Who Pays After You Rear-End Another Car In California

Rear-end collisions are bad enough by themselves. However, what happens when you are the one who rear-ended another car in California? Who is at fault and who will pay? Hire a personal injury lawyer in Watsonville to help you navigate through California’s personal injury law maze and read this article for valuable advice which you can discuss with legal counsel.

May not be at fault

Sure, you caused a rear-end collision and sustained substantial bodily injuries and property damage. You are in enough physical and emotional pain and suffering as it is. It may come as ‘music to your ears’ when your personal injury lawyer informs you that you may not be at fault! While you tend to be at fault in rear-end collisions because you had the most control in the car accident, some exceptions exist:

● The driver had a broken or burned out brake light (the car you rear-ended)
● The defendant suddenly drives in reverse
● The driver suddenly brakes for no reason
● The defendant makes an extreme last-minute turn
● The driver’s vehicle is not maintained properly

The defendant may be 100% guilty and at-fault in these instances.

Can you sue in court when you were partially at fault?

Yes, you can because of California’s pure comparative negligence laws. These laws allow you to sue the other party in court even if you were partially at fault. The settlement amount will be reduced by the percentage of at-fault which you were. For example, if you are eligible for a $100,000 settlement in total but were at 20% fault, your settlement amount will be reduced by $20,000.

Can you receive compensation when the accident was entirely your fault?

The answer to that question is, “Yes, you can still receive compensation even if you are 100% at fault.” You will just be compensated by your own insurance company! This is good news if you have suffered from substantial property damage and bodily injury, especially if your insurance company will pay for medical payments. You will receive this payout if you have a medical payments coverage rider in your general health insurance policy. Note that you can still get medical payments coverage even if you don’t have health insurance. This is the case if your auto insurance has stipulations for payment of medical bills.

Always fight back with legal help

You will need to hire a personal injury lawyer in Morgan Hill if you were involved in a rear-end collision where you hit the other car because personal injury law is complex in California. You may not be at fault and you may be able to sue the other driver for damages in this instance!