Introduction
If you’ve been involved in a car accident, your top priority should be to seek medical treatment. However, it’s also important that you understand your legal rights as an injured party. If the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence or recklessness, there may be grounds for filing a personal injury lawsuit against them.
In this The Echavarria Law Firm, PLLC – car accident attorney section, we’ll take a look at some of the most common types of car accidents and how they can lead to personal injury lawsuits. We’ll also explore what happens when an injury case goes to trial, so stay tuned!
Vehicle Accidents
Vehicle accidents are the most common type of accident, accounting for almost half of all personal injury claims. The most common causes of vehicle accidents include:
- Drunk driving or driving under the influence (DUI)
- Distracted driving (texting while driving)
- Careless or reckless driving
Injuries sustained in vehicle accidents can range from minor cuts and bruises to serious brain injuries and spinal cord damage. The most common injuries sustained in car accidents are broken bones, concussions/brain trauma, internal organ damage such as ruptured spleen or liver lacerations/ruptures; they may also include head/neck injuries if you were thrown from your vehicle during an accident or hit by another vehicle while still inside yours
Car accidents are a very common occurrence.
Car accidents are a very common occurrence. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were over 2 million car accidents in 2015 alone. That’s more than 6,000 per day!
And while they may not be as dramatic as some Hollywood depictions of car crashes might have you believe, they’re still dangerous and can have serious consequences for both drivers and passengers alike. In fact:
- Car accidents are the leading cause of death for people between 15 and 24 years old–and they’re also responsible for 50% of all deaths among teenagers in general.* They account for nearly 40% of all injury-related deaths in America each year.* Nearly one million people were injured when driving or riding in a vehicle in 2016 alone.* And if this wasn’t troubling enough already…
Medical Bills
Medical bills are a major source of stress for many people. The cost of healthcare can be quite expensive, and as a result, many Americans struggle to pay their medical bills.
If you do not have health insurance or are uninsured, then there are still ways that you can receive help with your medical bills. There are programs offered by the government that offer assistance for those who cannot afford their medical expenses on their own. You may qualify for free or low-cost health care through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). If this is not an option for you, consider applying for a loan from a private lender such as Lending Club or Prosper Marketplace Inc., which offers loans from $1k-$35k at rates starting at 5% APR.
Many people in car accidents don’t have the proper insurance coverage.
If you have been in a car accident, it’s important to know whether or not your insurance coverage is adequate. If it isn’t, then there are steps that can be taken to get the appropriate coverage.
First of all, determine whether or not your current policy has the right level of protection for what happened. This may require speaking with an agent at the company who wrote your policy or looking through its terms online. If the situation was particularly serious–such as if someone was injured–it could mean that more comprehensive insurance would be required than what was originally purchased by taking out additional policies (which usually cost around $100-$200 per year).
If this turns out not to be a problem and everything seems fine with the existing coverage, then congratulations! You’re ready for whatever comes next: filing claims against other drivers’ insurers and/or getting reimbursed by theirs; paying medical bills from providers directly without having them billed back later by doctors’ offices; dealing with any other fallout from having been involved in an accident such as lost wages due to missed workdays at work after recovering from injuries sustained during said accident…
If you’re involved in a car accident, call your insurance agent immediately.
If you’re involved in a car accident, call your insurance agent immediately. The first thing to do is call the police and report that there has been an accident. Next, call an ambulance if anyone needs medical attention. If not, then go ahead and call a tow truck or friend/family member who can help you get the car out of traffic (or just wait until someone else does).
If possible, take pictures of all vehicles involved before they leave the scene so that it’s easier for them to be identified later on if needed–this also helps prove liability when filing claims against other drivers who caused accidents because they were negligent or breaking traffic laws (e.g., speeding through stop signs).
Conclusion
If you’re involved in a car accident, call your insurance agent immediately. The sooner you do this, the better off you’ll be.