Long Beach Car Accident Lawyer

Long Beach may be a part of Los Angeles County, but it’s also a major city in its own right. Every day millions of cars, trucks, public transit vehicles and motorcycles travel its very busy freeways and roads. Add pedestrians and bicycles to the mix and car accidents will happen.

If you were injured in a car accident in Long Beach, call the accident lawyers at The Dominguez Firm right away at 800-818-1818 for a free consultation. Our personal injury attorneys in Long Beach have been successfully helping car accident victims for over 30 years. As our client, we promise to fight hard for you as well.

Please keep reading for more information about what to do if you’re involved in a car accident in Long Beach. You’ll also find out why you can afford to hire a Long Beach car accident attorney from The Dominguez Firm to represent you.

Most common accidents seen by Long Beach personal injury attorneys

To know the most common types of accidents our Long Beach attorneys see, we can look at recent cases we’ve handled and current accident statistics. Long Beach car accidents don’t always involve just two cars. In fact, Long Beach has the sad distinction of having the highest number of pedestrian injuries and deathsinvolving children under the age of 15 in all of California. Other accident categories where Long Beach ranks among the 10 worst include traffic accidents with pedestrians over the age of 65 (#3) and car accidents caused by drunk drivers (#4).

In total, 2,595 people were injured or killed in traffic accidents in Long Beach in 2017. And that number does not even include traffic accidents involving trucks. As home to the busiest port in the Western hemisphere, the Port of Long Beach/Los Angeles, the area also sees a huge amount of large commercial truck traffic, which always poses a danger to passenger vehicles.

Given the commercial importance of the area and the population density, all types of car accidents are very common in Long Beach.

Should I contact an attorney for my car accident?

If you were injured in a Long Beach car accident, yes. You should consult with a personal injury lawyer. If your injuries were serious, not hiring an attorney could end up costing you dearly. And what may seem like a minor injury, like whiplash, could result in lingering long-term health problems. Be it for a serious injury or a lingering one, your medical bills could end up overwhelming you if you don’t have a skilled personal injury attorney by your side.

The insurance company wants me to give them a recorded statement, should I do that first?

You are not obligated to speak to anyone from the other driver(s) insurance company or even your own insurance company. And there is no law that says you must provide a recording statement to any insurance company adjuster or agent.

Insurance companies are businesses. Their main objective is to pay out the least amount possible for your Long Beach car accident injuries. Unscrupulous adjusters may tell you a recorded statement is necessary or casually ask if it’s ok to record the conversation. Frankly, there is no reason to speak to them, let alone let them record you. Let our experienced personal injury lawyers, who are experts in Long Beach car accident cases, handle the insurance companies while you concentrate on feeling better.

How do I choose the right Long Beach car accident lawyer?

First, be aware that you are hiring them, not the other way around. Of course, you want a personal injury attorney in Long Beach who will fight for your right to the maximum legal compensation you are entitled to. You also want a law firm that provides excellent customer service. They say first impressions matter, so be aware of how your call is answered and how the person on the other end responds to your questions and concerns. That will give you a good idea of how you’ll be treated if you become their client.

Some questions to ask include:

1. Do you require any upfront fees from me in order to represent me? If not, how do I pay you?
2. How long will my case take?
3. I’m an undocumented immigrant. Can you still help me?
4. I don’t have medical insurance. Can you still help me?
5. Could my case go to trial?
6. Can you help me get my car repaired or replaced?
7. I think I was partially to blame for my accident, can you still represent me?

This is just a small sampling of questions. A law firm that wants to help you will listen to your unique set of circumstances and answer all of your questions thoughtfully.

I may share some of the blame for my Long Beach car accident, can I still receive any compensation?

Yes. California is a pure comparative negligence state. That means you may be entitled to compensation even if you were partially at fault for your Long Beach car accident. A judge and jury will determine your percentage of fault and subtract that percentage from your final verdict.

If your case settles before going to court, you want an experienced Long Beach car accident attorney by your side. They can help make sure the percentage of fault assigned to you by the insurance company attorney is fair. That way you’ll receive all of the compensation you are entitled to.

One last note on sharing the blame. Immediately after an accident, you probably aren’t thinking clearly and are understandably confused. How the accident unfolded may not be clear to you. In short, you may not even be at fault for your accident. Go over the details with your personal injury attorney and let them conduct their own investigation first before admitting to any blame.

When to hire a Long Beach accident lawyer?

