What Happens To Your Body After A Car Accident
in Articles
Anyone who has been in a car accident can tell you that even in the case of relatively small fender benders, your bodys reaction to an accident can be unpredictable and may surprise you. In such situations, your body may be so flooded with adrenaline and endorphins two hormones that participate in the physiological reaction to stimuli like car accidents that you may forget what the next logical step should be. It can be helpful to prepare yourself for the potential problems and effects of getting hit by a car. Here are some helpful information from car accident doctors.
The Police Towed Your Car Because It Was Used In Crime
If the vehicle was suspected of being used in a crime, it will be towed to a location for police investigation before being impounded because your car is being held as evidence. If your vehicle was used for an illegal purpose, the government can seize your car in an asset forfeiture proceeding if they have evidence to show you profited from its use.
Well talk more about how to get your seized vehicle out of police impound below.
What Happens Immediately After A Car Accident When Someone Dies
For anything involving emergency medical services including fire, police, and medical personnel, there are strict protocols that must be followed. Though by no means exhaustive, this list will give you insight into steps taken at the scene of an accident.
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Am I Legally Required To Have Car Insurance
Each state sets laws determining what type of car insurance you need. For example, car owners in Florida must have at least $10,000 in property damage liability and $10,000 in personal injury protection insurance coverage. The coverage amounts increase for registered taxis. Uber or other rideshare drivers should check recommendations to ensure they have adequate coverage.
What Happens In A Shoulder Injury Diagnosis
A car accident doctor will provide you with an accurate diagnosis for your shoulder pain and other symptoms. They will perform a physical examination of the area to assess for any physical deformities and obvious signs of injury like redness, bruising, or swelling. Your car accident doctor may also assess your range of motion by asking you to perform certain movements, like raising your arms above your head or out to the side. The specific movements they request may depend on the type and severity of your shoulder pain and injury.
It is also important to talk to your doctor about your medical history, along with information about any injuries or health conditions that may impact your shoulder, joints, or soft tissues. Your doctor needs to understand your full medical history in order to take into consideration how this injury may have impacted you and what you can expect for healing and recovery. Your doctor may ask you some of the following questions to help diagnose the injury causing your shoulder pain:
- Do you have pain in one or both shoulders?
- When did you first notice the pain?
- Do any movements or actions make the pain worse?
- Does your shoulder hurt when youre not moving?
- Does the shoulder pain keep you awake at night?
These questions and more will help your car accident doctor determine the most accurate diagnosis for your symptoms so you can get the quality treatment and care you need for your car accident injuries.
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What Happens If A Car Accident Was Your Fault
If a car accident is your fault, you will most likely be held liable for any damages or serious injuries resulting from the accident.
This means you will be responsible for paying for the car repairs and medical bills for the car accident injuries to the other driver.
However, where you reside determines how fault is handled after a vehicle accident. There are “fault,” “partly at fault,” and “no-fault” accidents and each has different rules on the drivers liability.
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Immediately After The Accident
- Stop the car as soon as possible it’s an offence not to do so.
- Turn off the engine.
- Switch the hazard lights on.
- Check for any injuries to yourself or your passengers.
- If it’s a minor collision and there are no injuries, make a note of it just in case the other people later try to claim for an injury.
- Try to remain as calm as possible its normal to be shaken after an accident, take a few deep breaths and try to take stock of the situation the best you can. And don’t lose your temper.
- Don’t apologise or admit responsibility for the accident until you’re completely aware of what happened this can protect you from liability if it wasn’t your fault.
When should I call the police?
- If the other driver or drivers leave the scene without giving details.
- If you think the other driver has no insurance or is under the influence of drink or drugs.
- If you suspect that the other driver caused the collision deliberately.
Tell the police about the accident within 24 hours if you don’t you may be given a fine, points on your licence, or a disqualification from driving.
Exchange motoring details
What should I record at the accident scene?
If no one else is involved in the accident, for example you caused damage to private property or a parked car, you should leave your details for instance a note where the owner can see it. And honesty pays. If a witness or CCTV camera saw you and noted your car number but you drove off, you could be in serious trouble.
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Why Would I Leave Someone Off My Insurance
Families must decide whom to add to their insurance policy. Those with teenagers old enough to drive must determine whether to add their teens to their insurance policy. Insurance companies charge teenage drivers higher premiums because they have a higher accident risk. Consequently, some parents may be tempted to leave their teens off their insurance policy.
