It all happened so fast. One minute, you’re driving down US 27 near Ross, Ohio. The next, your car is spinning and tires are squealing as shards of glass fly through the air. The airbag kept your head from colliding with your steering wheel, but it still hurts. Everything hurts. As you pass out from the pain and the shock, the last thing you notice is that something feels wrong with your leg.
When you come to, you’re in a hospital bed. A doctor is there, trying to explain what has happened since you’ve been out. He says they tried everything they could, but they couldn’t save it. That’s when you look down and realize your right leg has been amputated.
What Do You Do After a Life Altering Accident?
Being in any sort of car crash is terrible, even if you only suffer minor injuries. But being in a life-altering car accident is a uniquely awful event. What do you do? How do you move forward with your life? How will this affect your job? Your hobbies? Your relationships?
And of course, how will you afford all of this?
Whatever injury you’ve suffered, the first thing to take a look at is your insurance policy.
Insurance: Do You Have the Coverage You Need?
When you first purchased your automobile insurance policy, you may have talked with an insurance agent about the various types of coverage available. Hopefully you made sure to educate yourself and purchased medical payments coverage to help pay medical bills, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) in case the at-fault driver had little or no insurance, and an umbrella policy to further increase your limits.
Hopefully you did the responsible thing and took steps to protect your future.
Unfortunately, many drivers in Ohio do not.
Far too many Ohioans decline to carry UM/UIM or medical payments coverage altogether. Others carry far less coverage than they may ever need. And even fewer invest in an umbrella policy, which for a relatively small cost, can significantly increase available compensation in a tragic event.
What Happens If the Other Driver Isn’t Insured?
If the other driver has insurance, there’s still the matter of determining fault.
If they don’t have insurance, things can get even more complicated. This happens more often than people realize. According to the Insurance Research Council, roughly one in eight drivers in the U.S. is uninsured. Ohio ranks among the top 25 states for uninsured motorists.
If you carry uninsured motorist coverage, you may be able to make a claim against your own policy. If you have umbrella coverage that includes extended UM/UIM protection, that amount increases, giving you a better chance of covering long-term medical needs, lost wages, and other damages.
However, if you do not carry these types of coverage, your only option may be to pursue the at-fault driver personally. That said, if the at-fault driver is uninsured, that person will likely have limited or no assets, which often makes collecting on a judgment nearly impossible. Going to court may only result in a moral victory vs. a financial one.
Why Insurance Matters Before the Accident
Most people think of insurance as a backup plan. But it’s only effective if you’ve properly planned ahead. This is why it’s important to review and understand your insurance plan before an accident occurs.
If you’re reading this out of general curiosity or for the sake of someone else who has suffered an injury, please take the time to review your insurance policy and update it if needed. Make sure you’re not in a situation where you have to rely on someone else’s coverage that may or may not exist.
For those who have already suffered from an accident, it’s still a good idea to revisit your insurance policy, but that won’t do much good for your current situation. So what should you do?
What to Do After an Accident
In the case of most car accidents, the answer to “what to do after a car accident” remains the same:
- Take care of yourself
- Gather evidence
- Avoid discussing fault
- Talk to a lawyer
In the case of a life altering accident, however, you might not be able to gather evidence for a while. You may be immobilized, suffering from lingering pain, and/or being regularly sedated. Whatever the situation, you need help. Not just the support of friends and family. That is important. But you need more.
You need experienced legal help.
Contacting an Injury Attorney After an Accident
If you’ve been involved in a serious accident, the sooner you contact an attorney, the better. They’ll be able to help you understand your options so you can take the most effective course of action. Once you’ve entered into a legal agreement with them, they can handle discussions with the other party, police officers, insurance adjusters, and more. This allows you to focus on your recovery.
Of course, you shouldn’t just contact the first attorney you get a phone number or email for. You want an attorney who treats you as an individual and has experience in cases like yours.
The Richards Firm – Local, Personal, Trusted
A lot of injury attorney offices operate on a system resembling a conveyer belt. New cases come in. A person becomes a number. They go through the various stops on the conveyer system. And then they’re pushed out of the other end, hopefully with some settlement monies.
The Richards Firm was founded to operate differently.
Our goal is to treat all of our clients as individuals, while making an overly complex legal system more accessible to them. When you work with The Richards Firm, you’ll work directly with Rhys Richards from start to finish. It all begins with a free consultation, where we’ll happily come to you if needed. We can also meet over phone or via a video call.
It’s all about making you feel comfortable and seen.
From there, if you decide to move forward with us as your attorney, we’ll handle all of your legal needs while you rest and recover. With The Richards Firm, you don’t owe anything unless we win your case.
If you’re in need of an experienced, trustworthy accident attorney in Hamilton, Ohio, The Richards Firm is here for you. Click here to schedule your free consultation or give us a call at 513-461-0084.
We can’t undo what’s happened to you, but we can help you get to a place where you can move forward with your life.