What Happens After An Accident With Uninsured Driver?
An automobile accident, besides putting your life at risk, can ruin your whole day. It causes you to miss work or to lose an appointment.
You have to face the damage of your car, liability issues, deal with the authority, and of course deal with an injury.
Immediately after an accident it’s normal to be dazed and maybe in shock. Try to stay calm and don’t overreact.
Do I Need a Lawyer?
Avrek Law has over 50 years experience helping auto accident victims all over California. It doesn’t matter if you were in a motorcycle accident, commercial truck accident, or a minor car accident while driving to work.
You don’t want to fight the insurance companies alone and contacting a personal injury lawyer is the best way to protect yourself.
Feel free to contact Avrek Law online or call us 24/7 at 866-598-5548 for a free consultation.
What To Do After The Accident
Here are seven things you should do after someone with no insurance hits you, or if you hit someone and have no insurance.
- Stay at the scene
Let’s say you hit another vehicle, but the damage is minor. Nobody seems to be hurt at first sight. So you decide to leave without further incident.
Even if the accident does not look major, you need to stop and stay at the scene.
In California fleeing the scene of the crash – if someone is injured or dead – and not providing help is considered a crime.
Additionally, if someone is injured, you are “obliged” to help them; even if it is necessary to take him or her to the hospital.
If you happen to be involved in an accident, do your due diligence and help the other person involved. Wouldn’t you like someone to do the same for you?
- Report the accident
In California, even if there is no apparent physical damage, reporting an accident to 911 and filing a police report will always be in your advantage.
If you do this even if an injury appears later -that was not apparent at the time of the collision-, it can be reported to the insurance later.
- Stay calm
Crashing your vehicle is not a pleasant experience. Emotions are usually very high and you may be hurt. In spite of all this, it is never good to lose your temper, especially towards the other driver, even if he was the one to hit you.
The first thing you have to do is see if you are injured. Do not start looking for culprits, shouting or insulting the other party involved in the accident. You’re not going to fix anything so take a deep breath and stay calm.
You need to be calm to resolve the situation and call the police to document the accident, especially if the other driver has no insurance.
On the other hand, something you should not do either is tell the other driver that it was your fault. If you do this, you are admitting legally that you are responsible and you expose yourself to bear the possible expenses, fines or demands.
Just calm down, make sure everyone is okay, contact your lawyer and be nice. Read 14 things to do after a car accident.
- Let the police work
In California, the police will arrive at the scene to make a report on how everything happened, interviewing you and the other driver, among other things.
A good way to find out if the other person has insurance is to start asking questions.
If you do find out that they own no insurance then you need to exchange all the information you can with them, including personal data, drive license number, number on license plates.
Taking some photos of the incident could also be a good idea to protect yourself from any eventuality. It is possible to fight a police report if need be.
5. Face the music
After going through an accident and insurance claim of your own, it is always important to take care of legal and medical consequences. For this, we have some advice for the possible scenarios that could arise after you get hit by an uninsured driver.
If you were injured during the crash, do you have pain or health problems since the event happened? You need to see a doctor then.
You may even need to consult a lawyer if you are about to face high medical care costs so you can sue the uninsured driver for compensation. Likewise, if the other driver would like to take legal action against you, you will also need an attorney.
Be sure to claim the repair of your car or refund on time; most car insurance companies have a time limit. Also remember that you can choose the workshop of your preference to fix your vehicle.
Keep in mind that you have to be aware of your car while it is under repair, as well as the insurance for any surprises or delay.
- Do not hire a tow service that suddenly arrives at the scene of the accident
Those tow truck drivers that arrive shortly after an accident were not sent by the police or by a miracle. The drivers spend their days listening to their radios and scanners just to profit from accidents – and it could happen that they do not even have an authorized license, or if they do have one they will charge you an eye out of your face for their services.
If you do not know a tow company in your area, call your lawyer or your car insurance to recommend someone who can tow your car.
- Do not decline your right to read your policy
Many policy holders do not understand what they are entitled to simply because they never decided to open and read the document of their policy.
Read it and know your rights, or call your attorney for help with this.
How Does an Uninsured Motorist Claim Work?
A case in which an uninsured motorist coverage can be used is when someone collides with you and has no insurance, but whoever owns the policy pays an additional fee to the insurance company for this clause to be included.
If the driver who hit you qualifies as an uninsured motorist with your insurance company, you will receive the benefits of being able to repair your vehicle, courtesy of your own insurance. However, you do not want to rely solely on your luck, so be aware of the policy limits and deductibles.
You surely want to be up to date with the law, have current car insurance and drive with ease, so ask for the various coverages that make up the personal auto insurance and be sure to stay safe on the road.
Common Injuries From Car Accidents
Most Common Types Of Car Accidents
Wondering if you have a case? Contact Avrek Law Firm for a free consultation.
