California Car Accident Lawyers

Many law firms are looking to settle car accidents quickly, without spending the time to fight for the maximum compensation a case deserves.

That is not the case at PARRIS. Our seasoned legal team prepares each case for trial, ensuring each case receives the attention and care needed to be successful. Meanwhile, our case managers and client care coordinators stay in contact with you, updating you at every step of your case.

Our process gets results. Over 37 years, we’ve developed a 99% success rate and won over $1.9 billion for clients.

When you hire us, we won’t rest until you see justice.

Get a free case review today.

What Compensation Can I Get in a Car Accident Lawsuit?

Car accidents are costly. There’s no doubt about it. When you’re facing unexpected costs after an auto accident caused by another negligent driver, PARRIS has the tools to help you get the compensation you need to restore your life.

With PARRIS Law Firm on your side, you may be able to recover medical treatment costs, property damage costs, lost income, pain and suffering damages, loss of companionship damages, and more. Let’s take a look at the types of compensation available to you:

• Medical Bills: You should not be held responsible for medical costs incurred by someone else’s negligence. When PARRIS obtains your personal injury settlement or verdict, you will recover the costs of past, current, and future medical bills, including bills for hospital stays, visits to specialists, prescriptions, and mental health treatment costs.
• Property Damage: Repair and rental car costs add up after an accident. Filing a personal injury claim against the negligent driver may allow you to collect compensation to cover your property damage—including any property that was in the car when the accident occurred.
• Lost Wages and Future Income: For many Americans, one missed paycheck is bad news for your family. Hiring PARRIS lawyers can help you recover the wages you lost and the wages you may lose in the future due to your injuries or ongoing medical treatment.
• Pain and Suffering: This term refers to your physical and mental trauma after a catastrophic personal injury, whether from a car collision or another type of accident. Pain and suffering damages can compensate for physical suffering—current and future pain, permanent disability or impairment, or even inconvenience due to medical treatment—or mental anguish, including emotional distress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, or other mental illnesses.
• Loss of Consortium: If your injury permanently damages or changes your relationship with your family, your family members may have a claim for “loss of consortium” damages—that is, loss of companionship damages.
• Punitive Damages: These damages are meant to punish the defendant rather than compensate the plaintiff. While rare in car accident cases, punitive damages are generally awarded when the negligent driver acted in such an irresponsible manner that they should have known their actions would seriously injure someone (i.e., drunk drivers).

How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit?

In California, the statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits is 2 years after the date of the injury. In other words, the law gives victims of car accidents two years from the date of the crash to take legal action against the at-fault driver.

It’s always best to contact PARRIS as soon as possible after your accident. Our attorneys will fight fearlessly for the justice you deserve.

Find out what you can recover today—contact PARRIS today for a free legal consultation. You’ll pay no fees until we win your case.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer After a Car Accident?

When you’re involved in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, the at-fault driver’s insurance company is responsible for reimbursing you. However, an insurance company benefits when it pays out less in claims. Because of this, an insurance adjuster may use unreasonable or deceptive “bad faith” tactics to avoid paying your car accident claim’s full value. If you don’t have a car accident lawyer fighting for your rights, the insurance company may unreasonably delay your claim, deny it outright, or offer you a settlement that is far less than your claim is worth.

Don’t let this happen to you.

PARRIS Law Firm has been fighting the car insurance industry in California for over 37 years. We know the ins and outs of the industry, and we’re very familiar with their tactics—many staff members at our firm were former insurance adjusters. Rather than struggle with the insurance company, the driver at fault, or their attorneys, let PARRIS be the one to fight for you as you focus on you and your loved ones’ recoveries.

What Do I Do After a Car Accident?

Following an accident that wasn’t your fault, you’ll want to get to safety as soon as possible.

Call 911 if anyone is injured, even if the injuries are minor. Don’t hesitate to get the medical care you need.

Collect as much information as possible from the other driver.

And as soon as possible, call PARRIS Law Firm. We’ll fight fearlessly for the compensation you need to restore your life.

What Information Will I Need to Collect After a Car Crash?

After a car accident, we’ll work with you to gather critical information to support your case.  Here is a brief list of the information you may need to collect after a vehicle collision:

• Information from the other driver, including their:
  • Contact information (name, address, phone number)
  • Driver’s license
  • License plate number
  • Vehicle identification number (VIN)
  • Insurance card
  • Make, model, color, and year of their car
• Photos of the scene and surrounding areas
• Witness testimonies, if applicable
• Police accident report
• Car repair receipts
• Medical bills, prescriptions, and information
• Any correspondence with insurance companies
• Self-reported symptoms and experiences in a journal

Any and all information you keep will give us more insight into your accident, allowing our attorneys to better protect your rights.

