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How Do I Locate the Hit-and-Run Driver That Caused My Accident?

Most of the time, drivers involved in a car accident will stop and stay on the scene until the police

Most of the time, drivers involved in a car accident will stop and stay on the scene until the police arrive.

But sometimes, a driver involved in an accident speeds away before either the police or other drivers can obtain their name or insurance. They may not even get a good glimpse of the driver. It’s called a hit-and-run accident. Drivers might do this because they are frightened of the consequences, impaired by alcohol or drugs, or even because they are afraid of losing their licenses or having an accident on their record.

But it’s often important to find the hit-and-run driver, especially if that driver was responsible for the accident.

Here are steps to take to find the hit-and-run driver.

1. Call the police

Police should be called in any accident, and a hit-and-run is no exception. An officer will get the information about what happened and file a police report. The police report is an important piece of information for your insurance carrier, so be sure to have it with you when you call your insurance company.

The police can also try to contact witnesses. Passersby, other motorists, or people in nearby houses can all have seen something that could identify the car (such as a license plate) or, failing that, could identify the car or the driver.

The police can match a full license plate to the driver. From there, the driver can be located, as the driver’s address and contact information will be associated with the license plate. Police can also attempt to identify the car if they have enough information about it.

Police may also know if there are surveillance cameras on streets, traffic lights, or other locations nearby. If there are, surveillance cameras can be used to identify the license plate. If there are cameras but they didn’t capture the entire license plate, they may have captured other identifying information that will help the police locate the driver.

2. Ask witnesses

You can also ask people who were around at the time of the accident if they saw the car, its license plate, or identifying details of the car or the driver. A hit-and-run driver may speed, for example, or stop very quickly to pick up a waiting passenger. They can give you clues that you could use to take to the police.

If you were in a mall, for example, you can canvass businesses to ask if anyone saw anything about the accident.

When You Need a Seasoned Car Accident Attorney in Southern California

Leaving the scene of an accident is a crime. If you or a loved one was in a car accident caused by a hit-and-run driver, call the experienced Los Angeles auto accident lawyers at Salamati Law Firm, 800-957-9898. Sean Salamati has been obtaining justice in Los Angeles car accidents for decades. Let him put his experience to work for you.

Additional Resources:

1. State of California Department of Motor Vehicles. https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv.
2. Tips for Handling A Hit And Run Driver Claim. DMV.org. https://www.dmv.org/tips-for-handling-a-hit-and-run-driver-claim.php.

How Do You Calculate Vehicle Damage After an Accident?

If your car has been damaged in an accident, you have likely had the experience of dealing with an insurance

If your car has been damaged in an accident, you have likely had the experience of dealing with an insurance adjuster who comes up with an estimate of the parts that need to be repaired or replaced and the value of the mechanic’s time to do the necessary repairs. The dollar value of those parts and repairs, however, is not the same as the value of the damage to your vehicle. When you are in a serious accident, most insurance companies use what is known as the “17c Formula” to determine the loss in value to your car. Those insurance companies will then generally offer compensation that is a function of the 17c Formula’s results.  

Based on their many years of experience in representing victims of automobile accidents, the attorneys at the Salamati Law Firm in Los Angeles know that the real loss in value to your car after it has been in an accident can be dramatically different that the 17c Formula estimate used by the insurance company. We represent car accident victims to recover the maximum amount of damages for both the loss in the value of their vehicles and the injuries that they suffer as a result of accidents.   

How the 17c Formula Works

The 17c Formula applies a 4-part analysis to determine how much value a car loses after it was in an accident:

1. Start with the car’s value before the accident, as determined by the Kelly Blue Book or some other objective source.
2. The maximum loss in value will be set at an arbitrary 10% of that pre-accident value. For example, if your car was with $15,000 before an accident, an insurer will assume that it will lose no more than 10% of that amount, or $1,500 in value, as a result of the accident.
3. Adjust that maximum loss in value by a multiplier that is set according to the level of structural damage to your car. Moderate structural damage, for example, is assigned a multiplier of 0.5, and that $1,500 maximum loss in value then becomes $750.
4. Adjust that value again by the car’s actual mileage. If the car had 50,000 miles on it, for example, its loss value will be further adjusted by 0.6. The $750 loss in value then reduces to $450.

The net of this example is that a car that had a value of $15,000 before the accident will then have an adjusted value of $14,550 after it has been fully repaired.

How the 17c Formula Gets it Wrong

Professional damage appraisers have criticized the 17c Formula as failing to consider flood and fire damage, bumper deflections, accident history, and airbag deployment, all of which can reduce the value of a vehicle that has been in an accident. After an insurance adjuster has estimated the value of repairs and all those repairs have been completed, the car’s real retail value will often be substantially less than the value of a comparable car that has not been in an accident.

