Road rage is a rising traffic issue that can frighten us, and also send us headlong into collisions. Suspects may be facing criminal charges for their behavior, but they are also responsible for the damage and harm they cause.
Road rage accident victims can be responsible for car damage, and for the medical bills that may come along with an injury after a crash. Road rage drivers should have car insurance that victims can draw from, but adjusters can hassle victims and try to limit the support they receive.
A skilled attorney can help you stick up for your rights as a victim and secure more. Our Bakersfield car accident lawyers offer a free, no-obligation consultation for all accident victims in Kern County. It’s a chance to find out how to hold a road rage driver fully accountable and find out how to shield yourself from insurance company tactics that rob you of support.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Road Rage Car Accident?
If a scary road rage accident only results in some car damage and perhaps some minor bumps and bruises, you may not need a lawyer to get money to fix your vehicle. However, if your injuries are serious and a road rage driver is to blame, it’s an excellent idea to go over your options with Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield.
Road rage cases can be complex, and when medical bills start to stack up, insurers fight harder against giving you everything you need to rebuild your health and your life.
Here are some of the ways a skilled attorney can protect your rights and help you earn more:
- Investigating Your Case. Our attorneys begin an immediate investigation into what happened. The investigation delves into the other driver’s history as well. Witnesses are tracked down for testimony. Any security footage or dashcam footage of what happened is secured. Accident reports prepared by the Bakersfield Police or the CHP are gathered. Accident reconstruction teams can be brought in to make sure it’s clear who caused a crash.
- Collecting Evidence. Road rage accidents can be different from normal accidents because you may have to prove the other driver caused the accident, as well as proving the driver intended to crash into you. A lawyer can help you prove intent, leaving insurers with no way to try to shift blame in the collision to you.
- Submitting Your Claim. We submit your claim for you, while giving you the time to focus on healing. A claim must include a full list of your hardships, and they must all be backed with documentation. This alerts the insurance company to what you expect it to cover. Anything left off can end up as a cost you have to pay out of your own pocket.
- Strong Negotiation. Our attorneys have experience taking on giant insurance companies at the negotiating table. We know what your case is worth, and we fight until we reach that amount. We know when insurers are extending “lowball” offers that won’t cover all of your recovery costs. We help you reject these claims and demand more.
- Ready with a Lawsuit. When car insurance companies refuse to take responsibility for an out-of-control policyholder, we are prepared with a lawsuit. We can take the insurer to court if they won’t offer what’s fair. This is a last resort, and personal injury cases rarely reach this stage. When insurers realize they may have to go before a judge and jury, they usually come back to the negotiating table and make a much better offer. They want to avoid the cost of going to court. They also want to avoid the bad publicity.
Road Rage Dangers on the Streets of Bakersfield
We can all get frustrated with rush hour traffic on Highway 99. We might be unhappy with a driver who pulls out in front of us on Ming Avenue. These are the unpleasant parts of local travel that can make any of us mad.
But some people take their anger too far and let it explode into something called road rage. Road rage is a common problem and is defined as violent or aggressive action taken by drivers or passengers to intimidate, scare, or even harm other motorists. Road rage can also target pedestrians and cyclists.
Some people respond to a highway confrontation by driving aggressively and trying to catch up to the driver who ticked them off. They may tailgate or try to speed up to cut the driver who offended them off. In the most frightening occurrences, suspects can get out of their cars and attempt to physically assault other motorists. They may use a weapon like a bat or gun to make their point or to hurt someone.
Their actions can also lead to careless accidents, and in extreme cases, road rage drivers can even purposely cause collisions and ram another vehicle.
ABC 30 in Fresno reported that California topped all states for road rage dangers in a recent study. The data showed that our state earned a 100 out of 100 score for confrontational drivers.
The damage done to cars and the injuries caused by road rage outbursts are the financial responsibility of those who cause accidents and harm. It’s often up to a lawyer to help victims make sure suspects are held 100% liable for medical bills, lost time at work, and for car replacement costs. Victims should also receive support for the pain their injuries cause and the emotional trauma they must deal with after a frightening road rage incident.
Does a Road Rage Driver Have to be Convicted Before I Can File an Accident Claim?
No. Your accident claim is a civil claim, settled separately from the road rage criminal charges. In California, a road rage driver can be charged with things like reckless driving, assault with a deadly weapon, and criminal threat. These charges would be settled in criminal proceedings, but they don’t affect the victim’s ability to file a personal injury claim. The victim can file a claim at any time, even if the suspect hasn’t faced a trial yet. The victim can also file an accident claim, even if the at-fault driver isn’t found guilty of any offenses related to road rage.
Can I Receive Support If I’m Partially to Blame for a Road Rage Accident?
Yes. California allows for drivers to share the blame in accidents. Drivers may be assigned percentages of fault for the road rage incident. Then, if one driver assigned partial blame, say 40% of the fault, won injury support, that award would be reduced by that 40% of liability. The fault could be divided between two drivers in an incident where both motorists made threatening gestures and followed each other. But the majority of the fault would usually go to the driver who caused the physical damage and physical harm, and victims could still earn substantial compensation for their injury hardships.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney Who Builds Your Case with Powerful Evidence and Fights to Earn You More
If you have a serious injury, and a careless driver caused your accident, contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield to schedule a free consultation. It’s a confidential, no-obligation review of your case with a real Bakersfield car accident attorney.
Your full recovery becomes our number one mission. We don’t stop fighting until you are 100% healed and have the money you need to restore your normal life.
If you end up needing our help to hold a road-rage driver responsible for a traffic accident, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll afford a great lawyer. We don’t charge anything up front, and 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.