Though they come far and few between, “minor” auto accidents aren’t uncommon occurrences. You may have heard of fender-benders, which typically involve vehicle damages and no reported injuries. These accidents are the most common car accidents. Yet, when one occurs, we are often left wondering whether or not to proceed with making a claim or pursue collecting damages.
Below, we discuss how to proceed when these “minor” auto accidents occur and additional information to help you navigate these situations strategically and safely.
Getting to Know Minor Auto Accidents
Minor auto accidents are given their name for a reason—the reality is that the effects are not as severe as other auto accidents. They are known to occur at low speeds and result in minimal damage.
Most commonly, minor car accidents are caused by poor weather conditions, distracted drivers, rear-end collisions in slow-moving traffic, and parking lot/driveway crashes.
Your Next Steps After Your Accident
If you’ve been involved in a minor auto accident, you’ve likely experienced the sudden panic that sets in when you’ve realized that someone has hit your car. The fortunate part of minor auto accidents, especially ones like fender-benders, is that no one has been severely hurt. Knowing this can alleviate some of the instantaneous fear that hits when a car accident transpires.
Practice “Safety First”: When involved in a car accident, it’s important to ensure that you and the other passengers in your car are safe. Once that is confirmed, you can take a moment to assess your surroundings and find a safe place to move your car. Following this, you should identify the driver who has hit you and record their car information accordingly. This will include the color of their car as well as the make, model, and license plate.
Always make a report: In many cases, many drivers will ignore any of the minor damages to their vehicle after an accident and skip calling to make a report. However, it’s important to make a report anyway, just to have it on record in case you’d like to pursue collecting damages in the future.
If your accident has been involved in a busy area, the police may be unable to respond to your minor accident. Yet, by simply attempting to file your report, you’ll have it on record that you tried. This evidence can be later used to support your case.
Pursue medical care: Just because you were involved in a minor accident, doesn’t mean you haven’t sustained injuries. To be on the “safe” side, it’s important to get checked at your emergency room to receive a medical evaluation. This medical room documentation can be of great benefit to support your case as well. It’s essential to note that injuries such as whiplash or brain injuries may not be noticeable until several hours or even days later.
Collecting Damages After a “Minor” Auto Accident
The fastest and most effective way to determine whether or not your case is eligible to collect damages after a “minor” auto accident is by speaking with a auto accident injury attorney.
Though you can potentially handle your minor car accident claim without a personal injury attorney, working with one can help you sort through options that you may not have yet considered.
Many personal injury attorneys in Tampa, such as Attorney Dan Zohar, offer free consultations. If you’ve been involved in a minor car accident, but have sustained noticeable injuries and/or pain and suffering, Attorney Dan Zohar may be the perfect attorney to represent your case.
Don’t settle for less than what you deserve. Find out what compensation you can receive for your auto accident case today by getting in touch with Attorney Dan Zohar.