Anything can happen while on the road. It’s a scary reality, but car accidents happen every day. To be more precise, car accidents happen every single minute. When you’re in a traumatic situation like that, it may seem like the last thing from your mind to talk to a legal council. You want to get out of the situation and make sure everyone is safe. That’s a normal reaction. But that doesn’t mean that the realities of insurance companies, court dates, and documents won’t catch up.
In this article we’ll go through some of the things you’ll need to anticipate if you get into a car accident, as well as how a lawyer can help you in any situation.
Properly use incident reports and other documents
The first thing you should do if you get into an accident, is to make sure that you and the people around you are safe. If it is safe to do so, step out and make sure that the other party is okay, as well. If you’ve established that everything is relatively safe and there are no serious injuries, you can go ahead and call the police. Now, more likely than not, the other party doesn’t want the police involved. It’s a hair trigger reaction to say: “No, we don’t need to get the cops involved.” You need to get the cops involved. The police will provide a detailed report that has all the necessary information on it. It can also help establish who is at fault. And when push comes to shove, this is an important document your lawyer can draw from when fighting for settlements. Talking to professionals at Demas Law Group Car Accident Attorneys, it’s clear that car accidents are never as clear cut as they should be. Sometimes it escalates to a point where each party is out into deep legal waters. Have all your documents in order and keep you safe.
Create injury timelines
People often think they’re fine, up until about 45 minutes after, when the adrenaline wears off. If you’re not at fault, or can establish that there was injury sustained due to the actions of the other party, the signs and symptoms can show up long after the ordeal. Having a lawyer can help explain this to a judge if need be. But most of all, a lawyer can help you deal with insurance companies trying to refute every injury you have.
Fight on your behalf
Speaking of insurance companies, they’re obligated to pay you, but they’re not going to part with their money easily. They’ll play all sorts of games to not pay. They’ll deny and refuse and drag it out as long as they can. If you’re not armed with someone in your corner that knows these tricks, you could be left in the dust of intimidation and scare tactics. Don’t let that happen to you. Have someone on your side who knows the ins and outs of that dirty business and is willing to fight for you.
Having a lawyer in these situations is always helpful. Even if you think you don’t need one, there will be a moment— an unpaid claim or a denial, where you know you’d be better off with one. Don’t let companies intimidate you and drag you into their games. You have every right to have representation. And in heated times, where your health and well-being are on the line, having a lawyer is your best defense.