7 Things You Must Know about Car Accident
After a vehicle accident resulting in serious personal injury, it is crucial to carry out a prompt and thorough probe of a car accident to make sure no evidence is lost.
Experts such human factors, biomechanics, attorney for car crash injury, and orthopedic surgeons are necessary evaluate evidence and consult the relevant details with qualified professionals who can help find answers to key questions such as:
- What caused the accident?
- Who should be held responsible?
- How much compensation can be recovered?
The experts’ goal such as a personal injury lawyer is to collect and compile enough evidence, which may include photographs of the crash scene and damaged vehicles, police report, statements of the witnesses, and hospital records to establish a claim for you and make the best possible case to obtain maximum compensation for loss. The experts also work with insurance companies and of the other party and adopt a skilled approach to injured persons. You may want to learn as much as possible about negligence laws.
Liability Insurance Coverage of At-Fault Driver
California state law requires all drivers to carry liability insurance to pay for physical injuries and property damage they could cause to other citizens. Thus, your retained experts’ first move in a recovery case is to collect information about the other at-fault driver’s insurance coverage and evaluate if it will be sufficient to compensate you.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Uninsured Motorist insurance covers bodily injury to you, your family, your passengers, or others authorized to drive your car if the other driver involved in an accident does not have liability coverage for protecting you.
Underinsured Motorist Coverage
If your own Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM) protects you beyond the insurance limits of the other driver, you might be entitled to compensation from your own policy. Your UIM coverage can pay for physical injury and damages. It covers the monetary difference between your UIM limits and the coverage of the at-fault driver.
Before an accident, you should review your insurance policy and determine if there are any other types of coverage available in your case. This includes medical payments, collision coverage and comprehensive coverage. Now let’s see if there are any other sources of recovery or compensation.
Other Sources of Recovery
In some accident cases, there may be some special sources for recovery. For example, you can claim compensation from a third party if a dangerous road condition or a defective part of a vehicle caused the crash. In such cases our lawyers will evaluate the liability of such sources as were not a party to the accident but may have a role in the accident (e.g. the automaker). The lawyers will determine if recovery can be made for our injured clients in such cases.
Motor Vehicle Accidents and Insurance Companies in California
When you meet a car accident and you are not at fault, the insurance company of the negligent driver is responsible to compensate for your loss. If the other driver was uninsured or underinsured then your own insurance provider can be liable for your compensation. Most often the insurance companies try to reach out of court settlements with accident victims as early as possible for as little as possible. Therefore, irrespective of the circumstances of your case, you must consult an experienced attorney before agreeing to any settlement to ensure a fair treatment.
A rush to settlement in most cases is not in the victim’s best interests. Also, a law firm will be in a better negotiating position if they get enough time to investigate a car accident and build a compelling case. The stronger the case, the higher the settlement.
Also, some injuries caused by an accident may take time to come to light, and they could require a long-term and expensive medical intervention. If you go for a settlement before all of your injuries have become apparent, you won’t be able to seek compensation for them.
How Long After an Accident Do I have to File a Lawsuit?
Although there are time bars which lay out the outer limits for filing a lawsuit following a car accident, there are no conditions stating you have to wait a certain amount of time before begin your claim. You can file a lawsuit after an accident as soon as you like but no longer than two years.
An early lawsuit in fact has some advantages. For example, witnesses are often easier to locate and witnesses’ memories are often better when the incident is fresh. Therefore, it is important to contact a car accident attorney as soon as possible after a car accident, especially if it involves severe injuries.
Statute of Limitations for an Adult Involving a Car Accident
Such adults as have been injured in a motor accident have two years to bring a lawsuit. If someone waits longer than two years after the date of the accident, one will not be allowed to file a lawsuit. However, there are some exceptions to this rule but those are not often met. So, it is crucial that you file your case within two years of the date of the collision or crash. You may forever lose your right to file a lawsuit for compensation if you are even a few days late.
Hannah Gilbert is a freelance writer who offers to ghostwrite, copy writing, and blogging services. She works closely with B2C and B2B businesses providing digital marketing content that gains social media attention and increases their search engine visibility.
