What a Local – Lafayette Accident Lawyer Can Do for You

The Contra Costa County based Law Office of Daniel Horowitz has recovered millions of dollars for people injured in car, motorcycle, and truck accidents throughout the Bay Area. We are truly local and work from our Lafayette office. We are located on Mt. Diablo Blvd across the street from Trader Joe’s. All of our staff live in the Bay Area and all your phone calls will be with real staff in Contra Costa County.

Being a Contra Costa County lawyer as compared to an LA based 1-800 firm does not mean you get a dollar less for your recovery. Our recoveries for our client are stellar. Results include a $13 million recovery against a San Mateo hospital, $4 million for a motorcycle rider hit by a car, and a million-dollar arbitration award in a truck collision case, $ 6 million for the family of a motorcyclist killed by a truck, $ 3 million dollars for a family of child who fell down an elevator shaft and many more. On less catastrophic cases we settle quickly and very clearly and accurate prove your damages to ensure that you get paid everything your case is worth.

There are great advantages to having your lawyer located in Lamorinda. Our staff is local and everyone on our team has worked together for years. We know the roads, the doctors and the local police departments. We work cooperatively within this community and we connect very directly and personally with our clients. This leads to better documentation of your injuries and financial losses and better coordination with your treating doctors and law enforcement.

Consultations are free, and there is no attorney fee until you get Paid

Call – 283-1863

What to Do After a Car Accident in Contra Costa County

Imagine you are on 680S driving from Lafayette to Dublin. A car to your right switches lanes right into you and your car spins and then stops. The other driver pulls over and starts shouting that you drove into him. What do you do? (This actually happened to attorney Daniel Horowitz years ago). Here is our advice.

Find Witnesses

If cars are stopped, ask the drivers to swap cell phone numbers. Take pictures (don’t be too obvious) of the license plates of cars that are stopped. In Daniel’s case on 680 South a witness actually called the police and said that the other driver was lying. If people don’t want to share their information give out your cell phone number to witnesses and simply say, “when you are ready if you can text me your contact information I would greatly appreciate it.”

Get Evidence

Start by protecting the evidence.  No matter how nice the other driver is, take pictures of both cars and all people involved. If possible move your vehicle off the road by snap a picture first if you can. If your car has video capture (like many Tesla’s) pull the recording drive so it doesn’t get erased. If you are bruised or bleeding have someone take a picture either at the accident or as soon afterwards as possible.

Be Clear with the Police

In most serious accidents police will arrive. Response time varies and in less serious accidents you may not see police at the scene. But ….. we advise that if the police do not arrive at the scene you make an online or at the police counter report to preserve your side of what happened. The police are going to focus on violations of the traffic laws. The reports will indicate whether the other driver was speeding, running a red light, making an unsafe lane change – all violations of the vehicle code. Insurance companies look at police reports and scan for citations to the vehicle sections that indicate a violation of traffic laws. This triggers the insurance company to (more quickly) assign fault the other driver. As the officer speaks with you he/she will be looking for violations by either party. Keep in mind that a violation of traffic rules is not the only part of the analysis. You can be driving 35 miles per hour on Deerhill Road in Lafayette and be ticketed for speeding. (The speed limit there is 25) But if the accident is caused by a driver on Thompson running the stop sign and driving into you, your speeding is not the cause of the accident.

If police arrive, you should be direct, to the point and truthfully explain what happened. Police want facts and not opinions so give them the facts that they need to write a report that helps you. You can offer to share you photos with the officer and generally you will be given a business card with an e-mail address. Do not bombard the officer with multiple e-mails and dozens of attachments.

The most important thing to remember is honesty. Any well trained police officer is focused on the facts and does not want to take sides. If you mislead the officer you complicate his/her job. You want to do the opposite – be COMPLETE in what you say and include everything that is favorable to you. But don’t lie or hide facts because getting caught in one lie will undermine your credibility on that things that really count.

The Other Driver

By law you must exchange contact and insurance information with other driver. Be polite and make certain you don’t say anything about your injuries or that can be considered admitting that you are at fault. (For example, some people say “I’m sorry” when they mean to say “I am sympathetic to your situation”).

Cameras

Video may come from dash cams, body-worn cameras, police vehicles, or nearby businesses. As your attorney we will obtain this information if liability is contested. Make sure that your own car recordings are preserved. If you see homes in the area that have Ring type cameras make note of this and our office can contact the homeowners to see if their cameras captured the accident. (Same with stores and some cities have cameras as well)

Medical Care

Get medical care as soon as possible. There are Urgent Care facilities throughout Contra Costa County especially in Walnut Creek. Unless you are uninjured is best to get checked out. If you choose to see your own doctor or chiropractor – do it quickly because delay complicates their ability to document your injuries and connect them to the accident.

If you are seriously injured bite the bullet and go to the Emergency Room.

Kaiser patients will usually be transported by ambulance to the Walnut Creek Kaiser hospital. Non-Kaiser patients are usually taken John Muir on Ygnacio Valley Road. Prompt treatment helps protect both your health and your claim. We have had excellent results with Stat Med in Lafayette. If you need an x-ray you should consider the John Muir Urgent Care including the Urgent Care in San Ramon.

Why a Local Law Firm Matters

Our firm knows the roads, medical providers, police agencies, and courts in Contra Costa County. That local knowledge helps us investigate quickly and build strong accident cases for injured clients in Lafayette and the nearby communities. Personal attention matters to many people and it matter to Daniel Horowitz and his legal team. We care about our clients and value our personal connection to you.

For a free personal injury consultation – Call (925) 283-1863. Our office is located at 3650 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Suite 225, Lafayette, California 94549 and there is a large parking lot with many available spaces.