Trial Lawyers
Are The Difference

Our attorneys have been assisting the Orange County and Southern California communities for over 40 years.

Request free consultation

San Bernardino Car Accident Attorney

Request free consultation

Car accidents are some of the most common reasons injured individuals reach out for legal assistance. A car accident can severely complicate someone’s life, and vehicle damage is just the beginning. Serious injuries resulting from car accidents can prevent a victim from returning to work, cause permanent physical and psychological trauma, and destroy financial security. Insurance doesn’t always cover the full extent of a victim’s injuries, and that’s where our San Bernardino car accident attorneys can help.

The team at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo understands what car accident victims and their families endure. For the last three decades, we’ve built a reputation for excellence in personal injury cases in San Bernardino. Our job extends far beyond negotiating settlements and aggressively pursuing lawsuits.

We are also some of the most accessible accident attorneys in the area and we’ll take the time to come to you to discuss a case. If you need medical help, we’ll ensure you have access to qualified healthcare professionals. We want to help you make the best possible recovery after suffering from a car accident.

Why Choose DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo for This Claim?

  • At DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo, we have been helping personal injury victims in San Bernardino and throughout California since 1979.
  • Our team has recovered significant multimillion-dollar settlements and jury verdicts on behalf of car accident victims over the last three decades.
  • We strive to have open communication with our clients, and you will always have a personal injury attorney available to answer your questions or listen to your concerns while your case is ongoing.

DAM firm legal team

What Will a Car Accident Attorney Do to Help Your Case?

Insurance carriers will do what they can to limit how much money you recover for your claim. Often, this means they may even deny your claim initially, or they may try to shift some or all of the blame for the incident onto you. When you have a skilled San Bernardino vehicle accident lawyer by your side, you will have an advocate available to push back against any tactic by the insurance carrier.

Your lawyer will have the resources necessary to help you through every step. This will include fully investigating the incident to find the evidence needed to prove what happened and ensuring that you are evaluated by a trusted medical professional. Your lawyer will be the one to negotiate with the other parties involved. You will not have to handle any of that. If necessary, your car accident lawyer will fully prepare your case for a trial by jury to ensure that you are treated fairly. In a case where you have lost a loved one in a car accident, our San Bernardino wrongful death lawyers can help.

Who is Liable After a San Bernardino Car Accident?

Determining liability is the key factor in any vehicle accident case. Some cases are clear-cut, but many involve factors that are not readily apparent. For instance, you might assume that the driver is always at fault in a single-car crash. However, many single-car crashes occur because of a defective part. In those cases, the manufacturer is wholly liable for any resulting damage and injuries. In accidents involving multiple vehicles, one or more drivers may shoulder some of the responsibility.

Every case is different, and only a careful evaluation of the facts will yield the information needed to hold a defendant accountable for the accident and resulting injuries. Other drivers on the roads, truckers, auto manufacturers, rideshare companies, and roadway construction companies may be potential defendants in a car accident claim. We may also hold an auto insurance company liable for failing to honor the terms of a policy and provide fair compensation.

Car Accident Injuries in San Bernardino

When most people think of car accident injuries, they think of the traumatic injuries that occur, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Fractured or dislocated bones
  • Lacerations or puncture wounds
  • Severe internal damage
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Severe bruising, sprains, and strains
  • Whiplash
  • Concussions

In addition to physical traumatic injuries, crash victims may also endure significant but less visible physical and emotional pain and suffering. Physical pain and suffering can be caused by the initial injuries, as well as the ongoing recovery process and any disability caused by the incident. Emotional and psychological pain and suffering often arise not only as a result of the pain of the injuries but also any loss of quality of life due to the incident.

Data from the California Office of Traffic Safety indicates that there were more than 226,000 total traffic collision injuries across the state of California during the most recent reporting year of information on file.

What Type of Compensation is Available for These Claims?

San Bernardino car accident victims are often able to recover a range of compensation types if their claim is successful. At DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo, our goal is to help clients recover both economic and non-economic damages through an insurance settlement or as a result of a personal injury jury verdict.

Economic damages. Economic damages, sometimes referred to as special damages, revolve around calculable expenses San Bernardino car accident victims will most likely incur. These are verifiable expenses for the most part, meaning we can examine receipts and bills crash victims receive to adequately calculate the losses. Some of the most common economic damages associated with these incidents include:

  • Coverage of emergency medical expenses
  • Payment for any follow-up doctor or hospital care
  • Rehabilitation, prescription medication, or physical therapy costs
  • Out-of-pocket expenses are rising due to the incident
  • Lost wages or loss of future earning potential caused by injuries or disability
  • Property damage expenses

Non-economic damages. There are various types of less calculable expenses crash victims often endure, and these are referred to as non-economic damages, or general damages. These types of losses revolve around the physical and emotional pain and suffering endured by a crash victim, which means there typically will not be receipts or bills that can quantify the damages. There are other accepted calculation methods for non-economic damages after a San Bernardino car accident, and your attorney can help you with this process.

There is no set amount of compensation paid to injured crash victims. There are various factors that can influence the total settlement amount, including the severity of your injuries, whether or not you can work, how long it takes to recover from your personal injury, how much it costs to repair your vehicle, and whether or not you shared any fault for the incident.

