What To Do If Your Accident Was Caused By A Drunk Driver
Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is a criminal offense in South Carolina and is handled by the State. If you’ve been injured in an accident as a result of a drunk driver, the actions you take will decide how much financial compensation you will receive.
At the scene, your main priority should be taking care of yourself if you are injured. However, if you feel good enough, it’s best to stay to describe the details of the accident to the police.
Here’s what you need to do after being in an accident caused by a drunk driver:
See A Doctor As Soon As Possible
One of the most important steps in a personal injury case is making sure you see a doctor immediately. If you are greatly injured, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible. Then the second most important thing is that whatever treatment, surgery, or advice they recommend is followed exactly how they give it.
A complete diagnosis from a medical professional is required to be on record to start any legal action. You cannot make claims of lost wages and pain and suffering to the insurance company without offering clear documentation of the severity of your injuries.
Since the liability of a drunk driver is usually obvious, it is not a viable option for the insurance company to go after you as the at-fault party. Their secondary tactic is to question whether you mitigated your damages—which means did you do everything in your power after an accident to keep whatever damages you suffered from worsening? Like we said, this is why it is important to follow your doctor’s recommendations during personal injury cases. By seeing a medical professional quickly after an accident, you are handling the pieces necessary to file a claim faster.
Get The Help of A Car Accident Attorney
Even if liability is clear, the insurance company may try to give you too low of an offer. An accident attorney can make sure everything is done correctly before filing a claim to make sure you receive the right compensation. The severe injuries often sustained from a drunk driving accident make it difficult to handle your own recovery and the legal process of a personal injury claim. An attorney can remove this added stress and allow you to focus on your health.
Help Your Attorney Get You The Best Compensation
A settlement should cover every aspect of the damages you suffered. However, insurance companies do not pay up easily. They will try their hardest to pay the minimum amount required and without an expert who knows how to handle this, you can fall prey to their tactics.
There are elements to a personal injury claim that are subjective, like claims of pain and suffering. A doctor can state that you need surgery. Still, they cannot calculate the damage as a specific dollar value––only you can do this. By working with your attorney, you can describe your personal injury experience allowing them to translate that into a number that is appropriate for financial compensation.
An attorney knows how to get you the best compensation possible, so helping them get all the evidence they request from you is vital to your claim. You might begin to feel an improvement in your health, but if your attorney wants you to seek another medical opinion, you should trust their direction with this.
Final Thoughts
Being in a car accident can have a severe toll on you mentally, emotionally, and physically. You shouldn’t be left to bear the financial burden because of someone else’s actions.
Insurance companies are experts at lowballing and it takes someone like a car accident attorney with negotiating experience to help you get fairly compensated. Getting the right attorney to help you can make all the difference in how smooth your recovery will be and ensures you have someone fighting for you!
