car accident Archives - 3 Kids and Us

Take These Steps After Any Serious Car Accident

October 15, 2018 by admin

In a minor fender bender, there may not be much to worry about. You’ll likely trade insurance information and accept whatever settlement the insurance company offers. However, that process becomes much more complex when it’s a more serious accident. The issue of paying for property repairs, medical treatments, and other damages, make it essential for you to know your rights and know how to respond.

Reacting on the Scene

Immediately following your accident, it’s vital that you take as much as action as you can. If you’re seriously injured, you may not be mobile and, in that case, there won’t be much you can do. If you are able to move about, check on others to determine needs for medical aid and to identify those involved in the accident. Once emergency personnel have been called, take the opportunity to collect contact information and auto insurance information from the other drivers.

This is also the time to collect evidence. In this regard, the best thing you can do is to use your phone to take photos of the scene. Be sure to get close-up pictures of damages to the vehicles and other property damages. Also, take photos of injuries for the purposes of documentation. This can help verify claims later on in the process.

Seek Medical Attention

You’re legally bound to seek medical attention if your accident results in a personal injury lawsuit. If the defense can show you didn’t seek medical attention and later claimed injuries as a result of the accident, you may be charged with compulsory negligence, which can limit what compensation you’ll be entitled to receive. Depending on the situation, the judge may throw the case out altogether.

From a medical standpoint, you should seek an evaluation from a doctor, even if you don’t feel injured at the time of the accident. It can take certain injuries awhile to manifest. For instance, brain trauma, neck injuries, and spinal cord damage can take a day or more to produce noticeable symptoms. A medical examination may spot these types of injuries sooner, allowing you to receive treatment earlier.

Consult a Personal Injury Lawyer

As soon as possible, you should consult an attorney experienced in handling personal injury cases, such as Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C., as soon as possible. It won’t be long before an insurance adjuster contacts you about the accident. He may try to get you to admit fault in the accident, or may offer you a quick settlement, which will be insufficient to pay for all of your damages. It’s wise to have already spoken with an attorney, before the insurance adjuster begins contacting you. Your attorney will handle communications with the insurance company and attempt to negotiate a fair settlement.

Keep Meticulous Records

Another part of collecting evidence is to keep all documentation, pertaining to your injuries and property damages. This includes repair estimates for your vehicle, medical bills, medical treatment records, any documentation that can establish your missed days of work, and documentation that provides evidence of any need for long-term therapy. All of this information can be used to validate your request for damages and collecting the information can make your attorney’s job easier.

Do Not Discuss Your Accident

The only person you should discuss your case with is with Michelle Linka Law for personal injury lawyer in Oshawa and only in confidential settings. This means limiting your time on social media and not discussing facts of the case on any website. The defense will be looking for statements you make online that could be used against you. Similarly, don’t post new pictures of yourself on your social media pages. In the same way, those pictures may be used to suggest your injuries aren’t as serious as you claim. For instance, if you’re smiling in a photo, the defense might use it to convince a jury that you’re not experiencing chronic pain.

Continue Medical Treatments

It’s important that you don’t miss appointments for medical evaluations or treatments, including physical therapy sessions. Again, the defense might use this to suggest your injuries aren’t as serious as you claim. Additionally, missing treatments or therapy can cause your condition to relapse or worsen. In that case, the issue of contributory negligence again becomes relevant.

While an auto accident can be a complex and unnerving experience, knowing how to handle it can help you protect your interests. Above all, be careful what statements you make publicly, to the police, or to the insurance company. How you respond will be used against you, if you’re not careful. This is why hiring an attorney should be done, as soon as your medical condition allows. Having a legal advocate on your side can make a significant difference.

A Local Car Accident Attorney Can Work with Stop Light Cameras

July 31, 2018 by admin

Stop light cameras have become prominent in many places around the world. These cameras are often used to identify cases where drivers break the rules surrounding red lights at an intersection. Such cameras help to enforce the law and to punish people who break the law and put people at risk of further harm.

To some, people might find these cameras to be a nuisance and possibly unnecessary. But the truth is that stop light cameras may make a difference when it comes to identifying issues that come about in an accident. A local car accident attorney can help with identifying situations where a stop light camera might be in place.

What Can a Camera Report?

Perhaps you were in an accident that was near a spot where a stop light camera was located. You can get information from that camera to work in your case. A local car accident attorney can help with collecting the video from the time of your wreck. This can help you with identifying what the other driver in a case might have been doing. You can use this to highlight a case where someone ignored a red-light alert or other traffic warning.

