Common Causes of Los Angeles Car Crashes

Even the most careful of drivers can be involved in car accidents in California. Our Los Angeles car accident lawyer has handled many cases where very cautious and experienced drivers who, despite their best efforts, still become victims of a car accident. While you can do your best to drive safely you cannot always depend on other drivers on the road to follow the same courtesy. When negligent motorists cause you injuries, you can rely on our law firm for help.

There are many general causes of car accidents in California. Most are the result of speeding and careless drivers, especially those who are not used to driving in a city such as Los Angeles. The vast majority of car accidents in Los Angeles can be classed as "fender benders" in which there is no serious lasting damage but you may be shaken and are left with damage to your vehicle.

Unfortunately, not all accidents are fender benders. Some are high speed collisions or powerful crashes which result in serious and permanent injuries. Some of the most common causes of car accidents in which you may seek a car accident lawyer in Los Angeles include the following:

  • Speeding
  • Fatigue or falling asleep at the wheel
  • Distracted driving due to a cell phone, GPS, playing with the radio, or other improper conduct
  • Running a red light or stop sign
  • Failing to yield at a yield sign, stop sign, or roundabout
  • Improper left turns
  • Reckless driving
  • Driving without a license or on a suspended license
  • Skipping traffic lights
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Teens driving
  • Construction work on roadways
  • Mechanical defects or vehicle disrepair
  • Failing to drive safely in bad whether, and
  • Many other common causes of a motor vehicle crash in California.

Different Types of Car Accidents

There are many different types of car accidents in California that our Los Angeles car accident lawyer has handled, including some very serious crashes as well as some crashes which may not appear to leave too much damage but cause permanent injury or disability. This is because even low-speed collisions could result in devastating personal injuries, including wrongful death.

Some of the most common types of car accidents in Los Angeles, CA include the following:

  • Hit and run crashes
  • Rear end collisions
  • T-bone accidents
  • Sideswipe collisions
  • Head on crashes
  • Rollover accidents, and
  • Many other common crashes.


Any of these types of crashes can result in serious personal injuries resulting in permanent disability, the need for surgery, and lost time from work. In truly catastrophic crashes, victims may be fatally injured resulting in a wrongful death.

Common Injuries in Los Angeles Car Accidents

There are many different types of common injuries in a motor vehicle accident. Some of the worst types of injuries include those that result in prolonged time away from work and high medical bills. These are the types of injuries that need surgery, result in permanent disability, and take months of physical therapy, rest, or other treatment to help a person recover.

Some of the most common injuries resulting from car crashes include the following:

  • Whiplash and soft tissue injures
  • Lacerations and disfigurement
  • Spinal cord injuries (SCIs)
  • Back injuries and neck injuries, including those needing a fusion
  • Fractures, sprains, and broken bones
  • Organ injuries
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions
  • Amputations or loss of a limb
  • Blindness
  • Nerve injuries
  • Shoulder injuries like a torn rotator cuff, SLAP tear, or biceps injury
  • Knee injuries such as ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL, or meniscus tears, and
  • Other serious or catastrophic personal injuries, including those resulting in wrongful death, that our Los Angeles car accident lawyer can handle for you.

Hit and Run Crashes

Hit and run crashes can be devastating for victims, not only physically but emotionally and financially. Feeling the pain of injury after a hit and run is one thing but knowing that the person who caused the crash has fled can be very upsetting. Especially when you end up having high medical bills and significant lost wages.

An accident is classified as a hit and run crash when the person that has caused the crash drives away before exchanging information. This type of crash can be difficult to handle, especially if you have been seriously injured, because it can be hard to remember details to the other driver or vehicle due to the shock of the crash.

These types of car accidents are notoriously difficult to handle. If you or a loved one have been involved in a hit and run accident, call our Los Angeles car accident lawyer at the Sardarbegian Law Offices for help. We have experience handling hit and run crash claims and we will give you the advice and guidance necessary to recovery compensation in a claim.

Rear End Collisions in California

With heavy traffic in Los Angeles and so many people in a rush to get from point A to B, there are a lot of rear end collisions. While most of these accidents result in an inconvenience, some result in significant personal injuries which may require surgery or keep a person out of work for a long period of time.

