A serious car accident can cause long-lasting injuries, financial loss, and emotional distress that lingers for years. If you have been in an accident like this, our Mesquite car accident lawyer wants to help you.
At H&P Law, our Mesquite personal injury lawyers have 60+ years of combined experience and take pride in helping our clients to recover compensation for their losses so they can move on with their lives.
What to Do Immediately After a Car Accident in Mesquite
What you do in the minutes and hours after a crash can shape your entire personal injury case. Insurance companies often start building their defense before you even leave the scene. By taking the right steps early, you protect both your health and your right to full compensation.
Prioritize Safety, Medical Care, and a Police Report
After a crash, your first priority should always be safety. Move your vehicle out of traffic if possible, check for injuries, and call 911 to request emergency services. Even if your injuries seem minor, you should still get medical attention. Symptoms like whiplash, soft tissue damage, or internal injuries may not appear right away.
A formal police report provides a neutral record of the crash, which can be critical when filing your claim. Officers will document driver statements, physical damage, and any citations issued at the scene. This report often becomes one of the most important pieces of evidence in car accident cases.
Avoid Mistakes That Could Hurt Your Case
The steps you take after a crash matter, but so do the things you avoid. Admitting fault, giving a recorded statement, or accepting a quick settlement can all work against you later. Insurance companies may try to use your words to limit or deny your compensation. Some of the most common mistakes to avoid after a car accident include:
- Admitting fault to the other driver or police.
- Delaying medical treatment or ignoring symptoms.
- Posting about the crash on social media.
- Accepting a settlement before you know the full extent of your injuries.
- Giving a recorded statement to the insurance company without legal guidance.
- Forgetting to take photos of vehicle damage or the scene.
- Losing track of your medical records or bills.
- Talking about the crash with others before speaking to a legal advocate.
Each of these missteps can create challenges when you try to prove liability or calculate your damages. By acting carefully and intentionally from the beginning, you protect your case and give us more to work with. When you are unsure what to do next, reaching out for help can make all the difference.
How to Know When to Call a Mesquite Car Accident Law Firm
You have so much on the line after a car accident, including your recovery and the need to ensure you do not suffer financially from this incident. Any time you are involved in a serious injury, it is beneficial to turn to an experienced legal advocate for one-on-one support on how to file a car accident claim in Nevada. Some situations where it may be critical to the outcome of your case to have legal support include:
- You have suffered serious financial loss, including medical bills, time off from work, and property damage.
- Your injury is going to make it hard for you to go back to work, or you may not be able to return to the type of work you were doing.
- There are questions about who is at fault for the incident, including potentially being partially to blame for the incident.
- The insurance company is already pressuring you to try to close your case and has given you a deadline to reply to their offer to pay you.
- You are facing emotional trauma, ongoing pain and suffering, or other outcomes that are challenging to prove.
These are just some examples of instances when contacting a Mesquite car accident lawyer is critical. However, know that our legal team is always available to you even if you are unsure you have a case. There is no cost for contacting us to discuss your case either, making it financially savvy to simply find out how we can help you.
Common Types of Car Accidents and How They Affect Your Claim
Not all car accidents are treated the same under Nevada law. The way your crash happened affects how liability is determined, what evidence you need, and what kind of damages you can recover. Identifying the accident type helps us build a stronger claim tailored to your situation.
Rear-End and Intersection Accidents
Rear-end crashes and intersection collisions often seem straightforward, but they can still lead to disputes over injury severity or fault. Insurance companies may argue that your injuries are not serious or that the other driver had the right of way. We gather the evidence needed to prove what really happened.
T-Bone and Sideswipe Collisions
Side-impact crashes usually occur when one driver fails to yield or violates the right of way. These cases may involve multiple parties, including commercial vehicles or distracted drivers. Liability can be more complicated, especially if both drivers claim the other ran a red light or failed to signal.
Our car accident attorneys in Mesquite look at traffic camera footage, eyewitness accounts, and physical damage patterns to determine fault. If you suffered an injury in a T-bone or sideswipe crash, we can help you identify every possible source of compensation, including third-party claims when appropriate.
Hit-and-Run, DUI, and Single-Vehicle Crashes
Hit-and-run collisions and drunk driving crashes may involve criminal charges in addition to civil claims. These cases sometimes allow for punitive damages if the other driver acted with extreme disregard for your safety. If the at-fault driver fled the scene or was uninsured, we also explore coverage through your own policy.
