Reno Car Accident Attorney

Reno Car Accident Lawyer

If you’ve been involved in a collision with another car that was caused by that other driver’s negligence, you’ll need help from two vital professionals: your doctor and an experienced Reno car accident lawyer like you’ll find at the Law Office of Matthew L. Sharp.

We have helped many Reno residents take on the big insurance companies when they’ve been offered lowball settlements or denials of their claims. If you’ve been the victim of a car accident caused by a reckless driver, we want to hear from you.

How the Law Office of Matthew L. Sharp Helps With Your Accident Claim

There are a lot of different types of drivers who caused your accident. It could be a driver on their way home from work or a group of friends out for a night on the town. Your car crash can also be caused by a commercial truck driver, a rideshare driver from Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or a city bus driver.

No matter who you’ve been involved in a crash with, our legal team at the Law Office of Matthew L. Sharp can provide the information you need about filing a claim and seeking fair compensation for your losses. That is just the first step in helping you get the compensation you are entitled to. There are many other ways our Reno accident attorney can provide support and guidance.

Consider the following:

We’ll Conduct a Thorough Investigation

Establishing who is responsible for your car wreck is vital for getting you the compensation you are entitled to. As an experienced car Reno auto accident lawyer, we have built a network of investigators who can examine all aspects of an accident including the at-fault driver’s DMV history of citations and traffic violations.

We’ll Collect All the Relevant Evidence

There are many critical pieces of evidence that can support your version of the auto accident, including the following:

  • Accident reports
  • Physical evidence from the scene
  • Damaged property
  • Photographs
  • Videos
  • Witness statements
  • Traffic camera footage
  • Surveillance and dashcam footage
  • Medical records

We’ll carefully analyze each piece of evidence to determine how best it supports your version of the vehicle collision.

We’ll Negotiate with Insurance Companies

Negotiating skills are one of the most important tactics that an accident lawyer in Reno can possess.

We have extensive knowledge of how insurance companies operate. We know how they’ll try to delay and deny. If they offer a lowball settlement, we’ll counter with our evidence.

We’ll Represent You in Court

If the at-fault driver’s insurance carrier balks at entering into fair negotiations, we might recommend that we file a civil complaint and take them to court. We’ll be able to make the pivot and put up a compelling narrative that supports your version of the vehicle collision.

This might add time to resolving the claim, but it might also be the best option to get what you’re owed.

Types of Motor Vehicle Collisions That Occur in Reno

When you tell your family you’ve been in a car accident, they’ll want to know what happened. You may not have all the facts initially, but it’s essential to understand the type of crash you’ve been involved in and the causes to help your car accident lawyer in Reno build the narrative of what happened to you.

Here are some of the types of wrecks you could have experienced:

Distracted Diving

The Nevada State Police Office of Traffic Safety clearly states that driving while using a cell phone is a violation. They explain: A driver may not talk, send, or receive messages or search the internet on a cellular telephone or other handheld wireless device unless using a hands-free accessory.”

Using a cell is just one of the many distractions a driver can be engaged in.

Eating, drinking, smoking, changing the radio, and looking for something that fell off a seat could all be distractions. Those can lead to taking your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel, leading to accidents. Your accident lawyer in Reno can subpoena those records to establish the phone was in use at the moment of impact.

Drunk Driving

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs might be one of the easiest acts of negligence to prove.

If a suspected drunk driver caused your crash, they will either be tested at the accident scene or transported to a hospital for the same. Pending the results, they may be immediately arrested and booked on criminal charges. This can be a straightforward example of negligence.

Head-On Collisions

A front-end crash can only happen if one car wanders into another lane. Whatever the reason this occurs, the driver who made that lane change would likely be held liable for the collision.

These are particularly violent accidents that can lead to catastrophic injuries.

Highway Crashes

These collisions typically occur at high speeds. Because of this, they can cause a chain reaction or multi-vehicle wreck. Determining who is at fault in these crashes can be challenging.

Intersection Wrecks

The vast majority of car accidents happen at intersections. When a driver blows through a red light or stop sign, they can easily slam into another vehicle with the right of way. Collisions like these are another clear example of negligent driving.

Rear-End Accidents

Fender-benders are one example of a rear-end crash, but not the only type. These common types of car accidents often occur in congested traffic, parking lots, interstates, and highways, and anywhere else when a driver isn’t paying attention to what is in front of them and brakes far too late.

Depending on the force of the impact, these accidents can trigger severe physical trauma such as whiplash or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Regardless of the collision type that injured you, you’ll need support that a Reno car accident lawyer can provide with the legal process, so you can continue focusing on recovering from your injuries.

An experienced Reno accident lawyer can help establish what happened in your car accident and who was at fault, which can prove invaluable.

Schedule a free consultation with a car accident lawyer in Reno

Steps To Take After a Reno Car Wreck

There are three crucial things to do immediately following a Reno car accident:

  1. Check for injuries
  2. Call 911
  3. Get to a safe place

Even if there aren’t any apparent serious injuries, you should still call to have the police report to the scene and make an official report. Either that day or the following one, you’ll need to tend to any injuries and deal with the damage to your car.

Your accident led to the creation of a crash report, medical records, and repair estimates. You need to obtain copies of all those documents to support your claim. You’ll also need to make copies of pay stubs if your accident has kept you out of work.

Whether you’ve had a chance to compile these records or not, you also need to prioritize contacting a car accident attorney to discuss your legal options.

How Is Fault Determined in a Reno Car Accident?

Nevada is an at-fault state. That means the at-fault driver who caused the wreck is financially responsible for all the damages. Because Nevada drivers are also required to carry automobile insurance, you and your accident lawyer in Reno will be making a claim against that driver’s insurance carrier.

