Car accident claims are not as easy as it sounds. Although it is true that you and the other party may have your own insurance coverage but most of the times insurance coverage do not cover all your damages and injuries. Also, the other party may not want to use his coverage for fear of increase in premiums. Therefore, after an accident you need to carefully prepare your car accident claim to make sure that you will get all your claims against the party at fault.
Usual Causes of Car Accidents
Before pursuing your claim, it is worthwhile to note what are the usual causes of car accidents to properly prepare the allegations in your claim and these causes include:
- driver negligence,
- lack of competence or training,
- negligence in the maintenance and repair of cars,
- driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances,
- driving while very sleepy or tired, or
- driving with medical condition
If you know the reasons for the accident, it will be easier for you to obtain evidence in line with your allegations against the party at fault.
Evidence You Need to Get From the Scene of the Car Accident
After determining the liability of the other party, your next job is to prove your claims. You can do this by making sure that you get clear evidence to support your claims. As early as after the accident, you can already save evidence to help your claim by doing the following:
- Taking pictures of the scene of the accident;
- Exchanging information with the other party;
- Obtaining contact information of possible witnesses;
- Requesting CCTV footage of the scene of the accident;
- Calling paramedics to get emergency treatment at the scene; and
- Calling your car accident lawyer to get vital advice on what to do and what not to do in case of an accident.
Evidence You Can Get After the Car Accident
After the accident and while undergoing treatments, you also need to gather evidence, not only to prove the accident but to also prove the amount of your claims relative to the following:
- Taking pictures of the scene of the accident;
- Actual medical costs;
- Future medical care;
- Loss of earnings;
- Pain and suffering; and
- Punitive damages.
In order to obtain evidence for the above you will need the following documents:
- Medical records and bills to show actual medical records and costs as well as future medical care recommended by the doctors;
- Employment certificate to show your employment, position and hourly rate; and
- Other records to show psychological pain and suffering and other losses.
High Value of Medical Costs
The value of your car accident claims depends actually on the seriousness of your injuries and the treatments necessary to address them. As a car accident victim, you will definitely suffer serious injuries, especially in head on collision or T-bone accidents, from scratches, bruises and contusions to more serious injuries like spine injuries, fractures, burn injuries, head injury and even brain injury.
The foregoing injuries will need to be evaluated and treated to keep you safe from harm. These treatments can reach in the hundreds of thousands depending on the length and complexity of your treatments from undergoing x-rays, MRIs, lab tests, neurological tests, chiropractic care, physical therapy treatments, orthopedic treatments and even epidural injections and surgeries.
Seek Help Only From Top Personal Injury Lawyers in California
In pursuing your accident claims, you have a lot of options to choose from, whether negotiations, arbitration, mediation or litigation. In any of these options, you need to make sure that you are protected by expert personal injury lawyers like Mesriani Law Group who can fight for your rights regardless of the value of your claims or the parties or personalities involved in your car or automobile accident.
