seat belts can cut into the stomach area in an accident. This can leave those areas of the body bruised and tender. In more serious cases, it can be a sign of internal bleeding as well.

Swelling – Swelling can take hours to develop. But when it does, you will likely also feel stiffness and pain.

Dizziness – Any dizziness should be cause for concern, especially if the symptoms worsen over the days following your San Bernardino car accident.

Should I Talk to the Insurance Company About the Accident and My Injuries?

No. The insurance company adjuster wants to close your San Bernardino car accident claim quickly and for the least amount of money possible. Sadly, the extent of your injuries don’t matter to them. They are trained to get you to say something that they can use against you, even if the accident was completely someone else’s fault.

Another common tactic is to try and scare you into not hiring a lawyer. The adjuster may claim a lawyer will slow the process down. This is because they know a skilled car accident attorney will work to get you the justice and compensation you’re entitled to, not what the adjuster wants to give you.

Negotiating with the insurance company directly to save time is a bad idea. What you gain in time saved, you’ll almost certainly lose in money. Unless you’re a trained negotiator, you’ll likely leave large amounts of money on the table. If you’ve suffered serious injuries, you can’t afford to let this happen just to save a few weeks or months.

Be aware, a catastrophic injury, such as a spinal cord injury, can cost hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars to treat. A five-figure check from the insurance company doesn’t even cover one year of medical treatment. Plus, once you accept their offer, your claim is closed, period.

If you’re worried that you can’t afford to wait, know that The Dominguez Firm offers loans to help you and your family financially while your case progresses. We subtract the amount of the loan from your final settlement or verdict.

Should I Give the Insurance Company My Photographs and Medical Records?

Absolutely not. Any communication or email and mail correspondence with the insurance company should come from your personal injury attorney, not you. Some unscrupulous insurance agents may try to phone you directly for documents and information. Frankly, you should tell them to call your Dominguez Firm lawyer and hang up.

I Don’t Have Medical Insurance. Can The Dominguez Firm Still Help Me?

The Dominguez Firm can help you with your San Bernardino car accident case whether you have medical insurance or not. We partner with the finest medical providers and hospitals to offer our clients the care they need throughout their recovery period.

At the end of your case, your medical costs are subtracted from your final settlement or verdict. That means you pay nothing upfront or out of pocket for your medical care. That takes away the stress of worrying about medical bills so you can focus exclusively on feeling better.

Can I Receive Compensation for the Mental Toll this Accident has Taken on Me?

Yes. Legally speaking, the compensation you’re entitled to for your San Bernardino car accident is known as damages. There are two types of damages, economic and non-economic damages. The economic damages are exactly what they sound like. They can include, but are not limited to:

• Ambulance fees
• Hospital bills
• Rehabilitation and physical therapy costs
• Mental health counseling
• Lost wages and income due to your accident
• Property damage, which is the term for any damage to your vehicle

You are also entitled to non-economic damages. Simply put, this is compensation for the mental toll the accident has had on you and your family:

• Anxiety
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium (companionship)
• Disfigurement
• Grief
• Loss of enjoyment of life (sports, time with family, etc.)
• Psychological trauma

Non-economic damages can’t be added up with a calculator like economic damages can. However, non-economic damages usually make up the largest part of a San Bernardino car accident victim’s final settlement or verdict. Also, there is no limit as to how much can be awarded in non-economic damages in California.

If a San Bernardino car accident caused the death of a loved one, you have the legal right to file a wrongful death claim provided you’re their next of kin. The Dominguez Firm also handles wrongful death claims and can help you and your family during this incredibly difficult time. Contact us so we can answer your questions and consult your case at no charge to you.

Call the San Bernardino Car Accident Lawyers at The Dominguez Firm

If you were injured in a car accident, call the experienced personal injury lawyers at The Dominguez Firm right away. We’ve been successfully helping accident victims throughout San Bernardino County, Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles for over 30 years.

The Dominguez Firm is not a referral service. We are a full-service law firm with our own in-house trial lawyers. We also won’t refer your case out to another firm or settle for less because we can’t afford to go to trial. On the contrary, if the insurance companies won’t make a fair offer for your injuries, we have the resources and skilled attorneys to go to court if needed. Not every law firm can say this. The insurance companies and their lawyers know this, which gives you, our client the kind of leverage those law firms can’t offer.

When you hire The Dominguez Firm to represent you for your San Bernardino personal injury case, you don’t have to worry about any upfront fees or hidden costs. That’s because we work on a contingency basis. That means we get paid from a percentage of your final settlement or verdict. That percentage will be clearly noted in your client representation agreement. In the unlikely event we don’t recover anything for you, you owe us nothing. In other words, if there is no recovery, there is no fee.

You have nothing to lose and so much to gain from hiring The Dominguez Firm. Call us at 800-818-1818 today for a FREE consultation.