Car Accident Lawyers – Personal Injury Law

Car Accident Lawyers – Personal Injury Law

Car Accident Injury Claim – Getting into a car accident can be a stressful ordeal, so it helps knowing how to deal with it. When faced with a car accident, the most important thing is to maintain a clear presence of mind. With this, you will be able to go through the important motions that should follow an accident.

I survived a hit-and-run accident that caused my vehicle to roll over, so here are some suggestions.

Recovering from an accident takes time. But at the moment immediately following an accident, you don’t have to worry about all the things you need to do. Just keep these four important steps in mind for the meantime. More on this website

Step 1: Identify any injuries & access the damage

The first and most important thing you need to do is to take stock of your situation. Go out to examine the accident and how much damage it caused. First, check for injuries so you can call for medical attention when necessary. In case of injuries, call for medical help then try to help the injured persons. It helps to always carry a first aid kit in your car for such unexpected situations. However, make sure not to move the victims while applying first aid. Wait for the paramedics to be the ones to move them, unless the car starts to smoke or a flame begins, in which it is important to get as far away from the vehicle as possible.

In case of minor accidents wherein injuries are minor or there are no injuries at all, you can turn your attention to the extent of damage done to your car and to the other vehicle involved. At this point, you can move to step 2.

Step 2: Gather information

It is essential to get all the information pertaining to the accident. You have to get information about the accident itself and about those who were involved. To assist in a car accident injury claim, first, document the accident by taking pictures of it from all possible angles. The pictures can be used to determine who is at fault and what really occurred. Photograph all damages done to the vehicles as well. Also, look for witnesses and get their contact numbers as well. This will help you be able to establish what really happened in case there is a dispute between you and the other party.

Then get information about the other party. The information you should ask for includes the name, address, contact number, car make and model, license plate number, the vehicle identification number of the car. Helpful information on this website

In my situation, I had a witness, but the car that hit me took off, and

Step 3: File a police report

With complete information in hand, call the police and file a report for the car accident. Regardless of how minor a car accident is, always be sure to involve the police. If you can’t gather all the information you need from an uncooperative third party, the police will help you with this. Filing a report will help speed up and make it easier for you to file a claim. If the need to call the police is not necessary anymore, be sure to at least go to nearby police stations and make a report just to keep it on record.

Step 4: Contact your insurance agent or agency

Finally, make a call to your insurance agent or to your agency’s emergency hotline. If possible, in case of major accidents, make the call at the scene of the accident and with the police present. The police can help explain the accident and provide more accurate information about it to the insurance company, which can help speed up your claims request.

Do: Keep calm so you can deal with the accident the right way.

Don’t: Don’t panic.

It is scary and nerve-wracking to get into an accident. But no matter how careful you try to be as a driver, car accidents are a part of every driver’s life. Whether quite minor, you can’t expect to prevent accidents from happening. The best you can do is to prepare yourself so if they do happen, you will know what to do.

So, before you file a car accident injury claim, be sure to document everything.

Insurance Adjuster Tactics Following a Texas 18-Wheeler Collision

Insurance Adjuster Tactics Following a Texas 18-Wheeler Collision

When an insurance company is on the line to resolve a claim brought by a victim of a San Antonio 18-wheeler accident, they will likely send their most veteran insurance adjuster to work the claim. Such an adjuster is seldom if ever anything similar to your own neighborhood auto insurance agent. With years of hardening experience in their side, such an insurance adjuster’s goal is often single-minded: to save their company as much money as possible.

