Injury Law- Basics and Car Accidents

There is a law that governs personal injuries and this is called personal injury law. This law protects individuals who, by some unfortunate circumstances, were hurt because of:

Recklessness

Malpractice

Gross negligence

Accidents

Liability and Damages

With injury law, two aspects are covered: liability and damages. Liability refers to who is responsible for the injury, and damages would refer to the extent of the damage brought upon you and others.
Liability is comprised of 3 levels of claims, which are:

1. Negligence: This claim states that the defendant could have prevented the accident had he not been negligent. As such, he is solely responsible for what happened.
2. Strict Liability: This claim states that the product was found to be defective thereby causing the injury.
3. Intentional Wrong: This claim states that the injury was intentionally caused by the defendant, and this should be filed along with a criminal claim.
   

   Car Accidents: 5 Important Guidelines to Remember

   When you are on the road, there is always that risk of getting into an automobile accident. Although we do our best to ensure safety while driving, the dangers are still there. For this reason, we need to prepare ourselves when these unfortunate events happen. Preparation includes being aware of what to do in case an automobile accident takes place.

   Before anything else, always remember to remain calm when handling the situation. Avoid heated conversations with those involved. As a rule of thumb, refrain from discussing liabilities as this may complicate everything. Even if it was your fault, admit to it only in the presence of your lawyer.

   Here are some guidelines you might want to keep in mind.

   1. Assess the extent of the damage. If people are harmed and injured, make sure to put that on record.
   2. You need to exchange personal information with the other party. Take note of the following:

   * Name
   * Contact details (mobile phone and landline number)
   * Driver’s license number as well as the license number of the vehicle
   * Insurance details (name of the insurance provider, policy number, coverage, and agent name)

   3. If there are witnesses (there usually are), make sure you get their information as well (name and contact details). If there are disputes, you will need your witnesses to come forward.
   4. Get medical help if you are injured. Keep all hospital records, including receipts and prescriptions.
   5. When filing a claim, get in touch with your agent immediately. Get 2-3 written estimates for the cost of repair. Also include hospitalization expenses and any other losses you may have incurred due to your injury, such as lost wages.

   Usually, law enforcement will only be at the scene if there has been significant damage to public property or if someone has been seriously injured. However, regardless of whether these officers are present or not, you should go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to file an accident report, which is otherwise called SR-1, if the property damage is more than $750.00, or if someone was injured. If you do not have insurance coverage when the accident took place, your license will be suspended for a year.