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At a time when you should be concentrating on your health, you can suddenly find yourself responsible for protecting your legal and financial future as well. Maurer Law is here to help.
Our car accident attorneys represent people injured by negligent drivers throughout Auburn and Placer County. We take the time to listen to what happened, understand how your injuries have affected your life, and discuss what you will need for current and future recovery.
Then, we work to gather the evidence, negotiate with insurance companies, and pursue the full and fair compensation you need. You are under no financial obligation to discuss your case with us and pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.
Auburn sits at an important transportation crossroads in Northern California, with I-80 running east and west through the area and Hwy 49 running north and south, connecting to Grass Valley and Nevada City.
The layout creates a mix of local, commuter, tourist, and commercial traffic. Drivers may be navigating busy freeway interchanges one moment and narrower foothill streets the next.
Where an accident happens can influence the evidence available and the parties involved, but the basic question remains the same: Did another person fail to use reasonable care and cause your injuries?
If the answer is yes, California law may allow you to pursue compensation.
You’re not legally required to hire an attorney every time you are involved in a crash. But when you have suffered a meaningful injury, liability is disputed, or an insurance company is resisting fair payment, having an experienced personal injury lawyer can make an enormous difference in how you navigate the process.
Insurance companies investigate claims with their own interests in mind. Adjusters may be courteous and sympathetic, but their job is not to make sure you receive as much compensation as possible.
An insurer may try to:
Maurer Law helps put you on more equal footing and take the pressure away from you. We can handle the insurance process while you concentrate on getting better.
Our clients come to us at difficult moments in their lives. That is why our approach starts with something simple but important: we listen.
We want to know how the accident happened, what your doctors have told you, what you are worried about, and how the injuries are changing your everyday life. A successful car accident claim should reflect what happened to you and what you will fully need through the future because of it.
We Investigate What Caused the Crash
Evidence can determine whether an insurance company accepts responsibility or spends months trying to shift blame. Depending on the circumstances, our investigation may include:
Getting started early is important when it comes to preserving evidence. Cars are repaired, physical evidence disappears, surveillance footage may be erased, and witnesses’ memories become less clear over time.
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Some car accident injuries are obvious immediately. Others much less so.
A person may walk away from a collision believing they have suffered only soreness, only to develop worsening headaches, neck pain, back pain, numbness, cognitive problems, or other symptoms later.
Car accidents can cause injuries such as:
Maurer Law encourages accident victims to take their medical care seriously. We want to understand your condition before pushing you toward a settlement that could leave you responsible for future costs.
The driver who hit you may be the obvious responsible party, but some cases involve more.
A collision could involve a driver operating a company vehicle, a delivery driver, a commercial truck, a rideshare vehicle, or someone driving a vehicle owned by another person. Identifying the relationships between drivers, vehicle owners, employers, contractors, and insurers can reveal additional avenues for compensation.
We also review uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage when the negligent driver’s insurance is inadequate.
The purpose of personal injury compensation is to address the losses caused by another person’s negligence. Depending on your circumstances, a car accident claim may seek compensation for:
For someone with a serious injury, future damages can be particularly important. A settlement that covers today’s bills may still be inadequate if you later require surgery, additional rehabilitation, or significant time away from work.
California follows pure comparative negligence. Under this rule, responsibility is allocated according to each party’s share of fault. An injured person is not automatically prevented from recovering simply because they contributed to the accident. Instead, compensation may be reduced according to that person’s percentage of responsibility.
For example, imagine another driver made an unsafe turn but the insurer claims you were speeding. Even if some fault were ultimately assigned to you, that would not necessarily eliminate your right to compensation.
This makes an accurate investigation especially important. Every percentage point of fault can affect the amount an insurer ultimately pays.
Insurance companies know this. If they can convince you to accept more responsibility than the facts justify, they may be able to reduce their financial exposure. A local Auburn car accident attorney understands California’s laws, and can gather evidence and challenge unfair attempts to shift blame.
The first few days after a collision can have lasting consequences for your health and claim.
