Injuries from car accidents happen all too often, but there are ways for victims to get compensated for their injuries if they have sustained any type of injury in the crash. These injuries include soft tissue damage, whiplash, brain trauma, and more serious physical problems such as paralysis and blindness which may be caused by the accident claim itself. Injured accident victims should know their rights.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, it is important that you understand your legal rights and what steps to take to protect yourself. This article will outline ways you can help injury victims claim their rights and how they can make sure they are not taken advantage of by careless or unscrupulous individuals.
Call The Authorities As Soon As Possible
The longer you wait to call the authorities, the less likely it is that they will be able to determine who was at fault in the accident. If you can call them immediately after the accident occurs, this will help their case. They will not only believe your accounts of the accident much more readily because there are no conflicting stories, but they will also be able to keep the scene preserved for investigation.
To make an insurance claim, it is important that you are honest with what injuries you sustained. However, if there are obviously more serious injuries present at the scene of the accident, do not exaggerate or try to hide them under false pretenses. This may result in you getting less compensation. It is important that you are honest with any injuries you have sustained, but it is also important to get medical help for all serious injuries as soon as possible after the accident.
Reach Out To Their Attorneys
If you are in contact with the attorney of an injured accident victim, it is important to tell them what injuries they have sustained. If you do not know who their attorney is, or if they do not have one, refer them to DavidChristensenLaw who can provide them with the legal advice they need to make sure their rights as an accident victim are protected. They will be able to help determine how much compensation they may receive.
The first thing you can do is gather documentation of the accident and any injuries you sustained. If possible, this should include statements from witnesses or other people on the scene at the time of the collision, photographs of the accident site and damage to your vehicle and theirs, and medical reports from doctors and hospitals.
You should also gather information about the other party involved in the accident, including their address, full name, phone number, driver’s license number if possible, insurance information including policy numbers and names of companies as well as policy limits, and any other relevant information. If you have already been in contact with their attorney, their lawyer will have likely already gathered most of this information for you, but it is important to collect it yourself in the event that you need to file a claim against their insurance policy.
Gather Evidence of The Accident
In collecting evidence, make sure not to do anything that could tamper with or otherwise change the scene of the accident. If you have a camera phone, take as many pictures as possible of the accident scene before it changes and any injuries you may have received. This will be crucial in providing documentation for your case.
The other party involved in the accident may or may not have already left the scene. If they haven’t, and you believe that you will be able to identify them later at a trial, it is best just to leave them alone and wait for law enforcement to arrive unless they are being belligerent or pose a threat to your safety.
If they have left the scene of the accident, it is important to contact law enforcement so they can try to find the person responsible. This can also be helpful in determining who was at fault for the accident, especially if you are unable to identify the other party involved because they fled or were killed in the collision.
Get Them Medical Attention
If the injuries they’ve sustained during the accident are serious, your immediate priority should be getting them to a medical facility. This does not mean that you should worry about seeking compensation later; it is important to make sure you get them any and all necessary medical attention as soon as possible after an accident. If you wait too long to treat the injuries, they can become permanent, so if you are able to, it is important to get them medical attention as soon as possible.
While you are helping the injured accident victim seek medical care, try to find out more information about their injuries. Ask what areas of the body they are experiencing pain in and how they feel. If it is too difficult for them to communicate with you verbally, write down what each injury is called and how they feel; you can show the doctors their responses later.
The information we’ve provided will help guide you through this complicated process and hopefully make things easier for both yourself and any other unfortunate victims out there who are seeking their legal rights following a car accident.