What Should I Do When I’m Partially at Fault for an Accident
Gaining compensation after an accident is something you might look forward to, but what if you’re partially at fault for the accident that caused your injuries? While you should call an experienced car accident lawyer, the outcome does vary by the type of accident and the state you’re in. Here are a few things you should do.
Reserve the Details for Your Car Accident Lawyer
After an accident, you might feel inclined to spill the details to a responding officer, a friend, a witness, or someone else. But that’s not a great idea. And by all means, do not mention your accident on any type of social media! Even if you feel that you played a role in causing the accident, you should keep the details to yourself until you can speak with a Car Accident lawyer. Don’t admit fault, don’t take responsibility, and don’t apologize for your role. Anything you say can be used against you and it’s possible the court will rightly find responsibility with another party if you keep quiet for the time being.
Keeping the details for your attorney’s ears only doesn’t mean you should lie about what happened. You may need to provide a statement to a police officer and that’s OK. Give the facts about what happened, but hold your emotions in check and be careful about how you say it.
Understand What You Could Be Entitled To
Depending on the state in which you live, you could be entitled to compensation even if the accident was partially your fault. In some states, you can receive full compensation minus the percentage amount that you were at fault. For example, if a court determines you are 20% at fault, you would only be able to accept 80% of the compensation.
In other states, you are unable to seek compensation regardless of how small a role you played in the accident. Even if the court finds that you only hold 5% of the responsibility, you would be unable to accept any amount of compensation. If you are in a position in which you could seek damages, some that you could gain compensation for include:
- Medical expenses
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Pain and suffering
- Disability
- Loss of earning capacity
- Lost wages
- Property damage
Getting Your Case Started With a Car Accident Lawyer
Gaining compensation is a process that could take a while depending on the type of the case and the particular facts surrounding it. If you feel you were partially at fault for your accident, it’s important that you speak with a lawyer as soon as possible. Contact a personal injury lawyer today to get your case started.
Reach out to a Car Accident Lawyer today, like the ones available at The Law Offices of Mark T Hurt.
The Indianapolis personal injury lawyers at Ward & Ward Law Firm would like to thank the Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt, for this insightful post.
