All the traffic laws and rules of the road derive from one fundamental premise: while you operate a motor vehicle, you must think and act responsibly. When you and your car get tangled in a road accident, you may claim damages from the person at fault. If, unfortunately, you are at fault, your medical insurance may cover the costs of your treatments, and your own auto insurance ought to cover your repairs.
The law requires that you carry liability insurance that protects you and your assets in the event that you are responsible for a road accident. Your insurance provides medical coverage for the accident victims, and it generally provides for the injured parties' automotive repairs and related costs. If you have financed the purchase of an automobile, your lender probably requires that you carry comprehensive insurance coverage, which protects your car against damage and loss. To some extent, you control our insurance premiums by determining your "deductible" the accident related expenses you believe you can afford to pay from your own pocket.
If an uninsured motorist caused your accident, you should file a personal injury lawsuit, claiming both compensatory and punitive damages to cover not only your property losses but also the time you have taken away from work and the cost of your pain and suffering.
You must immediately report a traffic accident:
Common sense demands, and the law requires, that you move your vehicles safely out of traffic and attend to the injured. As soon as the accident scene is cleared and everyone is safely off the road, you must contact law enforcement officials, who assess the severity of the crash and determine whether or not to dispatch officers to the scene. Do not allow accident victims or eyewitnesses to
leave the scene, because their accounts of the events will become crucial to your road accident claim. If the injured must be transported to hospital, get information about first responders, so that investigators can interview them later.
On the accident scene, get vital information from all the drivers involved in the accident. You want full names, driver's license data, reliable phone numbers, and insurance information. In addition to securing the names of the other drivers' insurance carriers, get their policy numbers, because detailed information will expedite your claim.
Make sure you also get names, addresses, and phone numbers from eyewitnesses, too. As you gather information from the other drivers, you may discuss details of the events leading-up to the accident, and you may discuss the accident itself. Under no circumstances should you take responsibility or admit fault. Even if your conscience screams that you acted irresponsibly, stay focused on the facts of what happened and with what consequences for your body and vehicle. Law enforcement and insurance investigators receive special training in assessment of fault and assignment of responsibility, so that your silence helps to assure fair settlement of your road accident claim.
As soon as you have collected vital information from all the parties to the accident, contact your insurance company. Your insurance card should indicate a twenty-four hour claims number, and you should be able to call toll free. In most cases, you will receive more reliable information from the insurance company's claims department than from your insurance agent, so that filing your claim takes precedence over contacting your local connection. If you cannot safely operate your car, your insurance company will give you towing instructions and explain the mechanics of renting a car until yours is repaired or replaced.
Author Resource:-
Scottish Compensation has been specialising in providing free help to people who are looking to make a road accident claim.
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