9 Tips To Successful Accident Claim Filing
If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident, chances are, you are entitled
to accident claim insurance. And if you think that the only compensation you are
going to get is for the injury you have suffered as a consequence of the accident
then you should think again.
Check with an auto accident lawyer and he will tell you that a car accident
claim could also contain a claim for the following:
- Compensation for hospital expenses due to injuries suffered as a
result of the accident
- Expenses for the repair or replacement of the vehicle damaged (if
it is beyond repair)
- Loss of income as a result of the accident
- Therapy and counseling expenses that are necessary in relation to
injuries suffered
An accident claim should be left to the experts like personal injury lawyers
since they know how to prepare the proper documents needed for filing of the
case. And if budget is a problem then choose lawyers who will agree to a “no
win, no fee” agreement which means they will not get paid unless you get
something out of the case. Most personal injury attorneys operate this way though.
They will also advice you on what to do next.
In case you are not able to get a lawyer fast, here is a step by step guide
to getting the accident claim you are entitled to:
1. The most important thing to remember is not to panic. In a motor vehicle
accident make sure that you and everyone else involved is safe or at least getting
the necessary medical attention before you think of any accident claim.
2. As soon as this is out of the way, get all the information you can about
what happened and about the surrounding area. Accident claims usually require
a lot of information that will be crosschecked and authenticated as much as
possible. Lack of information could mean longer processing or worse no claim.
3. First get all the information about other vehicles involved, if any. Get
the license information of the other driver and the registration and insurance
information of the vehicle he or she is driving. It is usually the insurance
company of the party causing the accident who will pay for the whole fiasco
so better be sure he is insured. Also try to find out as much as you can about
the condition of the other vehicle. Is it properly maintained, are the wheels
worn out, are the signal lights working etc? Also try to check the condition
of the driver. Is the other driver drunk? Was he sleepy? Or maybe he came from
a long day at work? Aside from this also find out if the other driver is ok
or if injured and if so what are the details of the injury.
4. Next find out if there are witnesses to the accident and find out what they
saw. Try to determine their exact position when the accident occurred. Also
get their contact information in case you need them to testify.
5. After that, check the condition of your car. Check the extent of the damage
and later try to get an assessment of the cost to have it repaired. Determine
other items (yours or your passenger's) which were inside the car and were damaged
due to the accident. Try to determine the value of these items. If possible,
get the receipts, which should contain their actual cost and date of purchase.
If it was necessary for you to rent a car while your car was damaged include
such expenses in your damage list.
6. If you were injured in the accident, be sure to get all-important documents
pertaining to your injury such as doctor and hospital records, hospital bills,
receipts for medicines or any other medical devices that you had to purchase
due to the injury. Make sure that you also have all documents proving that you
need to make these purchases.
7. If you were injured, also determine the amount of loss you incurred due
to your inability to perform your normal functions because of the injury. For
example the need to have a baby sitter while you were injured and unable to
go to work. These and other similar expenses, which you have incurred due to
the injury sustained from the accident, should be noted.
8. You should also make a note of the location of the accident and make a detailed
diagram showing the positions of the vehicles and people who were involved.
Include details such as the condition of the road, was it slippery, wet, is
it inclined or sloping, and the like. Include the weather condition during the
accident, is it cloudy, raining, sunny, etc. also important aside from the weather
is visibility conditions.
9. Finally get the name and badge number of the authority that investigated
the accident and get a copy of the report.
Keeping all these information at hand will definitely help your accident claim
whether the party at fault disputes the claim or not.
Motor Vehicle Accident
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