Car accidents are very common around the world. If someone’s negligence is responsible for the car accident, the injured party has the right to seek compensation for his/her injury and car damage as well. Such compensation often results from your car accident claim settlement with the other party’s insurer or in few cases, from a lawsuit.
Protection of the injured party’s rights is based on three main factors – right documentation, persistence, and patience. It is really tough and challenging to settle a car accident claim without any formal litigation. However, having the right amount of evidence and documentation to support your claim, heavy patience and persistence will help you receive a favorable resolution that will cover your medical expenses, property damages, and lost wages.
Hurry to Document the Site of the Car Accident
Seek Medical Treatment: The site and situation are chaotic following a car accident. If you have sustained an injury, whether it is minor or severe, immediate medical attention is a necessity. In case, the injury is not serious, you should document the scene as well as moments of the accident as much as possible. To win the case, the right documentation is most important.
Keep your medical bills, reports, and doctor’s prescription in order as these will be a part of the total documentation that your attorney will submit in the court or during the process of negotiation.
Call in Police: Police investigation brings momentum in the entire documentation of the scene as well as takes it to another level. A police report is of great importance to the claims attorney and insurance adjusters. Very often, the person responsible for the car accident wants to keep the cops out of the site. If such a proposal comes, don’t accept it.
Unless the other party has suffered an injury in the car accident, you should not delay in calling in the police as it is important to protect your rights and establish your accident claim. The police report will make chronological documentation of the scene. The report usually includes evidence for the other party’s fault. There is no need to maintain a ‘good’ image by skipping this important step.
Talk to Witness: Gather information as much as possible. Ask for the contact details of the witnesses. Enquire if they will give verbal or written statements of what they witnessed. Talk to them in detail to understand what they actually saw. The more substantiating information you get to gather from the witnesses at the accident scene, the stronger the case and claim will be.
Take Photos of the Accident Scene: These days, nearly a mobile phone comes with a camera. Take photos of the accident scene as clearly as possible. In case, you don’t have a camera phone, ask any of the witnesses if the person is ready to take photos. Capture images of your injury, any damage to your car or another person’s car. If a traffic sign, light, or absence of any caused the accident, it should be photographed as well.
Get Damage Estimate for Car Damage
After an auto wreck, you should get an estimate for your car damage. The repair bill will go into the file of documents. Every insurance adjuster usually asks for an independent evaluation of vehicle damage. However, having two or three estimates will bolster your argument for the car repairs and related expenses.