Motor vehicle accidents happen every day. They can result in minor damage, or they can cause serious and lasting injuries. When you are not at fault for the crash, you can get coverage for your losses. A skilled New Roads car accident lawyer can save you significant stress as you file an insurance and/or legal claim to recover your damages.
Dedicated Legal Care After a Motor Vehicle Accident
An experienced attorney can pursue justice for your losses, whether you are filing a car insurance claim or a civil personal injury claim. Murphy Law Firm has been helping injured individuals for over 30 years fight for their rights and get the compensation they deserve. We know how overwhelming it can be after you are injured in a car accident. We can ease the process by explaining your legal options and giving you individualized and comprehensive legal support.
Determining Fault in a Car Accident
After a car collision, fault may be obvious, or it may be unclear. In either situation, evidence is crucial to prove who was at fault. Typically, fault in a car accident is based on negligence. A driver is only considered at fault if they were negligent and that negligence led to the accident. A driver may be acting negligently because they are distracted, committing moving violations, driving an unsafe vehicle, or under the influence.
Working with an attorney is crucial for conducting a thorough investigation of the accident, thus determining its cause and who was at fault. Being able to clearly prove that another party was negligent and led to the accident can make a claim move more quickly and get you the most compensation that is available.
What Should You Do Immediately After a Car Accident?
The actions you take after a car collision are important for protecting your personal health and your rights. These include the following:
Move Vehicles and Note Injuries
Firstly, you should move vehicles out of the roadway if it is possible, and remove individuals from the vehicles if it will not aggravate injuries. Take note of any injuries so that when you call to report the accident, you can also report those injuries.
Exchange Information
As you wait for emergency responders to arrive, you can exchange information with the other driver(s). This includes basic personal contact information, insurance contact information, and driver’s license information. This is necessary in the future for filing an insurance claim.
Obtain Medical Care
When emergency responders arrive, you should receive medical care. Do this even if you do not think you are injured. Not all injuries in a car accident are immediately obvious, especially if you are in shock. Injuries like internal organ damage or traumatic brain injuries may not show symptoms for some time, but a medical professional may notice the signs.
If you do not get medical care immediately, an insurance provider may use this to claim that you were injured at a later time and that it was unconnected to the accident.
Establish Documentation
You should then provide an accident report to the officer on the scene. Do not admit fault, but be honest about what happened. This accident report is an important piece of evidence. You should also document the collision site by taking photos and videos of the cars and surrounding damage. If there were eyewitnesses, collect contact information from them.
Further Post-Accident Steps After Leaving the Scene
Once you leave the scene, you should get medical care from your own health provider, report the accident to your own insurance provider if they require that, and find an experienced car accident attorney in New Roads.
If you are injured and unable to take these steps, then your focus should be on immediate medical care. You can allow others in the accident to report the collision, and your attorney can investigate and document the accident. However, if you are able to, then these actions can be incredibly beneficial for your claim in Louisiana.
A: How long it takes to settle a car accident claim in Louisiana can vary. A claim could be resolved very quickly if it is clear who is at fault, damages are very clearly documented, and the insurance company is willing to settle out of court. A claim may take much longer when there are multiple parties involved, fault is unclear and contested, and/or the case goes to court.
An attorney is instrumental in gathering important evidence that proves liability and damages, making a case likely to resolve more quickly.
A: Louisiana is not a no-fault car accident state. It is an at-fault state. If you are involved in a car accident with other drivers, you can file a car insurance claim with the insurance provider of the driver or drivers who were at fault for the accident. This claim can recover costs like medical care, property damage, and lost wages. Because of this, determining fault after a car collision is very important. The accident report from the scene is also critical, as is the investigation by all involved insurance providers.
A: How long an accident stays on your record in Louisiana depends on your insurance provider’s unique policies and whether you were at fault or not. Typically, you could see insurance cost increases for a few years after an accident where you were at fault. If you were not at fault for the accident, it is unlikely that your own coverage was involved, and it will not affect your record and insurance coverage as significantly.
A: You have a specific period of time in which to file a car accident claim in Louisiana and an even shorter window to file an insurance claim. If you are unable to negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance provider, it is important that you file a civil claim before the statute of limitations expires. If you fail to file in court before then, you will be unable to recover compensation, and the other party will likely end negotiations.
Legal Support From a Skilled New Roads Accident Attorney
A claim is more likely to be successful when you have the support of a car accident lawyer. An attorney can negotiate an insurance settlement based on the true total of your damages. They can also advise you on when it is in your interests to file a civil claim. Murphy Law Firm has years of experience in these claims. Contact our firm today to learn how we can help you.
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