Home

 

When you are involved in a car accident, the aftermath can be quite overwhelming. Things will be even more complicated if you have suffered injuries. You won’t only need lots of money to cover expenses, but you will need legal advice as well. Never attempt to handle car accident legal proceedings on your own. That’s just asking for unnecessary problems. You will end up with a mountain of stress and bad results. Instead, you must look for an attorney to hold your hand through the process. An experienced attorney knows the right car accident legal process, and they will advise you accordingly.

Report the Accident to the Police

The first thing you want to do after being involved in a car accident is to call the police. Dial 911 as soon as possible. If you can, remove your car from the road and park on the right should. It’s very important to report as soon as an accident happens. This will ensure that you get started on the car accident legal process as soon as possible. Police will come and conduct an investigation at the scene. The notes they make will help when you need to deal with insurance settlements and personal injury cases. The police will also help you file an incident report. Once you have filled the document out, make sure you get a copy.

Document Everything

If you are not too injured and you can still move around, take out your mobile device and take as many videos and photos as you can. This is a great way to document everything that happened at the scene. Make you get clear pictures of the damage done to all vehicles involved. You should also document where all the vehicles were coming from and where they were going. You also need to document the exact traffic pattern at the time of the accident. For instance, did the cars collide during rush hour, or was it congested? You must also record the debris in the roadway and the weather on the day and time of the accident. These details will be crucial in court and when you need compensation for your claim.

Collect Contact Information

The things you do early, starting from when the accident occurs, will have an impact on how your case turns out. Soon after the crash, ensure you have the contact information of the other driver. You also have to take pictures of their license plates, the names of the driver and eyewitnesses, and their home addresses as well. If you manage to get the contact information of eyewitnesses, you will have someone to back up your story should the case go to court. Apart from the car accident legal process, eyewitnesses can also help with insurance claims.

Never Admit Fault

During the car accident legal process, you must never admit fault. One thing you must keep in mind is that things happen so quickly during car accidents. As such, you may not have all the facts of what happened. This is why you must never apologize or admit that you are the at-fault driver. Such statements and admissions will come back to haunt you, and they may be used as evidence against you when the case goes to court. Leave the investigation to the police. If you get a car accident lawyer, they will probably hire a private investigator as well to figure out what really happened. You should also let your attorney handle all communications.

Should I get Legal Assitance?

The majority of people don’t engage lawyers because there are too many misconceptions surrounding fees and complications. However, those are misplaced fears. It’s more dangerous to work without a lawyer than with one. When you get into a car accident, you may need a lawyer for one of two things. It might be that the report says you caused the accident, in which case you will be facing criminal charges. On the other hand, you may have been injured in the accident. In that case, you need a personal injury attorney to help you out. When it comes to the issue of cost, personal injury attorneys usually work on contingency. This means they don’t collect any upfront fees. You will only have to pay if they win the case, and you get compensation. As such, you need to get legal help.

The type of lawyer you need depends on the predicament you are in. If you have been injured and you are seeking compensation, you need to find a personal injury lawyer. If the injuries have caused some sort of disability, it will be wiser to look for a disability attorney. If you are the one who was wrong, or you are being accused of being the at-fault party, you should look for a DWI defense lawyer. This is essentially a criminal lawyer who specializes in DWIs. As you might imagine, the first step in handling the car accident legal process is to identify what type of lawyer you need. An accident lawyer will help you figure out if you need any additional legal assistance.

What to do in the Days Immediately After the Accident

The car accident legal process starts immediately after the accident. This is why it’s crucial to engage attorneys as soon as possible. If you were drunk, you mustn’t wait long to hire a DUI lawyer. Having lawyers present from the start will help you navigate the process more smoothly. By the time you start looking for things like a car shop to fix your car, you should have figured the legal side of things out already. In fact, if you are being accused of a serious crime like a DUI, finding a car shop is the least of your worries.