Reasons to leave someone off your insurance:
- Deemed high-risk by an insurance company
Consider Your Immediate Transportation Needs
After your car is towed, youll need to find another method of transportation to get you from the accident scene or hospital to your home or rental car location. If youre close to your home, you can ask the tow truck driver to take you there if its not out of their way, but they arent obligated to take you. They have limited cab space, too, so if there are more than two people who need a ride, youll need other arrangements.
You could call a taxi, ride-sharing service, or a friend or family member to pick you up. If youre not sure who to call, the police may be able to point you in the right direction. Make sure to save your receipts for any rides you take as well as for any rentals, especially if the other driver was at fault. You might be able to get reimbursed for them.
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Notify Your Car Insurance Company
Your car insurance company will have a number to call to report the accident. You could also who will ask certain questions and report the accident to your insurance company on your behalf.
It’s important to notify your car insurance company as soon as possible, regardless of who is at fault for the car accident. Your policy requires you to promptly notify your insurance company of any incident that could trigger coverage. Failure to provide timely notice to your car insurance company could jeopardize your coverage.
Keep in mind that reporting the accident to your car insurance carrier doesn’t mean you have to file a claim. Talk to a lawyer or your agent about the advantages and disadvantages of filing a claim, such as whether it could affect your car insurance premiums.
Insurance Implications After A Hit
Your insurance policy might pick up the tab after a hit-and-run if you have the right coverage. But the coverage available to you varies by state, and how your policy handles a hit-and-run varies by insurer.
In most states, drivers are required to have liability insurance to cover damages that they cause to other people. However, if the at-fault driver flees the scene or is uninsured, you may be on the hook to pay for the damages to your own car.
Having collision coverage and medical payments coverage can help you greatly in this situation. Collision coverage pays for damage to your car, and medical payments coverage pays for your hospital bills after an accident.
Lack of insurance is one reason why a driver might flee the scene of an accident. If you have uninsured motorist property damage coverage, your own insurance company might cover your repair costs if the at-fault driver is uninsured or you dont know who to file a claim against, such as with a hit-and-run. In a similar vein, uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage can cover your medical expenses.
If youre not sure how your policy will handle a hit-and-run, check with your insurance providers.
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How Does An Accident Affect A Car Lease
Having a minor or major accident inside of a leased car has no difference from being involved in a car crash inside your owned car. You just need to make sure that you have the correct insurance policy, and that you keep the dealership in the loop as everything goes on. Then you need to understand how the damages to the leasing company are going to be paid for, and talk to our attorneys and call us for a free consultation.
Optional Coverage That Can Help Either Driver
Here are some optional coverage types that may be useful after an accident if your policy includes them:
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Emergency roadside assistancewill come in handy if you need a tow to the repair shop.
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Rental car reimbursement coverage pays for a rental while your vehicle is being repaired, whether youre at fault or not.
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Check For Injuries And Move To A Safe Area
Immediately determine if anyone is injured. If so, call 911 to get an ambulance and police on the scene. Even if the incident was minor and the other driver is cooperative, calling the police is required in some states. Besides, that way youll have an official report to give to your insurance company, which itll likely ask for.
If the vehicles involved are still operational, get them to the shoulder or off the main road and turn on the hazard lights. Make sure to pull completely off the road to avoid being hit by approaching vehicles. If you have flares or reflective emergency triangles, set them up to warn other drivers. If there appears to be a danger of explosion, get everyone away from the vehicle to a safe place off the road.
Check For Injuries And Report The Incident
Check on everyone involved in the crash to see if they have any injuries. This includes making sure you don’t have any serious injuries. Be extremely cautious not all injuries can be seen. If you or anyone involved isn’t feeling 100% , call 911 or any other number your state uses to request emergency assistance on roadways. Be ready to give the dispatcher the following information:
- Who? The dispatcher will ask for your name and phone numbers in case the authorities need to get more information from you later.
- What? Tell the dispatcher as much as you can about the emergency for instance, whether there is a fire, traffic hazard, medical emergency, etc.
- Where? Let the dispatcher know exactly where the emergency is taking place. Give the city, road name, road number, mile markings, direction of travel, traffic signs, and anything else you can think of to help them know how to find you.
Make sure you stay on the line until the dispatcher says it’s OK to hang up.
