Three Questions to Ask After an Accident
Every year, millions of people are injured in motor vehicle crashes, according to the NHTSA. Often, these accidents are traumatic, so it is hardly surprising that many accident victims don't know what to do after the accident. Sadly, a poor reaction after a serious accident could later prevent the victim from getting compensation for any related injuries.
After an auto crash, collecting information about the crash itself and the legal options available is important. Once an accident victim has received any necessary medical care, they should consider these three questions.
Were there witnesses
Victims should find out whether there were other people who witnessed the accident as soon as possible. Witnesses can provide impartial statements to support the victim's statement about the accident. Witnesses can also provide information that might not have been apparent to any person who was involved in the crash.
Crash victims need to gather information from anyone who witnessed the accident with help from a Salt Lake serious accident lawyer. It's not necessary to ask witnesses particular questions at that moment. Rather, victims should get in touch with witnesses later on to obtain information about their observations and vantage points.
Who was liable?
Car accidents may occur due to various reasons. It's the actions of one or more than one road user that often cause accidents. You can read additional information about it at http://www.mahalo.com/car-crashes/. Hazardous road conditions, like poor signage and poor maintenance, can lead to accidents. Vehicle faults can also contribute to crashes. Injury victims should bear of all these factors in mind and avoid admitting liability in the accident.
In most states, drivers who are believed to be less than half liable in a crash can hold other drivers responsible. However, any compensation that the partially responsible party receives is decreased by the degree of fault allotted to them. This makes clearly establishing and identifying fault a serious concern for accident victims.
What's the value of the case?
Lastly, once the accident lawsuit has progressed, injury victims need to find out what sort of settlement the insurer can offer. This could depend on the severity of the injuries and vehicle damage, the policy, as well as nature of the car accident. However, victims should avoid hastily accepting an initial offer of settlement. These offers usually fall considerably short of the real amount of compensation that's due.
Accident victims should consider consulting a Salt Lake bike lawyer before accepting an offer of settlement. Accident attorneys may be able to assess the worth of the case, considering the circumstances and impact of the accident. Moreover, attorneys can give advice on whether the insurance company's settlement is fair or not. This is important, as injury victims who take settlements have no right to seek any other compensation later on.