Filing a Car Accident Claim in the Inland Empire
A free guide from Empire Law on filing a car accident claim in Riverside and San Bernardino counties: what to do at the scene, the SR-1 deadline, how fault is decided, what a claim is worth, and the tactics insurers use to pay less.
Read it Here, Start to Finish
Every chapter, plus the Foreword, Introduction, FAQ, Final Takeaways and Appendix, free to read in full.
13 chapters · 104 pages
- 019 pages
The First Minutes After a Crash
Nobody thinks about the first few minutes after a car accident until they're already in one. The ears are ringing a little, the hands are not quite steady, and somebody behind them is already leaning on the horn.Photograph the cars before anybody moves themSay you're hurt, even if you're not sure yetYour phone is the dash cam you already have
- 027 pages
Getting Medical Care Even When You Feel Fine
The most common thing I hear from a client about the day of their accident is that they felt fine. They stood at the scene, they answered the officer's questions, they told the adjuster on the phone that they were okay, and they went home.The adrenaline wears off around bedtimeUrgent care or the emergency room?If you have no insurance and no money for the visit
- 036 pages
The SR-1 Form and California's Ten-Day Deadline
There's a state reporting requirement after a car accident that runs completely separate from the police report, and almost nobody who hasn't been through a serious accident knows it exists.Three things trigger itHow to file it in about ten minutesWhere this sits on my list of the four biggest mistakes
- 046 pages
How California's Fault-Based Insurance System Works
Most people never find out how low California's minimum coverage is until a crash makes them find out. By then it's too late to have carried anything else.The at-fault driver's insurance pays first, when there is enough of itThirty, sixty, fifteenWhy you may never learn what the other driver is carrying
- 056 pages
Comparative Negligence: Why Partial Fault Doesn't End Your Claim
People disqualify themselves from their own claims. It happens constantly, and it happens before anyone ever calls me.Ninety percent at fault still recovers tenDuty, breach, causation, damagesA case where one percent made the difference
- 069 pages
Filing the Claim: What to Say, and What Not To
Once the scene is documented and the medical care is underway, the whole thing moves to the insurance companies.Why I want an attorney opening the claimOpen a claim with your own insurer tooHow to tell when a call is a recorded statement
- 078 pages
What a Car Accident Claim Is Worth
Most people think a car accident claim is the repair bill plus the medical bills. Usually that's where the list stops in their head.If you can punch it into a calculatorEvery day without your car is worth somethingThe 30 to 60 day clock inside GAP insurance
- 088 pages
The Tactics Insurance Companies Use to Pay You Less
I call it the triple D. Their goal in life is always to delay, deny, and defend themselves.Disputing liability by confusing their own insuredThe response window is where the phone ringsWhat happens to your demand inside their building
- 098 pages
The Evidence That Wins a Case in the Inland Empire
Objective is the key word in this chapter. Anything that's evidence outside of your mouth and outside of my mouth is what wins.Corner stores, Ring doorbells, gas stationsYou have about seven daysCommercial trucks almost always have footage
- 106 pages
Medical Records and Medical Liens: Building the Paper Trail
I believe my clients. When somebody tells me they're in pain, that's where I start.Somebody with nothing to gain has to write it downHow a personal injury lien worksThe debt is still yours
- 1110 pages
How Fault Gets Decided, and Why the Inland Empire's Two Counties Differ
A claim does not get decided in a vacuum. It gets decided by the evidence that happens to exist, by which of our two counties you were in when it happened, and if it goes far enough, by which judge your case lands in front of.Who gets to decide faultThe two counties are genuinely differentThe judge you draw changes the case
- 128 pages
The Deadlines That Can End Your Case Before It Starts
A claim can fail for reasons that have nothing to do with who caused the crash or how badly you were hurt. It can just run out of time.Negotiating does not pause the two yearsWhen a government entity is involved, it's six monthsThe extension for minors
- 1313 pages
When to Call a Lawyer, and the Mistakes That Cost People Their Cases
I say this constantly, and I'm going to say it here too. Call an attorney.Call before you talk to any insurance companyWhat a contingency fee costsIf you do file yourself, let somebody look at it first
Download the Free Guide From Empire Law
A free guide from Empire Law on filing a car accident claim in Riverside and San Bernardino counties: what to do at the scene, the SR-1 deadline, how fault is decided, what a claim is worth, and the tactics insurers use to pay less.
Free PDF download · No email required
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight from the book. The full answers, with links, are on the FAQ page.
Make sure everyone is safe, then document the scene (photos and video of where the vehicles came to rest) before anything gets moved, if it's safe to stay put. Call the police, get medical attention even if you feel fine, and exchange complete details with the other driver, including a photo of their license plate and the back of their vehicle.
Commercial vehicles usually carry much higher insurance policies and often have dash cam footage built in, which can be requested through the company's registered agent for service of process. The firm's truck accident practice covers the added complexity these cases carry beyond a standard two-car claim.
The claims process described in this book (fault determination, comparative negligence, filing deadlines) applies the same way to a motorcycle collision, though motorcycle injuries are often more severe, which is part of why Song's case example in Chapter 5 involved a motorcyclist. The firm's motorcycle accident practice addresses the specific evidence and injury patterns in these cases.
Yes. The first consultation is free, whether or not we end up taking the case.
The core mechanics (fault determination, comparative negligence, insurance minimums, filing deadlines) work the same way for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle, though the evidence and injury patterns differ from a two-car collision. The firm's pedestrian accident practice covers those differences in more depth.
The claims process is the same: fault gets established the same way, the same insurance minimums and comparative negligence rule apply, and the same filing deadlines run. The firm's bicycle accident practice covers the evidence and injury patterns specific to a cyclist struck by a vehicle.
The same reporting, fault, and insurance rules covered in this book apply, and the SR-1 form is specifically triggered by any death, not just an injury above the property-damage threshold. Wrongful death claims carry their own additional considerations beyond an injury claim, which the firm's wrongful death practice addresses directly.
Empire Law's Practice Areas
Car Accidents & Personal Injury
Empire Law's Inland Empire car accident and personal injury practice.
Truck Accidents
Commercial truck collisions, where policies and evidence differ from a two-car claim.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle collision claims across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Pedestrian Accidents
Claims for pedestrians struck by a vehicle.
Bicycle Accidents
Claims for cyclists struck by a vehicle.
Rideshare Accidents
Uber and Lyft collision claims.
Wrongful Death
Claims for families after a fatal crash.
Empire Law also handles
- Premises Liability
- Catastrophic Injuries
- Construction Injury
- Insurance Bad Faith