In the days following your car crash, chances are high that you will be contacted by insurance companies. It’s crucial that you avoid giving a statement to anyone over the phone without talking to a car accident attorney. All this is part of the car accident legal process, so you should be very careful how you proceed. An experienced lawyer will know what to say. Hence, they will advise you accordingly.

You must also avoid putting your signature on any paperwork. This includes all statements until you have received a directive from your attorney. Any paperwork that you sign might compromise your defense, and this makes the car accident legal process more complicated. Insurance companies, in particular, will try to lowball you with offers that don’t even cover the total cost of the damage you experienced.

A car accident attorney will follow the right steps to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. This includes lost wages, medical expenses, and pain/suffering damages.

Understand Your Rights Are a Car Crash

After a car accident, it’s crucial to understand what your legal rights are. An attorney will help you understand your options and rights. That’s one of the reasons why you need to engage an attorney early. Without an attorney by your side, it’s basically impossible to know how to go about things. In general terms, you have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit if you are not the at-fault driver. This ensures that you don’t end up covering the cost of recovering from your injury alone.

If you win the case, and the other driver is shown to the at-fault party, you will be entitled to receive compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and other damages. If the other driver was negligent, you would be able to sue them. There are lots of things that count as negligence when it comes to the car accident legal process. This includes things like driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, sleeping, and distracted driving.

There are lots of other examples of negligence. This includes running a stop sign or red light, making illegal turns, tailgating, and failing to observe the right of way. It’s possible to sue or get sued even if you were not at fault. You or the other driver can claim that the other party was partially at fault for the crash. For instance, if a driver rear-ends you and causes an accident. It’s possible for them to claim that you were tailgating. That way, they will try to sue you for damages even if they were at fault. In such instances, that’s when having an attorney pays off.

Car accident attorneys understand the car accident legal process fully, so they know exactly how to navigate such situations. In short, an attorney can help prevent the other driver from wrongfully blaming you for the accident.

How to Go About it if it’s a Hit and Run Situation

Are you a victim of a hit and run? If you have been involved in such an accident, you must call the police as soon as possible. Try to get the full license plate of the other vehicle. If your phone is close by, you should take a picture of the car. Even if you don’t manage to do that, just give the police any information you have about the vehicle. This will go a long way in helping to track down the offender.

If you have insurance, you must also contact your insurer so you can find out more about the coverage you have. This includes homeowners, health, or auto insurance. While it may not seem like you need a lawyer for a hit-and-run, you should definitely get one. They will know how to work with insurance companies to ensure you receive proper compensation.

Passengers and the Crash Legal Process

If you had passengers in your vehicle when you crashed, they could sue you. This is usually the case if the passengers are injured. The law is structured that way because it’s the duty of the driver to drive safely and protect the passengers from harm. The investigators will try to find out if you were driving negligently when the crash happened. If so, you could be sued for lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical expenses.

If you are required to give a statement, you should contact your attorney to find out what you must say and shouldn’t say. The attorney will also help you figure out how to navigate the case, and they will handle everything else to do with your case. During that process, all you need to do is focus on getting better. Car accident legal processes can be complicated. If you were injured, you need someone to help make things move for you as you recover. This is why there’s a lot of emphasis on finding an attorney as soon as possible. This is a great way to ensure you have someone on your side.

There are some tips to help you navigate the car accident legal process. Are you struggling to figure out how to go about things? If that’s the case, you need to find an attorney as soon as possible. Car accident lawyers know exactly how to navigate any car crash-related case. They will make sure you know your rights, and they will deal with insurance companies on your behalf. A car accident attorney will also help reduce charges if you are being accused of a DUI. Such crimes carry heavy penalties. You can even do some jail time. In some instances, there are cash fines, and you may lose your driver’s license. Take the time to find the right attorney for your case if you need help with the car accident legal process. If you manage to get an experienced attorney, they will help you figure everything out and increase your chances of success.