After a car accident with injuries, a person may be worried about how to deal with the insurance company and how they’re going to pay for their accident-related bills like medical bills. Most people don’t have much experience with situations like this, and it can lead to them being taken advantage of and not obtaining as much money as they should receive. A person who wants to know what to do about being injured in a car accident not my fault will want to speak with an attorney for help.
Who Can Obtain Compensation for an Accident?
After being injured in a car accident compensation is awarded to the victim or victims of the accident. The at-fault driver is not entitled to compensation for the accident. If there were multiple victims involved in the accident, they are all entitled to compensation. This means that anyone who is injured, whether they’re passengers in the vehicle that was hit or if there were multiple vehicles that were hit, will be able to receive compensation for their injuries.
Responsibility for Paying for the Accident-Related Expenses
Every driver is required to have insurance on the vehicle they drive. The insurance company is responsible for paying for the accident-related expenses of any victims who are injured in a car accident caused by their client. These expenses often include medical bills for the injuries sustained, car repair bills for any damage to the vehicle, and lost wages if the victim needs to be out of work for a significant amount of time to recover. Additional types of compensation may also be obtained by the victim or victims, depending on the situation. The more severe the injuries suffered are, the more compensation can be awarded to the victims of the accident.
How Insurance Companies Decide on a Settlement Amount
An insurance company is a type of business and, as such, their goal is to make money. An insurance company will always offer a low amount for a settlement to begin with because they know most people are going to accept the first settlement offer. If they offer $10,000, for example, this might seem like a significant amount of money and the person might be willing to accept it. However, because of their high expenses from the accident, that might not be enough to fully cover all of their current and future medical expenses, vehicle repair bills, and lost wages. If they’ve accepted the offer for the $10,000, they’ll need to pay the remaining expenses on their own. If they’ve been permanently injured or need medical care for a significant amount of time, they could owe quite a bit more than what they received by accepting the original settlement offer.
Never Accept a Low Settlement
Once a person has accepted a settlement, there’s little that can be done if they find out it isn’t enough. A person should always contact a personal injury attorney for help before they accept any settlement from the insurance company. Often, the initial consultation for the attorney will be free and the case will be handled on a contingency basis so the person doesn’t have to worry about how they can afford to meet with an attorney for help. The attorney can review what caused the accident, the severity of the person’s injuries, the length of recovery time they’ll need, and more. They’ll then decide on an adequate settlement amount, including their fees, and let the person know how much their case is actually worth. This will likely be far higher than the amount offered by the insurance company and will include all of the types of compensation the person is entitled to.
How an Attorney Can Help
Once a person has spoken with the attorney and found out they can receive a much higher amount for their injuries, they’ll likely want to work with the attorney to obtain a higher amount of compensation. The attorney is going to contact the insurance company on their behalf and start working on obtaining a higher settlement amount. Most cases are going to be concluded with these negotiations. Those that aren’t can then go on to the courts where the case will be heard in front of a judge and verdict will be made. The attorney will keep in contact with the person through all of this and help them through the entire process. If the case does need to go to court, the attorney will discuss how it works and what the person can expect to happen during the court hearings.
If you’re wondering about being injured in a car accident not my fault and what you can do, it’s important for you to contact an attorney before you accept any settlement offer from the insurance company. Doing this can help you get more money for your injuries and ensure all of your accident-related expenses are covered. Call Ryan Malnar for help with your personal injury settlement.
A personal injury lawyer with over 10 years of experience, Ryan Malnar serves Colorado Springs with honesty & integrity.