When your car has been damaged in an accident and you have filed a lawsuit to recover the car’s loss in value from the accident, the negligent party’s insurance company will generally argue that the 17c Formula is the best tool for an objective analysis of the value of the loss. A knowledgeable and experienced car accident attorney in Los Angeles will know to reject that argument and will rebut it with a professional appraisal of the loss that is specific to the car.

Recover the Largest Damage Award for the Loss in Value to Your Car

The skilled Los Angeles car accident attorneys at the Salamati Law Firm will fight the low-value loss estimates that insurance companies are sure to offer when you have been in an accident in Los Angeles or elsewhere in southern California. We understand that accidents can and do diminish the value of an automobile to a far greater extent than the insurers will admit. We can help you recover a larger value for that loss as well as the maximum amount that may be available for any injuries you suffered in the accident.

Please see our website or call our Los Angeles office to speak with one of our car accident attorneys about how we can recover greater compensation for you.

Additional Resources:

1. www.finder.com: How to Calculate the Diminished Value of Your car. https://www.finder.com/how-to-calculate-the-diminished-value-of-your-car
2. www.atcformula.com: 17c Formula Components. https://17cformula.com/17c-formula-components
3. www.thebalance.com: How to Determine the Extent of a Car Accident’s Damages and Injuries. https://www.thebalance.com/determine-damages-in-car-accident-2645568

Injuries resulting from vehicle accidents can leave victims with life-altering impairments. From herniated discs and broken bones to traumatic brain

Injuries resulting from vehicle accidents can leave victims with life-altering impairments. From herniated discs and broken bones to traumatic brain injuries, these types of physical trauma can impact every facet of one’s life, leading to anxiety, depression, lack of mobility and serious financial hardships. An injury claim against the at-fault party can seek certain monetary damages, but in certain cases, you may be eligible to receive disability benefits for auto accident injuries as well.

How do you know if your car crash injuries qualify for benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA)? Only specific kinds of physical and psychological impairment are eligible for disability benefits, and there are strict requirements for submitting an application.

Do you qualify for disability benefits?

In order to apply for disability benefits after a car accident, you must meet the following requirements:

• You have sustained documented physical or mental impairment that has lasted for one year (or is expected to last this long), and
• You are unable to engage in the work you performed in the past, and
• You are unable to receive training for alternative or less demanding work

Regardless of the types of injuries sustained in an auto accident, it’s vital to get prompt medical attention and have a licensed health provider provide thorough documentation on the diagnosis, treatment plan and prognosis. If your doctor or surgeon makes a written statement that he or she has determined your injuries are severe enough to keep you from gainful employment, this can help your claim for disability benefits. For those who are suffering from lasting emotional trauma or PTSD that makes working impossible, you will need a psychiatrist or similar mental health professional to recommend that you receive disability benefits.

Injuries that qualify for SSA disability benefits

While this is not an exhaustive list, the following are some types of car accident injuries that may qualify for disability:

• Non-healing fractures of the leg or arm
• Back disorders including spinal arachnoiditis, lumbar spinal stenosis or vertebral compression
• Soft tissue injuries of the ligaments, tendons muscles, nerves, and blood vessels that have lost functionality for 12 months
• Spinal cord injuries
• Severe burns of the extremities that restrict functionality and limit the ability to perform routine duties related to everyday living
• Hip and neck injuries
• Severe gastrointestinal bleeding requiring a blood transfusion
• Brain damage
• Speech impairment stemming from a traumatic brain injury
• Vision or hearing loss
• Certain anxiety disorders

The Social Security Administration has a long list of impairments, but it is still possible to apply for disability benefits if you suffered a type of injury that a health professional deems medically equivalent to another condition on the list.

Expert legal assistance in Los Angeles

One of the most important steps to achieving the financial help you deserve after an injury is to contact an experienced law firm that focuses on car accident litigation. Los Angeles residents have come to trust Sean Salamati for skilled representation and compassionate, personalized service.

If you have a lasting disability after a collision, we encourage you to reach out today for a free case review with an LA car accident lawyer at Salamati Law.

Additional Resources:

1. CA Disability Benefits, California State Disability Insurance (SDI): FAQs https://ca.db101.org/ca/programs/income_support/sdi/faqs.htm
2. EED.CA.gov, SDI Online, https://www.edd.ca.gov/disability/sdi_online.htm

How To Stay Safe on the Roads on New Year’s Eve

On New Year’s Eve, it’s traditional to have a glass of bubbly (champagne) or other drink to celebrate the arrival

On New Year’s Eve, it’s traditional to have a glass of bubbly (champagne) or other drink to celebrate the arrival of the new year. When you’re on the roads, however, make sure that the driver hasn’t been drinking. This is the best way to ensure the safety of yourself and others as we transition into 2019.

