Suffered an Injury as a Passenger in a Car Accident. What Should You Do?

A car accident is always a traumatic and overwhelming event for everyone involved. It creates a lot of fear and uncertainty, especially if anyone suffers a serious injury.

If that happens, then the injured person will likely be worried about how to get it treated and how it will affect their life. All of the confusion and uncertainty in the aftermath of a car accident are even worse if it is a passenger, rather than just the driver, who was injured. After a car accident, your first priority must be getting to a safe place, taking a breather and focusing. Read on to know more about what to do if this happens to you.

The actions that the driver needs to take after a car accident are pretty straightforward and he can find an accident lawyer if needs help. But a passenger may be unsure of what they should do next. There are steps that they can take to get the compensation they need to pay for their injuries, and one of those is hiring a personal injury attorney. An attorney can give the passenger advice on what they need to do and can help them to put those actions into motion.

So if you suffered injuries as a passenger in a car accident, make sure that one of the first things you do is get in touch with a personal injury lawyer.

File an Injury Claim

After suffering an injury in a car accident, you should file an injury claim, but if you were a passenger, then the question is which driver you should file the injury claim against.

In car accidents, the claim is usually filed against the driver who was responsible for causing the accident, but if you are a passenger, then you can file a claim against either driver involved in the accident. That means you can file a claim against the driver of the car you were in regardless of whether or not they caused the accident.

The same goes for the other driver involved, you can file a claim against them whether they were responsible for the accident or not.

After the accident, each driver should file their own claim with their respective insurance companies but sometimes they may not mention the passenger in their claim. That is why the passenger needs to contact a personal injury attorney after the accident; the attorney will contact the insurance company of each driver to make sure that the passenger is included in the injury claim.

You will only need to file a claim against both drivers if you are not fully compensated by one of the driver’s insurance companies. If that is the case, then you can file a claim against the insurance company of the other driver to cover any remaining expenses.

Why You Need a Personal Injury Attorney

Insurance companies will always try to lowball their claimants by offering them the lowest possible settlement amount. That is especially the case with passengers since the company will be reluctant to pay for someone who is not covered by them.

An attorney will let the insurance company know that you intend to file a claim and will conduct an investigation into the accident to collect evidence that proves why you deserve to be compensated.

Your attorney will also negotiate with the insurance company to make sure that you get the settlement amount you need. Since there is a possibility that you will need to do all of this with two different insurance companies, it is vital that you have someone who is used to negotiating with insurance companies on your side.

And of course, if you decide to file a lawsuit, then you will definitely need to have a personal injury attorney. A lawsuit only becomes necessary if the insurance company rejects your claim or offers you a settlement that is too low. You can also file a lawsuit if you suffered any permanent injuries, scarring, or disfigurement and the driver’s liability coverage is too low to pay for your damages.

Contact an Attorney If You Were Injured in a Car Accident

You should always contact an attorney after being in a car accident, but that is particularly true for passengers because their path to compensation is a little more complicated than it is for the drivers involved.

Not only is it more complicated, but you may have to go through the compensation process twice because you may have to file a claim against the insurance company of both drivers involved in the accident.

That is why you need a personal injury attorney to help you; they will have the experience needed to negotiate with the insurance companies and get you the settlement that you deserve.