Pleasant Grove Car Accident Lawyer
Known as the ‘City of Trees’, Pleasant Grove is located just off of Utah Lake, in the northern tip of Utah County. With an estimated 2016 population of 38,756, Pleasant Grove is a fast growing community.
Like all other cities in Utah, Pleasant Grove sees far more than its fair share of major motor vehicle accidents. According to data collected by the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS), there were 441 traffic collisions reported in Pleasant Grove in 2015, many of which resulted in serious injuries.
If you were hurt in an accident that was caused by the carelessness or recklessness of another driver or vehicle manufacturer, you are entitled to financial relief for your injuries. Unfortunately, large insurance companies will often make full compensation difficult for victims to obtain.
At Christensen & Hymas, our top-rated Pleasant Grove auto accident attorneys have extensive experience representing car crash victims. We are dedicated to holding negligent drivers and their insurance companies accountable. To get immediate assistance with your personal injury claim, please contact our law firm today for a free consultation.
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What To Do After a Car Accident
1. Get Medical Attention
If you were involved in a serious car accident, you should always get yourself to a doctor for an in-depth medical evaluation. Many common car accident injuries come with a delayed onset. You need to protect your health and wellbeing. In addition, you will not be able to bring a successful legal claim for compensation without the medical records that are related to your accident.
2. Report Your Accident
Under Utah regulations, any motor vehicle crash that results in an injury or that results in at least $1,500 in property loss should be reported to state or local law enforcement officers. It is strongly in your best interests to make sure that a Pleasant Grove police officer gets to the scene of your accident to draft an official crash report.
3. Gather the Evidence
Beyond reporting your accident to the police, you should also do your best to collect and preserve some evidence at the crash scene. Specifically, you should get information from all other drivers involved in the wreck, get contact information for all witness, and take pictures of the accident.
4. Consult With a Car Accident Attorney
Finally, you should not speak to any of the representatives from the insurance company until after you have already consulted with a Pleasant Grove car accident lawyer. Your lawyer will ensure that your legal rights are fully protected. Please remember, the big insurance companies are not on your side.
Understanding Auto Accident Liability in Utah
No-Fault Car Accident Claims
Utah is one of only a small number of American jurisdictions that operate under a partial ‘no-fault’ auto insurance system. Under the state’s ‘no-fault’ rules, car accident victims must always first look to resolve their claim against their own insurance policy. It doesn’t matter who was responsible causing the collision. The state of Utah requires that all motorists buy personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. This coverage provides motorists with some basic protections. You must have at least $3,000 worth of PIP coverage. If your total personal injury expenses are under $3,000, then your entire claim will be against your own insurance company. In this circumstance, you would have a ‘no-fault’ claim.
Fault-Based Car Accidents Claims
Unlike some of the other no-fault states, it is not difficult to step outside of the no-fault insurance system in Utah. Indeed, if you have more than $3,000 in personal injury-related damages, then you have a legal right to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party. If you are considering a lawsuit, it is imperative that you consult with qualified Pleasant Grove car accident attorney.
Your claim must be brought under Utah’s comparative negligence statute (U.C.A. § 78B-5-818). Winning a fault-based car accident claim is a complicated process. You must be able to prove that another party, usually another driver, did something unreasonably dangerous, and that those unsafe actions or inactions actually caused your accident. To prevail in a car accident injury lawsuit, your claim must be thoroughly investigated, and then all of the relevant evidence must be carefully assembled. You should get a Pleasant Grove car accident attorney by your side as soon after your accident as possible.
Compensation Available for Injured Victims
If you can prove that another party is legally responsible for your accident, then you can hold that party liable for the full value of your damages. With limited exceptions, damages are designed to be purely compensatory in nature. In other words, to recover financial compensation, you must prove that you sustained real losses. This can be challenging; it is a critically important aspect of the car accident claims process and it should not be overlooked. Our Pleasant Grove car accident attorneys have the skills and experience needed to help you maximize your recovery. You may be entitled to compensation for:
- Vehicle damages;
- Ambulance fees;
- Emergency room bills;
- Ongoing medical costs;
- All other medical expenses;
- Long-term disability
- Lost current and future income;
- Pain and suffering;
- Mental distress;
- Disfigurement;
- Loss of limb; and
- Wrongful death.
You Can Afford a Pleasant Grove Personal Injury Attorney
After a serious traffic accident, the last thing that you and your family need to worry about is another bill arriving in your mailbox. With our Pleasant Grove, UT car accident lawyers, this is not an issue. At Christensen & Hymas, we handle all auto accident injury claims on a contingency fee basis. Our personal injury lawyers only get paid after we win your case. There will never be any out-of-pocket costs for you. If you do not recover, then we do not get paid.
Contact Our Car Accident Lawyers in Pleasant Grove
At Christensen & Hymas, our Pleasant Grove car accident lawyers are committed to representing injured victims with integrity and compassion. If you or a family member was hurt in a crash in Utah County, we can help. For a free, no obligation case evaluation, please contact us today at (801) 396-9303.