If you were a passenger in a car that was involved in an accident and you have sustained injuries, you are best served by contacting a personal injury attorney, such as Prediletto, Halpin, Scharnikow & Nelson, P.S. Although it may seem straightforward to file a claim, the situation may be complex. The following are three examples of this.
There is more than one car involved
If there are two cars involved, then you must decide who is at fault to file a claim. But you may not have been paying attention, so you are not a witness. And the accident may not be one where there is a clear case of fault. Even a police report may not shed enough light on the accident to make a clear determination. In addition, the vehicle that hit you may be blaming another car for hitting them first. This is common with several cars that rear end each other. It is best for an injured passenger to have a personal injury attorney sort everything out.
There was no other car involved
It the driver of the car hits a stationary object like a fence or a telephone pole and you are injured, you will want to file a claim with their insurance company. But in some situations, the insurance company may claim that it was not the driver's fault and reject your claim. Examples include such things as a dog or a child running onto the street. Or perhaps the accident was caused by a pothole in the street. Whatever the case may be, it is best to have an attorney negotiate with an insurance company. He or she will know how best to proceed. They will also be able to identify other parties to bring a legal action against. In the above examples, a pet owner or parent may be liable for the accident, and in the case of a pothole, the city may be liable.
More than one passenger was hurt
If other people in the vehicle were hurt along with you, there can be a problem with the amount of money you receive. Insurance policies only cover passenger injuries up to a certain amount, and if there is more than one person hurt, this money will be divided up. However, your injury may be worse than others, so you are entitled to a larger share. Also, the driver at fault is not completely protected by his or her insurance. If the amount of compensation you are entitled to is beyond the amount of the policy, it may be possible to bring a civil suit against the driver for additional compensation.
If you have been in a car accident as a passenger, your first course of action is to get medical attention. After this, you should contact a personal injury attorney. Never make assumptions about who is financially responsible for your injuries.
Share18 January 2017
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