Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorneys

You don’t need to wait for the police report to get your car back. However, having that report can be helpful if there are some insurance complications or questions of liability.

Do you have collision coverage added to your auto insurance policy? If so, this is good news for you. Using collision coverage with your insurer, you can get your car repaired right away. The catch is that you will need to pay a deductible and that deductible could be reduced from the total loss payment by the insurer later. However, if your claim against the other driver is successful, then you might get that deductible back from their insurer anyway. Keep in mind that your insurance premium or renewal options should not be affected by using collision coverage, so don’t hesitate to use it if you have it.

Not having collision coverage means you might not be able to get your car repaired right away, which will be a greater problem if it was taken to a tow yard. Vehicle impound companies charge a daily storage fee on top of collection, administration, towing, and other miscellaneous fees. Without collision coverage as part of your auto insurance policy, you might need to pay these fees yourself if you want your car back after the crash. Otherwise, you can leave your car in the lot, hope you win your claim, and make the other insurance company pay the impound lot for you. If you decide not to retrieve your car from the lot, then the towing company has the right to lien sell it to pay the unpaid impound fees.

We are always interested in reading a police report after a crash because the responding officer will usually indicate who was at fault for the crash based on what they saw and heard at the scene. LAPD officers sometimes mark the at-fault driver as Party 1 if they do not say liability estimations outright. However, when a “he-said/she-said” scene unfolds after a crash, the responding officer might not make a note of who they think is at fault. An eyewitness at the scene can clear things up, though, which is why it is so important to stop and give a statement if you ever see a crash happen near you.

You have a choice of options if your car is impounded and you don’t have the police report yet. But, when it comes to seeking medical treatment, you should always see a doctor as soon as possible after being in a crash. If you don’t seek medical attention right away, then you can be certain that the other insurance company is going to say you didn’t seek treatment because you didn’t need it. You know this is not true, but it will hurt your claim all the same.

When you have your hands on the police report, talk to our attorneys about what to do next. If the driver who hit you has no insurance and you have uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, then we can help you with a claim filed with your insurance provider. Filing this claim and receiving benefits from it should not negatively impact your insurance premium or renewal if you aren’t liable for the accident.

Without UM coverage and after being hit by an uninsured driver, your situation will be trickier, with or without a police report. Typically, people who break the law and drive without insurance do not have excess cash flow or significant assets. Trying to file a claim against them personally will usually be fruitless. Because there are very slim chances that an uninsured driver will be able to pay out-of-pocket for your damages, lawyers will usually not accept such a case.

Absolutely not. The insurance adjuster will try to lull you into believing that you don't need an attorney because he or she will take care of you. Don't be suckered. The adjuster's real goal is to save the insurance company money by delaying payment and giving you as little as possible.