Car accidents happen when you least expect them and they can be devastating. The victims often find themselves dealing with medical bills, property damage, lost wages, pain, and suffering. However, if the accident is caused by another driver, you are entitled to get compensation.
There are various things that you should do if you want to receive full compensation from the parties involved. Read on to learn what you should do if you were in a car accident.
Secure the Scene of an Accident
First and foremost, you must move the injured persons to safety and try to administer first-aid if you can. Make sure that your vehicle is parked away from traffic, but you must never drive away or tow your car from the accident scene. You need to switch on your hazard lights to prevent further accidents from happening.
Call the Police
You must call the police even if you are not seriously injured. The police officers will attend the accident site to conduct investigations, and they will provide a police report that you will use to file a claim with the insurance company. You must stick to your statement and avoid falsifying information since this can jeopardize your case.
Seek Medical Attention
Some injuries caused by automobile accidents can manifest later. Therefore, you must seek medical attention even if you are not feeling any pain or you have no visible injuries. You can sustain a permanent injury if you do not get medical attention. When you visit a doctor, you will get a medical report that is used to determine the compensation you should get.
Seek Legal Advice
Recovering the compensation you deserve following a car accident can be complicated. To increase your chances of getting the maximum settlement, you should hire a professional personal injury lawyer. For legal advice, this site can give you insight into the importance of hiring an expert injury attorney.
Professional lawyers can conduct thorough investigations to establish liability. Injury attorneys also have experience in negotiating with insurance companies to increase your chances of getting fair compensation. Your lawyer can also help you file a lawsuit if you fail to agree with the other party involved.
Contact Your Insurance Company
When you are involved in a car crash, you need to inform your insurance company. Depending on the nature of the accident, your insurer can contribute some money toward the repair of the damaged vehicle. The wrongdoer will also contribute, so the insurance provider should know about the incident.
In most cases, the insurance companies will dispatch their adjusters to evaluate the damaged vehicle to determine the damages they can offer.
However, you should be careful to avoid talking to the adjusters from the insurance company representing the third party involved in the accident. Insurance companies are in business, and they always try to find fault so that they do not pay full compensation to the victims. Additionally, you must not sign anything that you do not understand.
Document Everything
You must collect evidence at the accident scene that you will use to support your claim. You can use your phone to take pictures of the damaged cars and your injuries. Do not interfere with the police officers carrying out investigations.
You also need to write a diary of everything that you remember at the crash site. If there are witnesses around, try to get details from them and record their statements.
Exchange Information
You must exchange information with the other driver involved in the accident. You must obtain the name of the driver, their license number, the insurance company, and vehicle plate number. You must also try to establish whether the other person was driving a rented car or they own it.
If possible, you can also get details of the passengers also involved in the accident. Your attorney may need to contact them when they carry out their investigations.
File a Compensation Claim
When you have gathered all the details to support your case, you should then file a compensation claim. Most cases involving accidents are solved out of court as long as you present the right details to the insurance company representing the other driver.
You must get legal advice from your lawyer to do the right thing. However, if you fail to reach an agreement, your lawyer can help you file a lawsuit at the court of law.
Road accidents are common, and other people’s negligence can cause them. If you are injured as a result of someone’s negligent driving, you are entitled to recover damages from them. However, there are different things that you should do to get the maximum settlement.
You must report the accident to the police and seek medication. You also need to hire an attorney to handle your case to increase your chances of getting a better settlement. You must document everything to support your case.
No Comments