Being involved in a car crash can have a devastating impact on both your physical and mental well-being; when financial woes are added on top of all of that, everything can seem a whole lot worse. Because of this, you should always attempt to seek as much professional legal help — in this day and age, there are a whole host of options out there. If you were the victim of a car crash, whether you were driving, a passenger or even a pedestrian, then you should most certainly make a compensation claim — below are a few of the steps that you should take in order to make one.

Car crash

Immediately after the crash you should do all that you can to ensure that your claim remains as strong as it deserves to be and you get the maximum compensation owed to you in regards to a personal injury claim. First of all, you should always remember to remain as calm as possible and not let your emotions, that will understandably be all over the place at this point, get the best of you. Whatever you do you should not abuse the cause of the crash in any way: you should not swear or use abusive or offensive language towards them, and you must certainly not physically abuse them. If you do so, then you could be liable for a whole host of other legal ramifications. Secondly, even if it doesn’t seem as if the damage is too extensive or significant, you should still seek to call the police; doing so will mean there is an official report and document on the case to look back on if the case goes to court. At some point in the near future after the crash, you should seek to get a copy of the police report as it will contain all the vital information needed for you to be able to properly and successfully take the claim forward. Make sure to check out these five things you should not do after the crash, which includes leaving the scene prematurely or without some sort of documentation or record.

As soon as you are able to once you have in fact left the scene is to make notes on all the documentation you have received pertaining to the crash and the claim. This is because of the fact that you have to retain it all and could be asked to show evidence of it and any point; it should be readily available at all times. These notes could include: a written up report of what took place and the way in which you were treated by the cause of the crash in the aftermath; photographs of any injuries either yourself or your vehicle have received as a result of the crash; receipts that are in relation to any healthcare you or the car have to have to received subsequently, i.e. details about any X-Rays you’ve had or any work done to your car at a garage and any other receipts that relate to anything else you’ve had to spend money on or lost money on because of the crash, like a letter from your employer that verifies the fact that you’ve not been able to work.

You should then begin to take action in regards to getting the ball rolling with the claim itself. You should seek legal aid and guidance but should be aware that that a ‘one size fits all approach’ cannot be taken. There are different legal teams and companies that deal with different types of crashed; for instance, if you are a motorbike driver and have been involved in a crash, you should seek assistance from a specifically trained motorcycle accident lawyer so that you can rest assured that the people on your side know full-well what they are dealing with. Similarly, attorneys such as David & Philpot, P.L. offer an extensive knowledge, skill and experience when it comes to helping victims pursue compensation when they have been involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, i.e. a truck. If you have been involved with an accident that involves a commercial vehicle, then the likelihood is is that the damage you or your vehicle received is extensive — you can take the pressure of dealing with your financial worries away by seeking the right assistance, leaving you more time to fix yourself or your vehicle by way of hospital treatment or garage treatment respectively. And all the while, you should be thoughtful of the way in which you carry yourself and the way in which you refer to certain aspects of the crash so that you never hamper your case in the eyes of the law. First and foremost, you should never refer to the incident as an ‘accident’ or that it was ‘accidental’, despite what other people may call it. You shouldn’t call it an accident because of the fact that this may hinder your claim in regards to the authorises believing it wasn’t as severe as you are making it out to be in your reports and photographs.

Commercial vehicle crash

The amount of compensation you will be liable to claim depends on the severity of the crash and the vehicles involved, but most importantly it depends on how you deal with the aftermath. There are online resources that assist with the calculation of the price of a car accident claim, such as this one found here — when using this type of service, you should always be aware that the estimate it provides should be taken as a guideline only, and not the actual figure. So, if you ever find yourself unfortunate enough to be on the end-result of a car crash, then make sure to follow the advice and steps above so that you can optimise your chance of getting all the compensation that is rightly owed to you. No matter how safe you are as a driver, it only takes one bad driver to turn your day, and possibly your life, around. If they do, make sure you do all you can to make sure that they don’t get away with it lightly.