If you’ve been in an accident, you know that the recovery process will be much more difficult than just recovering physically. You’ll worry about medical expenses and how to financially recover from a bad road accident. But what do you need to know? Since most motor vehicle accidents happen on the road, usually there are witnesses who saw the collision take place. This type of evidence is very valuable to have on hand when going up against insurance companies during settlement negotiations/court cases which determines the fault of the parties involved and order appropriate compensation.
Injuries sustained from a road accident can be very serious. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that motor vehicle accidents are among the leading causes of death in the United States. The CDC also reports that there were almost 5 million emergency department visits in 2011 alone due to injuries from a car crash. An alarming statistic is that more than 10 percent of those emergency room visits ended up being fatal, compared with only 3 percent from gun violence and 1.4% from natural disasters during the same year.
In order to help you recover financially after your accident, it would be good to understand how personal injury claims work as well as who typically pays for injuries sustained from an automobile collision. Usually, injured victims can recover damages from either their own insurance company or the other driver’s insurer.
Who Pays for Injuries Sustained in a Road Accident?
Who pays for injuries is something that varies depending on where you live and who was at fault for the accident. If you were injured as a result of an accident caused by another person, then it would be possible to hold them accountable for your personal injury claim. Here are some important tips to help you financially recover from a terrible road accident.
Save All Documentation Relating to Your Accident
It is critical for you to keep all records and documentation of the accident, including any medical treatment you received following your car accident. You should also make sure to save all repair or replacement bills for your vehicle if it was involved in the collision. Although the other driver’s insurer will pay for damages relating directly to your injuries, they are not required to pay for damage that occurred to your vehicle during the accident.
Undergo Appropriate Medical Treatment
This action is an important step in order to recover financially because you can only get compensation if you were hurt due to another person’s actions. Therefore, if you do not seek appropriate medical attention after an injury resulting from a road accident, you are severely limiting your chances of getting the compensation you need.
Find a Good Personal Injury Attorney
the next tip to help you financially recover from a road accident is to find an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area. If you live in Missouri, it is important for you to consult with a personal injury lawyer in St Louis to start filing your claim. If you’ve been in a car accident and someone else was responsible for it, then this type of legal professional can advocate on your behalf when negotiating with insurance companies about damages that were done during the collision. A good personal injury attorney will fight for all the money owed to you which includes payment for medical expenses, lost income, pain & suffering, and future lost wages.
Negotiate with Insurance Companies
The next step would be to receive an offer from the insurance company that represents the person who caused your accident. This is called subrogation, which means that their insurer has now taken on their role in terms of negotiating compensation for injuries sustained due to another’s negligence. However, you are not required to accept this offer if you believe it does not compensate fully for your current and future damages. If you decline they may make one more offer or give up trying to settle with you altogether. However, do keep in mind that there are time limits when negotiating a settlement with them so be sure to act quickly before they stop taking your claim seriously or pulling out altogether even if it seems low.
File a Personal Injury Claim
If you and the other driver’s insurer cannot come to an agreement, then it is time to file a personal injury claim and demand your damages be paid in full for what you deserve after your accident. However, since most people do not know how much their injuries are worth, there is no way to tell if this will result in the compensation that was promised or end up with you getting even less. To help avoid such situations, always try negotiating first before filing a personal injury claim as well as requesting estimates from medical professionals when they give them so you know exactly how much money you should be owed after your road accident.
Receive Your Settlement Money
Finally, after you have received your settlement money for your accident, it is up to you to use the funds properly in order to recover financially. If you are injured, then chances are that you have big medical expenses which need paying for right now. Therefore, save the remainder of the money only if there is anything leftover but do not spend it on unnecessary things or frivolous living expenses just because you can easily afford them now.
Just continue with whatever financial plan was in place before your car collision and make sure any extra money is kept safe so one day you will be able to pay off all medical bills and get back some form of quality of life again after your injury. Make sure every cent goes to a good cause and you will eventually start to feel better about your situation. This is how to completely financially recover after a bad road accident, but do remember to ask questions and be thorough during the entire process so that you end up happy with the outcome in the end.
