A crash happens and suddenly your head is spinning. Police reports, insurance company calls, medical bills stacking up, and endless questions about what you're supposed to do next. The confusion makes everything worse. You don't know if you should hire a lawyer, what to say to the insurance company, or how much your case is actually worth. The answers feel out of reach because nobody's explaining them clearly.
The truth is most crash victims make decisions in the dark, and those decisions cost them money. Insurance companies count on that confusion. They hope you'll accept their first offer, miss deadlines, or say something that weakens your position. Knowledge changes that dynamic completely. When you know what to expect, you can protect yourself from the start.
Having straight answers to the most common questions removes the guesswork and prevents costly mistakes. That's exactly what a clear San Diego car accident FAQ resource provides.
What To Do Immediately After a Crash
Safety comes first, always. If you can safely move out of traffic, do it. Turn on hazard lights, stay calm, and check for injuries. Call 911 if anyone is hurt or the crash is severe. Police reports matter enormously, so call them even for minor accidents. Getting an official report creates a record that insurance companies and lawyers rely on later.
Exchange information with the other driver. Get their name, phone number, address, insurance company, policy number, and driver's license number. Get the vehicle details too. Take photos of everything: vehicle damage, the crash scene, traffic signs, weather conditions, skid marks, the other vehicle. Your phone is your best documentation tool right now.
Seek medical evaluation even if you feel fine. Adrenaline masks pain, and injuries reveal themselves hours or days later. Getting examined and documented immediately creates a record linking your injuries to the crash. This matters legally because it proves causation.
Do You Need a Lawyer Right Away?
The answer depends on the complexity. Minor crashes with clear liability and low injury costs? You might handle it yourself. Serious injuries, multiple vehicles, disputed fault, or significant medical bills? You need a lawyer. Insurance companies have adjusters and lawyers working against you, so having your own representation levels the playing field.
Free consultations are standard. Call a personal injury attorney, explain what happened, and they'll tell you honestly whether your case needs legal help. There's zero risk in asking. Many attorneys handle cases on contingency, meaning they only get paid if you recover money. You're not out anything upfront when you're already dealing with medical costs.
The real question isn't whether you can afford a lawyer. It's whether you can afford not to have one. Insurance companies lowball unrepresented claimants constantly. A lawyer's fee often comes back many times over in better settlements.
How Settlements Are Calculated
Settlements account for both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are concrete: medical bills, lost wages, vehicle repair costs, future treatment expenses. Non-economic damages are harder to quantify but equally real: pain and suffering, emotional distress, reduced quality of life, permanent scarring or disability.
California uses comparative fault rules, which means if you're partially responsible for the crash, your recovery gets reduced by your percentage of fault. If you're found twenty percent at fault, you recover eighty percent of the total damages. This is why documentation and clear liability matter. Insurance companies will try to shift blame onto you.
Settlements get calculated by looking at similar cases, medical evidence of the injury's severity, expert opinions on long-term impact, and what juries in your area typically award. Your documentation of every medical visit, every expense, every day you couldn't work strengthens the calculation.
How Long Does It All Take?
Most straightforward claims settle within three to six months. Complex cases with serious injuries, multiple parties, or disputed liability can take a year or longer. Insurance companies know that time works in their favor. The longer a case drags on, the more pressure you feel, and the more likely you'll accept a lower offer just to end it.
Common delays include slow medical treatment progress, insurance companies requesting more information, disputes over liability, or disagreements about damages. Your attorney can speed things up by staying organized, meeting deadlines, and keeping pressure on the other side. Managing expectations means knowing that patience often pays off in better settlements.
Conclusion
The journey from crash to compensation follows a predictable path once you understand it. Document everything, get medical attention immediately, and bring in legal help early. These steps protect your claim and your recovery.
You're not helpless after a crash. You have options and protections built into the system. Acting confidently and informed means the difference between getting fairly compensated and struggling to recover what you've actually lost.
Having access to a clear San Diego car accident FAQ keeps you from making expensive mistakes at exactly the moment you need guidance most.
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