Have you ever made a compensation claim? Did you know that compensation claims in the US have risen significantly over the past ten years with many of those claims being for car accidents?
The fact is that as of 2016, the US reported that the overall rate of serious and fatal car accidents occurring had risen, hitting a nine-year high. This was despite the integration of new safety equipment and features being installed. In 2016 alone, 37,461 people were killed in car accidents in the US.
Aside from those people killed in car accidents, thousands more were injured. In instances where these injuries were not the fault of the person injured, naturally, compensation claims were taken out. What this has meant, however, is that the U.S.’s number of compensation claims have tripled in the past few years, with an increasing number of claims being filed every year.
With that fact that compensation claims for car accidents have risen significantly in the past few years, below is a guide to the process of making a claim and a guide to the ins and outs of what is involved.
A good attorney is a must
To be in with a chance of making a compensation claim for a car accident that you have been involved in, having a good attorney is a must. It isn’t just a case of sourcing an attorney who is well known and has a reputation for being a lion in the courtroom; it’s a case of finding an attorney who is a specialist in the area that you want to claim in.
For instance, if it is a car accident that you have been involved in, then you want to contact a provider of car accident lawyers, to ensure that you can find a good lawyer with a strong background in similar cases to yours. That way, your chances of winning your case are much higher, as the lawyer who you are working with is much more experienced in the area that your case resides.
Evidence is key
Of course, in order for you to win your case, adequate evidence is required. That’s why, if you have any photographs of the accident scene, or know anyone that does, it is important to get copies to give to your lawyer.
A word to the wise, if you are ever in a car accident, it is crucial that you take photos as soon as possible so that you have evidence of what has happened. If there is CCTV in the area where the accident happened, this can be used by your attorney to get a clearer idea of what happened. It can also be presented in court as evidence, as can photographs.
You can’t be at fault, or can you?
If you are going to get compensation for what has happened, you can’t be at fault. Or can you? The fact is that if you are technically at fault but it is not your fault you crashed because there was a fault with the vehicle down to a manufacturing error or because there was an oil spill on the road and you skidded, etc. then you could still claim compensation. Not from the other drivers, but from the company that is at fault for the cause of the accident.
The fact is that court claims for car accidents in the US are constantly increasing. To successfully make a claim, there are certain steps that you need to take, such as gathering evidence to use in your claim. Hopefully, the advice above will help to make the process of filing a claim for compensation easier and less stressful.
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