What To Do If You Get Injured As A Passenger Inside A Motor Vehicle

If you’ve ever seen yourself involved in a vehicle accident while you were a passenger, it’s almost impossible that you were at fault for the crash.

12:23 24 April 2021

In that case, not many people know that they may be entitled to claim a personal injury lawsuit and file a claim with the guilty party’s insurance company to cover any expenses that have arisen from the incident. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, a passenger can even bring a claim against several people if needed. However, it’s crucial to understand what to do if you get injured as a passenger inside a motor vehicle to make the best decisions for your situation.

 

Seek Medical Help

 

As soon as the incident is over, it should be everyone’s priority to call an ambulance if anyone has suffered any sort of injuries that require immediate medical assistance. If possible, the drivers involved in the incident should move their vehicles to the side of the road to avoid any additional collision, especially if there are heavy traffic conditions.

 

After the event, if you didn’t need to call 911, you must go to your medical provider to get a physical exam. Even if you don’t think that you were injured at the scene, there are many cases in which a vehicle accident victim has suffered symptoms and pain appearing days or even weeks after the incident. With a doctor’s diagnosis, you’ll have the necessary paper backup to present to an insurance company or during a court process if needed.

 

Record all Evidence of the Incident

 

Once it’s deemed safe to get out of the vehicle, make sure that you write down all contact information from the drivers involved in the accident. You should have their names, license plates, insurance information, and vehicle registration at hand so that you can easily contact them later in case you can claim compensation against any of the drivers involved. While exchanging contact information, make sure to document everything with your phone by taking pictures of the scene including damages to the vehicle, traffic signs, road conditions, road lines, and traffic controls at the scene. You must photograph any visible injuries you suffered too, whether you discover them right after the crash or a few hours after the incident. Calling the police to obtain an incident report should also be in the interest of everyone involved to determine any responsibilities.

 

Depending on your state’s laws, the time you’ll have to file a claim may vary. For instance, if you lose a loved one as a consequence of a car accident in Florida, talking to a car accident attorney in Tampa is crucial to file a lawsuit within two years from the date of their death to get the claim processed by the court. In the same state, you can file a lawsuit for property damage or personal injuries in a motor vehicle accident for up to four years from the day of the incident. Therefore, regardless of your legal decision, you must have the necessary evidence to back up your claims.

 

Determine Liabilities

 

Even if you weren’t driving the vehicle at the moment of the accident, you must inform your own auto insurance company to file a claim, depending on their policy. Unfortunately, based on this incident, your rates may increase even if you weren’t the driver involved in the incident. You may be entitled to seek compensation from the guilty parties for any damages related to medical treatment costs, lost wages, lost earning potential, loss of quality of life, and emotional damages. 

 

You may be able to file a claim against the responsible driver’s insurance policy, regardless if it ends up being the other driver or the person who was driving the vehicle you were in at the time of the accident. However, there may be special rules when you’re related to the driver since, in theory, the claim would be covering itself. Filing a claim against a governmental agency, manufacturer or employer is also viable options if the circumstances of the incident are towards a defective road, a vehicle malfunction or the guilty driver was driving while performing their job respectively.

 

Getting involved in a motor vehicle accident can be a traumatic experience for anybody, especially if the consequences imply expensive medical and personal costs. While most incidents are resolved in a matter of hours or days, more serious vehicle accidents can result in the loss of a loved one or some level of physical disability. You must understand your rights to file a claim or lawsuit when you’re a passenger involved in these accidents and obtain your respective compensation to cover any expenses that come from the incident.