Passenger Injury Attorney

Need a passenger injury attorney who will fight for you to get the most compensation possible?

The more cars there are on the roads, the more likely the chances for car crashes. The driver who caused the crash can be found to have legal responsibility for causing it. Insurance companies follow these divisions of responsibility, and they agree to pay only for their insured driver’s percentage of the blame for the crash. But if you’re a passenger who is injured in a motor vehicle collision, some of the issues may be different as to where you can turn for legal and financial responsibility for the costs of your injuries.

Call My Rights Law If Injured As A Passenger In A Car Accident

If you sustained an injury as a passenger, then to make the most of your potential personal injury lawsuit, you should schedule a free consultation with a well-informed car accident lawyer who can help you determine how to go about filing a claim or lawsuit. The car accident lawyers at My Rights Law focus on helping injured passengers obtain the most compensation and justice from those who are to blame. Contact the car accident attorneys at My Rights Law for a free consultation by calling (888) 702-8882 or leaving a message on our secure web form.

What To Do If You Are A Passenger In A Car Crash

If you’ve been involved in a car crash as a passenger, it’s important to take things in the order they come. Your first priority is your safety and the safety of everyone else in your car. After you have gotten to a safe and secure place, you can start to think about how to deal with the situation in the best way possible.

Keep your common sense together despite the stress and uncertainty of the challenging situation, and keep your priorities in order:

• Get to safety – It’s often best to move cars that have been in a crash to the side of the road, so they are out of traffic and in less danger from other cars. Since you are a passenger, you probably don’t have control over the vehicle, but if you are able to move safely to the side of the road yourself, you may be safer there than in the roadway.
• Get the medical care you need – If the crash was serious enough to require first responders like EMTs to come to the crash site, it is usually best to get assessed for injuries at the scene. Follow up with care in an emergency department or with your regular doctor as soon as possible.
• Get as much information as possible – If you are able to move around safely after the crash, and have been medically cleared of severe injury potential, then you may be able to help yourself and the driver of your car, possibly, by documenting as much as you can about the location of the crash and the details about any other cars that were involved or may have witnessed the crash. Get things like the make, model, and license plate information. Also, document some of the basic facts about the scene of the crash, like traffic control signals in the area or any obstructions or distractions that could have contributed to the crash.
• Get pictures if possible – While you are documenting the location and basic details of the crash, snap some pictures on your phone if you can. It’s likely that others will be taking photographs as well – and that’s great because they can all help to document the scene of the accident later.
• Get contact information – Don’t interfere with police taking down information or investigating the scene of the accident. However, it can be helpful to get names and contact information for other people involved in the crash, like the driver and passengers, if any, in other cars involved, as well as names and contact details for any witnesses who saw the crash happen.
• Get a copy of the police report – After you’ve left the crash, over the next day or so, you may be able to contact the local police department to get a copy of the police report. This might be very helpful if you need to make a legal claim from the crash.
• Get an attorney – As soon as possible after the crash, consult with a skilled attorney who has experience in car accident law and can help you understand your rights as an injured passenger.

The time after a car crash can be incredibly challenging and stressful. You may be feeling the effects of the injuries you suffered in the crash, and there may be tension and anxiety in the relationship between you and the driver of the car you were in. It’s important to remember that you may be on different sides of a lawsuit following the case. If it comes to that, it’s always best to consult with an attorney who can protect your rights and guide you through the legal process.

Which Driver Is (Most) At Fault?

Some states’ laws use what is called “comparative fault” to divide up the responsibility that each person has for a car crash. This means that a judge or jury, if the case goes to a trial in court, or maybe your attorney and the insurance company’s attorneys if you settle out of court, look at the entire “big picture” of how the crash happened and decide who bears some or all blame, or “liability” as it’s called in legal terms, for their role in causing the crash.

So, for example, if the driver of the other car made a left turn in front of the car you were riding in, then that driver may have the biggest share of the blame for causing the crash. The driver of your car can also have a share of the blame, though, such as by driving too fast or not paying enough attention to the road to see the car turning left in time to avoid it.

Can A Passenger Be To Blame In A Car Accident?

In some cases, it is even possible that you, as an injured passenger in a fatal car crash, might incur some of the blame. If you were distracting the driver, for example, or if you had reached over and grabbed the steering wheel right before the crash, you could share in the fault.

When the parties have agreed on the percentage of blame or liability for causing the crash, each insurance company will only pay for their insured’s part of the fault. What this usually means for you as an injured passenger is that any amount of money you get for the injuries you’ve suffered is going to be reduced by the percentage of fault that the driver of your car, or you as a passenger, had in causing the crash.

Is There A Time Limit On My Legal Claim?

States’ laws often contain strict time limits on when you can file a lawsuit after you’ve been injured. These time restrictions in court are called “statutes of limitations,” and they mean that your right to take a claim to court ends in just a few short years after the date of the crash. So, if you haven’t consulted with an attorney already after you’ve been in a crash, it’s very important to know that you have a time limit looming in your case and to talk to a lawyer to get your claim started before that deadline comes.

What If The Driver Who Caused The Crash Doesn’t Have Insurance?

It is true that in most states, drivers are required by law to have automobile insurance, also called “financial responsibility,” that covers the costs of medical bills and other expenses caused by a crash. It is also true, however, that too many drivers ignore the law and don’t get the legally required insurance coverage.

If the driver of the car that caused the crash—whether that’s the other car or the car you were in—didn’t have the proper insurance coverage, you could be more limited in the options you have to pursue a legal claim to cover your bills and other impacts of the injuries on your life.

There are other potential sources of financial responsibility that you and your lawyer may be able to go after for insurance coverage. The car you were in at the time of the crash may have an insurance policy that applies to protect you against the risks of uninsured or underinsured drivers. Possibly your own automobile insurance, even if your own car wasn’t involved in the wreck, might have insurance coverage called uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, which can come into effect to cover your costs and expenses of your injury.

Your health insurance is usually available to pay your medical bills, no matter what caused the injury. Usually, though, if you and your attorney can get money from the insurance company for a car involved in the crash, your health insurance issuer will have a right to get paid back from that money. Your attorney can help you understand the laws and protect your rights.

What If It Was A Company Car And You Were On The Job?

Some situations may involve more complications for your potential legal claim concerning your injuries and medical bills after the injury. If you were a passenger in a company car, for example, and the driver worked for the same company, and you were on a work assignment, you may have a claim through the worker’s compensation system for payment of some medical bills and expenses from the crash. If you were in a company car but not on a work project at the time, then this insurance protection may not apply. A skilled personal injury attorney can help you to understand your rights in this case.

Passenger Protections

You have the right to collect money in court, called “damages” for medical bills, lost wages, and some other types of expenses and costs that you incurred in the crash. There are limitations and restrictions on the insurance policy that you can get money from, the time you have to make a claim, and many other parts of the process of getting paid for your passenger injury claim. Talk to an experienced attorney today.

Passenger Injury Attorney

If you or your loved one suffered an injury as a passenger in a car accident, then you should contact a lawyer with experience in car accident claims. You might be unsure about who you could sue and how the process works. The attorneys at My Rights Law are here to answer any questions that you may have. We can help you decide what steps to take to protect your rights as a passenger. We understand how a motor vehicle injury can have long-lasting impacts on victims. We will fight hard to help you get justice and compensation. Touch base with the car accident attorneys at My Rights Law for a free consultation by calling (888) 702-8882 or by contacting us online.