An accident is classed as a rear end collision when the rear vehicle collides with a vehicle in front of it. Generally, this type of crash happens when people are distracted or not paying attention, when the driver behind you is speeding, when drivers are tailgating, or when there are adverse weather conditions but a motorist is still following too closely.

Whatever the cause of your rear end collision may be, our Los Angeles car accident lawyer can help you recover medical bills and lost wages, as well as compensation for your pain and suffering. Many injuries from rear-end collisions are felt right away, such as whiplash, head and neck injuries, and shoulder injuries. However, this is not always true. Sometimes it may take weeks or months for some injuries to manifest themselves, but they could still require surgery to fix the damage. Defense lawyers will try to make this argument to minimize your damages claim, which is why you should always hire an experienced lawyer like ours at Sardarbegian Law Offices.

T-Bone Accidents

T-bone accidents are another common type of road accident in LA and are called so by the T shape position of the vehicles after a collision. This type of accident usually occurs when people run red lights or are speeding and not paying attention to the road ahead of them. As a result, most defendants in a t-bone accident have violated the well-established right-of-way laws in the traffic code.

If you or a loved one were involved in a t-bone accident in California, learn how our bodily injury law firm can help prove liability and establish your damages under the law. We know how important it is for victims and their families to recover the compensation they need to pay for lost wages and medical bills. We will fight for you.

Proving Liability in a California Car Accident Case

In order to recover any compensation for a motor vehicle accident case in California, a victim must establish liability, or fault. There are several ways to do this.

The first and most obvious way is through the common law, or judge-made law, under a cause of action known as negligence. Most personal injury cases are based on negligence. This is where one party unreasonably increased the foreseeable risk of harm to another through reckless or careless actions. Thus, a motorist who is speeding, drunk driving, or using a cell phone while driving is likely to be negligent if he or she causes a motor vehicle accident.

The second way to prove liability is through the statutory law, or legislative-made law, in a cause of action known as negligence per se. This is a legal doctrine that allows a victim to automatically establish liability against a defendant who violated a traffic law that was meant to protect the victim from the harm that occurred.

An experienced Los Angeles car accident lawyer like ours at Sardarbegian Law Offices will work with police and leading liability experts to establish how to prove fault against a defendant. Learn how we can help you during a FREE consultation with our law firm.

Proving Your Damages Were Caused by the Defendant's Negligence

After you have proven liability in a car accident case, you will also need to prove both 1) causation, and 2) damages. If you cannot prove either of these, you may not be entitled to recover compensation under California law.

Causation

Causation is establishing that the defendant's negligence was a substantial factor (or proximate cause) in causing your damages. A simple example is when a rear end car accident causes you neck pain which worsens and requires you to quit your job and undergo fusion surgery.

While causation sounds simple, it is not always the case when a victim has a pre-existing injury. Defense lawyers and insurance adjusters will almost always claim that you have a pre-existing injury or degenerative condition such as neck or back pain. When this happens, a court may find that you are not entitled to damages because they were not caused by the collision.

That may not be fair because, prior to the accident, you may have had a pre-existing injury but you were still able to work and did not need surgery. This is why you need an experienced Los Angeles car accident lawyer to help protect your rights to fight back against this argument.

Damages

Under California law, the term "damages" is the compensation that a party may be entitled to in a lawsuit. In a car accident lawsuit, the most common types of damages include the following:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages
  • Lost future earnings
  • Loss of consortium
  • Property damage
  • Punitive damages
  • Wrongful death damages, and
  • Any other types of damages related to a Los Angeles car accident.

Were You Hurt in a California Car Accident? Let Us Help

Here at Sardarbegian Law Offices, our Los Angeles car accident lawyer accepts cases on a contingency fee agreement meaning 1) there is no upfront lawyer fees, 2) we only get paid after you get paid in a settlement or verdict, and 3) we only receive a percentage of the total recovery ensuring you put some money in your pocket. This means there is a no win, no fee guarantee with our bodily injury law firm.

If you or a loved one were seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident in Los Angeles, California, call (818) 240-1212 or (888) 240-1666 to schedule your FREE strategy call. You may also send us a secured message on our "contact us" box available here. There is no risk or obligation to work with our law firm. Learn how we can help you today.