If you are involved in a collision and believe that you should be compensated for your financial loss and personal injuries suffered in the incident it doesn’t automatically follow that you are going to get what you deserve.
Insurers can often fight tooth and nail to deny your claim and that is precisely why you need to have seasoned car accident lawyers fighting your corner.
Having established that you should seek out professional help, here are some of the key questions they are likely to ask you when you arrange to discuss your case.
Date and time
A fundamental question is when the accident occurred and at what time. This is highly relevant as it helps to pinpoint the event and highlights local conditions when the collision occurred.
Were the police involved?
Your lawyer will need to know if the police were called to the scene of the accident and whether you gave them a statement.
They will need to see the police report in order to confirm how the accident has been interpreted, including whether the details make it clear who is at fault for the crash.
Detail is important
It is understandable if you are shaken by the event and may well be dealing with your injuries as a priority but you need to give your lawyer as much information about the accident as you can remember.
Who is at fault?
It might be that the other driver admitted liability for the crash at the scene. That would be an excellent start to your claim and if they told this to the police, even better.
Insurance details
It is easy to miss things at the time of the accident but if you can confirm the driver’s insurance details that would be a great help.
Your lawyer will find out this information but it is worth pointing out that there might be a financial limit to the payout on their policy as an at-fault driver, which is definitely relevant to the claim.
Underinsured coverage?
You also need to know whether you have cover to protect you if the driver was underinsured or didn’t have any insurance at all.
Medical opinion
Another crucial question that your lawyer will ask you is the extent of your injuries and whether you have had a medical opinion that confirms you have suffered any condition that is likely to be permanent.
Details of your medical care
Provide your lawyers with details of where and when you got your first medical care after the accident. If you are offered an ambulance at the scene it is often better to agree to get checked over immediately and this is the detail that your lawyer needs to create a picture of your claim.
Any medical evidence?
If you have had any scans or x-rays to assess the damage to your body, let your lawyer know.
Build a picture
Finally, it will help if you can take notes of things you remember and even draw some sketches of what you think happened.
This can help your lawyer to build your case and should help in your battle to get the compensation you are entitled to.
Image Credits: Shoaib SR
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