Moreno Valley Car Accident Attorney

After a car accident in Southern California, if you are injured and you believe the other driver was at fault, you have the right to legal counsel. After a medical professional has examined and treated your injuries, contact Moreno Valley car accident attorney Eric Paris at The Paris Firm.

Too many accidents happen on California’s streets and highways. Anyone on the road could be killed or injured. In 2024, more than 164,000 accidents and 3,800 traffic fatalities were reported to California authorities. Thousands suffer serious, disabling, and catastrophic injuries each year.

If a negligent driver injures you in this state, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, lost earnings, and related losses and damages. Attorney Eric Paris helps car accident victims in the Moreno Valley area fight for the fair treatment and full compensation they need.

Your first legal consultation is provided with no cost or obligation. Attorney Eric Paris can discuss your legal options, explain how California law applies to your case, and suggest the best way for you to move forward and exercise your rights as an injured victim of negligence.

What Causes Car Accidents?

Negligence causes car accidents. Almost every car accident in California is caused by some type of negligence: driving while fatigued, driving while distracted, aggressive driving, or driving under the influence. If drivers aren’t negligent and there’s an accident, negligence may be assigned to:

1. a repair shop or mechanic that did faulty repair work
2. a vehicle or part manufacturer who sold a defective product
3. a government agency responsible for poor road design or maintenance

“Vicarious liability” is a legal principle recognized by California courts. It extends liability for a car accident to an employer who hired an unlicensed or irresponsible driver, or to an automobile owner who allowed an unlicensed or irresponsible driver to operate the vehicle.

After a Car Accident, Take These Steps

No lawyer will be at the scene of a car accident to help you, so you must take steps to protect yourself. If you’re unable to do so because you’re injured, ask someone to take these steps for you. Taking these measures will put you in the best possible legal position going forward:

1. If you’re injured, or if anyone else is injured in the crash, summon medical help at once. That’s the immediate, paramount priority.

1. Call the police. When they arrive, ask the officers how and when you can obtain a copy of the written police accident report. You’ll need it if you take legal action.

1. Get the other driver’s name, address, phone number, driver’s license number, and license plate number, the insurance company’s name, location, phone number, and the other driver’s insurance policy number.

1. Take plenty of photographs of the collision scene, the license plate numbers, damage to the vehicles, and your own injuries.

1. If there were eyewitnesses, try to get their names and phone numbers. Later, your Moreno Valley car accident attorney may need their statements or testimony. Photographs and witness statements can be persuasive evidence in personal injury cases.

The Importance of a Medical Examination

If a negligent motorist crashes into your vehicle and you’re able to walk away unharmed, you may have a claim for property damage, but you probably do not have a personal injury claim. It should go without saying that you actually have to be injured to bring a personal injury lawsuit.

But even if you feel fine after a car accident, you may have sustained a latent injury. It’s not unusual. If you are not treated at the accident location or taken to a hospital, obtain a medical exam as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours.

Without an immediate medical examination, you may not be able to link a hard-to-find or latent injury directly to the car accident, the other driver’s insurance company may claim you were injured in some other way, and you may not be able to prove you are entitled to compensation.

An immediate medical exam can provide peace of mind if you haven’t been injured. If you have, it establishes the medical records you’ll need if you seek compensation with a personal injury claim and the assistance of a Moreno Valley personal injury attorney.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

Every accident and every personal injury claim is unique. After an auto accident, the amount you can receive with a jury verdict or an out-of-court agreement will hinge on the details of the accident and the extent of your injuries.

When you consult The Paris Firm, Moreno Valley car accident lawyer Eric Paris can determine if you are eligible to bring a personal injury claim and provide a rough estimate of the amount you may be able to recover.

Most car accident claims in California are settled privately, so most injury victims don’t have to appear in court. If no reasonable settlement is offered in the private negotiations, attorney Eric Paris can take your case to trial and fight for your compensation in a California court of law.

What Types of Compensation Are Available?

Three types of compensation may be recovered by the injured victims of auto accidents in California:

1. “Economic” damages are documented and quantifiable: pending and projected medical costs, lost wages and earnings capacity, prescriptions, and transportation costs to and from medical appointments.

1. “Non-economic” damages compensate you for physical pain, suffering, and emotional anguish. These may include damages for loss of consortium and loss of the “enjoyment of life.”

1. “Punitive” damages are rare and not intended as compensation. These damages are awarded only in the most flagrant and egregious cases to penalize a negligent party’s reckless or intentionally dangerous behavior and to deter such behavior in the future.

When a car accident case goes to trial and jurors determine a compensation amount for pain and suffering, they may consider the victim’s life expectancy and age, the type and extent of the injuries, and the likelihood of long-term pain and suffering.

How Does the Personal Injury Process Work?

