BOISE CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER

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practice areas

car accidents

Car accidents can be cause by numerous reasons. However, it is becoming more common that they are caused by distractions such as texting, eating, children, or just daydreaming. We fight to get you the maximum compensation.

motorcycle accidents

If you have been in a motorcycle accident, chances are you have suffered severe injuries such as broken bones, torn ligaments, or a traumatic brain injury. We have the experience in dealing with insurance companies when it comes to motorcycle accidents.

Semi accidents

The size and weight of semi's cause devastating, and more often than not, permanent injuries, when they cause collision. These collisions can be more complex when establishing liability and requires the attention and detail that we put into our cases.

wrongful death

Sometimes, an individual's negligence, or even intentional actions, unfortunately causes the death of a loved one. We are here for you from the beginning and will work hard to obtain justice for you and your loved one.

Personal injury

Personal injury law encompasses many areas including premises liability, car accidents, slip and fall, and commercial driving accidents. We have the experience no matter how you have been injured.

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ACCIDENt

If you have been injured by a commercial vehicle such as a delivery van, UPS or Fed Ex truck, uber or lyft vehicle, contact Boise Car Accident Lawyer for a free consultation.

Aggressive representation

A Boise car accident—along with the resulting injuries—can leave you hurting, both physically and financially. Not only must you deal with your injuries (which could be serious enough to cause you to miss work), you must also deal with the financial fallout. You may have medical expenses mounting alarmingly, and if you are unable to work, you may also be unable to pay your normal monthly expenses.

You must also find a way to replace or repair your vehicle so you can continue to get to work, to the doctor, take your children to school and/or run necessary errands.  Being in this position can be frightening, anxiety-inducing and extremely stressful, however having an experienced Boise car accident attorney by your side who will handle all the legal aspects of your accident, leaving you time to heal can make it possible to get through this difficult time.


Where are You Most Likely to Experience a Car Collision?

You may have heard that most auto accidents happen close to home, and, according to a Progressive Insurance survey, this is actually true. This survey concluded most auto collisions occurred within five miles of the driver’s home. Since most of us obviously do most of our driving within a 5-10-mile radius of our homes, it stands to reason that we would allow ourselves to become perhaps too comfortable within that “zone.” Then, once you are a little too comfortable in an area, the less likely you are to pay close attention to your driving, resulting in more accidents. If you happen to be curious as to the “who” as well as the “where,” then you would be interested to know that men are responsible for twice as many automobile accidents as women.


The attorney

Joe Frick is an attorney focusing on personal injury serving individuals that have been injured due to someone else's fault. He serves individuals in Nampa, Meridian, Boise, and throughout the State of Idaho.

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Distracted Driving as a Cause of Auto Collisions

Distracted driving has become a huge issue in the United States, causing anywhere from 25-50% of all car accidents. It seems we are all so busy, that multi-tasking has become a way of life—even behind the wheel. The most dangerous form of distraction involves cell phones—both texting and talking. In fact, the texting driver is 23 times more likely to cause an accident than the person who has their full attention on the road. Having children in the vehicle is another serious form of distraction. Having multiple children in the car is considered to be four times as distracting as driving with adults and having an infant in the car is eight times as distracting. Other common distractions include eating while driving, fiddling with the radio or GPS or adjusting your car’s climate controls.

Supporting Your Claim of Negligence

When negligence is involved in a car crash, four distinct elements must be proven. You must first show the other driver owed you a duty of care, meaning they had an obligation to drive in a reasonable, safe manner. The standard is to ask whether another reasonable driver would have acted in the same manner under the same circumstances. You must then show the other driver breached his or her duty of care. Next you must prove that breach was responsible for your injuries. Finally, you must be able to show clear evidence of your injuries, whether physical, financial or mental.

What Compensation Can I Expect for My Injuries and Damages?

Depending on the circumstances surrounding your car accident, as well as the extent of your injuries, you may be entitled to one or more of the following damages:

  • Medical expenses are likely to be your primary worry if you sustained serious injury. You may have hospital expenses, emergency room charges, surgical expenses, follow-up physician care, rehabilitation costs and prescription drug costs.
  • Your family may be seriously impacted by your lost wages if your injuries are severe enough to prevent you from returning to work for weeks, months—or even forever. A skilled car accident attorney can accurately calculate lost wages as well as loss of future income you would have received had your career not been cut short by the negligence of another.
  • You may also be entitled to non-economic damages which can be more difficult to prove. Pain and suffering could be awarded in your case if you suffered significant levels of physical pain as a result of your injuries. An important factor will be your doctor’s assessment of how long your pain can reasonably be expected to last.
  • Mental anguish refers to the emotional pain many victims of serious car collisions experience. Included in the “umbrella” of mental anguish are chronic anxiety, embarrassment, prolonged grief, fear and nervousness.
  • If your spouse has been deprived of comfort, affection, companionship and/or sexual relations as the result of your car collision, you may be able to collect damages for loss of consortium.
  • Finally, if the actions of the defendant in your car collision could be considered malicious or deliberate, then your attorney may also ask for punitive damages which are meant to punish the responsible person.

