Whether severe or not, car accidents can cause a lot of damage. These damages may be financial, emotional, or psychological. However, filing for a car injury claim can compensate for many of these damages.
If involved in a car accident, it would be best to hire car accident attorneys to assist you in the legalities of the process.
Read on for the steps involved in the process of car accident injury claims.
Ensure You Are Safe
The first step after a car accident is to check on your welfare. Ensure that you and your passengers, if any, are safe and have no injuries. If there are any, you must request immediate emergency medical assistance.
However, it would help if you did not assume that having no visible physical injuries means no damage. Internal injuries such as concussions and bleeding are fatal and often go unnoticed. The longer they go undetected, the more harm they cause.
Document The Accident
Car accident scenes usually are very chaotic and disorderly. However, you must try as much as possible to gather credible evidence from the location which will be helpful in your case. If not physically able, you can ask for assistance from bystanders.
You need fresh and detailed evidence to build a solid personal injury claim. On top of the witness accounts the investigators will collect, it helps to have tangible evidence to go with it.
By taking photos and recording videos, you can provide the following:
- The other vehicle’s plate number
- The weather condition at the time
- The intersections of the road on which you were driving before the accident
You must also write down the other driver’s name, contact, and insurance information.
If any businesses are around with surveillance cameras, it would be wise to request them too. This evidence will help build your car accident claim process in case you go to court.
Seek Professional Help
A car accident comes with a lot of responsibilities and liability. Most times, after the accident, the other driver’s insurance company will call you. This is all to agree and settle the case out of court.
However, at this point, it’s difficult to determine the extent of physical, emotional, and financial damage that you have incurred. You must, therefore, consult an expert who will advise you on the right way forward.
Although your insurance company is a good resource, it’s also essential that you hire a personal injury attorney. This attorney offers additional legal assistance and can analyze your case and determine the actual cost of the damage.
A personal injury attorney ensures you receive a fair settlement and that the insurance company caters to all expenses incurred due to the car accident.
Determine a Fair Settlement
Before filing for a claim, it’s essential to analyze the nature and extent of your accident. With the help of your attorney, ensure you consider factors such as physical damage and the factors that might have led to the accident.
Once you determine the extent of the damage, you can calculate a reasonable settlement to compensate you. You must submit the results to the other driver’s insurance company in the form of a demand letter. This letter contains details such as who is responsible for the crash, the financial damage caused, and other physical and emotional damages.
Most insurers negotiate the settlement to come up with one that is suitable for both parties. In case you disagree, the case proceeds to court—however, most end at this point.
Prepare Your Case and Go to Court
If you decide to pursue litigation, there are several aspects you must prepare for. This process of preparation is called the discovery phase. It involves asking questions to the other party to clarify some details and requesting additional information. Both parties can share data in this stage to help build their cases.
After gathering enough information, you can present your case to a judge. The judge will then approve or deny your claim.
Wrap-Up
Being in a car accident can be a frustrating experience. Not only is there physical damage but also financial costs. You must understand how the claim process works to enable you to get a fair settlement.