Archives for March 2014

If you are reading this article, you are probably past the point of having had an accident or are on your smartphone looking up what to do in case of accident, maybe even at the accident you have just been involved in.

Here’s information for you to know at the crash scene.

1. Stop. If you leave the scene of the accident, you could face criminal charges. You don’t have to get out of the car, especially if the person in the other car seems to be upset and is threatening in any way.
2. Pull off the road if possible. If you’ve just had a minor accident, then it should be fine to pull off and get to safety. If you can’t move your car, however, but can get out of it, do get to the side of the road quickly. That will make things safer for you.
3. Call the police. When they arrive, be careful of what you say about how the accident happened. Provide the minimal information possible without being rude.
   There are times in the past when insurance companies have used the words of flustered accident victims against them. Some innocent people naturally have a tendency to feel “wrong” or “at fault” when there is an accident, even if the crash was caused wholly by the other person’s carelessness. So, don’t admit to any wrongdoing.
4. Gather contact information, including a phone number from the driver in the other car. To save time, if you have a smartphone, you might just photograph the person’s license, car registration and insurance information, including the number of the insurance company or agent.
   Obtain the contact information of all passengers from both cars, as well as witnesses to the accident. Again, speak little, but be polite. There are times when even a conversation can be misconstrued and used against you down the road when it comes time to settle your claim.
5. Make sure to note the time, day, date and location of the crash. Note the weather — was it raining? Sunny? Foggy? Was there heavy traffic? And also note the road conditions and whether construction was ongoing. All this information may be useful in case you need to defend yourself or file a legal claim against the other person for personal injury compensation to pay for the costs of your medical treatment and other damages.
6. Photograph the accident scene, if you can. Document if possible all involved vehicles, and your bruises and injuries.
7. Make sure you obtain the police case number of the report that was taken, and the department location and phone number so you can get a copy of the report later with ease.

Questions about How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You?

The personal injury attorneys at the Weber & Nierenberg law firm protect the rights of those injured in accidents caused by others. We are experienced handling cases involving car, bus, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian and truck crashes.

Our law firm represents clients throughout the Northern California and San Francisco Bay Area. We will work hard and competently to obtain complete compensation for your injuries and losses. Call 866-288-6010 today. We represent clients in personal injury cases on a contingency basis; you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, most motor vehicle drivers file insurance claims about once every eight to 10 years. So drivers aren’t expected to know the process of dealing with insurance after a car accident, a process that can be annoying, time-consuming and intimidating.

For example, did you know that you DO NOT have to go to the auto insurance’s “preferred shop” to repair the damage to your vehicle? Your car is your car, and you have a right to choose where you want to repair it. But the insurance companies won’t tell you that. They will simply send you along to their “preferred” repair shop.

Why? Because they have a bulk contract with their repair shop and have strict limits on budgets. Insurers will often say, “If you don’t use our shop, you will have to pay the difference.” According to Mark’s Body Shop (http://www.marksbodyshop.com/5-lies-insurance-companies-tell-you-after-a-car-accident/), 99.9 percent of the time the initial insurance estimate is not adequate. Their shop, which has chosen not to be a “preferred vendor” out of conflict-of-interest concerns, has shown that insurers pay more when told what is “necessary to properly and safely repair your vehicle.”

If you’ve been injured in a crash that was caused by someone else’s mistake, you will need to work with a claim’s agent. This person is usually different from your regular insurance agent. There may be different adjusters assigned to different parts of your case — damage to the vehicle, medical treatment costs, emotional trauma costs and the like.

Document as much as possible of your treatment. As soon as possible after the crash, write down what happened, including the time of day, the type of weather, the road conditions and more. Naturally, obtain information such as all contact information for the person at fault, any witnesses’ contact information, insurance information including a phone number, and the car registration and license number of the other driver.

Insurance companies don’t necessarily want to support you through your recovery. They have a bottom line to protect and use general bell curves to determine where you should be at in your injury recovery. It’s sometimes hard to get them to deviate and see you as an individual who has been injured and needs treatment.

Dealing with Insurance after an Accident? Contact the Weber & Nierenberg Law Firm

The personal injury attorneys at the Weber & Nierenberg law firm are experienced in protecting the rights of people injured in car, bike, bus, pedestrian and other types of motor vehicle accidents. Our law firm represents clients throughout the Northern California and San Francisco Bay Area. We will work hard and competently to obtain complete compensation for your injuries and losses. Call 866-288-6010 or email today.

We represent clients in personal injury cases on a contingency basis; you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf.