Sadly, road traffic accidents happen every day around the world, but this does not make them any less scary when it happens to you. If you have been involved in a car accident, the first thing on your mind will obviously be to seek medical attention. But, once you are on the road to recovery, the next step is to think about making a personal injury claim. Read on to discover everything you need to know.
SHOULD I MAKE A CAR ACCIDENT CLAIM?
You should make a claim if the incident you were involved in was not your fault. If you can prove that someone else caused the car accident, and thus they are responsible for your injuries, you will be entitled to compensation. Aside from this, there are two additional factors that need to be considered. Firstly, the car accident must have taken place within the last three years, as this is the time limit on personal injury cases. Secondly, you must have received professional medical attention, as we spoke about earlier.
ADVICE AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT
Hopefully, you should now have a good understanding as to whether it is advisable to make a claim. If you are going to proceed, then there are some steps you should take to ensure you build a case that is strong and gives you the best possible chance of getting the money you deserve.
- Contact details – If possible, you need to get the contact details of the person that is responsible for the car accident. This should include their name, telephone number, address and the information about their insurer. It is also advisable to write down the make, model and registration number of their vehicle. Did anyone witness the accident? If so, it is recommended to get their details too, as witness statements can really help to strengthen your case.
- Call the police – You also need to call the police so that there is an official record of what has happened. This is especially the case if a crime has been committed, for example, a hit and run, a driver without insurance, or a drunk driver. Read this article on DUI v DWI for more information on the latter. You also need to call the police if the crash site is posing a threat to oncoming traffic.
- Photographs – If there has been any damage to the street and/or your vehicle, you should take photos of this, as it serves as proof to the events that have unfolded. It is also a good idea to take photographs of your injuries too.
- Notes – Trying to remember everything off of the top of your head is not a good idea. Instead, you should take the time to make a note of everything that occurred in as much detail as possible. This will make sure you do not forget any pivotal details later down the line.
Finding the best personal injury solicitor to work on your compensation case is no easy challenge. In fact, there are a lot of people that end up abandoning their search altogether, as they get frustrated with the extortionate prices charged by solicitors, and they can often end up feeling like it is not worth it. But, don’t abandon your search just yet. If you are entitled to compensation, you don’t want to miss out on the money you deserve, and so read on for some top advice on hiring a solicitor.
- Choose a No Win, No Fee solicitor – One of the most effective ways to combat the enormous prices that are charged by most solicitors is to go for someone offering a No Win, No Fee service. By doing this, you won’t have to make a huge upfront payment while financial risk is also eliminated. This is because you will not need to pay any legal fees if your claim is not a successful one. There is no denying that making a claim is stressful enough, without all of the worry about the potential financial implications of losing your case. Thankfully, you don’t need to fret about this when going down the No Win, No Fee route.
- Look for an experienced solicitor – It is vital to find a solicitor that boasts a large degree of experience, and has worked on cases similar to yours time and time before. After all, there is no point paying for the services of a solicitor that specialises in workplace accidents if you have been involved in a bus accident.
- See what other personal injury victims have had to say – Last but not least, testimonials can be very telling. Before you make your final decision, you should do a quick search of the solicitor online to see if any reviews have been left about him or her. This will give you a unique insight into the service you are likely to experience. If a solicitor has a bad reputation, you will know to start your search again.
As well as dealing with the legal side of your accident, you also need to make sure that your health is taken care of. It can be very easy to brush off small injuries, but you need to make sure there is no long term damage from your car accident. Finding injury doctors that specialize in auto accident injuries can be tricky, but there are a number of professionals who can provide you with high quality medical care. Make this a priority and you will have peace of mind that you won’t suffer from any concealed injuries that you didn’t know about.
If someone has crashed into you while you were driving, there is no denying that the whole experience can be very stressful and concerning. However, one thing you should do is make sure you get the compensation you deserve to help you through this process. We hope that this guide has helped in terms of gathering the information you need regarding this. And we hope you recover from your injuries quickly too!
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