Don’t Drink or Use Drugs and Drive

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,874 people were killed in traffic accidents in which an alcohol-impaired driver was involved last year. That means the driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit of 0.08. In the month of December alone last year, there were 885 deaths in vehicle collisions with a drunk driver at the wheel.

Because of the association of New Year’s Eve and drinking, it’s very possible that there are more accidents with drunk drivers at the wheel both on New Year’s Eve and in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Don’t be one of them. If you’re going to a party in a home, make sure there is a designated driver or that you can take public transportation or call a friend or a ride-share service to drive you home. If you’re going to a party in a public place or a hotel, do the same – or even think of staying over at the hotel.

The NHTSA even has a free downloadable phone app, SaferRide, that will alert a friend to your location.

And remember that impaired driving doesn’t stem only from alcoholic drinks. Drugs will impair driving sure as surely as drinking will. Use the same safe principles if you take drugs on New Year’s Eve – or any other day. Don’t get behind the wheel.

Remember that many impaired drivers use the same excuses over and over again: they feel they can drive fine or are just a few miles from their destination. Drivers who are inebriated or high are not good judges of whether they can drive safely or not. Many accidents can happen just a few miles from home.

Follow All Safety Rules

It’s also prudent to remember that all safety rules need to be followed on New Year’s Eve. Wear a seat belt, and make sure that all passengers in the vehicle need to wear one. Obey the speed limit. Follow all the traffic laws.

An Experienced Car Accident Attorney in Los Angeles

If you or a loved one are in a car accident on New Year’s Eve or any other time, call the experienced Los Angeles car accident lawyers at Salamati Law Firm. Sean Salamati has been obtaining justice in Los Angeles car accidents for years. Let him put his experience to work for you.

Additional Resources:

1. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Impaired Driving. https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/index.html.
2. U.S. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA Reminds Motorists to Drive Sober this Holiday Season. December 18, 2018. https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/nhtsa-reminds-motorists-drive-sober-holiday-season.

How Crash Reconstruction Investigators Do Their Job

A person that causes a car accident will generally be liable for the resulting damages and injuries, but proving who

A person that causes a car accident will generally be liable for the resulting damages and injuries, but proving who caused the accident is not always a straightforward exercise. That proof often turns on the analysis of the vehicles and the accident scene by experienced car crash reconstruction investigators.

The Salamati Law Firm in Los Angeles represents car accident victims who are seeking to recover damages from the parties that are responsible for the accident. We routinely work with automobile crash reconstruction investigators who develop the evidence that we then use both to negotiate with insurers and to prove in courtroom trials that our clients have suffered losses as a result of another party’s negligent or reckless driving.

Crash Reconstruction Part 1: Analysis of the Accident Scene

In most serious accidents, police department crash reconstructionists will examine the scene as soon as is possible after the accident to determine if any of the drivers of the vehicles should be charged with a traffic violation. They will likely take the same measurements and perform the same tasks as a traffic accident engineer who assists attorneys to apportion civil liability for damages in the accident, including:

• Taking photographs of the accident scene;
• Measuring visible skid marks on pavement and any roadway damage to extrapolate the speed of the vehicles involved;
• Examining surveillance video from businesses or ATMs in the vicinity of the accident;
• Noting weather and traffic conditions at the time of the accident, including the angle of the sun and relative visibility as drivers approach the accident scene;
• Analyzing debris fields and the dispersal of glass and other materials from the vehicles to assess vehicle directions and speeds immediately prior to the accident.

This information gives investigators a snapshot of the road and other conditions that confronted the drivers immediately prior to the accident.

Crash Reconstruction Part 2: Analysis of the Vehicles

If the vehicles are not drivable, authorities will typically arrange to have them towed to an impound lot or some other location where they can be examined. Because evidence of responsibility for an accident can be dissipated when vehicles are moved, an attorney who represents car accident victims will want an investigator to analyze the damaged vehicles as soon as is possible after the accident. Accordingly, if you are in a serious accident, you can improve your opportunity to recover compensation for your damages and injuries if you contact a car accident attorney immediately.

The attorney’ crash investigator will inspect each of the vehicles, looking for things such as:

• Air bag deployment;
• Mechanical defects;
• Maintenance of important safety systems, such as the brakes and headlamps;
• The relative amounts of deflection and damage of parts, which can provide critical clues as to each car’s speed and direction at the time of the crash;

The car crash investigator will also download any available data from the car’s onboard event data recorder, which is the automotive equivalent of an airplane’s “black box”. That device and other technology can give the investigator a very clear picture of how the accident happened and which car was likely the accident’s catalyst.