Sometimes, you can get the police to come to the crash scene even if there are no injuries, especially if you tell them you need someone to mediate in other words, to help you figure out what happened and who’s at fault. But in certain areas, as long as both vehicles can be safely driven away, police officers won’t come to the scene unless someone is hurt. If the police do not come to the scene, make sure you file a vehicle incident report at a police station.
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Document The Scene Of The Accident And Figure Out What Happened
If you wonder what else to do after a car accident, definitely do this step. It ensures that you have a solid understanding of how the accident occurred and who was at fault.
When creating a record of the accident, take pictures from multiple angles and make sure all relevant details can be seen.
These pictures also serve as evidence in case you run into trouble with your insurance company or if the other driver refuses to acknowledge that they were at fault for the crash. So if youve had an accident, getting photographic evidence is essential.
However, dont stop there. Try to collect all relevant data from the other people involved in the accident. This information includes, but is not limited, to:
- the names and contact information of the driver and any passengers
- a description of the vehicles involved in the accident
- license plate numbers
- the exact location where the accident took place
- the name and badge number of the police officer who responded to the crash
- the name of the insurance companies and policy numbers of the other vehicles.
What If The Insurance Company And I Cannot Agree
What if the insurance company and I cannot agree on the amount to be paid by my collision or other than collision coverage?
You can elect to use the appraisal provision of your policy. According to the provision, you and the insurance company will each choose a competent appraiser. The two appraisers will then select an umpire. The appraisers will state separately the ACV and the amount of loss. If they do not agree, they will submit their differences to the umpire. A decision by any two will be binding.
The insurance company and the insured will pay its chosen appraiser and bear the expenses of the appraisal and umpire.
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What Information Should You Collect
If the police tell you they cannot make it to the accident, ask them what you should do. Make sure you take down all the information using a car accident form or checklist. Also take down the name of the person you spoke to when reporting the accident, in case you need it later in court.
- Find witnesses, if possible.
- Record the damages, location, and the other party or witness versions of what happened.
- File your report with the police as soon as you can and give the police officer the details you collected.
You will need to file your own report and insurance claim if the police are not there to help. You can go to a nearby police station and report the accident. In some jurisdictions, you can file a police report for certain accidents online. The information collected from the car accident can be one of the most important tools in determining fault and who is financially responsible for the car accident.
Always be honest and detailed with the police officer because it will help you in the long run. Filing a detailed and accurate report means the insurance claim process will likely move more quickly.
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Dealing With The Insurance Companies
Which insurance company should I contact?
The exchange card or other information you have obtained from the other driver should tell you if that party has insurance. If you believe the accident was the fault of the other driver, you should contact that drivers insurance company. As a precaution, you should also report the accident to your own insurance company.
What will the insurance companies do?
The insurance companies will investigate the claim and make a determination regarding liability or fault . The insurance company often will ask you to give a written or recorded statement of your version of the accident. Before providing any type of statement to the insurance companies, you should make every effort to prepare for the statement and organize your thoughts so the statement is an accurate description of what happened. You should not give a statement while taking medication that impairs your ability to think and communicate clearly. You should also be careful to answer only the questions asked. Do not volunteer any information.
What happens when more than two vehicles are involved?
Multiple vehicle accidents can become very complex. If you believe two or more other parties were at fault for the accident, you should contact each party, or the insurance company for each. In North Carolina, both parties may be responsible for all of your damages.
What if the accident was partially my fault and partially the fault of the other driver?
Am I entitled to a rental car?
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Auto Body Repair Shops
Under California Insurance Code §758.5 an insurance company cannot require that an automobile be repaired at a specific repair shop. However, an insurance company can recommend that an automobile be repaired at a specific repair shop under the following conditions outlined by law:
- The consumer specifically requests a recommendation from the insurance company to a repair shop.
- The consumer has been informed in writing of the right to select a repair shop of his or her choice.
- If the consumer agrees to use the recommended repair shop, the insurance company must restore the damaged vehicle to its condition prior to the accident or loss with no additional cost other than as stated in the policy or as otherwise allowed by law.
- If the company makes an oral recommendation to a repair shop, and it is accepted by the consumer, then the company must follow the oral recommendation with the prescribed written notice within five calendar days as specified by law.
If the vehicle is repaired in a shop chosen by the consumer, then the insurance company must pay the reasonable costs to repair the vehicle made in accordance with accepted trade standards for good and workmanlike automotive repairs.
