Car accidents due to negligence are a leading cause of preventable deaths in the country. Car accidents caused by negligent drivers are frequent occurrences on Jersey City roads. Victims of negligent driving may be entitled to compensation under New Jersey personal injury laws.
Being involved in a car accident is not a daily occurrence. So, you probably have never thought much about the car accident laws. It is very easy to make mistakes while filing an injury claim or a personal injury lawsuit that could reduce the amount of compensation you can collect, or even prevent you from recovering any money at all.
A Jersey City car accident lawyer can help you pursue compensation you may be entitled to in order to pay for your treatment, lost income, and repair or replace damaged property. If your injuries are severe, the lawyer will work to help you meet the New Jersey ‘serious injury’ threshold and step out of the New Jersey no-fault insurance regime to hold guilty parties accountable for their negligence.
The Top Four Mistakes To Avoid After A Car Accident
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers preventable traffic deaths a significant public health problem. Due to a lack of knowledge of legal procedures, failure to avoid common pitfalls, and errors in their claims, a case is over before it begins for many car accident victims. The common mistakes that could weaken your car accident case include:
Not Calling The Police To Report The Accident
Many car accident victims make the error of not contacting the police following an accident and obtaining a copy of the police report. These individuals believe that if the damage to their cars is insignificant or they have suffered few or no injuries, it is unnecessary to report an accident to the police. However, these individuals could be in for a rude shock if they discover that the damage to their vehicles is more severe than they had anticipated or if they start to experience symptoms of an injury in the days or weeks after an accident.
A police report is a crucial document that provides a detailed account of all elements of an accident. Once you report the accident to the police, a police officer comes to the scene, investigates the accident, and makes a report of the incident. This report summarizes the information the officer collects. It contains the accident-related facts and the officer’s personal opinion.
Insurance companies and lawyers rely on the police report’s information to determine liability and any available further course of action. In a no-fault insurance state like New Jersey, where insurance companies pay damages regardless of who was responsible for the accident, police reports are crucial pieces of evidence, helping insurance companies assign responsibility for injuries and damages. Therefore, all the evidence must be proper to prove your claim after a car accident.
Failure to Seek Immediate Medical Attention
After a car accident, your number one priority should be the health and well-being of yourself and anyone else involved. It may be incredibly difficult to recover compensation if you fail to seek immediate medical attention and proper documentation to prove and support your damages. Prompt medical treatment is integral to the success of a car accident case.
Seeking immediate medical care after the accident is the best way to ensure effective treatment. A physician or a care center can help detect any auto accident injuries before they have a chance to progress. Deferring or delaying the diagnosis or treatment of your injuries could have adverse implications for your health and chances of recovering fair compensation. One of the first things insurance companies try to determine is whether or not you sought timely medical treatment after your car accident.
Accident victims should seek psychological counseling too. The emotional and mental trauma of an accident can be long-lasting and lead to hardships in everyday life. Long after the physical injuries have healed, the psychological repercussions may remain and continue to evolve.
Not Documenting The Accident Scene
If possible, use your smartphone to take photographs of the accident scene, your injuries, and damaged property from various angles. Also, capture images
of road signs, road conditions, and skid marks left on the road by the vehicles involved in the accident. Obtain CCTV footage, if available.
Note down the names and contact information of eyewitnesses. Witnesses may not remain at the accident scene until the police arrive, and even if they do, an officer may not talk to every witness. Failure to collect eyewitness names and contact information would make it difficult to locate them in the future.
Giving Recorded Statements To Insurance Companies
After a car accident, you might be shaken up and not prepared to handle the stressful aspects of an accident investigation.
When exchanging information with other drivers involved in the accident or reporting the accident to your insurance company, refrain from blaming anyone or accepting blame for the accident.
Posts on social media platforms immediately after an accident can be used against you in an injury lawsuit to question the severity of injuries sustained.
What might initially seem a harmless post can become a damaging piece of evidence in court in no time. It can eventually diminish the validity, credibility, and value of your car accident case.
Need help with a car accident compensation claim? Contact us
If you or a loved one has suffered injuries at the hands of a negligent driver in Jersey City, it’s important to have experienced legal representation at Omni Injury and Accident Law right away. They can investigate the cause of your accident, gather crucial evidence, determine liability, identify liable parties, and estimate the value of your claim. Contact our lawyer to schedule a free and confidential case consultation, or call us now at +1 646-736-4184.