Have you or someone you love been seriously hurt in a car crash in Escondido, CA? If you suspect someone else’s negligence was to blame, you may be entitled to compensation. For 25 years, Mission Personal Injury Lawyers has tirelessly represented accident victims in San Diego County.
Contact our law office for a free consultation with an experienced Escondido car accident lawyer to discuss your case.
We will help you understand what your case may be worth and how we will build a strong claim.
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How Mission Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Car Accident in Escondido, CA
A car accident can be physically and emotionally traumatic. You may be left unable to work with mounting bills and financial uncertainty. In addition to a long and painful recovery, a profit-driven insurance company is likely trying to minimize the value of your claim. You deserve an aggressive legal advocate who will fight for you.
The award-winning Escondido personal injury attorneys at Mission Personal Injury Lawyers will help you build the strongest claim possible. We’ve been named Best of the Bar by the San Diego Business Journal. We also boast a 10.0 Superb AVVO rating.
As we represent you, we will use our 25 years of experience in personal injury law to:
- Offer sound legal advice at every stage of your case
- Independently investigate your crash and gather evidence that proves causation and liability
- Work with specialists to determine the value of your damages and who is at fault for your crash
- Negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement that fully compensates you
- Present a compelling case to a jury if necessary
We have recovered tens of millions for our clients, and we will work hard to achieve positive results on your behalf. Contact our Escondido, California law firm today for your free consultation with an Escondido car accident lawyer who can help.
How Common Are Car Accidents in Escondido, CA?
Traffic accidents are the leading cause of accidental death in California. They are also one of the most common causes of serious injuries, spinal cord injuries, and disability. In 2019, there were 36,096 traffic fatalities in the United States.
California had the country’s highest number of fatal accidents in 2019, with 3,606 people killed.
According to the California Highway Patrol, there were 193,564 accidents with injuries in 2017, which resulted in a total of more than 277,000 injured people.
Many of these crashes occurred in San Diego County and Escondido, California. The county had 21,500 car accidents in 2016.
What Is My Car Accident Case Worth?
Our Escondido car accident attorneys will assess the value of your case after a careful investigation of the circumstances, evidence, and damages. The value of your personal injury case will be easiest to calculate once you reach maximum medical improvement. This means your condition has improved and your future medical needs can be assessed.
As a general rule, the value of your case is determined by first calculating economic damages, like lost wages and medical bills. If you were seriously injured, your non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, may be higher than your economic damages.
We can get a rough idea of your non-economic damages by multiplying your economic damages by a factor of 1 to 5 based on:
- The severity of your injuries
- The type of injuries you sustained
- The type of medical treatment you needed and recovery time
- Whether you were left disabled, impaired, or disfigured
- Whether your independence, life expectancy, quality of life, and mental health are affected
- Circumstances of the crash, like whether the other driver was grossly negligent
- Whether you shared blame for your accident
Contact Mission Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with a car accident lawyer. We will review your case to give you a better idea of the potential value of your claim.
What Kind of Damages Are Available to Car Accident Victims in California?
After an accident, you have the right to seek compensation from the at-fault party for the damages you suffered.
You may be entitled to economic and non-economic damages for:
- Medical expenses, including anticipated future medical cost
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Reduced or lost future earning capacity and employment benefits
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement
- Wrongful death if a loved one was killed in a car crash
In rare cases, you may also recover punitive damages. Juries award these damages to punish someone who causes injuries due to grossly negligent or reckless conduct, like drunk driving.
At Mission Personal Injury Lawyers, you can count on us to help you pursue the full compensation you need for all of your damages.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for a Car Accident in California?
California uses a pure comparative negligence rule. This standard allows car accident victims to recover money even if they are found up to 99% to blame for the accident. Under this rule, each party in a crash is assigned blame. If you contributed to the accident, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault.
Be aware that insurance companies pay less damages for every percentage of fault that is assigned to you. They often exploit this system by attempting to shift blame onto you. Our Escondido car accident lawyers have years of experience fighting these blame-shifting tactics.
We’ll Fight for Compensation for All of Your Car Accident Injuries
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers will help you fight for full compensation for all the injuries you sustained due to a negligent driver, including:
- Amputation
- Brain injuries
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Burns
- Catastrophic injuries
- Eye injuries
- Broken bones
- Nerve damage
- Internal organ damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
You do not deserve the financial burden caused by your injuries. We will help you recover money for your lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
What Causes Most Car Accidents in Escondido, California?
According to the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Study, 94% of all car crashes are the result of human error. The environment and vehicle defects were only responsible for 2% of California car accidents.
Statistically, someone was likely to blame for your crash, and there may even be more than one negligent party.
Common causes of car accidents in Escondido include:
- Drunk driving. San Diego has more DUIs than anywhere else in California,and drunk drivers are responsible for 29% of California traffic fatalities.
- Distracted driving. The National Safety Council estimates 25% of all car accidents are related to distracted cell phone use.
- Speeding. This is a factor in 26% of fatal car crashes. Speeding makes car accidents more likely and increases the risk of death or serious injury in a crash.
- Running stop signs and red lights. Around 40% of car accidents occur in intersections, often when an inattentive, speeding, reckless, or impaired driver runs a red light.
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers will conduct a thorough investigation into your accident. We will pinpoint the contributing factors in your crash to determine who was at fault.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Car Accident in Escondido, CA?
To recover compensation, you must show another party was responsible for your crash through negligence. Depending on the circumstances, multiple parties may share liability in a car accident. Sometimes both drivers share some blame. Sometimes other parties, such as manufacturers of defective parts, have liability.
To build your case, our Escondido personal injury lawyers will conduct a careful investigation and gather evidence like:
- Witness statements
- Expert interpretation of photos and videos of the crash scene, road conditions, and damage to vehicles
- Video surveillance from dash cams, traffic cams, and retail stores
- Police reports, citations, and arrests connected with the crash
- The other driver’s cell phone records
- In cases involving commercial vehicles, additional evidence may be available, such as maintenance and driver logs, company records, and onboard vehicle data
Mission Personal Injury Lawyers works with experts in many fields to help us gather and interpret evidence. These specialists can provide expert testimony about what caused your crash and who was at fault.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Car Accident in California?
Under California law, you have only two years to bring a personal injury lawsuit after an accident involving negligence. This strict statute of limitations denies you compensation from the at-fault party if you miss the deadline.
It’s essential to begin pursuing your claim as soon as possible. A complex car accident case may require a lengthy investigation, and it may take time for you to reach maximum medical improvement. An Escondido auto accident attorney at Mission Personal Injury Lawyers will help you investigate your case, preserve evidence, and protect your claim’s value.
Contact an Escondido Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Dealing with insurance companies and fighting for fair compensation after a traumatic accident is the last thing you should be worried about. At Mission Personal Injury Lawyers, we will put decades of legal experience to work on your behalf to pursue full compensation for your injuries.
Contact our law firm to schedule a free consultation with an Escondido car accident lawyer who will give you the compassionate legal representation you deserve. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay nothing out of pocket unless we recover money for you.
