Laguna Hills Car Accident Lawyer

Suffering an injury in a California car accident can be a terrifying experience. There are many uncertainties that can follow these situations, as well, including the loss of a job or steady income, all while the medical bills are beginning to flow in from the treatment you have needed to receive in order to recover from your injuries. If you have suffered as the result of someone else’s negligence or recklessness in a car wreck, a Laguna Hills car accident lawyer can help.

At Easton & Easton, we have over 50 years of experience assisting clients who have had horrible injuries as the result of countless kinds of accidents. Car crashes can prove to be especially difficult, particularly when trying to demonstrate liability in order to recover compensation. Therefore, it is vital to contact our offices when a car accident is sustained.

Allow us to come alongside you during this difficult time and advocate for the justice you deserve. Our Orange County car accident lawyers serve Laguna Hills and all of Orange County.

What to Do Following a Laguna Hills Car Accident

A sudden car crash in Laguna Hills can be a frightening experience. For many individuals, what happens directly following the accident is a blur of anxiety, worry, and gut reactions. It is important to know and understand the correct steps to take following these accidents to protect your own safety, the safety of others, and the safety of any future claim you may wish to seek against the liable parties.

If you are involved in a car accident in California, take the following steps:

• Prioritize safety. Move yourself and any passengers of your vehicle to a place of safety off the roadway and check for injuries. Even if injuries appear minor, it is crucial that precaution is exercised and emergency medical services are called to the scene, as you may be suffering internal or invisible harm. You should also call the police in order to report the accident.
• Obtain a police report. In the state of California, having an official police report can be vital when filing insurance claims or legal cases, even when an accident may seem minor or the cause and liable party are clearly evident. Having a police report can be seen as crucial evidence and can be especially important in cases where the fault is disputed, or there have been severe injuries sustained.
• Document the scene. If you are physically able to do so, it is important that you document the scene of the accident through photos or videos. You should capture a variety of shots, including those of the actual vehicles and any damage to the car, pictures of any injuries you or anyone else in your car has suffered, photographs of the road conditions, such as debris in the road, and any applicable traffic signs or lights.
• Collect witness statements. If there are any eyewitnesses to the accident, it is important that you assess their willingness to provide you with a statement. You should then gather their contact information, including their full name, phone number, and email address, and ask them for a brief account of what they witnessed, which can be recorded on your phone.
• Seek medical attention. You should seek medical attention even if you feel uninjured. Seeking medical attention from your primary care doctor after a car accident can help solidify the seriousness and validity of any future claim. It is also important to obtain copies of all medical records applicable to your accident injuries.
• Notify your insurance provider. It is essential to let your insurance company know about your car accident; however, dealing with these entities can be difficult, and it is vital to secure the help of a Laguna Hills personal injury attorney.

Common Causes of California Car Accidents

California is no stranger to car accidents. These unfortunate situations happen every day across the Golden State, and no one is truly immune from the chances of suffering an automotive wreck. There are several causes for these accidents, most of which boil down to human error. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to seek the assistance of an attorney who can help determine liability after reviewing the unique cause of your car accident.

The most common causes of car accidents in the state of California include:

• Distracted driving, such as texting and driving
• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Reckless driving, such as speeding or racing
• Poor road conditions
• Inclement weather
• Defective vehicle components

There were 132 fatal or injurious crashes in Laguna Hills in 2023. Of those, eight involved drunk driving. Another 22 were speed-related. Distracted driving was a factor in 12% of all police-reported crashes in 2024.

Common Injuries in California Car Accidents

There are all kinds of injuries you could suffer in a car accident, but some of them seem to occur more often than others. Depending on the severity of the accident, you could experience:

• Fractures and broken bones. Broken wrists and arms are common when people try to brace themselves against impact. Shattered kneecaps from hitting the knees against the dashboard can also be an issue for front-seat passengers.
• Head injuries. Traumatic brain injuries can cause serious, long-term physical, cognitive, and behavioral issues. Facial disfigurement can also occur when an accident victim’s head hits the steering wheel, dashboard, or seat rest in front of them.
• Internal injuries. Internal bleeding and organ damage are serious medical emergencies that require immediate care. You may not realize you have suffered these kinds of injuries immediately, which is part of why it’s so important that you head to a hospital for a full exam following a serious car accident.
• Spinal cord damage. If your spinal cord gets damaged during a car accident, it could leave you suffering from partial or full paralysis. Complete spinal cord injuries lead to paraplegia or quadriplegia, while incomplete injuries generally cause other types of nerve damage, which can cause symptoms like numbness, tingling, and pain.
• Soft tissue injuries. Whiplash is the most common form of soft tissue injury in car accidents. Unlike spinal cord damage, it doesn’t cause lifelong disability and typically resolves on its own within a few weeks.

Your damages following an accident should cover not just your immediate hospital bills but also the medical care you’re likely to require for the injuries over the course of your life. Understanding what is the most common injury in a car accident in California can help you evaluate the full extent of your claim. The severity of the injuries you’ve suffered and how long it takes you to heal from them play significant contributing roles in determining how much compensation you receive following a car accident.

