A serious car accident involves injuries that are serious and sometimes life-threatening. Although reckless driving is what causes most car accidents, some accidents are just inevitable. Unfortunately, some of these accidents leave the involved parties with fatal or life-threatening injuries. Moreover, they leave the involved drivers with costly damages that can cost a fortune to repair.
Other accidents cause the involved cars to be written off. But all’s not lost if you’ve insured yourself and your car. Your insurance company will compensate you or the other parties involved in the accident. The amount of compensation you receive will largely be determined by the severity of the car accident.
So, what is considered a serious car accident? This is an important question you must address when filing a personal injury or car accident claim. Therefore, you need to understand what the law in Columbia, South Carolina stipulates regarding car accidents.
Because you’re likely not a qualified attorney or legal expert, you’ll require the assistance from an experienced Columbia car accident lawyer to successfully file a claim.
What Is a Serious Car Accident?
Also referred to as “a major car accident,” a serious car accident is an accident that results in severe bodily injuries to the parties involved and damages to the car.
Generally, a serious car accident results in life-threatening injuries to the parties involved. So, if you and other parties involved in the accident have to be hospitalized and receive intensive medical care, then the accident is considered to be serious. Some of these injuries are likely to leave the parties involved with permanent disabilities.
Also, if the cars involved in the accident are totaled or need extensive repairs, then the accident qualifies as serious. Some of the common injuries likely to occur in serious car accidents include dismemberment, disfigurement, fractures, organ damage, head, neck, and brain injuries, and paralysis.
Some of these injuries can lead to death if the victim doesn’t receive immediate medical attention. Furthermore, serious car accidents lead to significant financial losses because you have to pay hospital and vehicle repair bills. The cost of your insurance is likely to increase as well when you’re involved in a serious car accident.
Fender Benders Versus Serious Accidents
The direct opposite of a serious car accident is a minor accident, which results in minor property damage. Minor car accidents are also referred to as “fender-benders.” But even minor fender-benders can result in severe injuries like blows and bruises, which warrant compensation. This makes it difficult to draw a definite line between minor and major car accidents. Guidance from a qualified and experienced car accident attorney in Columbia, South Carolina will help you determine if your accident qualifies as a serious car accident.
What Is the Law Regarding Serious Accidents?
In Columbia, South Carolina, and virtually other parts of the United States, the law requires you to report to the relevant authorities any serious car accident you’re involved in. This is mandatory, especially if the accident results in death, life-threatening injuries, or property damages that exceed $500.
How Police Reports Factor In
You must submit the police report to file your insurance claim after the accident. A police report is considered the official, unbiased, third-party account of the accident. It’s more reliable than witness accounts, especially if the witness testimonies are made by the parties involved in the accident.
Witness testimonies are notoriously unreliable. When you’re involved in a serious car accident that leaves you with life-threatening injuries, your memory of the occurrence may be blurred, especially if you lose consciousness after the accident. Therefore, a police report allows the court to act impartially when determining who was at fault.
The police report contains important details of the accident, including the date, time, and location of the accident. It also includes the names of the parties involved and the registration numbers of the cars. The law gives you up to six months to report the accident, but it’s advisable to report the accident as soon as possible when everything is still fresh.
What Are My Options Following a Serious Accident?
A serious accident causes compensable losses. This compensation can consist of both financial and non-financial benefits. Economic damages have a predetermined monetary value, while non-financial damages don’t. Some of the common financial damages you can claim after a serious car accident include medical and rehabilitation expenses, lost income, inability to earn a living in the future, and funeral expenses (in case of death).
Non-financial car accident damages to include in your claim include: emotional suffering and mental agony, loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and temporary and permanent disabilities. You can recover some or all of these damages through a court award or an insurance settlement, especially with the assistance of an experienced car accident lawyer in Columbia, like those at Strom Law.
