You are traveling out of state. Unfortunately, you are involved in an Car accidents. What do you do? Do all the states follow a similar protocol after an Car accidents? What laws should you be keen on? Does the state law and federal law contradict? If so, which should you follow?
Because different states may have different laws and regulations regarding road safety, you may notice that an out-of-state accident may demand you take a different approach. As such, below are the steps to take after you are involved in an out-of-state car accident:
Inspect For Safety First
Generally, the phrase ‘first things first’ will be the first thing you’ll need to consider when involved in an out-of-state accident. According to injury law lawyers like Hale Law, P.A, the first thing you should do is check for injuries before trying to get out of the car and taking enough time to determine if other passengers are injured.
Inspecting injuries is paramount, considering not doing so could aggravate injuries, especially when victims try to move too quickly and randomly. Likewise, turn on your hazard lights as a sign of warning to other drivers. Moreover, if the accident happens in the middle of the road and you can still drive the car, especially when the impact isn’t severe, move your vehicle out of the way to avoid causing traffic and subsequent accidents for incoming vehicles.
Nonetheless, if the accident is intense and you’re stuck, stay intact inside your car with your safety belts on and wait to get aid. Also, don’t make many noises as you’ll need to save your vital energy, especially if your airways are not clear.
Report To Authorities
Typically, reporting to authorities can be done in two ways. First, you’ll want to report to the police by either calling or filing an accident report after you‘ve gotten medical attention. Secondly, you’ll want to report an insurance claim. The purpose for reporting an insurance claim is because most insurers extend beyond state borderlines. Unless you report a claim, it might be challenging to be easily compensated. Contrarily, if your insurer covers for accidents beyond your state borders, filing a claim on time might reduce the expenses of towing your car.
This is essential because your insurance company usually sends adjustors to the accident site to access everything and handle towing and other expenses. However, the bottom line is that filing an insurance claim for out-of-state accidents is possible only if your auto insurance guidelines allow your policy beyond border accidents.
Get An Injury Lawsuit As Soon As Possible
Suppose you’ve been involved in an out-of-state accident leading to severe injuries and damages; determining if your compensation is considered economic or non-economic calls for you to file a lawsuit immediately.
Usually, it’s the law that determines the value of your payment based on the general and special damage considerations. In other cases, another driver’s negligence causes the accident. In that situation, a lawsuit may be the best course of action, especially if significant medical expenses are involved or your insurer doesn’t cover accidents beyond your state borders.
Similarly, considering different states have different laws on accidents, filing a lawsuit will help you determine whether or not handling the matter within the state the accident happened or at home is best. However, in most cases, you’ll be required to follow the state’s laws from which the accident occurred.
For instance, suppose you live in Colorado, where most motor accidents claim operate under the comparative fault laws. In this case, if you’re involved in an accident in Florida, your claim will be handled under the jurisdiction of accident laws instead of the latter, which is only possible if you’ve got a legal injury suit claim.
Document The Scene And Keep Evidence
If your insurer doesn’t cover out-of-state accidents and you’ve successfully obtained medical services, informed the police, and filed an injury lawsuit. The next step is ensuring you have perfectly documented the scene and collected enough evidence.
Documenting the scene and gathering evidence is essential, especially when determining the compensation value for cases that take a long time to settle when you’ve wholly recovered or healed. Likewise, you’ll need strong evidence to win the case considering leaving without tangible evidence could get your case categorized irrelevant, especially when the defendant tempers with proof.
Find A Reliable Legal Counsel Or A Mediation Party
Usually, the severity of damages and injuries for an out-of-state accident will determine whether or not you’ll want to handle the matter in court. Suppose the defendant agrees to take the issue out of court; getting proper compensation will be determined by your ability to find a reliable, neutral, and persuasive mediation. Similarly, if the case is taken to court, winning and getting proper compensation depends on your ability to choose an experienced, passionate, and reliable legal representative.