What Caused Your Car Accident Matters
When it comes to understanding the losses you have in a car accident, we must first take into consideration the full extent of responsibility. In some cases, this is obvious, and the police put the other party at fault. Some of the most common causes of accidents in Mesquite include:
- Distracted driving
- Intoxicated drivers
- Reckless driving, such as speeding
- Inexperienced drivers
- Injuries due to vehicle failures
It matters what went wrong. In some situations, such as reckless driving or operating a vehicle under the influence, the losses may also include punitive damages. Your car accident lawyer in Mesquite at H&P Law wants to ensure that anyone who put you at risk pays for what they did to you.
Comparative Negligence in Nevada Car Accident Claims
In Nevada, you can still recover compensation even if you were partially at fault for the crash. Under NRS § 41.141, Nevada follows a comparative negligence rule that allows you to recover damages as long as you are not more than 50% responsible. That means your percentage of fault reduces your compensation, but it does not eliminate your claim entirely unless you are mostly to blame.
For example, imagine you were driving through a green light at an intersection when another driver ran a stop sign and hit you. If investigators later determine that you were also speeding at the time of the crash, you may be found 20% at fault. In that case, if your total damages were $100,000, your compensation would be reduced by 20%, and you would still be eligible to recover $80,000.
Insurance companies often take advantage of this rule by assigning fault unfairly. They may claim you were distracted, made a sudden move, or failed to brake in time, even when the other driver caused the crash. When you bring in our Mesquite car accident attorneys early, we make sure your version of the crash is documented, supported by evidence, and presented clearly from the very beginning.
How Car Accident Injuries Affect Settlement Value
The type of injury you suffered plays a major role in how your case is valued. Injuries that cause long-term complications, require ongoing care, or affect your ability to work typically increase the value of your claim. This is why detailed medical records and expert opinions are critical in proving how your life has been impacted.
Common Car Accident Injuries in Mesquite Collisions
Here are some of the most common car accident injuries that impact the value of a personal injury claim:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Fractured bones
- Internal bleeding
- Chest injuries
- Knee injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Lacerations and scarring
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety
- Loss of limb
The more severe your injuries are, the more support your case needs from both medical providers and legal advocates. We work with specialists who can explain how your injuries affect your life, today and in the future. That evidence is what helps drive the value of your claim and fight back against low settlement offers.
Settling Your Car Accident Claim Too Soon Can Be Costly
It can seem like a good idea to settle your case quickly so you can get money into the bank to pay your bills. This is what the insurance company wants you to do because it often limits the amount of compensation they must pay out. Do not settle your case until you have a full understanding of how this accident has impacted your overall quality of life. We can help you by:
- Gathering evidence of all financial losses you have.
- Determining all parties at fault in the incident.
- Factoring in losses related to your inability to work, both immediately and over the long term.
- Considering how this will impact your ability to earn money in the future.
- Estimating the impact on your family as well.
When you work with a Mesquite rollover accident lawyer at our firm, we take a look at the whole picture. We use cases like yours and injuries that are similar to your own to determine what all of your losses are. Then, with the evidence in hand, we fight hard to ensure you get the compensation owed to you, so be sure to review our case results.
What Our Mesquite Car Accident Law Firm Can Do for You
When you work with our highly experienced and trusted legal team, you have a confident, passionate law firm working for you. This makes a difference in your experience and sometimes in the outcome of your case as well. Here is what we do to help ensure you get the best possible outcome:
- We gather the evidence. We do not rely on just the information available from the police report.
- We estimate your losses. With our experience, we reduce the risk that you will miss claiming some of the losses you are owed. This happens too often when victims settle their cases too quickly.
- We handle the claim itself. You do not have to feel overwhelmed by the insurance company. Instead, we will handle that entire process for you.
- We negotiate on your behalf. Without hesitation, you can expect us to go the distance fighting for the losses you have.
- We head to trial when it is necessary. If the insurance company is not willing to settle fairly, we will proceed with a lawsuit.
- You gain confidence and peace of mind. We cannot predict the outcome of your case. We can be open, honest, and fully communicative with you about the entire experience.
Every car accident deserves complete attention from a trusted and experienced legal team. With our experience and a solid reputation for providing our clients with exceptional service, you can have confidence in your Mesquite car accident attorney. We know what is on the line and will work hard to ensure this legal process is not another level of loss for you by doing whatever we can to support you.
Contact a Mesquite Car Accident Law Firm Now for Legal Guidance and a Free Consultation
There is no risk or cost associated with contacting a car accident attorney in Mesquite to determine what your legal options are. If we do not think we can help you win more than the insurance company is offering, we will tell you that. Set up a free consultation with H&P Law now to find out what your options really are.