In other cases, you can use this to confirm that you were following the rules of the road. This includes a case where you adhered to the red-light warning that came about in a spot. Showing that you were following the proper instructions in an area is critical to the success of your case and to prove your credibility.

What If It’s Nearby?

While may stop light cameras might record a wreck as it takes place, sometimes a camera might be located a block or two away from where the wreck itself took place at. But even then, it may be easy for a camera to be reviewed based on what happened a few seconds before the wreck took place. You may notice a situation where the other driver moves through a red light or committed an illegal action that increased the risk of a car wreck.

Get Help Soon

The key part of working with this content can be important to notice. The data on a local red-light camera may be deleted after a while. This comes as a group reviewing content would remove old data to make way for new work. Getting in touch with a camera operator as soon as possible is critical to the success of a case.

In many instances, a local transportation authority or police department is responsible for managing such cameras. A local car accident attorney can contact the particular entity that runs the camera to get the situation organized and planned out right.

People should look at how well stop light cameras may be utilized when getting a car accident case to move forward. Talk with a local car accident attorney if you feel that a stop light camera may be utilized in your case to confirm a certain concern that might have developed.

6 Steps to Take After a Car Accident

November 1, 2017 by admin

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There’s one daily activity that most people take part in despite the fact it could be deadly. Driving in vehicles is a convenience most people can’t pass up, and most people never think twice about it. But with more than 1 billion vehicles on the road today, car accidents are a common occurrence.

A car accident can happen to anyone at any time even if they’re a cautious driver. Even celebrities like Keanu Reeves have been touched by the tragedy of a car accident. When it happens, few people are prepared to get through the ordeal. The steps you take after a crash can mean the difference between getting the help you deserve and living with the repercussions of someone else’s actions.

If you get into a car accident, experts recommend that you follow the steps below.

Step 1. Call the Police

Anytime you are involved in a traffic collision the police should be called immediately. An officer can help keep things civil and he or she will also create a police report. This report can be used as evidence when you file claims.

Step 2. Get Information at the Scene

You (or someone you’re with if you need medical treatment) should gather critical information at the scene. You’ll need to get:

The other driver’s name and phone number
The other driver’s insurance information, including policy number
The license plate number of the other vehicle
The make, model, and color of the other vehicle
Pictures of the scene

All of this information is needed to ensure the other driver doesn’t try to forgo their responsibility or lie about the events that occurred. If there are witnesses get their brief statement, name and contact information.

Step 3. Hire a Local Attorney

You can make the rest of the process much easier on yourself by hiring a local car accident lawyer if someone sustained an injury or there was significant property damage. Traffic regulations vary by county, which is why it’s important to have a local attorney that understands the laws.

Even if the insurance company offers compensation it may not be enough to cover all the damage and long-term expenses. Your lawyer can help you file a personal injury claim against the other driver so you receive adequate compensation based on the real costs you’ll incur.

Step 4. Contact Your Auto Insurance Agent

Your insurance company will also need to be involved after a car accident. Contact your agent to let them know what occurred and get directions on how to file a claim. Once the claim is received the insurance companies of both drivers will investigate. Hopefully, you have the police report handy to back up your claims.

The one thing you should never do is lie to your insurance company about what occurred. If the insurance company believes you aren’t being truthful they could deny your coverage. Your attorney can help during this process and should be in contact with your auto insurance agent.

Step 5. Keep Track of Medical Records

If you or one of your passengers sustained injuries medical records will be needed to substantiate injury claims. Be very diligent about keeping track of these records. You’ll want to track:

Names of doctors
Names of health professionals
Which treatments are recommended
Which treatments are received
Date of treatments

You’ll also need to document every one of your medical bills and keep a record of how the injuries impact your quality of life. Tracking things like missed workdays, changes in daily routine and affects on your family can help justify pain and suffering compensation.

Step 6. Follow the Doctor’s Orders

It’s important for your own health to follow the doctor’s orders to a T after a car accident. There are also legal reasons for doing so. The at-fault driver’s insurance company may try to deny compensation by arguing that you didn’t follow the doctor’s order and therefore you made an injury or made it worse.

The Insurance Information Institute also recommends that drivers prepare themselves long before an accident occurs. Make sure you have adequate auto insurance coverage, keep pertinent documents (proof of insurance, vehicle registration, etc.) in the car and have emergency supplies like road flares on hand.