We help local victims who are struck by teen drivers on a Bakersfield street or a Kern County Highway. If you have been hurt in a collision, contact us for a free consultation.
You can find out more about what we can do for car accident victims on our Bakersfield Car Accident Lawyer page.
Deciding If You Need a Car Accident Lawyer
After a young driver’s mistake forces you into an accident, the severity of your injuries will usually determine whether you should turn your case over to a lawyer or not. You are probably alright handling your own claim in an accident involving very minor bumps and bruises and/or vehicle damage.
If your run-in with a teen motorist causes more serious injury consequences, you can still handle your case yourself, but you’ll probably have a much better outcome with a lawyer’s help.
A lawyer can often help you in these situations:
- If you suffer a broken bone
- If you suffer a head or brain injury
- If you endure a neck or back injury
- If you suffer a deep cut
- If you suffer tendon, ligament, or muscle damage
- If your child or another family member is hurt in an accident
- If a loved one is killed in a tragic Bakersfield traffic accident
If you still aren’t sure if you’ll need a lawyer’s help, take advantage of a free case consultation. It’s a no-risk way to go over your case with a real, local attorney.
Take Advantage of a Free Case Consultation After a Bakersfield Accident
Everyone in Kern County can take advantage of a free meeting with a real lawyer after a personal injury accident. There’s no obligation for this consultation.
We understand that a bad accident can disrupt your normal life for weeks or months. We want to help you answer your questions and be ready for the tactics insurance companies may use against you. We want you to have the best outcome for your case, even if you don’t end up needing our help to file a claim.
The Types of Things that Are Compensated in an Accident Settlement Claim
The victims of young drivers would have needed to file claims against the driver’s car insurance policy, or more likely, their parents’ policy.
But support isn’t offered automatically. Victims will need enough evidence to present when insurance adjusters try to blame them for an accident instead of a teen who got reckless. The evidence a skilled attorney collects can help fight back against baseless accusations. Medical details can also help if an insurer wants to downplay how bad the injuries are, simply for a discount on a settlement.
Once these insurance tactics are deflected, a Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyer would be demanding support for these and other hardships:
- The total on all your current medical bills
- The total estimate for any care you could require in the future
- Estimates on a lifetime of care if you must live with a permanent physical disability
- Support for the physical pain you experience
- Support for the emotional trauma you must cope with
- Support for the loss of enjoyment of life caused by a serious injury
- Support for the income you may lose while down with an injury
- Support to help you find a new career if an injury keeps you out of your former job or profession
The Types of Accidents Teen Drivers Most Commonly Cause
New drivers on Bakersfield streets can show their lack of experience and cause dangerous collisions.
They are required to complete time in driving school and to drive with an instructor (and parent), but the true experience they need only comes by being alone on the road.
Drivers 19 and under can make mistakes and even become reckless, perhaps under peer pressure. Most new drivers are trying to be as safe as possible, but busy roads and intersections like Niles Street and Beale Avenue can confuse inexperienced drivers.
These are just a few of the common types of accidents young drivers cause:
- Distracted Driving Accidents: Teen drivers are prohibited from using a cellphone for any reason, except to make an emergency call. That’s according to the Office of Traffic Safety in California. Unfortunately, younger drivers can ignore the law and take their eyes off the road.
- Sideswipe Accidents: These collisions generally involve lane change mistakes. A young driver may not have enough experience to check mirrors and blind spots before a lane shift.
- Head-On Collisions: Teens with a poor sense of awareness can go over a double yellow line without realizing it. A devastating head-on collision might result.
- T-Bone Accidents: Intersections present the most complicated decisions and tasks for young drivers. Running a red light or failing to yield the right of way when turning can lead to a devastating broadside accident.
- Speeding Accidents: Young drivers can be tempted to open up their engines on the road. They may lose control and slam into an defenseless driver, pedestrian, or rider.
- Rearend Collisions: Drivers who are still minors can make the mistake of following other cars too closely and end up ramming another vehicle from behind. They might also be distracted and fail to see a traffic light turn red, and end up hitting vehicles that had already stopped.
Gathering Evidence of a Teen Driver’s Liability
The angle of impact and the mistakes made by a young driver can all be shown with evidence from the scene. The photos you take right after a collision can help show just how an accident unfolded.
Your Bakersfield car accident attorney would also secure a Bakersfield Police or CHP accident report to build up your case. Our lawyers also seek out witness testimony and request surveillance and dash cam video before it’s erased. Accident reconstruction teams are also available to calculate the physics of a collision, to clearly show whose error caused an accident.
Contact a Bakersfield Teen Driver Accident Lawyer
If you suffered a serious injury, and a young driver caused your accident, it’s a good idea to take advantage of a free case review. Contact us to set up a meeting with a real lawyer.
Reach out to a lawyer as soon as possible. Our state allows victims to wait up to two years to file an accident claim, but patients shouldn’t wait months or years to explore their options. Valuable evidence can disappear, and witnesses can become hard to reach. Contact a skilled attorney within days of your accident while the evidence is still fresh.
We also understand that a major accident and injury can quickly wipe out your savings. You may not have the money to hire a lawyer. But don’t worry. If you need us, we only get paid if we win your case for you. Then our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company writes for you.