What Should You Do After a Car Accident That Is Not Your Fault in New York?
Car accidents can be minor events that are more of an inconvenience than anything. They can also be incredibly dangerous and emotionally traumatizing. It might be difficult to think clearly after an accident. Still, it is important to take certain steps to ensure your injuries are tended to and your future expenses related to the accident are covered. The precise steps you need to take will vary based on the circumstances of your accident.
After an accident, the very first thing you should do is call for emergency services. The sooner you get any injuries treated by a medical professional, the sooner you can begin recovery. Getting medical attention will also help you begin to assess the extent of your injuries to calculate damages. You should also begin assessing the extent of other damages, like repairs to your vehicle, time away from work, and your emotional trauma. It is also important to start considering your own actions leading up to the accident in preparation for arguments regarding comparative negligence.
After an accident, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure about what to do next. Our New York City car accident lawyers are here to help guide you through this difficult time. Our team can help you figure out damages and prove fault for the collision. Schedule a free, confidential legal consultation with the Flushing personal injury lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm by calling (718) 841-0083.
What To Do After Another Driver Causes an Accident in New York
After an accident, someone should contact emergency serves to report the collision. Depending on the severity of your crash, it might not be possible for you to make that call. A passenger, the other driver, or a passerby may end up calling for help. Emergency medical services and law enforcement may need to come to the scene and provide aid.
It is important to get medical attention right away, even if you think you do not need it. It is not unheard of for accident survivors to insist they do not need a doctor because they feel fine, but in reality, have unseen injuries they are unaware of. Speaking with the police is also important. However, you should be careful about what you say to them. Any statements that indicate fault could be used against you. Avoid saying things like, “I can’t believe I did that,” or “This is all my fault, I’m so sorry.”
While you are receiving medical treatment, the police will take care of the accident scene. Accident scenes must be cleared quickly, which means there is often little physical evidence of the accident. This makes information about the accident from the police crucial to your case. To get started on your lawsuit, call our Bronx car accident attorneys today.
Assessing Your Injuries and Damages After an Accident That is Not Your Fault in New York
The whole point of filing a personal injury lawsuit is to make the other driver compensate you for your expenses. To accomplish this, we must calculate the cost of your injuries and losses, otherwise known as damages. Damages can be physical injuries, financial losses or expenses, or non-tangible things like emotional suffering. Our Brooklyn car accident lawyers can help you accurately assess the monetary value of your total damages.
After an accident, it is important to begin keeping track of all your expenses. Any costs associated with the accident, like medical bills or costs to repair or replace your vehicle, must be accounted for. This can even include smaller expenses like pain medicine, or repeated costs like physical therapy sessions.
You should also keep records of other expenses related to the accident. Of course, we must include the cost of repairing or replacing your car. We can also include the value of any wages you lost due to time away from work after an accident. If you find yourself unable to return to work for the foreseeable future, we can include lost future earnings.
Non-tangible and non-economic losses can be difficult to factor into damages calculations. However, your pain and suffering should not be disregarded. It may be necessary to visit a mental health professional to get a better idea of the extent of your emotional trauma. You should also be thinking about how your life has changed since the accident. Losing the enjoyment of life you once had can be included in your pain and suffering calculations.
What If I Share Some Fault for the Accident in New York?
Liability does not always fall entirely upon the shoulders of one party. Sometimes, both parties share some liability for the accident. In these cases, New York applies a rule of pure comparative negligence. Under this rule, a plaintiff’s damages are reduced in proportion to their degree of liability. The more liability you share, the fewer damages you can recover.
Under New York’s pure comparative negligence rule, there is no limit to how much liability you can share and still recover damages. You could be 90% responsible for the accident and still recover 10% of your total damages. Plaintiffs could share some liability even if they did not cause the accident. For example, a plaintiff who failed to seek medical attention until much later after the accident might be partially liable for the extent of their injuries. By waiting to get help from a doctor, the plaintiff would have allowed their injuries to worsen over time. A defendant does not want to pay for your medical bills when you were the one who caused to injuries to become so severe.
If you believe you might be partly to blame for your accident or injuries, you can still recover some compensation to cover the costs of your damages. Our Long Island car accident lawyers are available to help.
Call Our New York Car Accident Lawyers for Help
If you were involved in a car accident, a personal injury lawsuit could help you cover the high costs connected with recovery and repairs. Our Staten Island car accident lawyers are here to help you in any way possible. Call (718) 841-0083 to schedule a free, confidential legal consultation with the Patchogue car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm.