If you suffered injuries as a passenger in a car accident, you may wonder what your legal rights are. You also may have questions about how you receive compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. As a passenger in a car accident, you have a legal right to pursue justice and compensation against a negligent party for your injuries and losses. In some cases, the car in which you were a passenger may bear responsibility for your injuries or a third party may have caused them. With Americans spending more than 1 million days in the hospital every year due to injuries from car accidents, medical bills have become astronomical. Here are some important considerations for anyone who was a victim of a car accident as a passenger.
First, Seek Medical Attention
The best practice is to always seek immediate medical attention following an accident. Medical treatment in important to have evaluate the nature, extent and severity of your injuries. Treatment and documentation of your injuries should be done sooner, rather than later. It’s important to discuss everything that has been injured or affected since the wreck. Oftentimes, people have symptoms that can point to a more serious issue, such as traumatic brain injury or internal injuries. Only a medical professional is capable of diagnosing and treating these injuries.
Documentation of Accident
Even though you are not the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident, you should obtain the contact information for all of the drivers, passengers, and witnesses to the car accident. Additionally, if it is possible for you to do so, obtain the insurance information of all drivers involved in the car accident. You should also take photos of the damage to all vehicles involved and any of your injuries. Also, ask the police officer for information so that you can obtain a copy of the police report.
Which Insurance Company?
Once the dust settles and after you’ve been treated in the emergency room or by your doctor, you will have the option of filing a claim with the insurance company of the driver of the vehicle in which you were a passenger, any other driver involved in the car accident, or your own insurance company if you owned the vehicle that was involved in the accident in which you were a passenger. You may have a difficult time determining which insurance company is responsible for your injuries. This depends on who is liable for the wreck, the number of claimants, among other considerations. Consider contacting an experienced personal injury attorney in order to help you pursue your claim with the appropriate parties to receive the compensation you deserve.
Contact an Experienced Kansas City Car Accident Attorney
If you were a passenger that suffered injuries as a result of a car accident, let us help you with your personal injury case. Contact an experienced personal injury attorney at Griggs Injury Law at (816) 474-0202 today.
