Your Health and Your Options After a California Car Accident

California has a well-earned reputation for being a car-centric state. There are nearly 15 million cars in California. They clog the roads and freeways and, sometimes, get into dangerous accidents.

We should protect ourselves as much as possible on the road, of course. That means wearing our seat belts, practicing defensive driving, following traffic laws, and all of that other good stuff. But it would be silly for us to tell you that even the most dedicated effort to stay safe on the road could be foolproof. You know the truism: No matter what you do behind the wheel, you can’t control what other people do. And that can have tragic consequences.

We can’t ever be completely sure that we won’t end up getting hurt in a car accident. But we can prepare ourselves for the possibility by familiarizing ourselves with the best practices and options we’ll need to know about afterwards.

Getting help immediately

The first thing that you should do after any type of vehicle accident is check yourself (and then others) for injuries, and immediately call for help if necessary. Calling the authorities is actually mandatory under California law if the accident causes an injury (or damages of over $1,000).

Yes, a trip in an ambulance can be very expensive. But now is not the time to think about that. If you’re skimping on the care you need immediately after an accident, your health outcomes are going to be much worse. Besides, as we’ll see later on, you won’t necessarily be on the hook for that ambulance ride.

Long-term care

If your injuries are serious enough, you’ll have to keep treating them. It’s important to be proactive about addressing any injuries or potential injuries, because untreated problems with your body could emerge later or exacerbate other issues.

Don’t skimp on care, but don’t banish the bills from your mind, either. Keep track of everything, take notes, balance your checkbook, and hold onto every scrap of paper related to your treatment, and its cost. If your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be able to get them to cover these costs, instead of you.

Your legal options

Caring for yourself after a serious injury should be your number one priority. But it is neither cheap nor easy to do this, and there are other threats to you, your loved ones, and your future to worry about. Those threats include the costs, and the suffering that the injury has left you with. If you can’t work, who will pay your bills? If you’re taking out loans to cover medical care, who will pay them off?

This is when you need to consider your legal options. As soon as possible, you need to round up everything that you have related to your accident and injuries (from police reports to medical bills to pay stubs), and meet with a personal injury attorney. Look for a trusted professional who operates in your area. Ideally, you’ll find one who specializes in your particular type of accident, explains a reputable Orange County car accident attorney.

Set up an initial consultation, and share your evidence with your attorney. Tell your story clearly and stick to the facts. Hopefully, your attorney will see that you have a case against the party whose negligence caused the accident and your injuries, and you’ll get the ball rolling on a personal injury case. If that happens, you may be compensated for your expenses and your suffering.

Of course, we hope that you never have to do any of this. But if you are injured in a California car accident, it will be important to know what to do to care for yourself, and what your options are for rebuilding your life.