The short answer is: immediately after your accident. You shouldn’t wait. Yes, there are statute of limitations (deadlines) for filing a car accident claim, but you don’t want to wait weeks, let alone months to do so. That will severely weaken your claim and probably cost you.

There are several reasons for this. First, the defense attorneys and insurance companies will question why you waited. If enough time has passed, they may also question if your injuries were caused by your car accident or something else. Second, the longer you wait, the more likely vital evidence will be lost. That could also lead to your losing contact with any witnesses. And finally, the sooner you hire a Long Beach accident lawyer, the sooner they can start working on your case and get you the compensation you deserve.

One other note, once the statute of limitation for your Long Beach car accident passes, you can’t file a lawsuit against those who caused your accident, no matter how serious your injuries were. Generally, the statute of limitations for a car accident is two years from the date of the accident. However, if your car crash was with a government vehicle, you only have six months. Either way, there is no reason to delay hiring a Long Beach car accident attorney.

What is my Long Beach car accident worth?

Every case is different, but as a Long Beach car accident victim, you could be entitled to any or all of the damages (legal speak for compensation) listed below:

• All medical bills related to your car crash, including ambulance fees, hospital bills, physical therapy and rehabilitation costs, in-home care and mental health counseling.
• Lost wages from the date of your accident to the present. If you won’t be able to return to your previous job, loss of future earnings too.
• Property damage, that is the cost to repair or replace your vehicle.
• Pain and suffering is meant to reimburse you for the emotional anguish caused by your accident.
• Punitive damages are rarely awarded, but if the defendant’s behavior was particularly malicious or negligent, the court may award these damages. The aim of this isn’t so much to compensate you, it’s to make an example of the defendant and stop similar behavior in the future.

An experienced Long Beach car accident attorney can compare your case and injuries to similar cases they’ve handled in the past to get a general idea of what your case could be worth.

How long will my Long Beach car accident case take?

No car accident lawyer or law firm can give you an exact time frame for your Long Beach car accident case. Some cases are resolved quickly while others take time and end up going to trial. The good news is The Dominguez Firm has the resources and legal talent to see your case through to the end. Our main objective in every case is to obtain the maximum compensation you are legally entitled to for your injuries or loss. And we have the award-winning trial attorneys to go head-to-head with defense attorneys and insurance companies if necessary. We won’t refer your case out or worse, settle your case for less in order to close it.

In short, the answer to this question is, your case will take as long as it takes to obtain the most favorable result for you.

I lost a family member in a car accident in Long Beach. Is there anything I can do?

Yes. If you are their legal next of kin, you do have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the person or people who caused your loved one’s death. Losing a loved one is always difficult. But losing them suddenly in a Long Beach car crash is particularly painful.

Examples of the compensation you could be entitled to are:

• All medical bills due to the deceased’s accident-related injuries.
• Ambulance fees
• Lost income starting from the time of their accident. Also, lost future earnings they were expected to earn.
• Funeral expenses
• Burial expenses

Depending on the nature of your case, you may also be entitled to compensation for:

• Loss of the deceased’s financial support
• Loss of consortium (the legal term for loss of companionship). This includes the deceased’s love, moral support, sexual relations and affection.
• The deceased’s guidance. This applies primarily to any children left behind.

You and your family may still be in a state of shock over your loss. Perhaps calling a personal injury lawyer who specializes in wrongful death cases is the last thing on your mind. But if you’ve lost an immediate family member in a Long Beach car accident, your lives have been changed forever. You might even be facing financial difficulties due to your loss. You can and should take legal action against those responsible. Nothing can change what happened, but you can find financial peace of mind for the future. You can also make sure those responsible pay for their actions.

What do accident attorneys charge?

Each personal injury attorney and law firm is different. At The Dominguez Firm, we work on a contingency basis. That means we don’t charge you anything to take your case. Nor do you need to pay us anything while we’re working on your case. There are no upfront fees or hidden charges. At the end of your case, we receive a percentage of your final settlement or verdict. That percentage will be clearly noted in the client representation agreement you sign with us at the beginning. And it won’t change, regardless of the amount of your settlement or verdict.

In the unlikely event that we aren’t able to secure any compensation for you, you owe us nothing. In other words, you win, or you don’t pay!

The Dominguez Firm has been helping Long Beach car accident victims for over 30 years

If you or a loved one were injured or died in a car accident in Long Beach, call the personal injury lawyers at The Dominguez Firm for a free consultation at 800-818-1818 today. We have been helping accident victims obtain the full compensation they are legally entitled to for over 30 years and will fight for you too.