Oroville Fatal Car Accident Lawyer
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When a careless driver hits and kills your loved one in a car crash, attempting to settle or resolve a claim as complicated as a fatal car accident suit yourself can lead to negative consequences, and you may not successfully obtain the financial damages you need to address the losses you are experiencing.
Entrust your fatal car wreck claim to the Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin. Our Oroville fatal car accident lawyer has experience representing spouses, adult children, and other family members whose loved ones have been taken from them far too soon through an act of negligence.
Whether rightful compensation for you and your family means a settlement or taking your case to trial, you deserve an advocate who will compassionately and effectively stand beside you in your fight for justice, and the Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin are prepared to take your case as far as necessary.
The Role of an Oroville Fatal Car Accident Lawyer
It may seem as though an Oroville fatal car accident lawyer cannot do much for you following a motor vehicle accident that claimed the life of your loved one. Still, you may have legal rights if the decedent is your spouse or another close family member, and exercising these rights can be key to helping you meet the financial burdens that their unexpected passing places on you.
Your Oroville fatal car accident attorney’s role is to inform you of these rights and help you take advantage of them while investigating the facts surrounding your situation, namely, identifying how your loved one was killed and who was responsible for doing so. Then, your attorney will pursue a claim for compensation at the negotiating table and in court, if necessary.
You may not have the words or voice to speak up following a fatal car wreck that claims your loved one’s life, but an Oroville fatal car accident lawyer will speak for you, advancing your interests, taking up your cause, and ensuring that negligent and reckless individuals are held to account for the harm they cause.
In other words, the role of your Oroville car accident lawyer is to be your champion for justice. Your lawyer will stand up for you and your family both in and out of court, declaring that you deserve accountability. They will tell the story of your loved one and the pain and struggle you and your family now experience with them being taken away from you.
Understanding Fatal Car Accidents in Oroville
A total of 4,285 fatal car accidents occurred across California throughout 2021, and according to the Statewide Traffic Information Records System (SWITRS), approximately 34 of the nearly 3,900 traffic fatalities in 2019 happened in Butte County.
While these numbers are not nearly as high as some of the more populated counties of the state, like Los Angeles, they are still a grim reminder that these tragic events can strike anywhere, even in Oroville.
There are behaviors and choices that make fatality accidents more likely than others, many of which are considered negligent under the law, which means that drivers who kill someone while engaged in these behaviors can be held legally liable.
These negligent behaviors are as follows:
- Aggressive or reckless driving
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- A lack of sleep before getting behind the wheel
A wrongful death lawsuit is the legal means through which you and your family can hold a negligent individual accountable and recover compensation for the loss of your loved one.
The process unfolds through the following steps:
Investigation Into Your Case
An attorney will examine how the accident that claimed your loved one’s life occurred. Specifically, your lawyer will seek evidence showing that one or more individuals behaved negligently or recklessly.
“Negligence,” in these cases, refers to actions that a reasonably careful person would not have done, given the same set of circumstances. Parties found negligent can be labeled liable in your lawsuit and will be the ones from whom compensation is sought.
Filing Your Claim
Preparing and filing a claim can be complicated for the average person, but an experienced Oroville fatal car accident lawyer will know how to do so well before the two-year statute of limitations expires. Your claim will be filed against negligent parties’ insurance carriers and against the parties themselves in court.
Typically, the individual who will bring forth a wrongful death claim after a fatal car accident is the decedent’s surviving spouse or adult children. If the deceased has neither, then certain other close family members of the decedent, like parents or siblings, can bring the claim forward.
Recover Compensation Through Settlement or Verdict
Once your claim is filed, you and your attorney will pursue a compensation award through either a settlement or a court verdict. Your damages can include compensation for funeral expenses, the wages your loved one would have contributed to you, and your pain and suffering.
Negotiating an appropriate settlement takes skill and tenacity. It also takes a trained legal mind that knows when a settlement cannot be reached and a trial should thus be sought.
Legal Expertise in Fatal Car Accident Cases
When you decide to take legal action, you want to do so with the help of an experienced and knowledgeable Oroville fatal car accident attorney. Your family’s financial security can depend on a successful resolution and your subsequent ability to obtain damages for funeral expenses, lost wages, and the loss of your loved one’s companionship. You do not want your attorney to learn on the job as they represent you.
