Some of Riverside’s most frequent locations for car accidents include Magnolia Avenue and Tyler Street, Tripoli Way and 52nd Avenue, Highway 111 and Frank Sinatra Road, and Arlington Avenue and Van Buren Boulevard. You’ll notice that these are all intersections, which is no accident.

While a car accident can happen on virtually any road, intersections are the most common sites of collisions. These areas can be congested and confusing, so a disproportionate number of car accidents in Riverside likely happen at intersections.

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Some reasons why intersections see an outsize number of motor vehicle collisions and pedestrian accidents include:

• Motorists traveling in different directions: When motorists are traveling in the same direction, there is a risk of collision. However, the risk of collision becomes even higher when motorists must cross paths or merge into the same lane, as they do at intersections.
• The need for drivers to exercise judgment at intersections: While traffic lights, stop signs, and other signals give much-needed direction at intersections, they are not enough to prevent accidents. That’s because drivers must also use their own judgment, and drivers’ judgment is far from perfect. For instance, when a light is green, a driver must determine when it is safe to turn left, and judgment lapses can lead to accidents.
• The added variable of pedestrians: When motorists are only tasked with avoiding collisions with other motor vehicles, this is still a tall task. When pedestrians are present at an intersection, it presents another challenge for motorists. Whether a motorist hits a pedestrian or causes a car accident when avoiding a pedestrian, there is no doubt that pedestrians’ presences increase the risk of a collision.
• The general chaos at busy intersections: When a motorist is driving on a highway with no other vehicle or pedestrian in sight, the risk of an accident is minuscule. Intersections present a much more chaotic scenario. Therefore, nobody should be surprised that the likelihood of a car accident at an intersection is heightened.

The risks of intersections become even greater when motorists are inexperienced, distracted, intoxicated, tired, or diminished in any other way.

A Car Accident Can Happen Anywhere, Especially When Someone Is Negligent

“Conflict points” at intersections are well-established as high-risk zones. The truth is, though, that a car accident can happen virtually anywhere in Riverside.

Even on roads with relatively little traffic, low speed limits, and abundant traffic signals, a car accident can occur when:

• Motorists fail in their duty of care: When a motorist drives a vehicle, they have a non-negotiable responsibility to act with caution. This means driving the speed limit, maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles, avoiding distraction, and engaging in other best driving practices.
• Motor vehicle manufacturers produce unsafe products: Those who design, manufacture, and assemble vehicles, vehicle components, cargo trailers, and other driving-related products must do so with care. If a defective product contributes to a car accident, those responsible for the defective product can be liable for resulting injuries, wrongful deaths, and related damages.
• Municipalities fail to protect motorists and pedestrians: Municipalities are responsible for ensuring safe road conditions. If road surfaces have potholes or other defects, traffic signals are absent or defective, work zones pose a danger, or other road conditions increase accident risk, the municipality can be liable for resulting car collisions.

Other failures can contribute to car accidents in Riverside. When someone is negligent—meaning they engage in an unreasonable action that often increases accident risk—those parties are responsible for resulting injuries and deaths.

What to Do After a Car Collision in Riverside, CA

If you or a loved one were in an accident, odds are that you have already left the scene. Time is still of the essence, and you should not wait to:

• Get a thorough medical evaluation and all necessary treatment: Whiplash and other more serious injuries from car accidents require immediate attention. In addition to the need to protect your health, getting medical care will provide a paper trail detailing how the car accident has harmed you. You may also need to report your injuries to insurers soon, so don’t wait to get all necessary medical attention.
• Document your accident-related damages: Your lawyer will document your accident-related damages in great detail, but you can help in the meantime. Keep copies of all medical images, doctors’ bills, and doctors’ notes, and consider writing down notes about your accident-related challenges, like physical pain.
• Hire a car accident lawyer: Now is the time to hire your car accident lawyer. Your attorney will immediately begin gathering evidence about the accident, documenting your damages, calculating your case value, and working towards settlement negotiations.

Your lawyer will give you clear instructions, and they will take over every step in your claim or lawsuit. This will ensure you can focus on recovery and treatment without concern about the status of your case.

Why Hiring a Lawyer Should Be a Top Priority After Your Accident

There are good reasons why so many car accident victims hire attorneys, and they do so quickly after the collision. Some of the most common reasons for hiring car accident lawyers include:

• Victims’ need to recover in peace: Many car accident victims deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The pain of being injured and the general hardships of life can also make it difficult for you to handle the demands of a claim or lawsuit. Hiring a lawyer will ensure you can recover quickly without interruptions from your case. 
• Lawyers’ financial and non-financial resources: Attorneys pay the cost of completing car accident cases. Your lawyer may also hire experts, reconstruct your accident, and invest other resources in your case. The lawyer’s time and the efforts of their paralegals and other staff will provide immense benefit for your case.
• The priceless value of lawyers’ experience and knowledge of the law: If you handle your own claim, you may have to learn about the insurance process, try to negotiate effectively, and struggle to obtain the result you seek. A lawyer is already familiar with laws, insurance practices, and other aspects of your case.

