If you have been involves in a catastrophic and serious accident, you should consider hiring a personal injury attorney to help you get compensation for your loss. Collecting damages for minor injuries after a car crash may be a bit different. It may not be practical to hire an attorney for a minor fender bender, as the attorney fees could simply be too high for damages only amounting to a couple of hundred dollars or less.
However, this does not mean that you should simply give up. You will probably have to pay out of pocket for touch-up car repairs, doctor consultations and prescriptions, expenses that should be reimbursed by the at-fault party's insurer. Here is how to recover damages for a minor car accident that results in short-term injuries:
Review your insurance policy
You are required to carry auto insurance to ensure that you get compensation for any injuries or damage to property, no matter how slight. Get in touch with your car insurance company for a review of the provisions on property damage and medical costs in your policy.
Your insurer will most likely provide coverage for minor injuries and car damage and even provide a system to submit your claims. This will at least mean that you won't have to pay out-of-pocket for your immediate costs for any at-fault accidents.
Filing a claim against the at-fault party will give you a chance to get compensation for your losses. An investigation will ensue to determine who was at fault, so it is important to have evidence such as accident photos, a police report, medical bills and repair receipts to support the claim.
To successfully file such a claim, it is also necessary that you exchange insurance information with the other driver immediately after the accident, so you can obtain crucial details such as their policy number and name of their insurer.
Take the matter to a small claims court
Should the insurer of the at-fault party deny you compensation for your injuries, a small claims court could be a feasible way to resolve the issue without necessarily hiring an attorney. Such courts are designed to be inexpensive and to quickly settle disputes involving minor accidents.
However, if your car insurance is up-to-date, it is highly unlikely that you will have any problems obtaining damages after a minor accident, and should be compensated for all your losses without much hassle. To learn more, contact a company like http://www.greatnortherninsuranceagency.com.
Share2 July 2015
