Car accidents happen suddenly, without warning. Some people involved in them are fortunate enough to walk away unscathed; others aren’t. If you have been involved in an accident that was caused by the negligence of another person, then you need to take legal action.
Compensation can make recovering from your injuries a lot easier because you won’t have to go to work to earn money. Getting compensation also means you will have your medical bills covered, making accessing healthcare in higher-quality care facilities more affordable.
Here are some tips you can use to ensure you get your compensation.
Professional Support
Unless you have experience in personal injury law, there is no way you will be able to win a car accident case on your own. The help of a car accident lawyer is going to be needed, otherwise, you won’t get very far with your claim.
A lawyer’s help should not cost you much; in fact, you may be able to get one on a contingency basis, meaning you only pay for their services after your case has been won.
Conduct extensive research and find the most qualified attorney that you can, before hiring anyone.
Acquiring Evidence
The acquisition of evidence is a fundamental part of any personal injury claim. Until you have sufficient evidence proving another driver’s fault your claim will go nowhere, as until evidence is presented, it is your word against theirs.
In order to win your claim, video or photographic evidence needs to be given to your attorney. For this reason, take your phone out immediately after an accident and begin recording.
If you can, get the responsible driver to apologize and admit fault on camera.
Guilt Admissions
Admissions of guilt can be very hard to go back on, which is why it’s such a good idea to capture the guilty driver on camera, apologizing and admitting fault.
You yourself should never make admissions of guilt, even if you think you were the accident’s catalyst. Legally, when a person has admitted fault they are then considered responsible.
Most people admit fault after accidents they have knowingly caused, then backtrack and change their stories. Capturing another driver’s admission of guilt on camera will make it very difficult for an insurance company to refuse to pay out any compensation.
Legal Processes
Following an accident, certain steps need to be taken. Unless these things are properly completed compensation is unlikely. In some cases, not taking these steps can actually result in arrest, depending on where you live.
In the United States, those involved in accidents are legally required to report to a police station, giving information about accidents they have been involved in; these reports have to take place within 48 hours of an accident happening, otherwise, involved parties can get into trouble.
It is also essential that emergency services are called to the scene of a crash where serious injuries have been sustained.
Medical Certificate
In order to get compensation paid out to you by the guilty driver’s insurance company, some kind of medical certificate proving your injuries will be needed.
The best kind of certificate you can provide is one from the emergency room on the day of your accident or one from your physician the following day. A medical certificate will verify your injuries and how they happened.
Again, it is very hard for insurance companies to argue against individuals with this kind of evidence, making it much easier to get compensation. Give your medical evidence to the lawyer you have hired.
Remaining Patient
Throughout your claim, remain patient. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Personal injury claims can sometimes take years to be concluded, depending on how much money is on the line.
Do not harass your lawyer; instead, let them get in touch with you when they have updates and news. Many people think that they can rush their cases by calling and emailing their lawyer several times a week, but this will only irritate them and delay your case’s completion. It is the insurance company handling your claim that will delay it, not your lawyer.
Giving Evidence
Not all personal injury claims are dealt with privately, as in through insurance agencies. Sometimes they have to go to court. When they go to court, claimants are required to take the stand and give evidence, which can be very stressful.
Unless you have had courtroom experience before the thought of standing and giving evidence in front of a room full of people will likely daunt you. However, it is important that you do it anyway.
Your claim’s success rides on your willingness to give evidence and stand up in court. The attorney you hire will talk you through the court claim process.
Providing Witnesses
If you had friends or family members in the car with you at the time of the accident then you should give their contact information to your lawyer.
Letting your lawyer speak with and interview them will strengthen your case. Depending on what they saw, your lawyer may actually want to use them in a formal capacity, as in submitting their testimony to the guilty driver’s insurance company.
Make sure the witnesses you provide do not exaggerate. It is common for the family and friends of claimants to exaggerate their loved one’s injuries, in order to get them as much compensation as possible.
Dashcam Footage
One effective way of proving your innocence after a car accident is to provide dashcam footage. Unfortunately though, despite the fact drivers now dashcam footage can prove innocence, very few actually fix dashcams to their dashboards.
Fitting a dashcam in your car will help to protect you if you are ever involved in an accident, proving your innocence. You do not need to spend a fortune on a dashcam, as they are widely available and very affordable.
You can even pick them up on the second-hand market. In some places and for some professions, dashcams are a legal requirement.
Without tangible legal experience, there is no way for claimants to manage their claims independently. Until a qualified and experienced lawyer has been found, they are dead in the water.
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