Seek appropriate medical care promptly, particularly if you experience pain, dizziness, headaches, numbness, confusion, weakness, or other symptoms. Don’t assume you are uninjured because you were able to leave the scene. Some injuries become more noticeable as the initial shock and adrenaline wear off.
Follow your doctor’s recommendations and attend follow-up appointments. Early and consistent medical records can help establish when symptoms began and how they progressed in your case.
BLOG: Why Seeing a Doctor After a Car Accident is Always a Good Idea
Contact the appropriate law enforcement agency after a significant collision. Depending on the location, that could include the Auburn Police Department or California Highway Patrol.
An official report can help document the people and vehicles involved, statements made at the scene, witnesses, and other important information.
If you are safely able, photograph the vehicles, road, traffic controls, visible injuries, debris, skid marks, and surrounding conditions. Also collect contact and insurance information from the other driver and contact information from witnesses.
Save bills, receipts, medical records, repair documents, insurance correspondence, and employment records showing missed time.
You may also find it helpful to document how your injuries affect everyday activities in a journal. Limitations that seem obvious to you now may be difficult to remember months later.
Knowing what not to do after an accident can be just as important.
Avoid apologizing, speculating about what happened, or making statements about responsibility at the scene. You may not yet have all the information necessary to understand how the crash occurred.
Saying “I’m fine” after a frightening crash is almost automatic for some people. Unfortunately, that statement may later be used to suggest you were not injured.
But also don’t exaggerate your injuries. Be truthful. If you’re not sure whether you are hurt, say that.
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The other driver’s insurance company may ask you to provide a recorded account. We highly recommend speaking with an attorney before doing so. Seemingly innocent questions can be used to create inconsistencies or obtain statements that minimize the insurer’s responsibility.
Insurers may look for prior injuries or conditions they can use to argue that the accident did not cause your current symptoms.
Pre-existing conditions do not automatically defeat a claim, but you should understand what medical information you are authorizing an insurer to obtain. Ask to speak with a car accident attorney first.
An early settlement may be tempting when bills are accumulating. But if you later discover that you need surgery or cannot return to your previous job, the settlement may be nowhere near enough.
Once a claim has been fully and finally settled, you generally cannot ask for additional compensation because your condition worsened.
We’re a local law firm. Auburn is one of our four Northern California offices. We know the area and its legal system, and we’re here to use our knowledge to help clients get the recovery they need to best move forward with their lives.
You don’t have to deal with the insurance company or the uncertainty of a serious injury alone. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Auburn or the surrounding Placer County area, contact Maurer Law to schedule a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney.
California generally imposes a two-year limitations period on actions for injury caused by another person’s wrongful act or neglect. Exceptions and different deadlines can apply, so you should not assume that two years is available in every case.
You may have options through your own uninsured motorist coverage. If the driver has insurance but not enough to address your losses, underinsured motorist coverage may become relevant.
We can review available policies and determine whether other responsible parties or sources of insurance exist. A lack of adequate insurance from the other driver does not necessarily mean you are out of options.
BLOG: I Was Hit by an Uninsured Driver. What Do I Do Now?
Potentially, yes. An insurer may argue that your pain is entirely the result of a previous back, neck, knee, or other condition. But a person with a pre-existing condition can still suffer a new injury or a meaningful aggravation of an old one.
Medical records showing your condition before and after the crash can become particularly important. We work to present an accurate picture of what changed because of the collision.
Not necessarily. Current bills are only one part of a personal injury claim.
You may require additional treatment, miss more work, experience ongoing pain, or develop limitations that affect your future. Before accepting a settlement, you should understand your medical prognosis and the broader value of your losses.
Many car accident cases are resolved through negotiated settlements. Whether yours can be resolved without litigation depends on factors such as liability, insurance coverage, the seriousness of your injuries, and whether the insurer is willing to offer reasonable compensation.
If litigation becomes necessary, Maurer Law can continue advocating for you through that process. Thorough preparation from the beginning helps us pursue a fair outcome whether the case settles or proceeds toward trial.
Maurer Law offers free consultations for personal injury matters. You can speak with us about your accident and learn about your options without an upfront financial obligation.
We handle car accident claims on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
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