Vehicle Accidents

If you are involved in a car accident, seek legal counsel as soon as it is safe to do so. The Oakland car accident attorneys at Weltin, Streb & Weltin can help ensure that you receive maximum compensation for your car accident claim.

Auto accidents are the leading cause of accidental death and injury in America, and unfortunately, the statistics only get worse for those living in metropolitan cities. In California alone, there were 2,791 fatal auto accidents in 2011. In some cases, auto accidents are hard to avoid, or are due to weather or other uncontrollable conditions. However, the majority of auto accidents occur due to negligence on the part of another driver or some other party.

Though it is a benefit that all drivers in California are required to carry insurance, meaning that responsible parties are lawfully required to carry some liability coverage, there is a drawback. With insurance companies involved in every accident, they are tenacious in trying to get out of paying as much as possible to injury victims. Once you contact the insurance company and report the accident, the insurance company of the driver that caused your accident will likely ask you for a statement on how the accident occurred. They will also ask what your injuries are and will likely request permission to get copies all of your private and personal medical records. You should not give a statement to the opposing insurance company, and you should not give authorization to release your medical records. That insurance company is attempting, at every turn and at every opportunity, to minimize its liability for your injuries, and will do everything it can to use your words and your medical records against you. Instead, let a car accident attorney speak to the opposing insurance company. They have your best interests at heart and will minimize the information given to the opposing insurance company.

Many people think that they do not need an attorney for a car accident case, they they can get the maximum compensation on their own. If their car accident did not result in any injuries, this is probably true, as the car repair is fairly straightforward and usually doesn’t need legal counsel involved. However, if even moderate injuries are sustained, there are a plethora of subtle opportunities for legitimate compensation that are not obvious at all. An aggressive and diligent attorney can ensure that you are compensated for pain and suffering, lost wages, and other items as well. Beyond these compensations, having an attorney contacting the insurance companies often makes adjusters not want to cheat injury victims, for fear that they might have the case go to trial, if necessary.

At Weltin, Streb & Weltin, we are experienced Oakland car accident attorneys. In our 40 years of representing vehicle injury victims in the Bay Area, we have successfully handled hundreds of auto accident cases in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma counties. We will thoroughly investigate your claim, including all parties that contributed to causing your accident. We will aggressively work to obtain full, fair compensation for your injuries. Consultations are free, and we do not get paid unless you recover compensation. Call us today at (510) 251-6060.