Everything You Need to Know About Being Involved in a Car Accident
No driver ever wants to find themselves on the wrong end of a car accident, but with 43% of car accidents resulting in injuries, it’s important to know how to respond. This means learning everything there is to know about what to do immediately after an accident as well as what the short-term future may hold.
Steps to Take After a Car Accident
As mentioned, the last thing any driver wants is to be involved in a wreck despite the fact that any driver could find themselves in one. Therefore, learning all of the necessary steps you need to take following a wreck is important so that you are prepared if one does occur:
- Start by inspecting yourself and others for injury following an accident to ensure medical services are not needed
- Get your vehicle out of the roadway as soon as possible so that oncoming traffic doesn’t need to react to your accident
- Exchange information with the other driver(s) involved
- Take photos of any damage for insurance purposes
- Contact the authorities to report the accident in case there is debris in the road
After all of the following has been handled, you will be allowed to leave the scene of the accident without worry about legal repercussions. However, the aftereffects of the car accident will not be complete yet.
The Ins and Outs of the Insurance Claims Process
In the immediate future after a car accident, the insurance claims process will begin. After being involved in the wreck, you will file something known as an insurance claim that can take months to resolve. Essentially, you state that an accident has occurred and the insurance company you work with will start investigating the incident to see if your insurance coverage will apply.
For example, if the other driver admits that they were in the wrong and caused the accident, your collision coverage will likely kick in. There are a number of different types of car insurance that may be applicable to your accident, with the most common being:
- Bodily Injury Insurance: This form of insurance pays for medical injury that another driver suffered as a result of your actions on the roadway.
- Property Injury Insurance: Any damage you have caused to the property of another driver will be covered under this form of insurance.
- Comprehensive Insurance: Any damage caused to your vehicle that is not resulting from an accident, such as via natural disasters, is covered under this form of insurance.
- Collision Insurance: Finally, as mentioned, collision insurance covers damage to your own vehicle resulting from an accident, regardless of fault.
Entering the Courtroom
Finally, the last aspect of a car accident is that it could potentially end up in a courtroom. If there has been an injury to one of the drivers, there may be a personal injury lawsuit case that needs to be resolved. For those unfamiliar with the term, personal injury refers to one person suffering an injury at the hands of another person’s negligence.
In some cases, another person may sue you, or vice versa, for the damages that they have suffered as a result of an accident. When a car accident occurs, as an example, one person may end up with a broken bone. If the person who caused the wreck broke a traffic law, such as running through a red light due to a distraction, then the person who suffered the injury may be able to prove they acted with negligence.
Assuming the court agrees with the opinion of the person who has been injured, they may force the defendant to pay the medical bills associated with the injuries. Some people choose to not file a personal injury lawsuit for the sole reason that the medical expenses they had may be less than the amount they would be forced to pay in legal fees. However, the majority of personal injury lawsuits will end in settlement which makes it a viable course for some.
Know your legal rights following an accident
Car accidents are an unfortunate aspect of getting behind the wheel that you may be forced to deal with in the future. By learning how to respond in the event of a wreck and how to handle the legal proceedings that may occur in the future, you can set yourself up better for success regardless of what side you’re on.