California Car Accident Statistics

According to the IIHS, 3,606 people died in motor vehicle accidents in California in 2019—an outrageously high number.

Fortunately, California’s death rate per 100 million miles traveled —1.06—is less than that of most states. This difference is likely because Californians drive further distances than those living in most other states.

Vehicle safety improvements have lessened car accident deaths in general, but vehicle collisions continue to pose a serious safety concern to residents all over the state.

A 2020 Esurance report found that every 1,000 miles, we face a 1 in 366 chance of being in a car accident.

These are dangerous odds. If the worst happens, our firm is equipped to boldly fight for your rights while you make a full recovery.

What are the Most Common Causes of Car Accidents?

Unfortunately, car accidents have several common causes: drunk driving, reckless driving, distracted driving, malfunctioning vehicles, road defects, and more.

• Drunk Driving: Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs causes 1/3 of all traffic-related deaths every year, according to the NHTSA.
• Reckless Driving: Speeding, driving too fast for conditions, failing to signal, and other negligent behaviors result in thousands of car accidents every day. Speeding alone resulted in over 9,000 car accident deaths in the United States in 2019.
• Distracted Driving: These habits, including driving while using a cell phone, adjusting the radio, reading, eating, or paying attention to passengers, have led to an uptick in accidents in recent years. According to the NHTSA, 3,142 people were killed by distracted drivers in 2020.
• Vehicle Malfunctions: Defective automotive components, such as faulty brake parts or defective tires, have caused vehicle malfunctions, resulting in accidents.
• Road Defects: Poorly designed and maintained roads can “trip” cars, causing accidents.
• Weather Conditions: Rain, ice, fog, or excessive wind can limit visibility and create dangerous road conditions.
• Objects in the Road: Unexpected pedestrians, animals, or debris can cause drivers to swerve and crash.

Common Types of Car Accidents

The variety of events and conditions that precede car accidents allow for many different types of collisions. Here are the six most common:

• Single-Vehicle Crashes: Many car accidents involve only a single driver. Crashes like these often occur due to factors outside the driver’s control (weather conditions, road defects, vehicle malfunctions, or objects in the road). The reckless behavior of other drivers can also cause single-vehicle accidents if the safe driver swerves to avoid the other car and crashes as a result.
• Rear-End Collisions: These are among the most common types of accidents, occurring when a vehicle collides with the back end of a stopped or slowed car. Fault is nearly always assigned to the following driver.
• Sideswipe Collisions: When two cars collide while traveling in the same direction, the resulting accident is usually a sideswipe collision. Your vehicle could be sideswiped if another driver fails to merge into your lane safely. Often the at-fault driver will fail to signal, forget to check their blind spot, or drift into your lane while driving distracted.
• T-Bone Crashes: These crashes occur in intersections, parking lots, and residential streets. In a T-bone accident, the front of one vehicle hits the side of another car head-on, forming a “T” shape. T-bone accidents are especially hazardous for those inside the impacted vehicle (the top of the “T”), for only their vehicle’s doors and airbags protect them from the impact of the oncoming car.
• Rollover Accidents: A crash becomes a rollover if the car rolls onto its side or roof at any point in the crash. Vehicles with a higher center of gravity, such as pickups and SUVs, are more susceptible to these types of crashes. Many rollover crashes are single-vehicle accidents, occurring when the driver of a tall vehicle takes a turn too quickly or “trips” on a defect in the road.
• Head-On Collisions: Head-on collisions occur when two cars traveling in opposite directions smash into each other head-on. The majority of these crashes are deadly.

If you or a loved one have been involved in one of these devastating accidents, contact us today. We’ll fight your legal battles for you while you focus on your recovery.

Types of Car Accident Injuries

You may experience a host of medical issues in the days following your accident, including:

Physical Injuries

• Physical pain
• Cuts and bruises
• Whiplash
• Broken bones
• Internal bleeding
• Head and neck injuries
• Back and spinal cord Injuries
• Miscarriage
• Traumatic brain injuries

Mental and Emotional Injuries

• Depression
• Anxiety
• PTSD
• Emotional distress
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Injuries like these can derail your entire life. You may face weeks, months, or years of treatment. You may have to miss work, file for disability, or restructure your schedule around your injuries.

Let us help you rebuild. We’ll protect your rights while you and your family recover. When you hire PARRIS car accident lawyers, we can secure financial compensation for all of the above-listed injuries.