Having a car accident is an upsetting experience. It is not uncommon for someone who has just been in an accident to be in a state of shock afterward. If you are involved in an accident with injuries, it is very important to comply with the law and collect all the information that you can at the scene. When you are ready to file an insurance claim, the more information you have, the better chance you will have of collecting a fair settlement.
What to do at The Scene
When you are in an accident, call the police and wait for an officer to arrive. Get the names of any witnesses and take pictures if you can. You should exchange information with the other driver and write down the license plate number of the car. Be sure to ask for a copy of the accident report.
You should never admit to guilt at the scene. Even if you are certain that you caused an accident, there may be some contributing factors of which you are unaware.
Save Your Bills
You should save every bill you have that is related to the accident. Both doctor’s bills and the bills for any alternative treatments should be saved. You should save every receipt for any over the counter or prescription medications that you may have to take. If you have missed time off of work, you should get the HR director of your company to give you documentation of all the hours that you have missed. If you have required assistance with housekeeping or child care, you should save the receipts for the services.
File an Insurance Claim
You should call your insurance company as soon as you possibly can to report the accident. They may ask you for your permission to record the call, but you do not have to give it to them.
Georgia is a tort state, which means that the person who caused the accident is responsible for paying its related bills. More specifically, Georgia is a proportional comparative fault state which means that a driver is responsible for the portion of the accident they caused. If a driver is more than 50% responsible for an accident, they will not be able to recover insurance money for their injuries and damages to their car.
Once you report your accident to your insurance company, they should report it to the other driver’s insurer. They will either accept or deny your claim. If they accept your claim, they will make you a settlement offer.
The settlement offer that they make you is likely to be for less money than your accident is actually worth. You should never accept their settlement offer until you have spoken to a personal injury attorney.
Insurance companies are staffed with wily attorneys whose goal is to keep their money in-house. An Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer can negotiate with an insurance company on your behalf. They will be well versed in Georgia law and they will have a staff that will research your personal case.
Having a car accident is a nuisance, to say the least, but good planning and the right attorney can help you get the money you deserve.
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