Accidents occur frequently, and when they do, they can result in physical injury. As horrible as that sounds, it’s important to know what to do when the seemingly inevitable happens. Usually, there is someone at fault. If you were in the wrong place at the wrong time and got injured, you have every right to make a claim with the assistance of car accident lawyers like Craig Swapp & Associates.
Car accident claims come in a variety of forms. These claims are frequently made in order to seek recoverable damages such as compensatory, punitive, and nominal damages. Punitive damages are frequently used to ensure that the irresponsible party does not commit the same offense again, whereas nominal damages are normally for the record.
Read on to find out what you need to do to file a car accident claim.
1. Notify the Relevant Authorities
It is critical to identify the people involved and their jurisdiction depending on the type of accident, such as hit-and-runs, head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, drunk driving, distracted driving, and intersection accidents. This is mostly because if an accident occurs within a different state, the federal authority will get involved due to the complexity of the case. But typically, accidents on the road are reported to the traffic police.
2. Seek Medical Attention
Accidents create a great deal of damage. Physical injuries necessitate prompt medical attention. This is because, many times, victims experience emotional anguish and serious mental trauma, highlighting the importance of notifying experienced people and having them attend to other forms of harm as soon as possible.
This stage is typically costly, causing victims grief because someone’s negligence resulted in serious damage. In most cases, the paperwork from the medical records can also be used as evidence in a court of law.
3. Get a Personal Injury Attorney
Car accident claims are a time-consuming process that necessitates the assistance of qualified professionals. A car accident lawyer can help to speed up the process because the plaintiff only has three years to file a claim, after which the court would dismiss the case due to non-compliance.
Lawyers also help defendants by taking on obligations such as dealing with insurance companies that tend to only look out for their own self interests, as well as incompetent police officers.
4. Go to Court
The matter will go to court once your claim has been approved. It’s a time-consuming and exhausting process. Additionally, personal injury cases aren’t always clear, and evidence of negligence is often required.
If an accident occurs in the absence of media evidence such as videos or photographs, physical harm, property damage, and eye-witness reports go a long way toward establishing fault.
5. Obtain a Settlement
The degree of loss, grief, and suffering is taken into account by the courts when awarding settlements. This compensation could include two-thirds of the victim’s salary if he or she is unable to return to work, as well as medical expenses, such as rehabilitation services and therapy to aid in the victim’s recovery.
Exercise Your Rights and Lawyer Up
The importance of litigation cannot be overstated. Not only does it shed light on issues that the average citizen may be unaware of, but it also speeds up the legal process, which helps to restore some sense of normalcy.