You deserve to be represented by an attorney who is more than familiar with the legal landscape and understands how to take the facts of your case to successfully pursue compensation. Attorney Steve Gimblin has dedicated his practice to helping individuals who have been seriously harmed by the poor choices of others. He has developed the skills and insight to successfully and swiftly resolve fatal car accident claims.
Legal Services Offered in Oroville, CA
An Oroville car accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin can assist you from the start of your claim to its conclusion.
In particular, our office will do the following:
- Investigate your claim and file a claim for damages against the responsible parties
- Collect evidence necessary to support your claim
- Determine the damages to which you are entitled and the value of those damages
- Negotiate a settlement of your case if possible
- Take your claim to trial
Having the same skilled attorney help you through each stage means that your lawyer understands you, your needs, and your claims.
The Importance of Prompt Action
Following the sudden death of a loved one, it is normal for your sense of time and its passage to become seemingly warped. The days may seem to stand still or blend into one another, so much so that weeks or months can pass by while feeling like much shorter periods of time.
While that sort of time distortion is normal, it can also harm your legal rights. In California, wrongful death lawsuits brought following fatal car crashes must be filed within two years of the date your loved one passed, and that is not necessarily the same date as when the car accident occurred.
For example, if your loved one was involved in a car accident on October 1, 2023, but did not pass away from their injuries until November 1, 2023, the statute of limitations would give you until November 1, 2025, to file your claim for damages.
While that may seem like a long time, the two-year period can pass quickly, and once it does, the statute of limitations could prevent your claim from proceeding. The at-fault party could point to the statute of limitations and ask the court to dismiss your claim as untimely, and courts will regularly oblige unless there is an applicable exception to the statute of limitations.
Even if you do not exceed the two-year statute of limitations, there is another reason why you need to speak with an Oroville fatal car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Filing a claim close in relation to the car accident and your loved one’s passing increases the likelihood that you will be able to secure a favorable outcome for two reasons.
First, the closer in time to your loved one’s passing that you file, the easier the time your accident lawyer will have securing evidence, such as data from the cars’ onboard computers, surveillance photographs, and accident reports. That objective evidence can help prove careless conduct, including speeding, reckless driving, or disregarding traffic signs.
Second, witnesses’ memories and recollections about the crash will be more accurate and reliably detailed if given close to when the events happened. If your attorney can preserve these witnesses’ testimonies soon after the accident, it is more likely they can be used successfully to support your claim.
Client Testimonials and Case Results
The Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin prides itself on the superior results it delivers to the surviving family members of fatal car accident victims. Clients who retain the Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin quickly realize the difference that having a caring Oroville fatal car accident lawyer can have on their case and experience.
Clients who receive the runaround from insurance companies see their claims paid quickly once they retain attorney Steve Gimblin, and surviving family members who were once frustrated by receiving low settlement offers see those offers increase to reasonable amounts once insurance companies become aware that the deceased’s loved ones have hired a committed advocate to protect their rights.
The amount of compensation available for the surviving family members of those killed in car accidents can vary from case to case, but with the Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin representing you, you can rest assured that your auto accident lawyer will devote their skill and resources to securing you the most positive outcome possible.
How to Reach the Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin
Experienced and professional representation from the Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin is easy to obtain. Begin by contacting our office and requesting your free initial consultation. During your consultation, we can discuss the facts of your situation, how your loved one’s passing has impacted you, and how a successful fatal car accident lawsuit can provide you and your family with financial security.
Reach out to us using our website’s online form. You can also call our office toll-free at 1(877) YUBA-LAW or (530) 671-9822. If you prefer, you can also visit us in person at our Oroville office, located at 2770 Lincoln Street, Suite 4.
No matter how you choose to contact us and schedule your free initial consultation, it is critical that you do so as soon as possible. Time is not on your side following your loved one’s death in a car wreck, but one call to the Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin is all that it takes to safeguard your legal rights and future.
Take Action for You and Your Family Today
You do not have to know all the answers regarding why your loved one passed or how you can go on without them around. These are deep and heartfelt questions you and your family may face and struggle to answer throughout your recovery as you learn to adjust to life without your beloved family member.
At the same time, you do not have to know how to go about obtaining compensation and justice for your loved one. Leave that to your experienced Oroville fatal car accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Steve L. Gimblin. We want to assist you in your recovery, so contact us today.