subject: Road Traffic Accident Compensation Claim [print this page] Road traffic accidents happen on a daily basis and the odds are that you are going to be involved in at least one during your life time. Most accidents are minor fender benders, resulting in a few bruises and sore muscles. It is unfortunate that very bad accidents can and do happen. A bad accident can result in whiplash, broken bones, paralysis, brain injuries and even death.
If you are the unfortunate victim of a bad accident that was not your fault, you need to know what your legal rights are. You can file a road traffic accident compensation claim. In this way you can get back your lost wages, the money you owe in medical bills and money for your suffering.
In road traffic accident compensation claims the money you collect comes from the guilty party's motor vehicle insurance company. Your fight is usually against the company and not necessarily against the person at fault. If you are the victim of an uninsured motorist or a criminal that illegally leaves the scene of the accident, you may still be able to collect. The Motor Insurer's Bureau or MIB exists to pay monetary rewards to injured people in the case of uninsured motorist or hit and runs.
There are things you need to do immediately after the accident to ensure that you win your road traffic accident compensation claim. First you want to write down the registration plate of the other car. This is in case the other driver gives you false information or decides to leave the scene of the crime. You should be cordial with the other driver to decrease your risk of being furthered injured by an irate driver. Get the driver's name and contact information. Next, you should call the police. Not only is calling the police the correct legal thing to do, a police report will be necessary for you to collect money. After you call the police you should call the emergency response team. You should go to the hospital even if you feel you are not seriously injured. For one, you may have injuries without knowing it, and two, you will need the report when you make your road traffic accident compensation claim. Finally, get the names and contact information of all those that witnessed the accident.
While waiting for your road traffic accident compensation claim to be decided, keep all receipts from bills you have had to pay as a result of your accident, keep all medical bills. Also keep track of the amount of time you have missed from work and the amount of your lost earnings.
Finally seek professional advice from a personal injury solicitor trained in road traffic accident compensation claims. These people will usually not make you pay them unless you win your case. They will work with the insurance companies and the law to make sure you get a fair amount of compensation.