How Much Does a San Bernardino Car Accident Attorney Cost?

Affording an attorney to help with your car accident case is easier than you think. At DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo, we handle car accident claims on a contingency fee basis. For you, this means absolutely no upfront or out-of-pocket costs related to your case. You will not even have to pay legal fees until after we successfully recover the compensation you need to get through this. You will pay an agreed-upon percentage out of the final settlement or jury verdict. Additionally, if we do not win your case, you will not pay any legal fees at all.

san bernardino car accident lawyer

Steps You Need to Take After a Vehicle Accident

After a vehicle accident occurs in San Bernardino, there are various steps you can take not only to ensure your chances of making a successful recovery but also your chances of recovering fair compensation. As we review some of the steps you should take after an incident occurs, we understand that not all of these steps will necessarily occur in this exact order. However, we encourage you to do everything you can to accomplish the tasks on this list, and if you have any questions, talk to your lawyer as soon as possible.

  • Go to the hospital. You need to go to the hospital or emergency room for an evaluation after your vehicle accident. You can take the ambulance, or you can have someone drive you there right after the incident occurs. Not only does this establish a link between the incident and any injuries you sustained, but it also helps ensure that any hidden injuries come to light. Often, the signs and symptoms of crash injuries do not appear until hours or even days after the incident occurs. Some of the common serious injuries from car accidents include brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. If you do not seek medical treatment right away, this could give the insurance carrier a reason to deny your claim.
  • Gather evidence if you can. It may be possible to gather evidence at the scene of the incident. The best way to do this is to get out a cell phone and start taking pictures or videos of everything that you see, including injuries, property damage, license plates, traffic conditions, causes of the crash, and more. Additionally, if there are any eyewitnesses who saw what happened, get their names and contact information written down immediately.
  • Reach out to an attorney. You should reach out to a San Bernardino car accident lawyer soon after the incident occurs. The quicker your attorney can get involved, the better. An auto accident lawyer in San Bernardino can help guide you towards the best path moving forward, and they will have the resources necessary to fully investigate the incident.
  • Call your insurance carrier. Your insurance carrier needs to know about the car accident very soon after it happens. You do not have to go into much detail when you initially report the incident. All the insurance carrier needs to know is that you are seeking medical treatment for your injuries along with the names and contact information of others involved. Be very guarded with what you tell any insurance carrier that contacts you, and refer claims adjusters to your attorney. Never agree to give any recorded statements to the insurance carrier.
  • Keep any important documentation. Keep any type of documentation that comes in after the crash occurs. This includes medical bills, property damage estimates, your medical records, proof of lost wages, notes from an employer, and more.
  • Continue medical treatment. It is vital that you continue medical care until your doctor releases you. This includes going to all follow-up treatment, physical therapy or rehabilitation, and using any medical devices recommended by the doctor. If you discontinue any treatment early, this could be taken as assigned by the insurance carrier that you have not sustained as severe an injury as claimed.

How Long Do You Have to File a Car Accident Claim in San Bernardino?

Car accident victims in San Bernardino should plan to file their claims as promptly as possible. First, insurance carriers typically require the incidents to be reported within a day or two after the incident occurs. Failing to do so could result in a claim delay or denial. However, aside from insurance carrier reporting, we have to remain cognizant of the California personal injury statute of limitations.

In this state, personal injury claims must be filed in civil court against the alleged negligent party within two years from the date the injury occurred. Failing to file a claim within this two-year time limit will likely result in the case getting dismissed, leaving the crash victim unable to recover any compensation for their losses.

When you work with your San Bernardino car accident attorney, they will quickly assess which deadlines apply to you and get your claim filed on time.

Timeline For Your San Bernardino Car Accident Claim – How Long Will It Take?

We understand that you need compensation after a vehicle accident occurs, and you need it as quickly as possible. However, the actual timeline for recovering the compensation you need will vary depending on the circumstances surrounding your particular claim.

Most vehicle accident cases get resolved with a settlement from an insurance carrier. These settlements can occur as quickly as a few weeks or months after the incident occurs if fault for the incident is relatively straightforward and there are no other complications. However, if there are any disputes over liability or any other aspect of the claim, such as how much compensation to pay out, this will likely delay the case.

If the insurance carrier or other parties involved refused to offer a fair settlement, it may be necessary for the crash victim, via their attorney, to file a lawsuit against the alleged medical giant party in civil court. This will start the discovery process, which is when attorneys for both sides exchange information with one another, including evidence, witness statements, and any other information that could be used in the trial. Attorneys will also have a chance to take depositions of potential witnesses. The discovery process can take quite some time and can even last more than a year after the case gets filed. In the event the claim does not get settled during this process, a jury trial will be scheduled.

Our San Bernardino Car Accident Lawyers Can Help You Secure Fair Compensation

At DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo, our San Bernardino work accident attorneys fight hard to obtain the best possible outcome for our clients based on careful considerations of financial losses, job impacts, and current and future medical expenses. In some cases, we can effectively settle cases out of court saving time and money while maximizing compensation. If needed, we can and will pursue a trial.

Every initial consultation is free. For more information about how we can help you recover after a car accident, contact our office in San Bernardino at (909) 436-4610 today.

Request Free Consultation

  • *required fields
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.