With the growing number of vehicles on the road, accidents have become common. Some accidents are fatal and lead to death, while others are just minor, depending on the impact. You may have an injury from an accident, but you do not know what to do. Read below for valuable help on what you can do.
1. Get a Lawyer
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Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that about 28 people die daily in the United States due to alcohol-impaired driving. In a year, that’s approximately 10,220 lives lost. You need to join the fight against drunk driving.
It is paramount that you take legal action against the one who caused your injury through drunk driving. Punishing them will help to keep the roads safer. Finding a drunk driving accident lawyer in New York is easy as there are many who should help you get justice and compensation from losses inflicted on you by such offenders. He knows how to identify all liabilities in a drunk driving accident.
2. Contact the Police
Your insurance company will want a police report to establish fault for the accident. The report will give an illustration of who is at fault for the accident.
The police must come to the scene of the accident. The other person, who has been drunk during the accident, may change the story if the police don’t file a report. This can easily see you cross from being a defendant to the plaintiff in the case.
Get the contact information of the person who hit you. If possible, get their name, phone number, license plate, and insurance information. If you don’t get the information, all is not lost. The officer who will investigate the case will get it somehow and include it in the police report.
It may, however, take time before you can get that report. Without the contact information, you may not claim with the other person’s insurance company.
3. Seek Medical Attention Quickly
Most people who don’t feel any pain after an accident opt not to seek medical treatment. That’s risky. Because of the adrenaline rush, you may not feel exactly what’s going on inside your system. It’s advisable to seek medical attention while you can. If not experiencing any pain, a minor examination may point out the hidden injuries that may lead to significant problems in the future.
4. Take Pictures
Take photographs as soon as possible of the scene and your injuries. If you’re in a hospital, get someone to take a photo of you in your hospital bed. Pictures are critical since they tell a thousand words.
Pictures will show the severity of your injury. A photo of the scene can show the severity of the impact. This may go a long way in demonstrating how severe your case is and how much your case is worth.
5. File A Claim With All The Insurance Companies Involved
It is common sense for you to file a claim with the other person’s insurer. You should also file a claim with your own insurance company. You probably fear that your insurer may find you at fault for the accident and push your insurance rates up. But if you don’t, they’ll find out anyway since the insurance companies are all connected.
Your insurance policy mandates you to let them know if you are involved in an accident. If you don’t let them know, it could give them grounds to cancel your policy. It would also be best to tell them because you may need to go after your insurance company to compensate for your damages.
If you don’t have insurance information for the guy who hit you, you can go after your insurer to get coverage for your property damage. The other party will then reimburse your insurance company.
You may also need to go after your insurance policy to recover from the pain and suffering in your medical bills. In the case that the other party’s policy is insufficient or if they don’t have insurance altogether.
If you have uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist coverage, you can go after your policy to get reimbursed. The caution is if you go after your policy, you become adverse to your insurance company. This means they step into the role of the other party’s insurer, so be careful with what you do and say.
Now you know what you must do when injured during an accident. You should, however, limit your talk with the other party. Do not admit any fault or liability. First involve the police, and then see a doctor, get your insurance involved, and contact an attorney.
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