In Los Angeles, Who’s at Fault in an Intersection Accident?

Posted on February 19, 2018 | Written By: iadminlaw

Auto accidents can happen more or less anywhere—whether on a busy freeway or in a quiet parking lot. One of the most common locations for traffic accidents is at intersections, where failure to obey the proper traffic laws—ignoring stop signs, yield signs, or traffic lights, in particular—can often lead to collisions.

If you’re involved in an intersection accident in Los Angeles, you’ll obviously want to do everything in your power to have the matter settled, ideally being awarded a cash payout to help defray the costs of vehicle repairs, medical bills, lost wages, and so on. To settle an intersection accident case, however, you’ll first need to prove who the at-fault driver was. That can be tricky, but our Los Angeles car accident lawyers can assist.

How to Expose the At-Fault Driver

In some cases, you may have some eyewitnesses who all give a unanimous testimony, pointing to one particular driver as the at-fault party—perhaps because he or she failed to come to a complete stop at the stop sign or the traffic light. Cases like these are ideal, but hardly common.

More often, there will be ambiguity over who caused the collision, and not enough eyewitnesses to assign fault. In these cases, the police officer who arrives on the scene will typically file a report saying that both drivers failed to stop properly, and thus both drivers were at fault.

That’s hardly welcome news for the law-abiding driver, who then faces an uphill climb in trying to prove innocence. According to our Los Angeles car accident lawyers, however, there are some steps you can take to show that it was the other driver who was to blame.

Finding Fault: Tips from a Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer

According to our Los Angeles car accident lawyers, most of these cases will end up in a courtroom. That’s just the nature of the beast. The important thing for you to do is to ensure that your own credibility in the case is not undermined. There are a few ways of going about this:

• Don’t agree to any recorded statements, unless your Los Angeles car accident lawyer advises otherwise. Remember: If the other driver’s insurance company needs to collect basic information from you, then there is no need to record the call. Calls are recorded only to try to discredit your testimony down the road—catching you in what appears to be a lie or a contradiction. Actually, it’s generally best not to speak to the opposing insurance company at all, unless you have your Los Angeles car accident lawyer on the line with you.
• Something else to remember is that you don’t have to prove, with 100 percent certainty, that it was the other driver’s fault. You just have to prove that it was more likely their fault than yours. Even showing that there was a 51 percent chance the other driver was at fault can be sufficient. Your lawyer can help you think of ways to shift the narrative in your favor.
• Some specific ways to try exonerating yourself: Find out if there were any traffic cameras that might have recorded the accident. Again, a Los Angeles car accident lawyer can help you with this. Also ask your lawyer about the possibility of recreating the accident, which can sometimes be revealing.
• Remember that, throughout the entire legal process, it is imperative that you not lie. If you have any questions about what you should or should not say, ask your attorney before you speak up in public.

Get Help from a Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer

Proving your innocence in an intersection accident case can be challenging, and in some cases it’s all but impossible without the help of a seasoned Los Angeles Car accident lawyer. At I Accident Lawyer, we can help. We’ve represented countless individuals in car accident cases and are well-known for our knowledge as well as our aggressive representation. Simply put, we will fight hard to help you see justice served.

We are available around the clock to consult on your intersection accident case. To learn more, reach out to the Los Angeles car accident lawyers at I Accident Lawyer today.