In 2015 there were more than 32,000 fatal motor vehicle accidents in the US in which more than 35,000 people died. These statistics show only a proportion of the total number of vehicle accidents that happen on the country’s roads. Accidents that cause life-changing injuries are another story. In most cases, insurance companies jump in at the beginning of the accident and try to get the injured party to accept their offer to pay for medical bills and lost wages. In other words, they are looking for a quick settlement. Fatal injuries need immediate medical attention and most people who are hurt cannot go back to normal life for a long time. This can make the hurt party even more vulnerable as medical bills tend to pile up over time and the important details about the accident become more and more vague in the driver’s and the passengers’ memories. Besides this, there are legal requirements/rules that can be used against you if you do not take the right steps right after you encounter a dangerous accident. These are the two important things to keep in mind after a serious vehicle accident:
- Failure to seek medical help on time
Insurance companies are supposed to set aside a certain amount of funds in case their client gets into a fatal accident, irrespective of how it happened and who caused it. These benefits are called No-Fault benefits and are supposed to cover medical bills, lost wages and any other out of pocket expenses. If you do not seek medical help within 14 days of your accident, you can lose access to the benefits because the insurance company can deny you these benefits.
- Documents sent by insurance companies
After a serious accident occurs, the insurance company will send you several documents to sign and will ask you to return them as soon as possible. Many times these documents have a settlement release that requires your signature. Signing this release can result in the at-fault driver being released from all liability. As a result, you cannot file a claim against the driver. You must read any documents that an insurance company sends you before you sign it. It is even better to run the documents by a legal expert to make sure you are not signing your rights away.
As more and more time passes after the incident, the more vulnerable one becomes to being denied the rights you deserve. If a family has lost their loved one or their love one is battling a terminal injury in the hospital, they should immediately take responsibility of seeking a personal injury attorney to represent the person who has been affected. The presence of a legal representative on your side means that he/she knows how to lead you in all the right directions at all the right times. The car accident attorneys at AMA Law do much more than just tell you what your rights are, they protect you from the pressure insurance companies try to put on you and make sure that important evidence is gathered in time so that you can receive the compensation you truly deserve. Do not let a catastrophic accident ruin your life even more; contact us today for a free consultation