A car accident can cause physical and emotional injury along with thousands of dollars of medical bills and property damage. A stubborn insurance company can make you feel worse, yet these companies must protect their assets and often don’t pay quickly or easily. If you’re getting nowhere with an insurance company, you can take action to get the compensation you deserve.
Start at the Scene
If you aren’t badly hurt, start preparing for problems while still at the scene. In addition to reporting the accident once you’re safely off the road, take photos and videos of any damage or injuries. Collect details from any other drivers involved. Speak with witnesses on camera, if possible. If you’re physically unable to collect evidence, you must rely on police photos and witness statements collected by others. These can still be plenty valuable, so don’t avoid going for necessary medical care just to collect evidence.
Collect More Evidence
A stubborn insurance company is more likely to pay if you have strong evidence. This includes medical reports, police reports, written statements from witnesses, photos and videos taken by witnesses or traffic cameras, and damage estimates from local body shops. The more evidence of your loss that you can collect, the more likely you are to convince the insurance company of the scope and validity of your claim.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer
If the accident was someone else’s fault, a personal injury lawyer may be able to help you recover more for your property damage as well as medical bills, pain and suffering, and loss of income from injury or not having transportation. Even without filing a lawsuit, a personal injury lawyer can make progress with a responsible party or their insurance company. For serious injuries caused by someone else’s negligence, you could be entitled to lifetime payments. Without a lawyer, an insurance company may try to pay as little as possible.
Know Your Rights
It helps to understand what your insurance policy covers and to become familiar with state laws regarding accidents and insurance. In some states, the law may allow you to contact the insurance companies of other drivers involved in an accident. If you live in a no-fault state, you must pay for personal injury protection coverage and can recover your medical expenses from your insurance company even if someone else was responsible for an accident. In some circumstances, you may be entitled to file an appeal if you believe compensation offered by an insurance company is inadequate.
Getting what you deserve after an auto accident can be a time-consuming and complicated process. You have legal rights and should work to get everything you deserve. With careful documentation and help from the right people, you can get your compensation and get on with your life.