Get emergency medical help for yourself and anyone else who was injured. Even if you don’t need an ambulance, go to the emergency room or a doctor as soon as you can. And schedule a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney.
If you are a passenger, you have the same rights as anyone else injured in an accident—you can recover ALL of the costs of your injury from the driver who was at fault. Since you weren’t driving, you won’t be blamed for the accident. But it is important to get medical care right away—both to aid your healing process and to help you make a strong injury claim.
What should I do after the accident?
Your main concern is taking care of your health. In addition, there are a few things you can do that will protect your rights and help with your claim.
- Call the police. The police will come to the scene, talk to drivers and witnesses, and prepare an incident report. The report will document the accident and provide an objective opinion about what happened. The police report is an important part of any insurance claim.
- Get license and insurance information from all drivers. Get the drivers’ names, addresses and license numbers. Use your cell phone to take a picture of their insurance cards, or write down the insurance company name, phone number and policy number.
- See a doctor. Some injuries don’t leave any visible marks, while others can get worse over time. A doctor can give you a diagnosis and start you on any treatment you may need. And when you see a doctor right away, you show that you took your injuries seriously.
- Report the accident to the drivers’ insurance companies, and to your own insurance company. Even though you were not at fault, your insurance policy’s bodily injury coverage may be important if the other drivers do not have enough insurance to cover your injuries.
In addition, schedule a consultation with car accident lawyers near Atlanta. This can be the single most important thing you do to make sure you have the money to pay for your injuries.
Who is at fault in my accident?
If you are a passenger in a car that’s involved in an accident, the accident is NOT your fault. Usually, accidents happen because a driver wasn’t driving carefully. They might have been speeding, drunk, distracted by a cell phone, or just being inattentive or aggressive. Legally, a driver whose careless behavior causes an accident is “negligent” and must pay for all the injuries and damage they cause.
The driver of another vehicle might have been negligent, or the driver of the car you were in might be the negligent one. Or there might be a dispute over who is to blame. It doesn’t matter. As a passenger, you are not at fault.
What if my friend caused the accident?
You are still entitled to recover 100% of the cost of your injuries. Many people are reluctant to make a claim against a friend. But it is important to put your health first and remember that your claim is with an insurance company, not your friend personally. If your friend asks you not to report the accident to the insurance company because they will take care of your medical bills, remember that medical care can get very expensive. Insurance may be the only way to cover the high cost of even a moderately serious injury.
Even though you are not at fault, there are a few instances where it may be difficult to get an insurance company to pay if you were in your friend’s car. For example, if you knew a friend was drunk but let them drive anyway, their insurance company may not want to cover your injuries. This is one reason it is important to have a good lawyer on your side if you were injured as a passenger.
Talk to an Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer for Free
Our lawyers have a long and successful track record of getting accident victims the money they need to recover as completely as possible. We never charge a fee unless we win money for you. Let us give you a FREE consultation. Call us at (404) 341-6555 or fill out the form to the right to get your free consultation today.
