Rear-Ended in a Car Accident? What Should You Do?

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Rear-Ended in a Car Accident? What Should You Do?

CONTACT US FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

CONTACT US FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

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Rear-Ended in a Car Accident? What Should You Do?

If you are ever involved in a car accident, obviously the “best” accident to have is a rear-end collision (and you are in the vehicle that is rear-ended).  The reason being that the person who is rear-ended is clearly not at fault for the car accident, especially if they were stopped, in traffic, waiting for a traffic light to change  (or at a stop sign) because clearly, there is nothing that they have done to cause the accident or anything they could have done to avoid being hit.   Liability is rarely, if ever, disputed in a rear-end collision.   If you are rear-ended, don’t panic.  First, call the police immediately to document the positions of the vehicles and to explain how the car accident occurred to the police officer.  Make sure that a report is taken.  The next thing to do (and I recommend that you do this quickly) is to take photographs of both vehicles and meet with an attorney with significant experience in personal injury law.   Obviously, if you are severely injured, go to a local hospital emergency room immediately after the police officer documents the accident.

When you see an attorney, you should bring with you the following information: your drivers’ license or your state ID, the appropriate insurance policies, the information that you are able to obtain from the other driver (i.e. their drivers license, insurance company name, policy number), any photographs that you obtained from the incident and the emergency room record, if emergency care was required.  The attorney will take your information and will report your claim to your insurance company as well as to the insurance company of the at-fault driver.  They will also make sure that you are receiving appropriate medical care.  It is important to check your insurance policy to see if you have selected the full tort or limited tort option.  As always, I recommend that you select the full tort option on your policy.  The attorney will monitor your car accident case and make sure all of the information is processed appropriately.  Upon completion of medical treatment, the attorney will obtain copies of your medical records and evaluate your case based on your injuries and request appropriate payment from the insurance company of the at-fault driver.  The attorney should keep you informed of all of the important developments in your case, most notably, upon the insurance putting an offer on your case.  You are always in charge of whether the amount will be accepted or if you choose to pursue your matter in court.

If you are rear-ended in a car accident, most likely you will receive an offer on your case and our lawyers welcome any and all inquiries regarding your matter.

If you have any questions regarding such accidents call us at 215-396-9001 or fill out the form below to submit your car accident case details online.

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We understand when the injury occurs, you are scared and need immediate help. Here are the answers to some of the questions we hope are helpful to you.
If you come to us, we have all the answers for when you are injured in any type of accident.

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Call the police and make sure an ambulance is sent as soon as possible. Make sure everyone involved in the accident is conscious and responsive. Stay at the scene even if the accident isn’t serious, the police should be called regardless and a police report should be filed. It is important when speaking to the police that you stick to the facts, do not speculate, and most importantly do not admit any fault. Make sure you take as many pictures as you can with your cell phone. Also, we suggest taking a picture of the other person’s license plate, their drivers license, and insurance information. The pictures should document any damage that is caused by both vehicles.  Seek medical attention as soon as possible if injured, even if you do not feel any pain, you may be in a state of shock and could experience medical issues later on.

If you are experiencing pain, injury, or financial damages as a result of someone else’s negligence. You may have a personal injury case. If the other driver was at fault or failed to follow the legal rules of the road – our car accident attorneys may be able to prove that the other party is liable for those damages. For example, if you were rear-ended in a car accident, typically the other driver is responsible for that accident and the insurance company could be liable for any damages.

Within the first few days, you will receive communications from both your insurance company and the other driver’s insurance company. You may be contacted by your health insurance company, doctors, and even attorneys. The other driver’s insurance company may request that you sign medical authorizations so they can retrieve your medical records. Before you speak to any of these people or sign any documents, it is important that you seek legal counsel.

You may have a difficult time paying for your medical expenses, even if you have health insurance. Make sure to bill any treatment as you normally would through your healthcare provider. Additionally, you may have medical payment coverage under your car insurance plan. This could be used to cover your co-pays and other medical expenses that your health insurance company may not cover initially.

This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on many factors. If we are successful in proving that the other party is liable for your injuries and damages, you could be compensated for medical bills and any other hospital costs, lost wages, costs of rehabilitation and physical therapy, disability or disfigurement, pain and suffering, wrongful death, including loss of financial support and any other out of pocket expense that was related to your accident.

Depending on the severity of your injuries and the length of time you need to heal from your injuries will determine the length of your claim. We also have to factor in the willingness of the other party to settle as they make their initial offer. If unreasonable offers are made, your claim may proceed to trial, which will increase the length of your claim.

At Kats, Jamison & Associates all personal injury accident cases are handled on a contingency-fee-basis. This means that we will never charge you upfront for any cost and we will advance all costs and expenses. You will not have to reimburse our Firm for any costs unless we are successful. You will pay absolutely nothing for lawyers’ fees unless we win a monetary sum in your case.

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