A car accident can happen at any moment and it can change someone’s life forever. Some accidents are small and only cause damage to the vehicle. However, some are more serious and when a person is injured, that is when a personal injury attorney can come into play.
The first step of the process, if you do not need to go to the hospital, is to have an investigation of the scene. This would include taking pictures of the damages to the vehicles, taking down the names and insurance information of the other driver. It is always a great idea to call the police so they can come down and file a report as well. They will be able to fill out information themselves but it is also important that you take your own pictures of the scene just in case they miss anything. If the accident occurs in a busy area, take a look around to see if there are any video cameras that might have caught the accident on film. If you do need to seek medical treatment, it is important that you tell the doctor everything so you can be treated right. If you need to maintain medical treatment, make sure you continue to go. If insurance companies see a gap in treatment, it could show that your injury was not that serious and you are healed, this will hurt your case.
After the accident, you should also immediately contact your insurance company so they can file a claim. The insurance company will be able to either help you get your vehicle fixed so it is drivable again or pay for the total loss of the vehicle. Even though the accident was not your fault, the insurance company has the means to help you fix everything so you do not have to pay a lot of money out of pocket as long as you have collision insurance with your policy. Your insurance company will then seek reimbursement from the driver at fault’s insurance company. Oftentimes, the other driver’s insurance company will contact you to get a statement about the situation. It is not in your best interest to provide any statement to them. More than likely they will try to get you to agree to a lesser amount than you are really owed because they do not want to pay as much.
The next step would be to contact a personal injury attorney to help you with your case. The attorney will do most of the work for you and remain in contact with you to make sure you are keeping up with the medical treatments and doing everything necessary to win your case. It is important to keep up with the necessary medical treatment to not only heal yourself, but to collect all the bills necessarily so your attorney can send them to the driver at fault’s insurance company so you do not have to pay for them. Once you are almost back to health, your attorney will start the actual case which will eventually lead to a settlement or appearing in court. Either way, if the accident is not your fault, you should be awarded some sort of compensation for your troubles.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, let a car accident lawyer in Kansas City, MO, such as from Royce Injury Attorneys, represent you for your case. Contact a law firm today.