To this end, they will employ certain tactics meant to see a claim wholly dismissed or greatly decreased. For example, an aggressive insurance adjuster may interrogate a victim of an 18-wheeler accident, asking repeated questions in slightly varying ways. While it may appear that they’re simply trying to dig to the truth of an accident scene, such interrogation is often used as a means for an insurance adjuster to use a victim’s words against the victim. Through such inquisitive prodding, an adjuster may be able to get a victim to inadvertently admit to a degree of liability for an accident. If even a small degree of liability can be passed from their client to the victim, a substantial decrease in the amount of possible compensation awarded to a victim can be incurred. If more than half of the liability for a semi-truck wreck can be found to have existed with a victim, a victim’s claim can be completely denied. In such instances, it can be vital toward a victim’s rights that they have proper legal counsel, like the San Antonio Texas truck accident lawyers in our firm, that can ensure that they’re not being taken advantage of by an aggressive insurance adjuster.

When a trucking insurance adjuster is not able to stake liability onto another party, they may attempt to offer a victim an unmediated settlement. Such a settlement is often woefully short of the true value of a personal injury lawsuit or a wrongful death lawsuit. In other words, this type of unmediated offer is seldom commensurate with the actual incurred financial losses of a victim of an 18-wheeler accident. It is a shrewdly calculated move on behalf of the insurance company to make quick and cost-efficient work of a trucking accident insurance claim that could result in their company losing millions of dollars. Such an offer is meant as an enticement of sure, quick money to an injured victim or a grieving family. It may even be offered in the immediate aftermath of an 18-wheeler collision, when an aggrieved party may still be in shock or otherwise emotionally distracted so that an adjuster can catch a victim off-guard. These types of settlements are often offered in return for a victim to sign away their rights to pursue any legal action. When such an offer is accepted and a victim has voluntarily signed away their rights, there is little to nothing that any attorney can do to help that victim seek further legal action. If you have been approached by an insurance adjuster with a settlement offer, enlisting the help of an experienced Texas trucking accident attorney is in your best interests, as such a truck wreck lawyer can look over any offer and inform you as to whether or not it is a fair offer for your incurred financial losses.

Accident Injury Attorneys – Finding The Right Representation

Accident Injury Attorneys – Finding The Right Representation

Before we get to the claim itself, the first step in a personal injury legal matter is choosing a lawyer. Hiring the right personal injury lawyer for your case is an important component of the likelihood of obtaining a positive outcome for your situation.

During your initial consultation with your prospective injury attorney, you will be interviewed about the specific circumstances that led to your injury matter. For example, they may request access to medical records which will require you to sign a formal authorization, sometimes referred to as “HIPAA releases”. Your attorney will “work your case” in anticipation of trial. While many cases reach a settlement well before they reach the trial stage, is important that the case is properly prepared for trial in the event that a settlement cannot be reached.

Another important consideration for personal injury cases is called “the statute of limitations”. This is the time that a person has to claim their personal injury. This time period is usually set by the laws of your state and may be as short as one to two years. This time period varies from state to state and it’s important that you discuss this issue with your lawyer early on. In Texas, the statute of limitations is two years. If you don’t meet the statutory timing requirements, you may lose your ability to recover for your injuries forever.

Once your case is underway, your lawyer will probably file the required paperwork. This will include a document known as the complaint. The complaint outlines your case. There will also be a court filing fee that must be paid at the time of filing. This paperwork must also be properly served on the other parties to the case. Failing to effectuate proper service, may be cause for dismissal of your case.

After service has been properly effectuated, the defendants will probably provide some kind of answer. In some jurisdictions, this may either include a formal answer or a motion to dismiss your case. The next step is for the parties to begin the discovery phase. During discovery, requests are made by the parties for documents and information relevant to the issues giving rise to the case. Typically, these requests include a series of questions, requests for documents, and depositions of witnesses. It is not unlikely for this process to take a long time, even months or even years.

Next, the parties will probably begin discussing the possibility of negotiating a settlement. During this phase, there will be meetings, phone calls, and conferences between the parties’ lawyers about how much compensation, if any, the plaintiff is entitled. If these negotiations do not lead to a settlement, the case will proceed to trial. At that point, the case will be presented to either a judge or jury to determine if, and how much, compensation the injured party deserves.