Long Beach Car Accident Lawyer

If you were injured in a car accident in Long Beach, you may be able to hold the at-fault driver or another liable party financially responsible for your medical bills and related costs. You don’t have to deal with the complex process of seeking compensation on your own. 

Our team can provide you with legal support through each step involved in the financial recovery process.

Long Beach car accident lawyers stand with you as you take your case to civil court. For more information about the rights entitled to you after such an incident, you can contact Morelli Law Firm to learn more about how we can help.

There Are Benefits to Pursuing a Car Accident Claim

There are several reasons accident victims may choose to pursue a personal injury claim after a roadway motor vehicle collision. While civil claims do not force criminal consequences onto offending parties, they can discourage similar behavior in the future. 

Moreover, civil claims can make it easier for you to recover financial compensation. Specifically, these claims allow you to demand damages equivalent to or exceeding the losses you endured due to someone else’s negligent actions.

If you decide to pursue a car accident claim or lawsuit, you may qualify to recover compensation for the following types of damages: 

• Pain and suffering
• Inconvenience
• Medical bills, including future medical care treatment costs
• Property damage costs, including your vehicle’s cash value if it was totaled
• Emotional distress, including psychological trauma
• Current and future loss of income
• Diminished quality of life
• Reduced earning capacity
• Loss of consortium
• Permanent disability, including vision or hearing loss
• Physical disfigurement, including amputation, scarring, and burn marks 

You can learn about both economic and non-economic damages that are recoverable in your case with assistance from a car accident attorney in Long Beach, NY. Specifically, we can gather together the bills relating to your losses and ensure that all of your losses are accounted for.

How a Long Beach Car Accident Attorney Can Help You With Your Claim

A personal injury attorney can investigate to determine who was liable and help you protect your rights. It starts with the police report from the crash scene, which could include statements from each driver and anyone else involved in the crash or eyewitnesses in the immediate area.

That report will also note whether a police officer gave either driver a ticket for violating a traffic law. Our legal team can then start digging into further evidence that might establish liability by seeing if any nearby intersections had cameras that might have captured video of the collision.

We may also check to see if there is any footage available from nearby businesses or residences that could be useful evidence. All of this evidence is key to figuring out who is responsible for your injuries and building a successful case. We may pursue a personal injury lawsuit against them to ensure that you receive the maximum compensation.

How to File an Auto Accident Claim in Long Beach

If you want to bring your claim to the attention of a civil court, you must do so via official documents. Specifically, Long Beach civil courts expect you to file a civil complaint detailing the nature of your losses within your case’s statute of limitations. 

You’re expected to include the following information in the documents you bring forward: 

• The nature of the incident
• Who you believe to be liable for your collision
• Evidence establishing both a duty of care and the aforementioned liability
• The nature of your crash-related losses, such as property damage and medical expenses 
• The value of your losses and evidence thereof 

Compiling this information can take a considerable amount of time. Fortunately, Long Beach auto accident attorneys can make the most of the data they’re able to take from the scene. Then, with assistance from bystanders and expert witnesses, we can build your case to seek fair compensation.

Who to Hold Liable for a Long Beach Car Accident

Other motorists aren’t the only parties who can be held responsible for car accidents in Long Beach, though roadway negligence can make another driver liable for your losses. You need to base claims of liability on the evidence made available to you at the scene of the incident. 

This evidence can indicate that any of the following parties bear responsibility for your losses: 

• Bicyclists
• Motorcyclists
• Truck drivers
• Corporate drivers
• Government officials
• Construction crews
• Packing crews
• Car manufacturers
• Auto mechanics 

There is even a chance that multiple parties may bear the fault for your losses – or that you may be responsible for a portion of your collision. You can divide fault accordingly under New York’s comparative negligence policy.

What Evidence to Bring Forward After a Long Beach Car Accident

When establishing liability, duty of care, and other essential factors in a personal injury claim, you need to bring forward evidence that is relevant to your claims. Without supporting evidence, the claims you make in a car collision complaint are solely that: claims.

You need to back your demands if you want a county clerk and affiliated parties to take your concerns seriously. A car accident attorney in Long Beach, NY, can give you the credibility you need. Having a lawyer can save you time and help you to avoid making costly mistakes.

The evidence that can often best help you argue that someone bears responsibility for your losses includes the following: 

• Footage of the crash as it occurred
• Bystander testimony regarding the nature of the wreck
• Expert witness statements
• Recreations conducted by experienced professionals
• Physical debris
• Insurance statements and/or police records 

Our job as personal injury attorneys is to gather the evidence relevant to your case. Once we have data regarding your losses and related fault on hand, we can better understand the story behind your crash.

When to File a Car Accident Claim in Long Beach

If it becomes necessary to file a personal injury lawsuit in your case, we will not hesitate to do so. In fact, there is a deadline we must keep in mind to preserve your right to sue. New York State determines the amount of time you have to seek compensation by filing a lawsuit. 

• According to CPLR § 214, the window to submit a personal injury lawsuit is generally limited to three years if you were injured.
• According to EPTL § 5-4.1, the window to submit a wrongful death lawsuit is generally limited to two years if a loved one was fatally injured. 

In addition to complying with the statute of limitations, involving our team early also means we have more time to build your case. The sooner you involve our team, the more time we will have to conduct interviews while memories are still fresh and investigate the scene for time-sensitive evidence.

You Are in Control of Your Car Accident Claim

Car accident claims serve many purposes. While these claims can primarily secure you the damages you need to recover from your injuries, they can also restore the sense of control you feel over your circumstances. 

In other words, you can choose to either pursue compensation through negotiations with the involved insurance companies or bring your case under the jurisdiction of a judge. You may even go back and forth between these options until you reach a conclusion that suits your needs.

How to Prepare for Car Accident Settlement Negotiations

Depending on the nature of the person with whom you got into an auto accident, you may receive a settlement offer before you have time to explore the legal options you are entitled to. Settlement offers are not malicious. In fact, most of them make it easier for you to avoid spending time in court.

That said, if the party you’re collaborating with to resolve your losses works for a corporation or represents a similar body, you need to be cautious. Corporate insurance companies want to prioritize their and their clients’ bottom lines more so than your overall well-being.

As such, bring your own estimate of your car accident settlement to settlement negotiations. If the offer made to you by an insurance provider seems insufficient, a car wreck lawyer in Long Beach, NY, can negotiate for more comprehensive support.

What to Expect From Civil Car Accident Trials

Civil trials tend to take more time to resolve than negotiations. This is because the court expects you and the defendant to adequately outline your arguments before a jury. You must do this by first presenting the nature of your argument and then elaborating on what evidence you have.

You may be expected to contribute a detailed description of the incident on the stand and to withstand cross-examination from the defense. At any point during a trial, save for deliberation, you can meet with the defendant and discuss how you might come to an arrangement out of court.

You can elaborate on what these civil engagements may look like when discussing your case with your car accident lawyer in Long Beach. While we may not be able to predict the length of your case, we can keep you up-to-date as your case progresses through the stages of a civil trial.

Find Out How Our Attorneys Can Help You Recover After a Long Beach Car Accident

After a Long Beach traffic accident, you shouldn’t have to deal with worsened financial difficulties. If you were hurt by someone who was careless, a vehicle accident lawyer from our firm may be able to fight for the most amount of compensation from them on your behalf.

You can request a case evaluation with one of our representatives today. Contact a personal injury lawyer at Morelli Law Firm by calling our office or reaching out to us through our website.