Although car insurance companies are portrayed on television as trusted friends who will be there for you, in truth insurance companies are in the business of making a profit. Insurance adjusters are trained to keep your compensation to a minimum, regardless of the extent of your injuries. In many cases, an experienced automobile accident attorney could be the only thing standing between you and an unscrupulous insurance company. Having an advocate in your corner during this difficult time is crucial, so don’t try to handle the aftermath of your car accident alone.

Things Your Boise Car Accident Can Do for You

Your Boise car accident attorney will not only be your advocate, protecting your rights and your future following an auto accident, he or she will also:

  • Ensure all evidence at the scene of the accident is properly preserved. Evidence can fade or be destroyed shortly after an auto accident. The destruction could be accidental, or deliberate, however if the evidence is not properly preserved, you could find it difficult to win your case. Your attorney may go to the scene and take photographs, interview witnesses, and even send a professional who reconstructs accident scenes when necessary.
  • Deal with the insurance company on your behalf. It is almost certain that the insurance company representing the driver who caused your accident is highly experienced in dealing with auto accident claims. Insurance companies often ask the injured party to give a recorded statement—something you should never do without speaking to your attorney. In the same vein, an insurance company may ask you to provide them with a medical release, allowing them to obtain your medical records. You should not ever provide a medical release to an insurance company—they could claim your current injuries are due to a past medical issue rather than to your current auto accident injuries.
  • Ensure all deadlines are met in your personal injury case. Every state has what is known as statutes of limitations. These statutes govern the amount of time you have in which to file a personal injury case, and vary from state to state. Idaho is at the low end, allowing only two years from the date of the accident for a personal injury case to be filed. If you want to concentrate on healing, and don’t want to worry about paperwork or statutes of limitations, insurance companies or evidence, then having a knowledgeable Boise auto accident attorney by your side, right from the beginning, is your best course of action.

What You Should Do Following Your Car Accident

Immediately following your accident, you should call 911 and have a police officer come and make a detailed police report. A police report is extremely important later on, in proving the other driver’s negligence. Without a police report, the other driver could lie about how the accident occurred, and you could find it really difficult to obtain a settlement. Next, everyone who was injured in the accident should seek medical attention. Even if you think you aren’t hurt that badly, consider the fact that the adrenaline which floods your body following an auto accident can often mask symptoms of an injury. After you have had a medical evaluation, your next step should be to call a Boise car accident attorney who will immediately begin to handle the details of your accident.

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Things Your Boise Car Accident Can Do for You

Your Boise car accident attorney will not only be your advocate, protecting your rights and your future following an auto accident, he or she will also:

  • Ensure all evidence at the scene of the accident is properly preserved. Evidence can fade or be destroyed shortly after an auto accident. The destruction could be accidental, or deliberate, however if the evidence is not properly preserved, you could find it difficult to win your case. Your attorney may go to the scene and take photographs, interview witnesses, and even send a professional who reconstructs accident scenes when necessary.
  • Deal with the insurance company on your behalf. It is almost certain that the insurance company representing the driver who caused your accident is highly experienced in dealing with auto accident claims. Insurance companies often ask the injured party to give a recorded statement—something you should never do without speaking to your attorney. In the same vein, an insurance company may ask you to provide them with a medical release, allowing them to obtain your medical records. You should not ever provide a medical release to an insurance company—they could claim your current injuries are due to a past medical issue rather than to your current auto accident injuries.
  • Ensure all deadlines are met in your personal injury case. Every state has what is known as statutes of limitations. These statutes govern the amount of time you have in which to file a personal injury case, and vary from state to state. Idaho is at the low end, allowing only two years from the date of the accident for a personal injury case to be filed. If you want to concentrate on healing, and don’t want to worry about paperwork or statutes of limitations, insurance companies or evidence, then having a knowledgeable Boise auto accident attorney by your side, right from the beginning, is your best course of action.

Getting the Legal Help You Need

Most of us rely on our vehicles to get us safely from place to place each and every day. We are a nation of drivers; we drive to and from work, to school, on errands, to church, to visit friends, and on recreational trips. We assume our vehicles are designed and built safely and believe that so long as we buckle up, the safety features built into our vehicles will protect us from harm. These safety features—as well as other components of the vehicle—can go terrible wrong. Having a skilled car accident attorney who is also well-versed in product liability law is crucial to your case if you were injured by your vehicle’s defect or flawed design.