We can help you if you’ve been injured in a car accident caused by another driver’s road rage in Coeur d’Alene or anywhere in Northern Idaho. Please contact us for a free case consultation to find out what your case is worth and how to hold unhelpful car insurance companies fully responsible. There is no obligation for this information session with a real lawyer.
For more information on how CCD Law can help you rebuild your life after a frightening accident, you can visit our Coeur d’Alene Car Accident Lawyers page.
Do You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer
Accident victims can always file their own accident claim. That usually works out when a car accident only involves very minor injuries or just a smashed vehicle. However, when a more serious accident is involved, it’s a good indicator that a lawyer will be beneficial for victims.
When the cost of care will be higher, victims will need to demand more to cover their current medical bills. But unfortunately, the added expenses also cause insurance adjusters to make the claims process even harder on victims. Insurers would like to avoid all blame or keep the amount on settlement checks very low.
A CCD Law attorney’s investigative skills are often needed to fight back with evidence, so that the blame in a road rage accident doesn’t land on the wrong driver. A skilled lawyer also makes sure victims receive enough in support to rebuild their lives. This is often much more than victims can earn by handling their claims themselves.
A lawyer is especially beneficial when injuries that take longer to heal are involved. That might include a case involving a fractured arm or leg, a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or an eye injury. It could include a lingering neck or back injury. It might involve an eye injury or a permanent disfigurement. Family members who have children, a spouse, or someone else close to them injured or killed in a tragic accident can also turn to the help of CCD Law.
Victims with serious wounds or those dealing with a terrible loss should earn more in support and not be made to wait.
Take Advantage of a Free Consultation With a Real Lawyer
After a frightening encounter with an out-of-control driver and an accident, you might still not be sure if you’ll need the help of a lawyer. That’s okay. We offer a free case review to any accident victim in Northern Idaho.
We want to help victims feel confident that when they file an accident claim, they can expect the most in compensation possible. If we can’t help you earn more, we’ll tell you that. But if we can’t, we still want to give you some key things to watch out for when dealing with shady car insurance companies.
What You Should Expect in a Settlement Check After a Road Rage Accident
Your CCD Law attorney demands the complete coverage of all economic damages you’ve suffered in the short-term, and those that could arise in the long-term (such as future surgeries and extended absences from work).
The pain and suffering you’ve endured must also factor in. These are non-economic damages that can be just as debilitating as any broken bone.
Your lawyer would fight for each and every one of these benefits and more:
- Current and future medical bills covered
- Permanent disability support covered
- Support for the physical pain you must cope with and the cost of therapy
- Support for the emotional trauma that a frightening encounter with a road rage suspect can cause
- Support for the depression and anxiety that might come with an accident and a lengthy, debilitating injury
- Reimbursement for every paycheck you lose while missing work hours
- Full payment on car repairs or replacement to make sure victims have a dependable vehicle to rely on again
Road Rage Dangers on Coeur d’Alene Streets
A beautiful destination city like Coeur d’Alene may seem like an unlikely backdrop for a road rage incident. But traffic can build on I-90 and along Government Way, drivers can make mistakes, and tempers can flare.
Not all road rage incidents lead to gunfire and assaults, but many do lead to reckless driving and then scary collisions.
In Idaho, road rage drivers would often be charged as reckless drivers. Idaho Statute 49-1401. Reckless driving. explains that a misdemeanor charge comes with up to a $1,000 fine (plus court fees) and up to 6 months in jail. But when accidents and injuries or deaths occur, drivers might face vehicular assault or manslaughter charges.
These are a few of the actions that could be considered road rage and reckless driving violations:
- Brake checking
- Flashing a weapon
- Aggressive lane changes
- Slamming brakes to send a message to a driver in the rear
- Failure to yield the right of way after a confrontation
- Forcing a car off the road
- Stopping to block a vehicle.
You Don’t Have to Wait on a Criminal Trial Before Filing a Road Rage Accident Claim
The criminal charges stemming from a road rage incident, and your insurance claim over the damages (e.g., injury costs, lost income, etc.) are separate cases. Your accident case is a civil claim and can be filed at any time your case is ready.
You don’t have to wait for the outcome of any criminal trial to earn support from the at-fault driver’s insurer. Your claim (or a civil lawsuit) can move forward even if a road rage suspect isn’t convicted for any road rage-related charges. If the other driver caused your accident, they can still be held liable for your hardships.
It’s always helpful to have a lawyer’s help when criminal and civil claims are proceeding. Your lawyer helps make sure there’s no doubt over the driver’s actions and that they led to a dangerous collision.
Proving that Road Rage Caused Your Accident
A lawyer can be especially important in a case involving road rage. Especially when an accident may not look like a road rage incident to an investigating officer, such as a Coeur d’Alene police officer or an Idaho State Police officer.
The fault may be pinned on the other driver, but you may need help proving that the motorist was angry and trying to intimidate you or someone else when the crash occurred.
You may ram the back of a car of a road rage driver who was brake-checking you, but that’s hard to determine after the fact. The blame could fall on you.
That’s unacceptable to CCD Law of Coeur d’Alene. We would start the investigation process and uncover any proof necessary to show who was to blame in the road rage accident.
These are just a few of the types of evidence and investigative processes that would be used:
- Eyewitness accounts
- Testimony from experts
- Traffic cameras and nearby surveillance cameras that got footage of what happened
- Accident reconstruction team data when necessary
- Past driving history of the suspect
- Your photos taken at the scene and your account of the accident
Contact a Coeur d’Alene Road Rage Accident Lawyer
If you had an encounter and accident with a road rage motorist, and you were left with injuries, it’s a good idea to talk over your case with an Idaho Car Accident Lawyer. CCD Law offers a free case consultation to all car accident victims.
We never want you to enter the accident claims process unprepared. We make sure you know what your accident and injuries are worth before an insurer tries to get you to sign off on much less. We also want you to have the evidence necessary to prove who was really at fault in a road rage incident.
If you require our help, there’s no need to worry about how you’ll afford to hire a lawyer. If you need us, we’re there. We only get paid if we win your case for you. Then our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company writes for you.