People like traveling in their private vehicles. However, one of the fears that plague the driver and passengers traveling in the car is a high number of road accidents. According to 2019 accident data, around 38,000 people lost lives in car crashes in the US, and California witnessed 3,316 fatal crashes the same year.
According to experts, people who survive suffer from severe injuries that may require expensive medical treatments. While most insurance companies offer settlements, the settlement amount is not enough to cover the total expenses of medical treatment. If you are a passenger in a car accident Oakland CA, you can file a personal injury claim. Here are some things that happen if you are injured in a car accident.
Seek Medical Attention
As per 2018 accident data, Oakland, CA registered 26 fatal accidents in which ten pedestrians were injured. If you have suffered minor or severe injuries, the first thing you need to do is seek medical attention. If injuries are left unattended, it might lead to severe complications requiring expensive treatment.
Protect Evidence at the Accident Scene
Oakland, CA, has many dangerous intersections which have become hotspots of car accidents. According to Oakland residents, the intersection at Foothill Boulevard and 22nd Avenue are too dangerous, and many pedestrians have lost their lives at these intersections.
If you want to get compensation for injuries from a car accident Oakland CA, you need to prove in court that you were hurt during the accident. It means you have to document everything at the accident scene.
You need to take photos of the accident scene. The pictures should capture vehicles involved, people involved, and conditions that may have caused the accident. If you are severely injured and cannot protect evidence, you can contact a car accident lawyer and discuss your injury claim with him.
Contact Your Insurance Company.
After collecting evidence, call your insurance company to report the accident. Many insurance companies have time limits to file an accident report. As per California laws, you have to report the accident to the insurer within ten days. If you do not adhere to their timelines, they might reject your claim.
If the other driver’s insurance company contacts you, you should talk to your car accident lawyer before giving any statement. You should not agree to sign any paper or accept any amount without talking to your attorney.
File a Police Report
If the accident was not reported to the police, you need to call the police and file an accident report. According to California DMV authorities, if you do not report the accident to DMV authorities, your driving privilege is suspended. If you were driving or traveling in your employer’s, you must notify your employer about the accident within five days.
Most police departments have a time limit of 72 hours to report an accident. A police report is an essential document in your injury claim. Without a valid police report, the court may outright reject your injury claim.
Call Your Accident Lawyer.
It can be a challenging task to deal with insurance companies. Hence, it is always a good idea to call your attorney to deal with insurance companies on your behalf.
To sum up, these are some things that happen if you are injured in a car accident in Oakland, California.
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