Increasing Your Chances of Restitution After an Auto Accident

Auto Accident

In the wake of an auto accident caused by another party, it’s only natural that you’d seek restitution for any injuries you incurred or damage done to your vehicle. However, as many car accident victims can attest, getting what you’re owed may not be quite as easy as you think. Even if the accident is very clearly the fault of someone else, obtaining restitution can be an uphill battle. Fortunately, there are a number of simple steps you can take in the wake of an accident to dramatically increase your chances of being made whole.

Promptly Contact the Police

Regardless of how cooperative the responsible party is, it’s strongly recommended that you contact the police before either of you leave the scene. For one thing, most states require you to call the police in response to any car accidents that result in injuries or cause vehicle damage that exceeds a certain dollar amount. This means that if you don’t alert the authorities, you may be guilty of illegal activity and thus potentially open to prosecution. So, no matter how tempted you may be to leave law enforcement out of the matter, it’s in your best interest to contact them.

In addition to avoiding potential legal consequences, calling the police will ensure that an official accident report is filed. This will make things easier for your company and, should you decide to sue the responsible party, your lawyer. Conversely, the lack of an accident report is liable to make collecting money from your filing suit against the responsible party exceedingly difficult, if not outright impossible.

Exchange Information

To help ensure that the responsible party doesn’t leave you high and dry, make sure to swap info before leaving the scene. Ideally, you’ll be able to interact with this person in a polite and civil manner, but if either of you are too shaken up by the accident to be cordial, it’s in your best interest to wait for the police to arrive. This will ensure that your information is given to one another without any verbal or physical altercations taking place. Without the other party’s info, you’re going to have a very hard time filing an accident claim.

No matter how upset or shaken you are by the accident, there is no benefit in angrily approaching the responsible party. For all you know, this person may be irate, violent or carrying weapons, so if you do decide to approach the other driver – or they decide to approach you – make a point of being as non-confrontational as possible. Whether the responsible party is uncooperative or genuinely remorseful, flying off the handle will only make the situation more stressful for everyone involved.

Promptly File a Claim with Your Recover company

The longer you wait to file an claim after an accident, the more suspicious your recover company is liable to be. After all, if the resultant vehicle damage and injuries are so pressing, why would you drag your feet on filing a claim? With this in mind, make a point of filing a claim within 72 hours of any accident in which you’re involved. Additionally, the sooner you submit your claim, the sooner your can begin processing it and getting you the compensation you’re owed.

The claim may be filed with your own company, or with the drivers. Depending upon who was at fault and if you live in an at fault state. You’ll need to file a claim by letting the know you have been in an accident and that you intend to file a claim for vehicle damage or medical injuires. Sometimes it may be both.

Work with a Knowledgeable Attorney

If you’re being strung along by an company or you want to take the responsible party to court, you’d do well to get in touch with a knowledgeable auto accident attorney. An experienced attorney will help guide you through the intricacies of obtaining compensation and help you build a solid case against the person whose negligent driving caused the accident. So, if you’re tired of feeling helpless in the aftermath of an accident, reach out to a highly-rated attorney on the double.

Most attorneys will work for you for a very minimal filing fee. This filing fee can be something around $20 a month to cover your case. Most injury attorneys don’t get paid anything more or anything at all unless  they win the case. So in most cases, you don’t have anything to lose by working with an attorney to get a settlement. It won’t take much of your time, and may be worth thousands of dollars for you to pay off medical bills or anything else assoicated with the accident. So give an attorney near you a call. I am sure you have noticed billboards for accidents attorney and they are plentiful. So make sure to do you research and get a good one that will work hard to get you a settlement that is mutually beneficial for both parties.

Don’t Delay In Getting The Help You Need

If you’ve incurred personal injury and/or vehicle damage in the wake of a car accident, it’s only natural that you’d be eager to obtain restitution. However, as many car accident victims can attest, this is often easier said than done. Depending on how cooperative the responsible party and companies are, getting the compensation you seek can be a long, arduous and needlessly complicated slog. Anyone looking to speed the process along and increase their chances of restitution would do well to take the measures discussed above. You can rest assured after following these steps, you are doing everything necessary to get the accident taken care of in a timely and efficient manner.