Car Accidents in Yuba City: Frequently Asked Questions

• What should I do after a Yuba City car accident?

There are three types of car accidents. fender-benders that result in property damage, serious accidents that result in ambulances, and then everything in between. Before you file an insurance claim, you must file a police report in the state of California. So unless the accident results in very minimal damage to your vehicle, you should call the police. In California, if there was injury or death – whether to a driver or pedestrian – you must by law to contact the police or highway patrol and make a written report within 24 hours of the incident. In cases of accidents that happen in California involving injury, death or property damage exceeding $1,000, drivers must also report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days..

• What happens when I call police after a car accident?

The police will take statements from parties involved and witnesses. However, their main duty is to get any injured person to the hospital and clear the scene so that traffic can resume. Therefore, it is dangerous to rely on police reports to provide you with accurate information regarding the accident. You may completely feel as though you were in the right, but the police report will get a key fact wrong and now you have to fight the police report too. In some cases, this can be very easy, especially if you took photos at the scene. The police are more interested in returning the road to its proper function than ensuring your personal injury claim moves forward smoothly.

• How should I report the car accident?

You MUST report the car accident to the police prior to filing an insurance claim. It should be filed within 24 hours of the accident. So, there are three ways to do that. You can either call your local police department when you get home if the accident was minor, call the police to the scene to take a report, or, if you are seriously injured, the police can be called to the hospital to take a report. You should then report the accident to your insurer who will begin processing the claim.

• Whose insurance is responsible in a car accident?

California is a tort state when it comes to car accidents. That means you file a claim on the other driver’s insurance policy to recover damages related to vehicle damage and injuries. Every driver is required to carry an insurance policy of $15,000 per driver and $30,000 per accident. That doesn’t mean that every driver has insurance, however. In your typical car accident, the claim will be filed against the at-fault driver’s insurance. The at-fault driver’s insurance company would take liability for the accident and then pay the claim.

• What happens if their policy doesn’t cover my expenses?

Drivers in California are encouraged to purchase policies for uninsured and underinsured drivers. These policies pay out in the event that your expenses are more than the at-fault driver’s insurance policy. You can file a lawsuit directly against the driver, but drivers who carry the bare minimum in insurance tend not to have a lot of assets from which to draw. For that reason, insurance companies are required to offer underinsured driver’s policies which would pick up the difference in the event that an at-fault driver’s policy does not cover expenses. You should carry this insurance since California’s requirements are comparatively low against other states.

If you are involved in a hit-and-run accident or the other driver does not have insurance, then you can file a claim on your uninsured driver’s policy. In these cases, you’re filing the claim on your own policy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t need a lawyer.

• How does a lawyer help recover damages after a Yuba City car accident?

Lawyers generally become involved in cases where the car accident victim suffered serious injury and required medical intervention. The stakes are high when you’re missing time from work and don’t have money coming in to pay expenses and you will only get one chance to settle your claim. Insurance companies have a duty to defend their policyholders from claims, and it also benefits them to reduce your recovery as much as possible. A Yuba City car accident attorney will ensure that you are properly compensated for all your injuries. We will also allow you to use your time to recover from your accident as opposed to fighting with insurance companies.

Vehicle accident statistics in Yuba City

Sutter County is ranked the 10th most dangerous county for vehicle accidents in California. While California as a whole tends to have more vehicle accidents than other states, Sutter County held its own in a state where almost every city has more traffic accidents than the national average.

In 2019, 785 were either injured or killed in vehicle accidents. Alcohol was involved in 1 out of every 8 accidents. 1 out of every 5 involved speeding. Pedestrian and cyclist accidents were both lower than the state average, but the overall number of accidents in Sutter County was higher.

More than half of the Sutter County accidents occurred within the municipal territory of Yuba City which reported a total of 420 vehicle accidents in 2019. Alcohol was involved in one out of every ten of these accidents. Speeding accounted for nearly one out of every four.

Why hire Wyatt Law?

We have over 40 years of experience filing tort lawsuits on behalf of injured car accident victims in California. We do not charge any upfront fees to file your suit and work entirely on contingency, meaning we don’t get paid unless you are paid. We can also help organize your medical care with your doctor if you do not have insurance. In other words, we would promise to repay them against your settlement so that you can get the treatment you need when you need it.

Mr. Russ Wyatt is a former U.S. Marine and Iraq War veteran. He runs a family law firm with his sons fighting for injured car accident victims during insurance settlement negotiations. For more information on handling your claim, contact us today by clicking here. Our office is conveniently located just a five-minute walk from the Yuba City courthouse. Call today to learn more!