If you or someone you know is injured by a car or hit by a car while walking down the street, you should know what to do next. Of course, getting medical treatment for your injuries is at the top of the list. However, you should also arrange for an attorney to help you with what comes next.
Read on to learn more.
Pedestrian Accidents Are Common
You might be wondering about how common accidents involve pedestrians and cars. The truth is that these are quite common. Why, you might ask? Well, here is the thing: we have a lot of traffic and pedestrians, and in the case of a collision or accident between a car and a pedestrian, there are typically loads of injuries, too.
If you are a pedestrian and you are hit by a car while you are in the crosswalk, there are several things you need to do.
First Step: Get Medical Attention
The first step that you cannot ignore is to get medical help immediately. Seeking medical attention is always the most important thing. You must ensure that you have a professional tending to your injuries. Also, if you are a bystander and your loved one got hit by a car while they were crossing the road, call the ambulance and make sure that they get medical attention first.
Get Insurance Information
If you are injured, make sure you ask a bystander or a witness to get the insurance information of the car driver who is involved in the accident. Simultaneously, you can call the police because sometimes law enforcement can be your greatest help in getting the much-needed information about the negligent party, such as their license number and their insurance details.
Why Is Insurance Critical?
The reason insurance information is absolutely crucial is because, depending on your state, you, as a pedestrian, are insured under the driver’s policy. What this means for you is that if the driver has personal injury protection insurance – you, as a pedestrian, automatically get ten thousand dollars to pay for your medical treatment and hospital bills.
The insurance that you get will pay for your co-pays, deductibles, and other potential things that your health insurance wouldn’t pay for, such as chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, etc.
Know Your Rights As A Pedestrian
As a pedestrian, you should know your rights. The last thing that you want to do when you get hit by a car is to deal with the many bills from the hospital. With a lawyer by your side, you will have a legal representative who will take up your case, negotiate with the insurance company for you, and ensure that your bills are paid. The lawyer will also represent you in court and ensure that you reach the highest settlement possible for your pedestrian accident case.
However, it is important to mention here that if you have a pedestrian accident case, it is in your best interest to hire an attorney who exclusively deals with pedestrian accident cases and understands the complexities of the law around them. Similarly, hire an attorney from your state, such as the Las Vegas Pedestrian Accident Lawyer, if you live in Las Vegas, as the law is slightly different from one state to another, so hiring an exclusive pedestrian accident lawyer from your respective state will prove the most beneficial for you.
Why Does Automobile Insurance Matter?
Now, the easiest way to pay for a hospital is with first-payer insurance, which is the automobile insurance company’s insurance, which is also great insurance. Hospitals also love it as there is no reduced rate – they just pay the bill at face value – and insurance companies are expected to pay it. There is no paperwork or headache involved, too.
So, getting the automobile insurance paperwork is a great way to get a head-start on paying your medical bills. On that note, if your medical bills are more than ten thousand dollars that are paid by the car insurance, then you can turn to secondary sources, such as your healthcare insurance and whatever you have if you are on the job.
However, you should know that automobile insurance is first-payer insurance.
Let An Attorney Talk to the Insurance Providers
You need a pedestrian accident insurance provider by your side who can help you navigate through all the insurance details as they know the paperwork that is involved and what to file. So, the first thing to do after getting into an accident with a car is to get yourself treated for your injuries. After getting yourself fixed physically, you must get yourself fixed legally.
Of course, you need to talk to a good attorney as they can help you get the insurance in line and get your bills paid because the last thing you want if you or your loved one is hit by a car is to deal with loads of hospital bills when there is insurance in place.
Hit-And-Run Case
You might be wondering what to do when the incident is a hit-and-run accident where the driver speeds away after injuring you. You should know that if you are hit and run by a driver, then you have options. Of course, this case won’t be as easy as compared to when you have the details of the driver who injured you.
You should know that you have something known as “underinsured motorist insurance” on your own insurance. This means that your own car that is parked in the garage might provide you with insurance, and you can recover from that insurance.
Depending on your state, you might also have access to another compensation, which is known as crime victim’s compensation. Now, in case you have access to crime victim’s compensation, depending on your state, you can get compensated for your injuries, bills, and even wage loss if you were struck by a car that fled the scene, as it made you a victim of a criminal act. This compensation is a bit complicated and can be harder to get – but – a good attorney can help you get the compensation that you need, and that is rightfully yours.
