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This article will teach you how to collect damages for a car accident, including proceeding after the collision. If you've been involved in an accident caused by someone else's negligence, it's essential to take action right away. The sooner you file a lawsuit against the other party, the better your chances of collecting damages and making sure they're brought to justice.

5 Steps Involved in Collecting Damages After a Car Accident

Here are the 5 steps involved in collecting damages for a car accident:

Step 1: Collect & Preserve Evidence

The first thing you should do is collect as much evidence as possible. Accident reconstruction experts can be extremely helpful in this part of the process. They can help determine what truly caused the accident. Witnesses are also essential to your case; if you could capture their names, addresses, and phone numbers at the accident scene, you must contact them later to ensure they show up for court dates or depositions. Don't forget about photographs; if you could take photos of the accident site before anyone cleaned things up, these can be great forms of evidence in your case.

Step 2: Gather Medical Records

You'll need to gather all your medical records if you've visited a hospital or have received any treatment in the accident's immediate aftermath. This includes records from the emergency room, surgery, physical therapy sessions, and recovery. If you've suffered from pain or experienced lasting injuries because of an accident, it's always good to consult with an attorney before you seek medical treatment. They can advise you about whether your treatment will affect your claim.

Step 3: Get a Lawyer

Don't try to win your case on your own; with all the complexities of a personal injury lawsuit, consulting & hiring car accident attorneys to represent you is definitely in your best interest. If nothing else, having legal representation is always reassuring, and it can be a great source of advice and guidance during the whole process.

Step 4: Request the Insurance Company's Statement of Defense

Once you've hired a lawyer, they will start preparing your court case. The first thing involved is submitting a formal request for the insurance company's Statement of Defense (SOD). This is a document from the insurance company that you've submitted a claim in the hopes of recovering monetary damages. In this document, the insurance company will indicate their defence against your claims, and they'll state how much they're going to pay if you win your case. You must maintain a copy of this document after it's received in court by one of the parties involved.

Step 5: File a Claim

The final step in collecting damages after a car accident is filing a claim with your own insurance company. If your case gets fully approved, they will cover any medical costs and other expenses associated with your recovery from the accident. This can provide you with some financial relief while you continue to recover from the injuries you sustained in the accident.

Filing a claim after an accident can be a long and complex process, but the more you know about it, the better your chances of winning are. It's a good idea to contact an attorney who specializes in personal injury claims if you're in doubt about anything along the way.