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Stepping away from a car accident as a passenger puts you in an awkward position. Whose insurance do you rely on to address your injuries? Who do you blame for any property you lost in the crash? While instinct may tell you that another driver bears the brunt of the responsibility for your losses, that might not be the case.
You don’t have to try and assign fault for your losses without help. A personal injury attorney can meet with you and discuss the duty of care owed to you by every party involved in your most recent accident. With that information on the table, MDSW Legal team members can help you take up a civil complaint for the damages you need to recover.
Call a Car Accident Attorney After a Car Accident
In the hours immediately following a car accident, passengers like you need to cooperate with law enforcement and the emergency responders who help treat your injuries. You should also work with your general practitioner to address any health concerns you may have in the days to come.
All the while, you have the right to consider what legal options may be available to you. As an injured passenger, you may have the right to file an insurance claim with your driver’s insurance provider. You may also have the right to take legal action against the party who caused your accident.
It gets easier to work out your post-accident rights if you can discuss your case with a car accident attorney. You can contact an attorney within hours of an accident to begin breaking down the details of your case. You can also rely on an attorney to help you navigate difficult conversations with law enforcement and other people’s insurance providers.
Getting Insurance Information From Every Party Involved in Your Accident
Regardless of who you intend to hold accountable for a car accident, you should make a point to gather insurance information from both your driver and any other drivers involved in your accident. If your accident also involved nearby pedestrians, bicyclists, or related parties, you can reach out and get their providers’ information, too.
Securing a wide swath of insurance information allows you to speed up the process of securing support from the party at fault for your accident. You can work with an attorney to contact the right insurance providers and defend your right to the support you deserve based on the fault a provider’s client contributed to your accident.
Passengers Can Take Up Car Accident Claims Against Multiple Parties
A driver who takes a passenger into their car owes that passenger a duty of care. Likewise, the other drivers on the road owe their peers, and subsequently, those peers’ passengers, a duty of care. If two cars get into an accident, an injured passenger can argue that both their own driver and the impacting driver violated the duties of care owed to the passenger.
What does this mean for you? It means that you have the right to take civil action against the person driving the car you were in as well as the person who hit the two of you. You do not have to take legal action against both parties if you don’t want to. However, doing so can help you secure the financial support you need to contend with post-accident bills.
If you do choose to take up two complaints, make sure you have the evidence you need to defend your demands for compensation. You can work with an attorney to assess your circumstances and begin compiling the information you need to move forward with your demands.
When to File a Passenger’s Car Accident Claim in California
Whether you choose to take up a complaint against a single driver or multiple parties, you must submit your civil claim within the deadline established in South Carolina Code of Laws section 15-3-530. You have no more than three years from the anniversary of your accident to bring your claim forward.
Attempting to file a car accident claim outside of the aforementioned statute of limitations can see a judge deny your right to civil action regardless of the evidence of fault you bring forward. If you’re concerned about your filing deadline, bring an attorney up to speed so that you can have all the help you need to establish your case.
Know the Value of a Passenger’s Car Accident Claim
You have the right to hold the parties responsible for your accident accountable for the full swath of your post-accident losses. This means that the complaint you file with a civil judge should account for your post-accident economic and non-economic expenses.
You can base the sum of your economic expenses on the bills you receive after your accident. This means that you can demand that a liable party help you pay for your:
- Post-accident medical treatments
- Property restoration or replacement
- Lost wages or opportunities for alternative employment
You can then turn to our attorneys to estimate the value of your non-economic expenses. These expenses may include emotional distress, mental anguish, and pain and suffering.
Let’s Discuss Your Car Accident Today
Car accidents are oftentimes more frightening for passengers than they are for drivers. If you were involved in a recent accident and don’t know where you stand, don’t let the stress of your circumstances overwhelm you. You can take civil action against every party responsible for your losses with help from a car accident attorney today.
MDSW Legal can help you assess your circumstances and break down your right to a personal injury lawsuit. You can schedule a case consultation with our team to discuss the value of your losses and which means of compensation best suits your interests. We’re available to discuss your case online or when you contact us over the phone.
