Are car accident claims ever easy? Well, the first answer that comes to mind is “no.” However, there are a few things that could make it easier, other than the one-in-a-million chance of being in an accident with a nice person that isn’t out for your blood. In this article, we try to inform you about everything you should have in mind if you are involved in a car accident.
Every accident involving a moving vehicle can be catastrophic. Whether you were riding, driving or walking, a minor collision could either implicate severe injuries or a large amount of debt, if not both. Your best option is to file a personal injury claim. When you are involved in a car accident, you must have an insurance claim attorney by your side to get started on the insurance claim process in accordance with the law.
As per the Insurance Information Institute (III), these steps will guide you through making the most vital decisions once you’ve been involved in a car accident, regardless of whether you were at fault. The first step should be checking yourself for injuries.
Secondly, make sure your passengers are okay. And the most critical bit: get yourself to safety, then call for help (911).
As you wait for help, exchange vital information, like full names and contacts. Now document the accident. Take pictures to show the accident’s intensity, license plate number(s) if there were other vehicles involved, and the vehicle’s model type and color.
Let’s now see what complicates accident claims so much.
What Complicates Car Accident Claims?
One of the main reasons vehicle accident claims are not straightforward is that you’re trying to be paid by Auto Insurance Companies that don’t want to compensate you. Insurance companies are for-profit businesses. If they were all non-profit organizations, maybe, just maybe, things could’ve changed.
Let’s not debate capitalism’s benefits and drawbacks for now. But currently, for you to get the money owed to you, there are several things you must convince the insurer:
- You got injured and those injuries caused you significant damages.
- The crash was not your fault.
- Your injuries were directly caused by the accident.
- The crash happened as a result of the other driver’s negligence.
It sounds like you are trying to convince a defensive friend that would rather swallow shattered glass before accepting that they were wrong, countering your every point no matter how evident it is and twisting your own words to counter you—somehow expecting you to come with forensic evidence to the “scene.”
Gathering Evidence to Support your Car Accident Claim Isn’t Easy
For you to be compensated for a car accident you didn’t cause, there are things you must prove. To them, it probably doesn’t occur that you’re injured in a wreck, and that doesn’t make it any easier to be running all over town with the intent of investigating the cause of your collision for you to prove liability. So it would be best if you kept that in mind.
So, what evidence do you need to prove your case? As per the circumstances, you will either need some or all of the following:
- An accident report
- Some statements from witnesses
- Video or photographic documentation
- Your doctor’s information
- A report from crash experts
And now you can see why car accident claims are so complicated.
For some types of cases, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the difficulty. In contrast, some cases could result in going to court. In such incidences, consider Craig Swapp & Associates as it is well-known for their “one call, that’s all!” motto. They ensure that getting the help you need after a personal injury or a car accident is just a phone call away.
