You may think that you know everything about what to do in the event of a car accident. In most cases, what you think you know about car accident claims could be further from the truth. Many drivers would perhaps be shocked to discover how different car accident law is from other regulations.
Many people wonder, “how do I know if should contact a car accident attorney?” You need one when filing a car accident injury lawsuit because of the many myths associated with such claims. Here are four common misconceptions associated with car accident injury claims that you need to know.
1. You are assured of compensation for your damages
Most people hold the belief that because they have car insurance or because the other motorist was at fault for the mishap, compensation is assured for all injuries and property damage. While those at fault for the accident are made to pay for the damages, it’s never that straightforward. Some things may affect the total sum you may be able to recover following an accident. These include:
- Did the other motorist carry liability coverage at the time of the accident?
- Are you at fault or partly to blame? The insurance adjuster may attempt to pass on the blame for the mishap onto you.
- Do you have an additional supplementary cover, for example, uninsured motorist cover?
2. A police report is enough to prove fault
After reporting a car accident, the responding officer is often tasked with filing a report detailing how the accident happened. Within this report, the police officer may also mention who was responsible for the accident.
Do not be overly sure that this report is enough to prove fault to the insurance adjustor and recover all damages. The other motorist’s insurance firm may try by all means not to pay the full compensation amount by laying some of the faults for the mishap on you. Ideally, you need other forms of evidence including eyewitness accounts, accident reconstruction, car damage and skid marks to show fault.
3. A fault is obvious if you’ve been rear-ended
If your car has been hit from behind by another motorist, don’t be overly sure that the other motorist will undoubtedly be held responsible. If you were engaging in a careless or negligent act at the time of the accident like driving at high speed, jamming on the brakes unnecessarily or switching lanes in front of the other motorist, you might be partly at fault for the resulting accident.
4. Hiring an attorney is costly
You know quite well that your chances of successfully recovering full damages are higher when you hire a car accident attorney. However, the notion out there is that legal representation is too expensive.
The truth is that most legal firms have car accident lawyers who work on a contingency fee basis. Basically, this means that the attorney doesn’t charge you any legal fees upfront until a settlement is achieved on your behalf. You can take advantage of the contingency fee-based system to get legal representation without worrying about expensive legal fees.
Seek help
Do not be led astray by myths surrounding car accidents that may negatively impact on your entitled compensation. Get advice only from a reputable car accident attorney.