You need to act quickly if you want to successfully make a claim after your car accident! It also helps if you hire a personal injury lawyer.
Car accidents are unfortunately all too common. More than 2 million people are killed a year and cause several hundreds of billions of dollars in damage in America alone every year. Personal injury lawyers in Los Gatos know that many factors can contribute to a car accident. They include:
● Failure to pay attention
● Unsafe driving
● Faulty car parts
● Dangerous conditions of the roads
Car accidents take many forms. For example, they can be in the form of fender benders to serious car crashes. Injuries and property damage can range from being minor and negligible to major and substantial. People can even die if the car accident is serious enough.
You need to protect yourself
This is especially true if you own and drive a car. Your personal injury lawyer will tell you that protecting your legal rights in both the short- and long-term basis is crucial.
Assess the situation and get help
Personal injury lawyers in Vacaville know that you’ll be best off if you remain calm after a car accident. You should also
● Leave the car if you can do it and the conditions are safe. Always turn your hazard lights on before doing so.
● Be sure to call 911 and the police if you and your passengers have sustained injuries and/or property damage of any type, or if your car accident was more serious in nature
● Make sure that the police make an investigation and draft a police report. This can be used as valuable evidence.
● Take pictures and document as much of the accident scene as possible. Only do this if you are able to do so. Pay special attention to debris from the cars, road conditions,
● Exchange contact and insurance details with the other drivers. Get contact information from witnesses.
● Move your vehicle to the side of the road if possible. It’s the law!
● Inform your insurance company about the incident
● Seek medical help for any injuries
Organize your records
This is crucial if you file a personal injury claim or lawsuit. Some documents you want to draft and organize include:
● Vehicle damage reports, repair estimates, valuations, and invoices for repairs
● The police report
● Any medical records. This includes bills and receipts for medical treatment
● A journal which documents your journey and recovery after the accident
● Employment and income-related records
Talking to insurance companies
You’ll probably be contacting your insurance company right away, especially if there is a clause in your policy requiring you to do so. You also want to ask your personal injury lawyer the following:
● If both drivers agree at the accident scene not to report the accident to our insurance companies and the other driver does anyway, will my insurance company still defend me?
● If I take pictures of the accident scene, can I still file a claim if I was injured?
● Can I submit a claim with my insurance company if I was involved in a hit-and-run?
You can indeed win a case or claim provided you know the information discussed in this article and you have a good personal injury lawyer.