Those minimum requirements include the following:

  • $25,000 per person for bodily injury
  • $50,000 per accident for bodily injury
  • $20,000 per accident for property damage

Once that insurance company is put on notice of the claim, they will conduct their own investigation.

This is where you’ll benefit from getting the support of a Nevada car accident lawyer. That attorney will take over the communications with the insurance company and provide the responses to bolster your claim.

The insurance adjuster will have access to the same evidence that your auto accident lawyer will have. That should leave no doubt who is at fault.

What Not To Do After an Auto Collision in Nevada

While you’ll want to follow the steps outlined above following a car wreck in Reno, avoid doing the following:

Do Not Discuss the Details of Your Accident with Insurance Companies

You’ll need to report the accident to your insurance company, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be filing a claim with them yet. You may want to discuss whether or not you should contact a Reno car accident attorney in our office.

Do Not Sign Anything

If you provide a statement to the police who report to the scene, you may be asked to sign it.

However, you shouldn’t sign anything else until you review it with your attorney first. That includes anything from the insurance company.

Do Not Argue About the Accident

At the crash scene, you should not apologize or admit fault. You shouldn’t discuss any details of the accident with the other driver.

Leave that for the police to sort out.

Do Not Post Online

Getting into a car accident is something you might want to share with your friends and family on social media. Even an innocent post about your recovery or car repairs can be misconstrued. Anything you post can be used as evidence against you.

Do Not Accept a Settlement Offer

The insurance company that represents the at-fault driver might be in a rush to settle the claim.

They could assess the value of your car and offer that payment without consideration for your injuries.

You should not accept any settlement offer until you thoroughly review all the options with your car accident attorney in Reno.

Common Car Accident Injuries

There can be devastating damage to a car even though the driver walks away with only a few scratches.

There can also be a fender bender that doesn’t damage the vehicle but can leave the driver with whiplash.

There are a wide range of potential car accident injuries:

These injuries can mean missing several days or weeks of work. They might also require surgery, hospitalization, and ongoing physical therapy. No matter the severity of the injury, you should not have to pay for any medical expenses resulting from an auto collision, which is someone else’s fault.

An accident lawyer in Reno, NV, can provide you with the knowledge necessary to recover compensation for your current and future losses.

Frequently Asked Questions About Car Collision Claims

In the aftermath of a car accident, you’ll no doubt have a lot of uncertainty about what will happen next and what you’re supposed to do. These frequently asked questions can help bring your concerns into focus.

What are my obligations after a Nevada car accident?

The impact of any car collision is going to be a shock. It will be a challenge to think straight, but it’s important to meet the obligations every motorist must after an accident.

Those obligations begin with moving the cars out of the way of oncoming traffic if possible. You’ll want to exchange information with the other driver that includes the driver’s license number, phone, address, vehicle’s make, model, year, and license plate number, and insurance carrier.

You should also call 9-1-1 to report the accident and get medical assistance if needed. You then have to wait for the police to respond to the scene, especially if there are injuries. If you accidentally hit an unoccupied car, you need to leave your contact information on the car.

Do I need to report the accident to the police if we’re going to settle it between us?

Nevada law requires you to notify the police or the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) immediately if you are involved in a crash in which anyone is killed or injured. The best way to contact the police is to call 911.

If the police respond to the scene, you don’t have to call to file a report. Also, if there are no injuries and the property damage is less than $750, the police will probably not respond. However, you should still consider filing a report to get your version of the car crash on record.

The other driver might turn around and try to accuse you of causing the accident.

Do I need to report accidents to my auto insurer?

Most car insurance companies require policyholders to notify them if they get into an accident.

Not reporting the accident could trigger a cancellation. Many people are worried about their premium rates going up if they report the collision. Most insurance companies would only consider a rate increase if you are found at fault in the accident.

How much time do I have to sue the other driver or their insurance company?

The Nevada statute of limitations for filing a civil complaint is two years after the date of the accident.

If you retain the services of a Reno car accident attorney, they will ensure that you meet all the appropriate filing deadlines. Failure to do so will result in you not being able to collect any reimbursement.

Can I settle without going to court?

The majority of car accident cases settle out of court or even before an official lawsuit is filed. Once your Reno car accident attorney presents the evidence and the final number of damages that you’re seeking, they will open negotiations to arrive at a settlement.

Often, if you file a civil complaint, the insurance company will appreciate that you’re not going anywhere, and it is in their best interests to settle.

What Support Can a Reno Car Accident Lawyer Provide?

The vast majority of car accidents result in an insurance claim being filed.

If you caused a simple accident, like backing up into a concrete barrier in a parking lot, you’ll probably be able to handle the claim on your own. However, when another driver’s negligence leads to a collision, you need help from an experienced Reno car accident attorney.

That’s when you should contact the Law Office of Matthew L. Sharp.

That support can begin immediately when we agree to represent you in your car accident case. Our car accident lawyers can help with the following tasks:

  • File initial paperwork for the claim
  • Take over communications with insurance companies
  • Coordinate with the insurance adjuster
  • Answer all of your legal questions
  • Conduct a thorough investigation
  • Calculate all your economic and non-economic damages
  • Gather all relevant evidence

These are just the tasks that involve the insurance claims process. If the insurance company denies your claim, presents a lowball offer, or wants to shift the blame for the accident onto you, the only recourse might be to file a civil lawsuit. If this happens, we will represent you in court and present all the evidence and testimony to a jury that supports your version of what caused the car accident.

We need to hear from you before any of that support can begin. You can schedule a free consultation to tell a Reno car accident lawyer in our office what happened and let us provide you with information about the possible next steps.

You want to make an informed decision about all your options. Call or contact us online today.