Car accident attorneys typically use contingency fees, which means they only receive a fee if they obtain a settlement or verdict for you. This ensures you don’t pay a cent out of your own pocket for legal services.

Reasons to Hire Your Car Accident Attorney as Soon as Possible

Hiring a lawyer is important, but hiring your lawyer as soon as possible is critical. Waiting to retain your car accident attorney might:

• Allow time-sensitive evidence, like traffic camera footage of the accident, to go uncollected
• Cause you to miss the statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit
• Allow liable parties to violate your rights (and perhaps scuttle your case) in the time that you don’t have a lawyer

You may also suffer from uncertainty and the stress of dealing with insurance companies if you don’t have a lawyer. As soon as you hire your attorney, these concerns will go away.

How Your Attorney Will Work to Ensure You’re Paid Fairly

Car accident lawyers take a step-by-step approach to build compelling cases and secure settlements and verdicts for their clients. Your lawyer will:

Secure All Evidence That Benefits Your Case

Your attorney and their team will secure evidence that helps prove who caused your car accident in Riverside. Some common types of evidence in car accident cases include:

• Witness accounts, which are often reliable because witnesses are objective parties whose words may confirm your account of the accident
• Video of the collision, which may come from traffic cameras, security cameras, cell phones, and dashboard cameras
• An expert’s reconstruction of the car accident
• Any police report related to your accident
• Photographs of vehicle damage, which can indicate how vehicles collided and who was responsible

Lawyers have an eye for high-value evidence. Allow a car accident attorney to secure evidence right away by hiring them as soon as possible.

Determine Who Is Financially Liable for Your Accident-Related Damages

Attorneys will use all available evidence to prove fault for your accident. When they know who is at fault for a collision, your lawyer can then determine who is financially liable for your damages.

Secure Proof of All Your Damages

Your legal team will prove how the car accident has caused you both economic and non-economic harm. Some types of documentation they may use to prove your damages include:

• Your doctors’ notes about your injuries and symptoms
• X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and other medical images showing your injuries
• All bills for accident-related medical care
• A mental health professional’s evaluation of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and other conditions that qualify as pain and suffering
• Income statements from before the car accident, which may show a drop-off in (or total loss of) income
• Bills or estimates for repairing or replacing your damaged car
• Bills for temporary transportation you need while your car is inoperable

Some car accident victims need medical equipment, rehabilitation, and other items and services that are relevant to their cases. Your attorney will create a personalized record of damages that portrays your unique economic and non-economic damages.

Calculate Your Unique Case Value

Car accidents range in their costs and can even cause millions of dollars in damages in severe cases. Your lawyer will rely on expert opinions, financial documentation, and other relevant information to calculate the exact amount of money you are entitled to.

Negotiate with Insurers

Insurance companies are often the first parties responsible for car accident victims’ damages. When insurers issue policies, they become responsible for accidents the policyholder causes.

Your car accident lawyer may negotiate settlements with the following:

• The insurance provider for the motorist that caused your accident
• The insurance provider of a party responsible for a negligent motorist, like an employer
• Your own insurance provider

Different insurers may owe you different amounts of compensation. Your lawyer will determine how much each insurer owes you and then negotiate for fair settlements from each.

File a Lawsuit, If You Decide To

As soon as you hire a lawyer, the option of filing a lawsuit becomes available to you. Because lawyers know when and how to file lawsuits, they will waste no time in filing suit (if you choose to do so).

Lead You Through Trial, If Necessary

If you file suit, your lawyer can still seek a settlement. If no fair settlement offers come, your attorney can represent you in court and ask a jury to award fair compensation for your accident-related damages.

Recoverable Damages Your Lawyer Will Seek Compensation For

Your lawyer will gain a clear, detailed understanding of the injuries, financial costs, and pain and suffering you’ve suffered because of the accident. Your record of damages may include:

• Medical bills
• Lost income
• Diminished earning power
• Vehicle repair costs
• The cost of replacing damaged property (like clothing and a damaged phone)
• Pain and suffering
• Mental health treatment costs

If you are disabled, suffer catastrophic injuries, or face other extraordinary circumstances, your lawyer will account for such harm when calculating your case value.

Find Your Riverside Car Accident Lawyer as Soon as Possible

Hiring a lawyer can make for a pain-free fight for compensation. Your lawyer will deal with insurance companies, ensure no bad-faith tactics lead to an unfavorable case outcome, and fight relentlessly for the compensation you are entitled to.

Remember that there are often strict deadlines for car accident cases. Don’t wait to find your lawyer and turn them loose in pursuit of the money you deserve. Banderas Law helps car accident survivors in Riverside, Ontario, and throughout San Bernardino County, so get your free consultation today.