Personal injury trials based on car accidents can generate frustration and acrimony and take a considerable amount of time and money, but a personal injury claim does not necessarily lead to a courtroom trial. Trials are rare in California personal injury cases.

Most injury claims are resolved with out-of-court settlements, in which both sides voluntarily agree to resolve their dispute without court intervention. An out-of-court settlement gives each party a say in the case’s outcome.

Personal injury claims based on traffic accidents go to trial only if liability for the accident remains in dispute or if the at-fault party does not offer a reasonable settlement amount during the private negotiations.

If your accident claim cannot be settled out of court, The Paris Firm can take your case to trial, and attorney Eric Paris can explain to the jurors how the car accident happened, how seriously you’ve been injured, and why they should find in your favor and award you compensation.

What Happens Before a Trial?

If the initial investigation and the filing of a lawsuit do not generate a quick out-of-court settlement, the “discovery” phase of the personal injury process begins. Discovery entails submitting written questions (“interrogatories”) to the witnesses.

When a witness is questioned in person during this phase, the interrogation session is called a “deposition.” Personal injury lawyers also use subpoenas in the discovery process.

Subpoenas are legal documents that order someone to testify at a deposition or that require someone to produce specific documents (such as medical or maintenance records) for examination by the lawyers for each side.

What Will You and Your Lawyer Have to Prove?

A personal injury case based on a car accident in Moreno Valley begins by determining if the defendant (the presumably at-fault driver) owed the victim (the “plaintiff”) a “duty of care.” A driver owes others on California roadways a duty to drive responsibly, safely, and soberly.

In Southern California, for you to prevail with a personal injury claim and prove that a defendant should be held liable, you and your Moreno Valley accident attorney may have to prove to a jury that:

1. The defendant legally owed you a duty of care.
2. By acting negligently, the defendant breached that duty.
3. The negligence and the breach were the direct causes of your injury.

How Can The Paris Firm Help You?

When you take your car accident case to The Paris Firm, Moreno Valley car accident lawyer Eric Paris can ascertain who was at fault and determine if you have grounds for legal action. If you do, he can fight aggressively for the compensation and justice you need and deserve.

Attorney Eric Paris can begin an immediate investigation into the accident and your injury. He can compile and examine evidence, including medical records and test results, the police accident report, and any video or photographs of the accident.

He can speak with the witnesses and, if necessary, retain the services of an accident reconstruction specialist or a medical authority. If a defective part or vehicle is the reason you’re injured, attorney Eric Paris can help you take legal action against the manufacturer.

What is the Deadline for Filing an Accident Claim in California?

California’s statute of limitations gives you two years from the date of a car accident to initiate a lawsuit against the at-fault party or parties. The statutory “clock” begins on the day of the accident. The statute is strictly enforced, with these narrow exceptions:

1. If the injured person was under 18 at the time of the accident, the clock starts when they turn 18.

1. If the person responsible for the accident leaves California, the time they spend out of state pauses the clock.

1. When a victim wasn’t immediately aware of an injury, the clock begins when they discovered (or a reasonable person should have discovered) the injury.

When Should You Contact The Paris Firm?

Don’t wait two years and try to file a lawsuit at the last minute. Over time, evidence deteriorates, gets lost, or becomes contaminated. Witnesses forget important details. It’s essential to put your attorney on the case quickly.

As soon as you’ve been examined, treated, and released by a medical provider after a car accident in the Moreno Valley area, schedule a legal consultation with attorney Eric Paris at The Paris Firm by calling 909-325-6185.

What’s the Cost of Seeking Justice

You can begin the personal injury process at no cost. If you’ve suffered an injury in a car accident in the Moreno Valley area, your first legal consultation at The Paris Firm is provided with no cost or obligation. You’ll obtain sound, personalized legal advice.

If you become a client of The Paris Firm and move forward with a car accident claim, you will be represented on a contingency fee basis. You’ll owe The Paris Firm no attorney’s fee until we recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and related damages.

About Attorney Eric Paris

Southern California teems with personal injury lawyers. If you’ve been the victim of a personal injury caused by a negligent driver in an auto accident, you need to find the right attorney.

Choosing a lawyer who has considerable experience and a record of success in cases like yours can make all the difference. At The Paris Firm, attorney Eric Paris has represented the injured victims of negligence in Southern California for more than 26 years.

Insurance companies are not on your side. They often try to undervalue or deny personal injury claims. The Paris Firm has extensive experience negotiating with insurance companies and adjusters. Attorney Eric Paris and his team at The Paris Firm are ready to go to work for you.

Call to Schedule Your Free Consultation

The team at The Paris Firm treats every client with complete respect and dignity. You’ll be provided with every professional courtesy and consideration.

After a healthcare provider confirms that you’ve been injured in a car accident, call The Paris Firm immediately at 909-325-6185 to schedule your first legal consultation.