Crash Reconstruction Part 3: The Aftermath

The investigator will not have witnessed an accident directly, but will reconstruct it from forensic evidence that the accident created. The party that caused an accident and his or her insurers will often challenge this analysis. If a car accident case goes to trial, the responsible party will usually seek to disqualify the investigator’s report with arguments that the car accident reconstructionist does not have the qualifications or knowledge to produce a technical report that a court is being asked to rely upon.

An experienced car accident attorney will anticipate these challenges and will know how to rebut them when they arise. When you are retaining an attorney to represent you in a car accident case, you should ask that attorney for information and references for the car crash investigator that he proposes to retain on your behalf.

Call Car Crash Lawyer Sean Salamati in Southern California

Sean Salamati has helped clients in Los Angeles County and throughout southern California to recover compensation for their injuries and property losses that they have suffered in car accidents. Our firm has strong relationships with many skilled car accident reconstruction investigators who produce detailed reports that we use to prove which party caused an accident.

If you or a loved one have been hurt in crash, call the law offices of Sean Salamati, one of the premier car accident lawyers in Los Angeles. Your initial consultation is free and you owe no money unless we win your case.

Additional Resources:

1. washingtonpost.com: The Wreckage Speaks: A Crash Reconstruction Team Tells Stories that Victims Can’t. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/tripping/wp/2018/02/27/the-wreckage-speaks-a-crash-reconstruction-team-tells-stories-that-victims-cant/?utm_term=.dbbfb8102ad5
2. thebalancecareers.com: Traffic Crash Reconstructionist Job Information. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/traffic-crash-reconstructionist-job-information-974477

3 Tips for Driving in Heavy Rains

As all residents of southern California know, our region has been hit with heavy rains recently. Torrential downpours can be

As all residents of southern California know, our region has been hit with heavy rains recently. Torrential downpours can be dangerous in the Los Angeles area for several reasons. First, the area is dry, and the rains can cause a high amount of water on the road and even flash flooding. River levels can rise and flood as well. Second, southern California has also experienced extreme damage from fires. Fires burn vegetation which ordinarily helps to keep soil and earth in place. Burned-over areas that are then hit with rain create an environment that can lead to mudslides. Indeed, roads have been closed throughout the Southern California region due to mudslides. Even if mudslides don’t occur, rain can bring debris from fires down to a road, causing hazards on the road.

In addition, of course, not all southern California drivers are experienced in driving in heavy rains. Rain and other inclement weather also causes some risks. Visibility can be limited. It is easier to skid, hydroplane, and lose control of your car. The risk of accidents rises – and that it itself can increase road danger to motorists not in the accident.

Safe driving tips for heavy rain conditions

Be sure to do the following to optimize your safety and that of your loved ones.

1. Watch the weather report

Heavy rain and potential results from it, such as flash flooding, debris, and mudslides, are very dangerous. They can even be catastrophic. A flash flood or a mudslide can carry away your car and kill everyone in it, whether you are driving safely or not.

The solution is to watch weather reports very carefully. Advisories for heavy rains, flooding, mudslides, and more are carried by weather services, partly as a service to motorists. Weather reports and news will also be sources of information about road closings and detours. The more informed you are about conditions, they safer you will be.

If there are reports of extreme weather events and you don’t have to go out, it might be more prudent to stay home until conditions change. Commuters should also consider public transportation.

2. Use your lights and windshield wipers

Headlights and windshield wipers are basic safety equipment in case of heavy rains. Even if it’s in the middle of the day, you should switch on your headlights. It improves your ability to see the road and surrounding areas. It also increases your visibility to other motorists.

Use your windshield wipers to make sure you can see out your windshield, as well. This is obvious advice, but many of us in southern California don’t drive in rain often. Your wipers may need replacement to work at their best.

3. Drive slowly

Lots of water coming down in a short time increases the danger of skidding or hydroplaning. Drive slowly in the rain. Drive under the speed limit if necessary. You want to be able to stop safely, and the best way to do this is not to drive fast.

An Experienced Car Accident Attorney in Southern California

If you or a loved one has been hurt in a car accident during the heavy rains, call Sean Salamati, an experienced car accident attorney Los Angeles trusts to fight for maximum compensation. Let him put his experience to work for you. All initial consultations are free of charge, and you owe us nothing unless we win your case.

Additional Resources:

1. Cain, Josh. “Heavy rain comes to Southern California, flood advisories and evacuations issued.” The Daily Breeze. November 29, 2018. https://www.dailybreeze.com/2018/11/29/heavy-rain-coming-to-southern-california/.
2. Williams, Ashley. “Soaking rain, flash floods in California could pose a risk of mudslides near wildfire-scorched areas.” AccuWeather. November 30, 2018. https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/how-heavy-rainfall-in-california-could-trigger-potentially-deadly-mudslides-following-woolsey-camp-fires/70006756.