CAR ACCIDENTS

Accidents With Out-of-State Driver

There are numerous different types of car accidents. Regardless of the type, car accidents raise many complex issues. For example, accidents involving an out-of-state driver raise questions regarding a victim’s ability to recover compensation for his or her injuries. Generally, car accidents can result in significant physical injuries that greatly alter your quality of life. They clearly result in substantial medical bills, lost income, potential disability, death, and pain and suffering. The experienced attorneys at Slatter Law Firm will aggressively fight to recover the maximum compensation for your injuries.

If you were involved in a car accident with an out-of-state driver, you will likely be concerned about obstacles to compensation for your injuries. However, Code of Civil Procedure section 401.10 grants California courts the authority to exercise jurisdiction over nonresident drivers. In other words, if a nonresident driver’s negligence caused your accident, the nonresident driver is financially responsible for your damages and injuries. Additionally, if a nonresident driver violates a California traffic law, the nonresident driver can be ticketed in the same manner as a resident driver.

These accidents are governed by the laws of negligence. Specifically, California’s traffic laws and laws of negligence apply to all drivers in their state, including nonresidents. Therefore, a nonresident cannot claim ignorance of California law as a defense. Instead, nonresident drivers must operate their vehicle with reasonable care so as to prevent harm to other drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. If the nonresident driver violates a California traffic law or otherwise fails to drive reasonably, the nonresident driver may be at-fault for your injuries.

California also has specific laws regarding automobile insurance coverage that applies to all drivers, including nonresident drivers. Generally, California requires all drivers to cover the damages relating to their use of a vehicle. In other words, nonresident drivers must have automobile insurance or financial assets that cover the following:

At least $15,000 for each person injured or killed in an accident;
At least $30,000 for multiple people’s injuries or deaths; and
At least $5,000 for property damage.

However, the at-fault nonresident driver may have insufficient insurance coverage. In these cases, the nonresident driver’s personal assets must be used to cover your damages and injuries. Alternatively, you may obtain additional compensation through your insurance policy’s uninsured motorist coverage. Accidents with nonresident drivers clearly raise many complicated legal issues. Therefore, it is vitally important that you hire an experienced accident attorney.

Car accidents often result in devastating physical injuries that may cause temporary or permanent disability. These injuries will not only require lengthy and expensive medical treatment, but will likely cause you to miss many weeks or months of work. However, the law affords victims, injured by another driver’s negligence, to recover compensation for past and future medical treatment, lost wages, loss of earning potential, and the pain and suffering associated with your injuries.

If you are injured in an accident with a nonresident driver, there are crucial steps that you must take to recover your deserved compensation. Following your accident, you should do the following: if possible, pull over to the side of the road; contact the police; take numerous photographs of the scene of the accident, including the damage to both vehicles; determine whether you were injured, and if so, seek immediate medical attention; file a claim with your auto insurance company; and preserve all correspondence from the other driver and his or her insurance company. Finally, you should immediately hire an experienced accident attorney, who will obtain all evidence showing the nonresident driver was at-fault, and aggressively negotiate with the other driver’s insurance company.

Contact Us Today

Contact a Los Angeles personal injury attorney today if you or a loved one was involved in an accident involving a dangerous road condition. Slatter Law Firm has been helping individuals injured due to car accidents and slip and falls throughout Los Angeles and Southern California for over four decades. To schedule a free consultation, call our office at (310) 405-0964 or contact us online.

CAR ACCIDENTS

Accidents With Out-of-State Driver

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