The Tough Side of Car Accident Claims

The aftermath of a motor vehicle accident can often feel like steering through a storm. Amidst the physical and emotional turmoil, building an accident claim for compensation is crucial to recovery. However, this process is rarely straightforward. Certain extenuating circumstances can turn a seemingly clear-cut case into a complex legal puzzle.

Understanding these complexities is key to ensuring you're adequately prepared and can secure the compensation you rightfully deserve. Discover three extenuating circumstances that can make building your motor accident claim a challenging endeavor.

Multiple Parties Involved

Determining liability becomes a complex task when multiple parties are involved in an accident. In such situations, each party may have contributed to the accident in varying degrees.

For instance, while one driver may sped, another could have ignored a stop sign, and a third could have been distracted. This makes it difficult to accurately unravel the sequence of events and assign blame proportionally. Each involved party may present different versions of the event, complicating the process of reaching a consensus on liability.

In accidents with multiple parties, there's an added complexity tied to insurance claim limits. Each driver's insurance policy has a limit, the maximum amount the insurance company will pay for a single accident.

If the damages exceed the at-fault driver's policy limit, other involved parties may have to turn to their insurance companies to cover the remaining costs. This situation often leads to multiple claims and negotiations with different insurance companies. Each entity has its own legal teams and interests, further complicating the process.

In such situations, a good lawyer is an indispensable asset. They can help assess liability accurately and negotiate with multiple insurance companies to maximize your claim. They can even help reconstruct the accident scene to uncover all the involved parties and gain clarity on the events leading up to the crash.

This is a big step in securing the compensation you deserve without having to navigate a complex legal maze yourself.

Hit and Runs

Hit-and-run incidents significantly complicate car accident claims due to the immediate absence of one responsible party. When the at-fault driver flees the scene, it leaves the victim in a predicament, as they are unable to exchange necessary information, such as insurance details, or gather evidence from the fleeing driver.

This lack of information can make it challenging to establish blame or seek compensation, particularly if there were no witnesses to the accident or if witness accounts are inconsistent. Without a clear account of the events or the other driver's identity, the burden of proof can be a challenge to overcome.

Moreover, even if the fleeing driver is eventually identified, there's no guarantee of a smooth claim process. The driver may have fled the scene due to a lack of insurance or a valid license, further complicating the claim.

In such cases, you may be forced to rely on your own uninsured motorist coverage, if available. This often leads to negotiations with your insurance company, which can be challenging as your interests may not align.

The role of an experienced attorney becomes critical in helping navigate such complexities and fighting for rightful compensation. They can help probe deeper into the incident and uncover any additional information that may be useful in your case.

Your lawyer can also investigate the at-fault driver's insurance coverage and present your case effectively to determine the maximum compensation you're eligible for.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

Pre-existing medical conditions have the potential to blur the lines between injuries directly due to the accident and pre-existing ones that were possibly exacerbated by the accident.

For example, if you were involved in an accident that led to severe back pain but you'd previously gotten treatment for chronic back issues, the insurance company may argue that the back pain is not entirely a result of the accident. They may attempt to limit or deny your claim since it's hard to prove the extent to which the incident aggravated your existing condition.

This situation becomes even more challenging when the pre-existing condition is not widely understood or commonly recognized. Consider conditions like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, which are often invisible to the naked eye and can be subjective in nature.

If you have such a condition and suffer a flare-up or worsening symptoms after a car accident, it can be incredibly difficult to prove that the change in your health is a direct result of the accident.

The insurance company may argue that these conditions are naturally fluctuating and that the accident did not directly cause the exacerbated symptoms. This makes proving your claim more complex and requires the support of detailed medical records, physician testimony, and an experienced attorney to build a strong case.

If you find yourself in a motor vehicle accident, seek legal help from us at Jeeves Law Group PA, at the earliest opportunity. Our experienced attorneys will work with you to assess your case and ensure that the compensation you receive is adequate for any medical expenses and damages the incident caused. Get in touch today to discuss your case in detail.