Every year almost three million people are injured or killed in car accidents in North America. If you have been injured in a car accident, you need to know your rights. You need an experienced car accident lawyer to worry about the paperwork and fight the insurance company while you deal with recovering from your injury. You may also need to sue the driver of the other vehicle or the vehicle in which you were a passenger. All of this must be done within a certain length of time following the crash. If you don’t sue within the time limits, you will likely lose your right to sue.
Injury Alliance will help you find a car accident lawyer who will advise you of the important time limitations applicable to your case.
When dealing with car insurance, somewhere along the way you may have heard the term No Fault Insurance. No fault insurance can be a complex and confusing term. Someone is always at fault. However, under most no fault insurance systems, you will deal with your own insurance company to compensate you for many of your damages regardless of who was at fault for the car accident. If you are injured in a car accident in a no fault regime, your own insurer may pay your medical costs and even provide you with some income replacement benefits. However, many of the damages you suffer in a car accident are not paid for by your own insurer. You may be able to sue the other driver for those damages. You need a car accident lawyer to sort out these confusing laws.
If you were involved in a car accident in which you were not at fault, under the new No fault Insurance system your rates should not be affected.
If you were found to be at fault then your insurance rates may increase at your next renewal. Some insurance companies do allow you to keep your current rates if that was your first car accident. You would need to check with you insurance agent to fi9nd out more information.
If you disagree with your insurance company’s decision about who was at fault or they won’t pay, there is more you can do. You can talk to your insurance adjuster and ask them how they determined fault. Insurance companies have different scenarios that they use to determine fault. You want to find out which one they used. For example, if someone was hit from behind at an intersection, the fault would normally go to the person who hit the car ahead of them. You could ask the insurance company to review you case if there new information becomes available, such as an eye witness testimony. If the insurance company still won’t pay or change their decision, you need to contact an experienced car accident lawyer who will work for you to fill out the appropriate forms and meet the strict time restrictions.
Your right to sue the other driver when you are injured in a car accident varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. If you have been injured in a car accident you should meet with an experienced car accident lawyer to determine if you have the rights to sue the other driver. Even if you are governed by no fault insurance, you may still have the right to sue the other driver. Know your rights before it too late to do anything about it.
REMEMBER: No fault insurance does not mean ‘No Fault Insurance’. Someone is always going to at fault in a car accident
Let us help you find a Car Accident Lawyer in your area, one who will work for you.
Michigan No Fault Insurance Overview
Illinois Car Insurance Overview
New York Automobile Insurance Scheme
Ohio Car Accident Recovery Scheme
"The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment; it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
November 25, 2008
Motor Vehicle Accident Law - Ontario Basics
Web Seminar
Speaker: Christine Murray, Injury Lawyer @ Murray Ralston