First-Time Car Accident: 4 Things You Must Know
Las Vegas, Nevada
Have you got into a first-time accident?
Any car accident is an overwhelming experience, but being in a car accident for the first time is probably the worst. If you want to know what to do in the first 30 minutes after your car accident (the most crucial part of any car accident legal case), we recommend reading our article, The 7 Things to Do After a Car Accident.
However, there are some common questions our clients ask that are worth addressing:
• Delayed pain after injury
• Can pre-existing medical conditions affect your settlement?
• How to fix your car fast
• What if your vehicle is destroyed?
1. Delayed pain after injury
Many people are very concerned if the insurance will reimburse their treatment when they feel pain a few days after the accident.
The truth is that many people do not feel pain right after an accident because their bodies are still in shock. But, as time goes on, the pain will start to come out, often in a person's back and neck. Limbs that may have slammed against the vehicle will also redden, bruise, or throb with pain.
As long as you receive medical treatment no more than one (1) week after the accident, you still have a valid claim to be compensated.
Our law firm has experience working cases where pain sets in a few days after the accident. Call us at 702-432-1000 to speak with a car accident attorney. Often, on the phone, we can tell you what could be done in your case to get reimbursement for your medical treatment.
2. Can pre-existing medical conditions affect your settlement?
In some cases, yes. Insurance companies LOVE to deny claims or give lowball offers based on pre-existing medical conditions. You should still be receiving compensation for the extra damage caused by accident. Often, this additional damage puts you in far worse shape than before the accident.
The only way to force the insurance to pay is to have medical experts evaluate your condition as part of your treatment plan.
For further information, call our office and ask to speak with our car accident lawyer.
3. How to fix your car fast
If the car accident is not your fault, you have a few options here.
Choice #1. Typically, the best option is to get an estimate for your vehicle repair from an independent auto body repair shop. This way, you get an independent assessment of your vehicle's damage.
The auto body repair shop will then file a claim directly with the at-fault driver's insurance company and get paid for their work, replacement parts, and the cost of the rental car they provided to you. Ask your attorney to recommend one or call us if you need to know an independent auto body repair shop. Our office can provide you with a list of auto body repair shops we previously worked with, and you can choose the shop you prefer from the list.
Choice #2. File a claim with your insurance - if you have "full coverage." The "full coverage" auto insurance means your insurance will fix your vehicle regardless of who is at fault for the accident. The downside is that you will have to pay a car insurance deductible, sometimes over 500 dollars. If you are not at fault for the accident, then at some point, your insurance should reimburse you for the deductible.
Choice #3. Have the adverse insurance to do your vehicle repair. Although this option is better than no one fixing your car, the adverse insurance may send your vehicle to an auto body repair shop that will not provide quality care or quality parts to your car. Besides, the process of fixing your vehicle may take longer, and customer service, from time to time, suffers too.
4. If your vehicle is destroyed
When your car is so severely damaged that it can no longer drive, then most likely, the insurance will deem the vehicle a "total loss," which means that the cost to repair the car is more expensive than its market value. The insurance company must use a neutral standard for pricing the value of any vehicle. A common practice is to use the Kelly Blue Book to calculate the value of your destroyed car.
When a vehicle is a "total loss," the insurance will pay out the vehicle's value first to any lien holders and then to the car's registered owner.
We can help
If this is your first car accident and you want to get compensated for your medical treatment or don't know how to deal with auto body repair shops in Las Vegas to fix your vehicle quickly, call us at 702-432-1000.
Heshmati & Associates law firm represents clients in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada.
Last updated on January 31, 2024.