If you suffer grievous injuries that cause permanent disability or disfigurement, understanding how much your car accident case is worth in California becomes critical, as you’re more likely to receive a large payout compared to someone who experienced whiplash or a minor broken bone that healed with minimal medical intervention.

Determining Liability Following a Car Accident

In order to recover damages after a car accident, you need to know who to file a claim against. Generally, the liable party is another driver, but liability can be shared between multiple parties. Your attorney can help you determine who to file claims against so that you can get a full recovery. Liable parties could include:

• Other drivers. Most accidents are caused by driver error.
• Municipal authorities. If your accident occurred on a surface street, the Laguna Hills Department of Public Works may hold some liability. If it happened on the highway, you may need to file a claim against the California Department of Transportation. You have only six months to file a claim against a municipal authority, so don’t put off finding a Laguna Hills car accident attorney who can help.
• Car manufacturers. If one of the cars involved in the crash had a design, manufacturing, or marketing defect, the auto manufacturer may hold some responsibility for what happened. If commercial motor vehicles are involved, consulting a Laguna Hills truck accident lawyer can help identify all responsible commercial entities.
• Parts manufacturers. Sometimes, it’s not the automaker itself, but a parts manufacturer, that’s held responsible for a defective part that causes an accident. In other cases, these entities share liability for the crash.
• Mechanics. If a mechanic installed a faulty part or incorrectly performed repairs on a car and their mistakes caused an accident, they can be held liable for the damages.

In California, you can be assigned a portion of the blame and still collect compensation from other liable parties thanks to the state’s pure comparative negligence rule. This rule applies as long as you were less than 100% to blame for the crash. However, if you held 99% of the liability for the accident, you’re unlikely to recover significant damages because the courts decrease the amount of compensation accident victims receive by their percentage of fault.

If you were determined to be 99% at fault for a crash that caused you $100,000 worth of damages, you’d receive just $1,000. Insurance companies sometimes try to blame accident victims for crashes that weren’t their fault as a means of minimizing the amount of money they need to pay out in claims. Your attorney can protect your rights and interests by preventing this from happening.

Reasons to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer

Some car accident cases require only filing an insurance claim. Others must be taken all the way to court at the Superior Court of Orange County Central Justice Center, located at 700 Civic Center Drive West in Santa Ana. In all cases, you can benefit from having a skilled attorney on your side. When you hire a car accident lawyer, you get more than just legal advice. Your attorney can:

• File your initial claim
• Keep track of vital deadlines
• Prevent unnecessary delays
• Negotiate a fair settlement
• Litigate your claim in court
• Protect your rights and interests throughout the legal process

Hiring a lawyer is the most effective way to improve the chances that you’ll be compensated fairly for your injuries and other damages. Your attorney can handle all the details of your case, leaving you free to focus on healing from your injuries and moving on with your life.

FAQs

Q: What Damages Are Available in a California Car Accident?

A: There are several forms of damages available in a California car accident, depending on the severity and nature of the accident itself. These damages can include medical costs, lost income due to injuries, future anticipated medical costs, the loss of your ability to earn an income in the future, pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, loss of the enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, wrongful death damages, and in rare cases, punitive damages.

Q: What Are the Common Injuries Seen in Car Accidents in CA?

A: There are several types of injuries that may arise from a California car accident. These can include whiplash, paralysis, suffering from a coma, broken bones or fractures, muscle strains or sprains, internal bleeding, damage to internal organs, nerve damage, head, neck, back, and shoulder injuries, severe burns, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries.

Q: How Long Does It Take to Settle a Car Accident Claim?

A: It can be difficult to offer an exact timeline as to how long it may take to settle a car accident claim in California. This is because the time frame of a specific case is often dependent on several factors, including why your car accident settlement is taking so long in California. These factors can include the severity of injuries and how long it may take to heal from the harm suffered, the complexity of the case itself, and the cooperation of all parties involved.

Q: What Are the Most Common Types of Car Accidents?

A: There are several types of common car accidents seen in the state of California. These can include head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, single-car accidents, left-turn accidents, accidents that occur at intersections, failure-to-yield accidents, T-bone or side impact collisions, sideswipe accidents, accidents that occur when merging into other lanes, rollover accidents, and multi-car accidents.

Q: Where Are Car Accidents Most Common in Laguna Hills, CA?

A: Car accidents in Laguna Hills, CA, are most common along high-volume commercial corridors and at busy intersections. Streets that see a lot of accidents include El Toro Road and Oso Parkway. Dangerous intersections include Alicia Parkway & Jeronimo Road, La Paz Road & Moulton Parkway, and El Toro Road & Paseo De Valencia.

Speak With an Experienced Car Accident Attorney Today

If you have suffered in a car accident in Laguna Hills, California, the team at Easton & Easton is here to help you obtain the compensation and justice you deserve. Contact our offices today to learn more information and to schedule your initial consultation with our team of talented personal injury lawyers.

Laguna Hills, CA Car Accident Legal Resources

• Laguna Hills Traffic Division – Orange County Sheriff’s Department
• Superior Court of California, County of Orange – Central Justice Center
• California Department of Motor Vehicles – Report of Traffic Accident (Form SR-1)
• California Vehicle Code – CVC Division 11 (Rules of the Road)