How to Deal with Multiple Parties in a Car Accident Claim
Sometimes, a car accident happens and there are multiple parties involved. When this is the case, it can be difficult to know who to turn to and how to navigate the aftermath. There are standard ways of addressing a situation like this, and with an experienced attorney on board, it becomes a whole lot easier to do. If you need information about how to deal with multiple parties in a car accident, the guide below has everything you need to know.
Hire an Attorney with Experience
An experienced attorney is the best person to represent the case. Somebody with professional insight into these types of cases will be better placed to protect the individuals from making costly mistakes during the litigation and ensure the case is brought to conclusion in the most satisfactory way possible.
Don’t Admit Fault
As with any personal injury claim or similar type of suit, it is imperative that you never say you’re in the wrong. There will be lots of investigation into the incident, and if you at any point talk to any person, regardless of whether they are a fellow victim or an attorney, it will be used as evidence in the case. Even if you just say you think you could have done one tiny thing differently, you are accepting a portion of the culpability and it will be used against you.
Don’t Liaise with the Other Victims without Legal Representation
This leads to the next bit of advice, which is to never discuss any aspects of the case with other parties that were involved in the crash. It’s hard to tell what other people’s agendas are, and you might think somebody is being your friend when really they have some hidden goal to get you to admit fault so their compensation claim is more valid than yours. It happens more commonly than you might think, and while there are lots of reasons that may lead to a collision, it’s never a simple formula for deciphering where blame should be assigned.
Seek Medical Attention
A major factor that insurance claims adjusters and other legal parties look closely at is whether or not the single claimant parties sought out medical attention. It will be observed because the extent of injuries will need to be verified, and compared according to the facts of the case. While you are under no obligation to disclose medical records, it is important that you did at least attend hospital after the accident because other participants will have and it’s all valid for proceedings.
Finding the Blame: What’re The Criteria?
So, what do the official bodies look for when determining blame in these circumstances? There are a few leading contributions to think about and two clear directions it can take to be resolved.
Contributory Negligence
This is only relevant for a handful of states, but it is worth knowing about in case you live in one of these areas. If contributory negligence is determined, the person who is considered to be partly to blame is no longer allowed to seek further legal repercussions against any person involved in the collision.
Comparative Negligence
This determines each person’s proportion of the blame in the accident and moves to acknowledge a percentage of compensation accordingly.
Dealing with multiple participants in a car accident claim is a lot to think about. However, an attorney will be able to hold your hand and lead the way so that nobody is misrepresented. Book a consultation appointment at our office shown below.
917 Broadway St, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Or call the law office of William J Luse now for a free consultation on (843) 839-4795.