Many people with motor vehicles in California drive every day and never experience a crash. However, collisions do occur daily across the state, and a small portion of those collisions lead to serious injuries for some of the people involved.
Liability insurance as required by state law helps reduce the risk of severe injuries and financial challenges after a crash. Despite laws mandating insurance coverage, quite a few serious car wrecks eventually lead to civil lawsuits. When this happens, one party involved in a crash will take the other driver or even a third party to court. Why are personal injury lawsuits somewhat common after a California wreck?
Insurance requirements are not high enough
The simplest reason for a lawsuit after a California car crash has to do with finances. The law in California requires that every registered driver carry liability insurance. That coverage can help pay for property damage and injuries that occur after a wreck.
Unfortunately, quite a few drivers keep their coverage as low as possible to minimize what they pay every month. California allows drivers on the road with just $5,000 in property damage liability coverage. If someone gets hurt, the available coverage won’t be much better. State law requires $15,000 of bodily injury covering as a minimum when a crash hurts one person or $30,000 for collisions involving two or more injured parties.
Lawsuits may be inevitable in cases where the total costs of a crash go far beyond those insurance minimums. People may also need to ask the courts for compensation when the driver who caused the crash did not have a policy at all.
Outside parties maybe to blame
Another reason that people file personal injury lawsuits after a crash is that the party responsible for the situation isn’t actually one of the drivers involved. Perhaps the motorist at fault for the crash was on the clock, and their employer is liable. Maybe there was a defective vehicle component that caused the crash or poor services provided by a vehicle repair shop that led to key systems failing before the collision. It is often necessary to file a lawsuit in civil court if someone wants compensation from a party other than the driver at fault for the crash.
A successful personal injury lawsuit can help people cover their expenses and hold the right party accountable for a crash. Filing a civil lawsuit can be a reasonable response to a car wreck caused by another’s negligence that resulted in major expenses and injuries.