California is a top tourist destination in the U.S., and the stream of visitors doesn’t slow down during the holidays. Visitors may be driving up into the mountains to visit family. They may be escaping cold temperatures to open gifts on a warm, sandy beach.
Unfortunately, no matter where you drive, there’s no vacation from accident risks. You can be struck by a crazy freeway driver and suffer a broken leg. You might fall down the rotting stairs at the home you’ve rented for Christmas week.
To hold reckless drivers or negligent property managers responsible for your injuries, you’ll want to file a personal injury claim. If you’re from out of state, you can still demand accident support. You may even be able to go home and allow a skilled California attorney to handle your case for you. But first, you should take a few actions to build a strong case.
The Steps to Handling a California Personal Injury Case While in Another State
After taking a fall in a California store or getting bitten by a dog, victims will have to worry about their injuries first. Once the pain has died down, they may also stress out about how they’ll ever secure compensation from a store owner or a dog owner.
The worry doubles for patients who aren’t from the area and are ready to return home to a different part of the country.
While you are still in California, it’s a good idea to grab as much evidence as you can before your stay ends. In fact, you should act in the moments after your accident if possible.
Call 911 if you are injured. Get an ambulance on the way. The California Highway Patrol may also respond if you’ve been in a traffic collision.
Then, if you feel like you can move around okay, it may be a good time to gather hard evidence for your case. This evidence can disappear as soon as you head to the emergency room or leave the scene. It may also be the last time you are in the state before you return home. Grab every piece of proof you can.
- Allow paramedics to document all of your injuries and go to the emergency room if necessary. Have someone with you collect evidence if you must leave for the hospital.
- If investigators show up, give officers a full report on what happened.
- Exchange information with the others involved in the accident.
- If you are bitten by a dog and the owner isn’t present, try to track down the owner. You may have to go door to door nearby, or ask folks passing by if they recognize the dog.
- Take photos. Take pictures of the scene. Take photos of the damage to your vehicle or your clothing. Show any visible injuries. After a fall on someone’s property or at a business, snap a photo of the obstacle that caused your accident.
- If you are injured at a store or a public place, alert a manager so an incident report can be prepared.
- Preserve evidence. Don’t throw out or wash your damaged and bloody clothing. Don’t have anything that was damaged repaired until your case is resolved.
- Alert your own car insurance company about a traffic collision, even if you weren’t at fault.
- See a family doctor, perhaps when you return home, even if you’ve been to the emergency room. You may have injuries appear days later that were masked by shock on the day of the accident. Get all injuries documented on medical charts.
- Contact a California attorney about your case if you are injured and will be leaving the state.
You’ll want to be able to hand any evidence you collect at the scene of your accident over to your lawyer. Your lawyer will also fully investigate your accident and add powerful evidence to your own to build a strong case.
Types of Accidents That May Leave California Vacationers Hurt
There are many ways to get hurt when you leave the house, and vacations only expose you to more accident hazards. California is a big, fast-moving place that can present all the types of hazards you can imagine.
Vacationers might have to file an injury claim over these types of accidents and others:
- Car Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Lodging injuries occurring at unsafe hotels, resorts, and Airbnbs
- Dog Bite Incidents
- Slip-and-fall accidents at stores, restaurants, and other businesses
- Tour group accidents
- Drownings
- Wrongful Death Accidents
Do I Have to Hire a Lawyer from California If I’m Hurt on a Holiday Vacation?
In most cases, it will be easier to work with a lawyer in the state where your accident occurred. The lawyer you use would have to be licensed to practice law in California. You could hire a lawyer in your hometown, but that lawyer would usually have to partner with a California lawyer to represent the case.
For minor accidents, a lawyer may not be necessary. However, when a serious injury is involved, like a broken bone, a deep cut, or brain trauma, a California personal injury attorney is an important protection for your case.
Working with a skilled California lawyer would provide these benefits and more.
- A local lawyer knows the state laws that affect your case
- A local lawyer will be able to file a lawsuit in the jurisdiction of your accident
- A local lawyer will have better access to evidence and the necessary government departments
- A local lawyer can represent you in California courtrooms, hopefully making it possible for you to avoid traveling back to the state
A big benefit of having a skilled and experienced California lawyer is that a lawyer can often win you much more in compensation than you could win by handling a case yourself. That’s more money in your pocket to pay your medical bills and support yourself and your family while you can’t work.
What If I’m Hurt While at a Loved One’s Home for Christmas?
Holiday gatherings can provide a lot of joy, but there are always accident risks to consider when you step through the front door into someone’s home.
A family dog may get confused by the sudden crowds and bite you or your child. You could trip on a curled-up rug and land on your knee to suffer a busted kneecap.
The recovery costs for these common injuries can be enough to overwhelm your savings, especially after you’ve spent so much on Christmas travel and gifts. You shouldn’t feel bad for filing an injury claim against a family member’s homeowner’s insurance.
The money you receive would come from the insurer and not directly from the loved one. It’s also part of the reason your loved one keeps an insurance policy. It helps victims in need. Your loved one would want you to recover without having to go bankrupt.
Stay Safe, But Seek Support If You’re Hurt During the Holidays
We here at Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC, hope you and your family enjoy a safe and fun holiday season in California. But if you are hurt in a holiday accident that could have been prevented, don’t face your recovery alone.
If you are injured due to an individual’s carelessness or a business’s negligence, don’t trust their insurance providers to act in your best interest.
Contact a California personal injury lawyer and take advantage of a free case consultation with a real lawyer. Find out what your injury should be worth and how to hold those insurance companies fully responsible.